Genesis 1-11 Flashcards
(29 cards)
What period does this cover?
The beginnings of the nations: creation, fall, flood, Babel
What is the purpose of Genesis?
To present the beginnings of everything except God.
What word from Genesis can be used to determine the structure of the book? What does this word basically mean?
Toledot: meaning “the generations of”
What is the topical outline of Genesis?
- The beginning of the nations: A. creation, B. fall, C. flood, D. Babel. 2. The beginnings of the chosen nation, Israel: A. Abraham, B. Isaac, C. Jacob, D. Joseph
What are the two types of interpretation applied to Gen 1-2 and the meaning of each?
- historical/descriptive- the manner 2. poetic/figurative - the fact (told how God created, just not how he created)
What are the 6 groups into which most evangelical interpreters fall regarding Gen 1-2 and creation generally?
What are the distinctives/characteristics of and challenges to each of these groups?
Scientific/Young Earth Creationism: young universe, six 24-hour days, Genesis flood, apparent age;
Historical Creationism: Genesis 1:2 following describes God’s creation at the promise land; Progressive/Old
Earth Creationism: ancient universe, days = geological ages;
Theistic Evolution: ancient universe, God-guided evolution;
Literary Framework: Genesis 1 = literary device, days are snapshots/perspectives, days refer to days when God told Moses what he did;
Functional View: Ancient Near Eastern Culture perspective, Creation has to do with function, not matter, universe is God’s temple
What does “in the beginning” mean (Gen 1:1)?
A period of time
What does ex nihilo mean?
Latin for “out of nothing”
What does “heavens and earth” mean (Gen 1:1)?
a merism- ex nihilo strongly implied
What basically is the Gap Theory?
Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 are seperated by time
What is preferred understanding of the relationship between Gen 1:1 and 1:2 (as presented in class) and why?
They go together, because in their original Hebrew grammatical state, they are one compound sentence.
What does “formless and void” mean (Gen 1:2)?
- traditional interpretation: God’s “raw material” 2. Sailhammer: the “land” was uninhabitable 3. Walton: the universe had no ordered function
What are the four primary interpretations of the word “day” (yom) in Gen 1?
- a vast period of time (geological age); 2. a perspective or snapshot of God’s created work; 3. the revealing of the creation story to Moses; 4. a 24 hour time period.
What were the three arguments for understanding “day” (yom) in Gen 1 as 24-hour days?
- the phrase “evening and morning” is implicative; 2. when used with a number, yom means a 24 hour period every other place in the Old Testament; 3, Exodus 20:11 is implicative
What was created in each of the six days of creations?
- light, 2. atmosphere and water, 3. land and plants, 4. sun, moon, and stars, 5. birds and fish, 6. animals and mankind
What does “formed” and “filled” have to do with these six days and what was created?
The creations of days 1, 2, and 3, are filled by the creation of days 4, 5, and 6.
What happened on the 7th day of creation and what does that mean for God and for us?
God rested, which created the concept of Sabbath.
What is the relationship between Gen 1:1-2:3 and Gen 2:4-25?
1:1-2:3 = cosmological perspective (God is Elohim) 2:4-25 = anthropological perspective (God is Yahweh)
What was man given according to Gen 2:4-25?
- a home, 2. vocational responsibility, 3. moral responsibility, 4. a companion, 5. the institution of marraige
What was noted regarding Christ in relation to the Creation and the Fall?
Christ is promised to save man from the Devil.
What is the big event of Gen 3-5? What happened and what were the consequences?
The fall of man: death, curses from God, expulsion from the Garden.
What is the big event of Gen 6-9? What basically happened and why?
The flood: the people had become extremely wicked, so God wiped them out with a flood.
What are three views of “sons of God” and “daughters of men” in 6:2?
- were fallen angels who procreated with human women
- were royalty who practiced polygamy
- refers to the Godly line of Seth and the ungodly line of Cain.
Was the flood universal or local (as presented in class) and why?
Universal: 1. the need for the size of the ark; 2. the depth of the waters (covered the mountains); 3. the duration of the flood waters (over a year); 4. Peter compares final divine judgement with the flood.
