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Is Genesis History? Are the early chapters of Genesis a historical account? By “history,” we simply mean that the events recorded in the opening chapters of Genesis actually occurred in reality. To borrow a phrase from the late Francis Schaeffer, the events in Genesis occurred in real “space and time.” It is beyond our aim to give a robust case for why the events in Genesis are true. The aim of this paper is to identify what the author intended when he wrote these accounts. Did he intend them to be accurate accounts of the past? We think so.
Did Genesis Borrow the Creation and Flood from Mesopotamian Myths? Several ancient Near Eastern mythologies predate the Hebrew Scriptures by several centuries, containing many similarities with Genesis. Consequently, critical scholars argue that Genesis copied from these creation and flood mythologies.
Theistic Evolution: A Critical Evaluation Theistic evolution (or “Evolutionary Creationism”) is the view that God created everything—from molecules to modern people—through completely natural processes. How does this integrate with biblical theology?
Young Earth Creationism: Is it the ONLY View? Young Earth Creationism (YEC) is the view that God created the universe in six, consecutive, and literal 24-hour days. By adding together the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11, YECs date the age of humans (and the universe) anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Is this the only way to interpret the early chapters of Genesis?
Young Earth Creationism: A Biblical Evaluation Do the genealogies of Genesis date the age of the Earth? Does the Hebrew word “day” (yôm) always refer to a 24-hour period of time? Does the Hebrew word “day” (yôm) refer to a long age of time in Genesis 1? Does “evening and morning” require a 24-hour period of time? Does Exodus 20:9-11 require that the days of Genesis were 24-hour periods?
Young Earth Creationism: A Scientific Evaluation What is the scientific evidence for an old Earth and an even older Universe? To put this frankly, the evidence is overwhelming, and it comes from several independent fields of scientific study.
Old Earth Creation: Day-Age, Analogical Days, and Intermittent Days Old Earth Creation holds to the current scientific consensus regarding the age of the Earth (4.5 billion years), as well as the age of the universe (13.7 billion years). However, Old Earth Creation is a broad term. Technically, everything other than Young Earth Creation would fit within this view. For clarity, we will consider several prominent forms of Old Earth Creation that distinguish it from the other views: Day-Age, Analogical Day, and Intermittent Day interpretations.
Gap Theory Interpretation Gap Theory is also called the Ruin-Restitution Theory or the Recreation View. As the name suggests, this view holds that there is a gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. How much time transpired? Scripture doesn’t say, but most gap theorists agree with the standard ages of the universe and the Planet Earth. During this gap of time, the Earth “became” formless and void. Gap theorists often claim that this was a divine judgment—perhaps caused by the fall of Satan. Genesis 1:3 and following describe God’s recreation of the world (or perhaps a local region).
Creation of the Promised Land John Sailhamer holds to a view which he calls “historical creationism,” or what we might call the “Creation of the Promised Land.” Put simply, everything after Genesis 1:2 describes the preparation—not the creation—of the Promised Land for human beings.
Literary Framework Interpretation This perspective holds that Genesis 1 is arranged around a literary framework. Thus Genesis 1 explains God’s creation topically—not sequentially or chronologically.
Revelatory Day Interpretation The Six-Day Revelatory Interpretation states that God revealed how he created the universe to Moses over the course of a literal week—not that he actually created the universe in a literal week. Proponents of this view include P.J. Wiseman, Donald J. Wiseman, and Bernard Ramm.
Days of Divine Fiat Interpretation From this perspective, the six days of creation refer to God’s perspective from heaven—not Earth. While God announced his decree over six consecutive 24-hour days in heaven, the results took place over indeterminate periods of time on Earth. According to Hayward, God’s commands are followed by parentheses, explaining the effect on Earth.
Functional Interpretation of Genesis: A Critical Evaluation of John Walton John Walton is the premier proponent of the Functional View of creation, though Dennis Venema (a biologist) and Scot McKnight (a NT scholar) also share this perspective. According to this view, Genesis 1 does not describe the origin of material things, but rather their order and function.
Genesis as Mytho-History: A Critical Evaluation of William Lane Craig Recently, Dr. William Lane Craig has argued that Genesis 1-11 is primarily in the genre of “mytho-history.” What does he mean by this, and what should we think of his proposal?
Commentary on Genesis
Genesis 6-9: Noah and the Flood
Genesis 10: The Table of Nations
Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel
Authorship of Genesis
The authorship of Genesis is bound up with the greater authorship of the Pentateuch as a whole (see “Authorship of the Pentateuch”). We agree with Matthews,[1] Currid,[2] and McCallum[3] that Moses was the author of Genesis. We can offer a number of reasons for why Moses is the most likely author of the book.
First, Moses is the most reasonable person from this time to have written this book. The rest of the Jews were uneducated slaves, but the Egyptian aristocracy educated Moses (Acts 7:22; Ex. 1-2). Not only could Moses read and write, but he was the only one with access to family records (Gen. 5:1; 10:1; 25:19), which were probably brought to Egypt by Jacob (Gen. 46). Waltke writes, “Moses’ superb training, exceptional spiritual gifts and divine call uniquely qualified him to compose the essential content and shape of Genesis and of the Pentateuch.”[4]
Second, Jesus alluded to the Mosaic authorship of Genesis. While Jesus never directly states that Moses wrote Genesis, he did claim that Moses wrote the Torah in general (Lk. 16:29; 24:27). Moreover, circumcision arises from Genesis (Gen. 17:12), which Jesus included in “the Law of Moses” (Jn. 7:23; cf. Acts 15:1).
Third, Exodus builds upon an earlier work. Archer writes, “The fact that Ex. 1:1 begins with the word and (Hebrew) suggests that it was intended to follow some preceding book.”[5] Moreover, Exodus 1:1 uses the same phrase as Genesis 46:8 (“Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt…”). Moreover, the Ten Commandments build off of the creation account in Genesis: Why shouldn’t I commit adultery? Because God created marriage (Gen. 2:24). Why shouldn’t I worship other gods? Because there are no other gods. Why should I take a Sabbath? Because God created in seven days. This interlocking of Genesis and Exodus presupposes the same author.
Fourth, the psalms allude to the creation account of Genesis. Waltke notes that Psalm 8 (1,000 BC) and Psalm 104 (1,350 BC) both allude to the creation account found in Genesis, which would date Genesis very early.[6]
How did Moses know all of this historical material that extends back to the origin of the universe?
Moses likely used written sources that passed down to him from Abraham, who was the “friend of God” (Jas. 2:23; Isa. 41:8). There is evidence that Moses used written sources: “This is the book of the generations of Adam” (Gen. 5:1). So, Moses likely used some historical, written sources to compile his book. However, that being said, why would we overlook the obvious observation that God revealed the prehistoric history to Moses? After all, written sources couldn’t recede back to the time of Adam and Eve (or the creation of the universe!). McCallum[7] notes that God told Moses to write (Ex. 17:14; 34:27), and God and Moses spent long stretches of time together: 40 days as well as regular times in the Tabernacle. It seems plausible that God had a lot to reveal to Moses during these times.
Canonicity
Regarding the canonicity of Genesis, Grisanti writes, “No extant Christian or Jewish source has ever raised questions about the legitimacy of the canonicity of Genesis.”[8] Hamilton concurs, “No Christian or Jewish source ever raised questions over the legitimacy of Genesis’ presence in the biblical canon.”[9] The NT cites or alludes to Genesis 238 times—every chapter except 10, 20, 31, 34, 36, 43, and 44.[10]
Major themes in Genesis
Genesis is a book about beginnings. It explains the origin of the universe, humans, sin, Satan, the “seed” or Savior (Gen. 3:15), and salvation (Gen. 15:6). Boice writes, “Without the teachings of this book, life itself is meaningless… Without this book, the Bible would be like the last acts of a play without the first act, or a meeting of a corporation’s trustees with no agenda.”[11]
Genesis introduces us to the infinite-personal God. He is the unique Creator of the universe. Unlike ancient Near Eastern myths, God is supreme, unique, and without equal.
Genesis gives us insight into the human condition. It explains what it means to be made in the image of God, and what it means to live deeply fallen and fractured lives.
Genesis shows us the beginning of God’s plan to rescue humanity. After humanity rises up against God, he scatters them at the tower of Babel (Gen. 11), but then, he begins to gather them through Abraham (Gen. 12). This is where we are introduced to the notion of an unconditional covenant (Gen. 12, 15, 18, 22).
Genesis introduces us to the “Seed.” God promises to send a man—born of a woman—to destroy the Serpent (Gen. 3:15; 12:7; 13:15-16; 17:7; 22:17; 26:3-4; 28:4; 48:4; cf. Gal. 4:4; 1 Jn. 3:8). Throughout the book, the reader is confronted with a mystery: Who is this seed? Is it Abel? No, he dies a martyr’s death. Is it Seth? Is it Abraham? Joseph? As we continue through the book, no one matches fulfills the “seed” who puts an end to the Serpent (Satan). By the end of the book, we discover that God will send a king through the line of Judah (Gen. 49:10). As we reach the New Testament, we discover the fulfillment of this Promised One in Jesus Christ.
Genesis shows us that God works through sinful people. Specifically, he works through lying, impulsive, greedy, and evil people! He works through dysfunctional families and broken homes. In other words, Genesis shows that God works through people like us! As you read through Genesis, notice how God enters into broken lives to bless people who trust him and bring about his purposes and plan.
Consulted Commentaries on Genesis 1-11
John H. Sailhamer, “Genesis,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990).
Derek Kidner, Genesis (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967).
Kenneth Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996).
Dennis McCallum, Lessons from Genesis: Volume 1 (Columbus, OH: New Paradigm Publishing, 2020).
McCallum has the mind of a scholar, but he has the heart of a pastor. He understands both complex theological issues, but he also knows how to make this practical to follower of Christ. Even though he rejects that this is a commentary (p.5), his work brings together what virtually all others lack: careful interpretation, apologetics, and practical insights and implications from the text. Most commentaries on Genesis simply do not bring all of it together in such a comprehensive way. Chapter 11 on the existence of the soul is the best chapter in the entire volume. Highly recommended.
Bruce K. Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001).
James M. Boice, Genesis: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998).
C. John Collins, Genesis 1-4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Company, 2006).
Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, vol. 1, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1987).
Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, vol. 2, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1994).
Wenham insists that we look at the final form of the text as most important: “Our commentary therefore aims to discuss first what is certain, namely, the present form of the text, before tackling the less certain issues of sources and their redaction… It is the final text of Genesis that has inspired the faithful down the ages and fueled the imagination of poets and other writers, so it is essential to begin here” (xxxvi). That being said, he holds to a form of the “JEP” theory (sans “D”).[12] He holds that “J” or a “proto-J” is the primary author-editor (xlii), and he dates the book somewhere between 1250-950 BC (xliv). We reject this view (see “Authorship of the Pentateuch”).
Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990).
Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995).
Hamilton[13] gives an extensive history and evaluation of the JEDP theory that is well worth reading. However, we were disappointed that he didn’t give his personal conclusions or convictions at the end. He merely stated that the composite view shouldn’t be equated with “errant,” nor is the single authorship necessary. He simply states, “It is not without significance that recent studies have tended to support the essential unity of Genesis.”[14] Is this really all one can say after 30 pages of analysis? Hamilton holds this view because he is not an inerrantist. In his discussion of Genesis 8:4-5 (p.301), he states that he sees “no credible way of harmonizing the information of v. 5 with v. 4.” Possible harmonizations “sound specious” in his opinion. Yet, plausible harmonizations are forthcoming.[15]
Hamilton has repeated sections called “New Testament Appropriation” where he shows how the NT authors used this section of Genesis. These are helpful in demonstrating the unity of thought between the OT and the NT.
Hamilton shines when comparing the similarities and differences between the historical account of Genesis with the mythical accounts in the ancient Near Eastern parallels.
Scientific Commentaries
Hugh Ross, The Genesis Question (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1998).
Hugh Ross, Navigating Genesis (Reasons to Believe, Covina, CA: 2014).
Ross offers what he calls a “soft concordist” commentary on Genesis 1-11 from an Old Earth Creationist perspective. We think his work reads too much into the text. However, most commentators don’t even try to harmonize science and Scripture. So, Ross’ work is commendable. The book Navigating Genesis (2014) is an updated version of the original book The Genesis Question (1998).
Jonathan Sarfati, The Genesis Account (Powder Springs, GA: Creation Book Publishers, 2015).
This is a Young Earth Creationist commentary on Genesis 1-11. We reject YEC, but Sarfati is a leading YEC, and his commentary helps the interpreter to understand this perspective better.
Additional Reading
John C. Lennox, Seven Days that Divide the World (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011).
Robert C. Newman, Perry G. Phillips, Herman J. Eckelmann, Genesis One and the Origin of the Earth (2nd ed. Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 2007).
Hugh Ross, A Matter of Days (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004).
C. John Collins, Science & Faith: Friends or Foes? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003).
C. John Collins, Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011).
Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Third Edition. Chicago, IL: Moody, 1998).
Eugene Merrill, Mark F. Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti, The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011).
Henri Blocher, In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1984).
Vern Poythress, Interpreting Eden (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019).
Alexander Heidel, The Babylonian Genesis: The Story of Creation (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1963).
James K. Hoffmeier, “Response to Kenton L. Sparks,” in Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither? Three Views on the Bible’s Earliest Chapters, ed. Charles Halton and Stanley N. Gundry, Zondervan Counterpoints Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015).
James Hoffmeier, The Archaeology of the Bible (Oxford: Lion, 2008).
[1] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 24.
[2] John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Genesis: Genesis 1:1-25:18, vol. 1, EP Study Commentary (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, n.d.), 31-33.
[3] Dennis McCallum, Lessons from Genesis: Volume 1 (Columbus, OH: New Paradigm Publishing, 2020), 8-14.
[4] Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2001), p.22.
[5] Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Third Edition. Chicago, IL: Moody, 1998), p.114.
[6] Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2001), p.27.
[7] Dennis McCallum, Lessons from Genesis: Volume 1 (Columbus, OH: New Paradigm Publishing, 2020), 17.
[8] Eugene Merrill, Mark F. Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti, The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), p.171.
[9] Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 71.
[10] Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 72.
[11] James M. Boice, Genesis: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), p.16.
[12] Scholars of Genesis universally acknowledge that the Deuteronomistic source (“D”) doesn’t appear in the Genesis text.
[13] Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 11-38.
[14] Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 38.
[15] How do we harmonize this? Most likely, the massive Ark rested on one of the mountain tops underwater before the tops of the mountains were visible.