The University of Chicago Press The Biblical World
The University of Chicago Press The Biblical World
The University of Chicago Press The Biblical World
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THE FIRST HEBREW STORY OF CREATION.
By WILLIAM R. HARPER,
The University of Chicago.
Chabas,
and 1tudes
Green, sur l'antiquitd
The Pentateuchal historique;
Question, Genesis Spiegel,
I-XII, Vol.Er.nische Alterthumskunde;
V.; Lenormant, The Book Harper
of Genesis; Briggs, The Hebrew Poem of the Creation, in Old Test. Student, Vol. III.;
Ewald, Old and New Testament Theology, pp. I I3-I39; Perowne, Notes on Genesis,
beginning in The Expositor, Oct. 1890; Geikie, Hours with the Bible, Vol. I., chaps.
I-VI; Godet, Biblical Studies (Old Testament), pp. 65-139.
6
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THE FIRST HEBREW STORY OF CREA TION. 7
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8 THE BIBLICAL WORLD .
Io. The words "and let them have dominion," vs. 26, might
be rendered "that they may have dominion," thus indicating the
great purpose of man's creation and his divine destiny.
II. The expression in vs. 27, "male and female he created
them," is so terse that one is not surprised at the various inter-
pretations which have been suggested. Does it mean that man
and woman were created simultaneously, or that originally they
were one being; or that the first creation was hermaphrodite?
12. In vs. 29 the meaning seems to be that man is assigned
only vegetable food. It is not until some time after this that
permission is given him to eat flesh. Is it the writer's view that
animals also were originally eaters of grain and not of flesh ?
I3. From the emphasis laid upon the seventh day in 2:1-4,
and its relation to the preceding six days, it is evident that this
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THE FIRST HEBRE W STORY OF CREA TION. 9
Third day, the dry land and Sixth day, land animals and
vegetation. man.
3. A study of these two sections dis
respondence between them. While the
second indicates the source of light
describes the origin of air and water, t
of air and water. The first section de
land and water, the growth of grass
presents the creation of wild beasts, cat
In other words, the first section presen
the second that of accomplishment. I
that the parallelism does not hold good
4. The artistic structure appears, mor
manner in which the whole narrative is made to culminate in
man, who is the outcome of the creation. Everything else has
been created beforehand, in order to prepare the way for the
coming of man, and, at the same time, to permit the divine
destiny of man as ruler of the world to be carried out.
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IO THE BIBLICAL WORLD.
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THE FIRST HEBREW STORY OF CREA TION. II
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I 2 THE BIBLICAL WORLD.
sive, and strangely enough the order is the same, although eac
SFor just as there are different stories of creation so there are two stories of the
descendants of Adam; two stories of the deluge; two stories of the peopling of the
earth after the deluge; and although we may explain this and other similar facts, th
material of Genesis is seen to have its origin in different stories.
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THE FIRST HEBREW STORY OF CREA TION. 13
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1 4 THE BIBLICAL WORLD.
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THE FIRST HEBRE W STORY OF CREA TION. I 5
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16 THE BIBLICAL WORLD.
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