I. “IN THE BEGINNING”

The Primeval History of the World

Homework(due Tues., 10/13) Read Genesis 1-2 (ie.

Chapters 1 & 2) & answer RQs in NB(due Thurs., 10/15) Write 1 pg. Reflection

on the following:Which is true about the origins of the world:

Bible or Science? Creation or Evolution?What does the Scopes trial teach us about

how to “interpret” the Bible?

2. CREATIONInterpreting Scripture

“Monkey Trial” PlayersScopes Defendant in Tennessee TrialDarrow Lawyer for defenseBryan Lawyer for prosecutionDayton Trial siteDarwin Author, Origin of the SpeciesACLU American Civil Liberties

Union

Creation or Evolution…or both?

2. CREATION1st & 2nd Creation Story

If creation took a year...Jan. 1 Big Bang takes placeMay 1 Milky Way galaxy appearsSept. 1 Earth appearsDec. 1 Animals appearDec. 31 Humans appearJan. 1 Space age begins

Ancient Hebrew CosmologyWorld of the dead Nether world

World of the living Our world

World of God God’s home

Three Days of SeparationDay 1 God created light & separated it

from the darknessDay 2 God separated the water

above(rain) from the water below (ocean)

Day 3 God separated the water below(ocean) from the dry land

Three Days of PopulationDay 4 God populated the sky

with sun, moon and starsDay 5 God populated the air with birds

and the ocean with fishDay 6 God populated the land

One Day of CelebrationDay 7 God celebrated, resting from work,

blessing creation and setting the day apart

from the other days (Shabat- Sabbath)

Week Pattern3 Days of separation light/dark

water/waterwater/land

3 days of population skysky and oceanland

1 day of celebration restedblessed creationmade Sabbath special

5-fold Pattern for each “Day”Introduction “God commanded”Command “Let there be”Execution “It was done”Reaction “God was pleased”Conclusion “Evening passed”

Bible interpretation is either…Literalist >Strict Day=24 hours

>Less strict Day= era

Contextualist Day= symbol

You must go back, as it were, in spirit to those remote centuries of the East. With the aid of history, archaeology, ethnology, and other sciences, you must determine accurately what modes of writing the ancient writers would likely use, and in fact did use.

-Pope Pius XII

In the contextualist way of thinking, the

Truth of the Creation Stories looks

something like this...

CreatorOld belief Many gods

New teaching One God

How taught One God creates everything

Act of CreationOld belief Accidental happening

New teaching Planned event

How taught God creates in an orderly way

Creation itselfOld belief Partly good

New teaching Totally good

How taught God affirms goodness

Days of CreationOld belief All days are the same

New teaching Seventh day is special

How taught God blessed 7th Day

Creation or Evolution…or both?Theistic

evolutionists: God creates through process of evolution

Non-theistic evolutionists: Universe simply “began” with “Big Bang”

Creation or Evolution…or both?St. Augustine’s theory

of creation as “seeds” hints at evolutionary process