Did God literally create the world in seven days? (2024)
by Fr. Greg Luger
As a priest, this is a question I get with some frequency and, given our understanding of the sciences these days, it's important to answer it. In fact, we've all met people who've abandoned faith because of this particular question.
To ensure that this article is as effective as possible, let's frame the issue as its most commonly understood. Many people understand that the earth is about four billion years old and that the universe as a whole is much older than that. People are also aware that dinosaurs once roamed the earth and possess at least some understanding of the theory of evolution.
None of this is found in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Add to this that many Christian denominations take Genesis absolutely literally. Weighing that against the scientific knowledge we now have, the Genesis narrative seems totally absurd.
So, then, did God create the world in seven literal days? This is the wrong question to ask. Why? Because the exact age of the earth, evolution, etc. are all scientific questions and Genesis is not trying to answer scientific questions. We need not read Genesis 1 literally, nor should we.
A little-known fact is that Genesis actually contains two different stories of creation and reading them both literally would lead us into contradictions. For example, in each story the order of creation is different. In Genesis 1, we see that birds, fish, and animals are created and then man and woman. In Genesis 2, man is created first, then all the animals, then woman. That should tell us something about how to read these stories.
We need to read them according to genre, just as we would for any other type of literature. Just as I would be a fool for accusing J.R.R. Tolkien of thinking hobbits were real, so would I be a fool for thinking that Genesis 1 is a book about science (note: some parts of the Bible should be read literally, for example, the four Gospels). So, what about Genesis 1, then? Genesis 1 is a poetic narrative, meaning it uses poetry in order to tell us truths about God, the nature of creation, and man.
You might be wondering, then, what truths are contained therein. Given the brief nature of this article here are just a few things: We see God commanding things into being showing that he is all-powerful ("'Let there be light.' And there was light"). We also see that man is made in the image and likeness of God.
And, what about the seven days? In the Old Testament, seven is a symbolic number, indicating completeness. Taking a closer look, we can discern a noticeable pattern. I can't draw a chart in a newspaper article, so you'll have to use your imagination. Here are the things created on each day: day 1 - light and darkness; day 2 - sky and sea; day 3 - land; day 4 - sun and moon; day 5 - birds and fish; day 6 - animals, man, and woman; day 7 - God rests. Now compare day 1 with day 4, day 2 with day 5, and day 3 with day 6. See the pattern? This was done on purpose and is a poetic way of telling you that the earth God created is orderly (as opposed to chaotic like Israel's neighbors believed).
That said, there is no contradiction between the creation stories of Genesis and the sciencessince they are concerning themselves with different aspects of the truth. We simply must believe what Genesis is actually telling us and have no fear of the truths of science (after all, science tells us about the world God created).
As the great St. Augustine put it: "Let every good and true Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to his Master." Let us, then, dive into the Scriptures and the sciences and be caught up in wonder and awe of creation and of God who created it.
Fr. Greg Luger is parochial vicar at the Churches of St. Joseph in Williston, St. John the Baptist in Trenton and St. Boniface in Grenora. If you have a question you were afraid to ask, now is the time to ask it! Simply email your question to info@bismarckdiocese.com with the “Question Afraid to Ask” in the subject line.
The first is a so-called “young-earth creationist” account that reads Genesis 1
Genesis 1
The Book of Genesis (from Greek Γένεσις, Génesis; Biblical Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית, romanized: Bərēʾšīṯ, lit. 'In [the] beginning'; Latin: Liber Genesis) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.
The narrative is made up of two stories, roughly equivalent to the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis. In the first, Elohim (the Hebrew generic word for god) creates the heavens and the Earth in six days, then rests on, blesses, and sanctifies the seventh (i.e. the Biblical Sabbath).
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
understood in a literal, historical context. in an instant if He had chosen to, but for reasons which we do not know, He chose to create all things in 6 literal days. There is much support for 6 day creation in the rest of the Bible.
Here are the things created on each day: day 1 - light and darkness; day 2 - sky and sea; day 3 - land; day 4 - sun and moon; day 5 - birds and fish; day 6 - animals, man, and woman; day 7 - God rests.
There are later descriptions of creatures in the Bible that could be referring to dinosaurs. One example is the behemoth of Job 40:15-19. Even in fairly modern history there are reports of creatures which seem to fit the description of dinosaurs.
Concerning the age of the Earth, the Bible's genealogical records combined with the Genesis 1 account of creation are used to estimate an age for the Earth and universe of about 6000 years, with a bit of uncertainty on the completeness of the genealogical records, allowing for a few thousand years more.
Nothing. Since the world was created out of nothing (ex nihilo), nothingness prevailed. Therefore God was idling, just existing, perhaps contemplating creation. Or, God was enjoying His own perfection and self-completeness.
The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating. However, most biblical scholars and ancient historians believe that his birth date is around 4 to 6 BC.
They believe in a very 'young' earth. The issue here is that fossils suggest dinosaurs existed billions of years ago, making the earth much older. Christians who believe in a 'young' earth may argue that either dinosaurs never existed, or that they lived here much more recently and fossil dating is unreliable.
God's authorized realistic account of his creative acts employs literal representations and portrayals that entail various figures of speech. No one has the liberty to interpret any portion of Genesis 1–2, either literally or figuratively. We are obligated to read the text as written.
The basis for many creationists' beliefs is a literal or quasi-literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. The Genesis creation narratives (Genesis 1–2) describe how God brings the Universe into being in a series of creative acts over six days and places the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) in the Garden of Eden.
Thus, God's creation of the heavens and the earth in seven days, as recounted in Genesis 1, communicates the resplendent theological truth of how, at the foundation and beginning of the story, God seeks to enter into a covenant with his creation, making man and woman not simply his creatures, but sons and daughters.
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created a wonderful world where we could live. The creation took six days. First, Jesus divided the light from the darkness to make day and night. On the second day, He organized the heaven and the earth.
Allah states that He created the universe, the heavens and earth and all that is in, on and between them in six days, as He has stated in several Ayat in the Qur'an. These six days are: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
But the common people of New Testament times, in their homes and in business, knew nothing of the day of 24 equal hours. To them the day was the period between sunrise and sunset, and that was divided into 12 equal parts called hours. Of course, the hours were therefore much longer in summer than in winter.
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