First, the YEC’s, especially Ken Ham, would have us believe that the only viable interpretation of Genesis is theirs. Ham will argue his view is what the church has always believed (you can read some of his articles online at http://www.answersingenesis.org/ ), and that the modern interpretations are a result of the influence of millions of years and evolution. The reality is that this is just not the case. As early as Origen (184/185- 253/254 CE) and Augustine (354-430 CE), theologians were intrigued by Genesis 1 and understood that there was more to this passage than a literalistic account. Both Origen and Augustine interpreted things both literally and allegorically.[1]
As far as the Reformers go, Luther and Calvin understood Genesis in a literal manner, in which the text was describing the real, visible world. However, both of them insisted that the central purpose of Genesis 1 was theological rather than material.[2]
There are also other difficulties in the text if one tries to read it literally. These difficulties have been noted by many of our church fathers, which is why they did not adopt a literalistic reading of the text. For example, what does “day” mean in Genesis 1 if the markers for time (sun and moon) were not created until day 4? Also, how was there “light” in verse 3 when the sun, moon, and stars were not created until verse 14? When God creates the “light”, why does he call it “day” instead of “light”?
Justin Martyr (100-165 CE) and Irenaeus (125-202 CE) suggested that the “day” in Genesis might be interpreted in light of 2 Peter 3:8 which mentions that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord.[3] Martin Luther argued that we will never be able to explain everything in Genesis 1 adequately, and that the major concern is that all are in agreement with its message, namely that God created the world, it had a beginning, and that it was created out of nothing.[4] Thus, what we see is that even our church fathers wrestled with the Genesis text and understood that it could not be read in a literalistic manner. In reality, Ken Ham and YEC’s actually find themselves outside the stream of the orthodoxy that they so vehemently wave when they insists that Genesis must be read literalistically. Hmmm, and all these interpretations were around before modern geology, astronomy, and Darwin. No one accuses our fathers of being influenced by modern science when interpreting the text this way, but according to the YEC’s, any contemporary interpreter who follows the lead of our church fathers is simply caving into evolution and millions of years. Again, I graciously ask, where is the logic in that? (For more on pre-modern readings of Genesis, go herehttp://biologos.org/blog/pre-modern-readings-of-genesis-1-part-1 )
At this point, I would like to address the YEC interpretation of “kind” in Genesis 1. YEC’s argue that the word “kind” (Hebrew min) is the same biological category that we call species. This is a classic case of anachronism- reading modern concepts into ancient writings. It is silly to think that the ancient Hebrews would have had the same zoology as us. Rather, what we see is that the word “kind” is meant to emphasize how the plants bearing seeds and the trees bearing fruit are created in all their kinds; that is, all sorts or plants and trees. The same with the creatures, birds, and animals- the domestic animals, the ones that crawl- he creates all kinds of such animals. Unfortunately, space and time limit me to not going into the overwhelming biblical evidence that supports what I am talking about, so I recommend that you go here http://biologos.org/blog/the-meaning-of-min-part-1 . Finally, this also means that it is very silly to read dinosaurs in the word “creature” of Genesis 1.
So, how should we interpret the Genesis creation accounts? Here are some better alternatives that seem to be more faithful to the authorial intent.
Framework Theory- This view argues that Genesis 1 gives no information about the age of the earth. It argues that the days of Genes are not intended to indicate any chronological sequence, but are a literary “framework” in which the author uses to teach us about God and his creation. The framework is constructed with skill, showing how the first three days and the last three days correspond to each other.
Days of Forming Days of Filling
Day 1: Light and darkness separated Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars
(lights in the heavens)
Day 2: Sky and waters Day 5: Fish and
birds
Day 3: Dry land, seas, plants, trees Day 6: Animals and man
This is a very popular view among scholars and has a lot to be commended.
Day-Age Theory- This view argues that the days in Genesis 1 refers to long periods of time. It is argued that the Hebrew word for “day” refers to longer periods of time than just a 24-hour day. Those who hold this view also argue that since the sixth day includes so much activity, there is no way it could have all taken place in 24 hours. Another argument is that of the seventh day. Why isn't there “evening and morning” attached to it? Also, how could there be “evening and morning” on the first three days when there was no sun, moon, or stars? Thus, Genesis 1 speaks of long epochs or ages. This means that what happened in Genesis 2 and 3 could have happened more than 10,000 years ago.
Non-historical Myth- This view understands Genesis 1-3 to be an accommodation to the creations myths of ancient cultures. In other words, Genesis is a non-historical account of origins given to make theological points. They are mythical stories meant to portray God’s creative activity and interacting with man. For example, these myths were never meant to give historical pictures; rather, they were stories to explain the theology behind creation and sin. So, there never was a real Adam and Eve, etc. The fundamental weakness with this view is that the text reads and assumes some “historical core” underneath its exalted language.
Ancient Cosmology/Theological History- This view is similar to the previous, except for one vital difference. Whereas the previous view sees these stories as non-historical, the theological history viewpoint understands these stories from the Ancient Near East perspective as presenting history in mythological language. In the Ancient Near East, there was no separation between history and myth. Their history was their myth; to separate the two is to destroy the literature. Thus, what we have is an ancient view of history.
Historical Creation- This view sees Genesis 1:1 as speaking of the act when God created everything. From then on, a second act of creation ensues in which God prepares the land for man. This preparation of the land is meant to be seen in connection with the rest of the Pentateuch. This “land” was the same land that was promised to Abraham, given to Israel, and conquered by Joshua. The point of the Genesis narrative is to link Israel and the “land” to creation to show that from the beginning, God has had a land prepared for his people.
So, how do I believe the creation accounts in Genesis should be interpreted? That will be in my next post. But for now, this post was intended to show why I reject the YEC interpretation of Genesis. In summary, the YEC view fails for three reasons: First, it attempts to read modern science into the text and forces Genesis to answer the wrong questions. Second, it cannot deal with the “evening and morning” phrases, along with the “light” and “kind” passages. Finally, it has total disregard for authorial intent and ANE cultural context, along with the book’s connection with the rest of the Pentateuch.
[1] Origen, Homilies on Genesis, 60. Origen, 49, 50.Origen, 53-55. Augustine, Against the Manichees, 57, 58 and Genesi ad litteram, 145-46.
Augustine, Against the Manichees, 83-88, 89-90. The seven ages are the following: Day 1 = the infancy of the world that stretched from Adam to Noah; Day 2 = childhood, stretching from Noah to Abraham; Day 3 = adolescence, encompassing the biblical history from Abraham to David; Day 4 = the age of youth, from David to the Babylonian captivity; Day 5 = youth to old age, stretching from the Babylonian Exile to the first advent of Christ; Day 6 = old age, the coming of Christ until the 2nd coming; and Day 7 = on the even and including the 2nd coming of Christ.
[2] LW 1:3, 4, 10, 18, 36, 39, 47, 49. Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, 70, 89, 80-82, 88.
[3] Justin Martyr, Dialogue 81.4; Irenaeus, Adv Her 5.30.4.
[4] LW 1:3-4.