Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Dear Kenneth,

First of all, I fail to see anything offensive in your question. Anyone who 
is insulted by an honest question should not be on this list. This list (as 
I understand it) is a place for open dialogue by people with different 
perspectives and beliefs. Your question is perfectly legitimate.

The fact is, that the first two chapters of Genesis ARE two different 
stories. One tells of God's creating the world from a watery chaos, going 
from the "simple" plants and fish to the more complex land animals and 
culminating in man. Both man and woman are created together. The second 
story tells of YHWH-Elohim creating a desert world, then watering His garden 
and placing the single man within it to tend it. He then creates the animals 
and finally woman as man's helpmates. However you look at it, these are 
different stories.


People who accept source criticism claim that the two stories were 
originally two different traditions, maybe even about two different deities, 
which were later pasted together. I, personally have no problem with this 
explanation, but other explanations are possible. Rabbinic tradition sees 
the two stories as expressing two different ASPECTS of creation: when the 
Torah uses the title Elohim for God, it refers to God's acting in judgment 
(there are places in which "Elohim" is used of human judges as well). The 
title YHWH refers to God's mercifulness. God at first intended the world to 
be run by the aspect of judgment - any being that sinned would receive 
immedeate punishment. Then HE realized that the world could never survive 
such a regime, and allowed divine mercy to take its place in creation - 
beings that sinned would have the chance to repent, retribution could be 
held off. But since God does not make mistakes, understanding this is 
refering to a chronological sequence - first one "creation", then the next - 
is simplistic. The two stories are meant to show US that there are these two 
aspects to God's creation. Which is LITERALLY TRUE? Why does that matter? 
Since when is the Bible a textbook about geology and biology? Or history, 
for that matter?

Yigal Levin


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "kenneth greifer" <greifer AT hotmail.com>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 8:39 AM
Subject: [b-hebrew] Genesis 2:19


> In case anybody actually reads what I wrote about Genesis 2:19 a few 
> months
> ago, I would like to repeat what I said before. I am sorry about some of 
> the
> wording that was insulting to some people. I did not expect to have that
> comment show up again, so I just recommend people ignore what I wrote,
> which, ironically, you will probably do anyway.
>
> Kenneth Greifer
>
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