Revisiting the creation story again

The Common Lectionary is a system of selected Bible readings put together cooperatively and used by many Christian bodies. It is organized on a three-year cycle. Each Sunday's lessons call for a Psalm, a reading from one of the Gospels and two other selections, usually one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. If used consistently, the lectionary readings help congregations to be Bible literate and challenge the minister to preach on a variety of themes. Over the years I have found use of the lectionary to be very helpful.

This week I looked at the lectionary readings and there it was again. The Old Testament lesson was the familiar creation story found in Genesis 1. It touches on the critical topic of beginnings. The word "genesis" means beginnings, and the very first words of Genesis 1 are, "In the beginning." Understandably, many readers want the passage to answer the critical questions of when and how, but they never find an answer that is satisfactory to a modern inquiring mind, and for good reason.

The passage is written in the literary form of mythology. The use of myth should surprise no one. It is one of the earliest forms of communication. Myths address questions of values and morals. They address questions of why. They are not history and are not to be read to satisfy scientific inquiry. Myths are wonderful commentary about life and are found in every civilization. They are simple to remember, and their roots predate written language.

The roots of the Genesis 1 creation story are easily traced. Abraham, the foundation person of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, was a native of Mesopotamia, the fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern Iraq. This area produced the earliest known mythologies of the Western world and is the birthplace of written language. Judaism's development never escaped the context of Mesopotamian/Babylonian mythology. Israelite understandings were worked out against dominant Babylonian mythology.

In Babylonian mythology, Marduk, a warrior God, was the chief deity, but not without challenge. Marduk's challenge came from Tiamat, the god of chaos. Marduk fought Tiamat endlessly and appears to be victorious. However, each year Tiamat reappeared to do battle. The dominant theme in Babylonian mythology was what to do about chaos, not how things began. The world was a given with which their thinking began.

In the sixth century BCE, a small group of Israelites were forcibly taken to Babylon as slaves. In that context, they were confronted by Marduk, Tiamat and Babylonian mythology. What we read in Genesis 1 is a thoughtful theological response.

By this time, Israelites had become monotheistic. Their God was one and the only God. In the Israelite myth, God is confronted with a world that was chaotic (without form and void or useless). The Genesis 1 creation myth sets aside the idea of a battle to the death between God and chaos. The Israelite God took a different course. It is the doing of good. Everything that the Israelite God formed and shaped is described as good. His final creative work is the forming of human beings and is described as very good.

Genesis 1 carries an essential truth for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Those things in life that are useless, and even destructive, are not addressed in the field of battle. Jesus clearly taught that we are to overcome evil with good. Becoming a warrior in these great faith traditions is a denial of this essential truth.

In the Bible we find two traditions, not one. One of those traditions embraces a warrior God who is constantly ready to do battle with evil. The other tradition rejects the warrior approach, ignores chaos and pursues the doing of good. The Genesis 1 account was written in the second tradition. Some Christian believers attempt somehow to embrace both, but face the great dilemma. How can the command of Jesus to love our enemies be harmonized with killing our enemies?

What to do with chaos is a common theme among the great religions of the world. The most common solution is order. None of the major world religions deny that chaos is a reality of life. Chaos surrounds us all every day. It is all too easy to conclude that someone, some nation or some combination of nations needs to bring order for the sake of humanity. Every war that has ever been fought has been seen by some as the only way to restore order. Wars are fought with the assumption that if life is well ordered, peace and happiness will be found. Wars never bring the desired result.

The important message of the Genesis 1 creation story has been lost in debates about how all things began. People have been led to believe that the Genesis 1 story is about God's creation of all things out of nothing. People have been led to believe this marvelous myth is a history report.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, left us with good advice. Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the places you can, at all the times that you can, as long as ever you can.

According to the myth, chaos was God's opportunity to do good. It can be ours as well.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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