GENESIS AS HISTORY AND SCIENCE

Lately, as I contemplated on the book of Genesis, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to behold wonderful things out of it, and I am delighted to make my findings available for Historians, Scientists, Linguists and Theologians.  I am excited because my findings effectively debunks the idea that Genesis is myth and not fact.

GENESIS AS HISTORY

Two criteria for ascertaining what is history and what is not, are oral tradition and written record.  For the uninitiated, oral tradition describes information that is handed down from generation to generation, by word of mouth.  Because the tendency for oral tradition to be added to, or subtracted from, is there, there is need to keep a written record of the tradition.  Intellectuals will be surprised by my view that Genesis has both!

An obvious instance of oral tradition is the statement of Lamech: “And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years and begat a son:  And he called his name Noah, saying, this same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed (Genesis 5:28-29).  The Holy Spirit prompted this oral tradition to the be recorded, as I shall demonstrate in the cause of this article, that at that early period of human history, tradition could be relied upon, considering the fact that the life span of humans was much longer then than today.  Adam and Methuselah for example lived for over nine hundred years.  Human longevity on the one hand guaranteed stability to the tradition on the one hand, and on the other, suggests that the human memory was sharper and thoroughly dependable than it is today.  I will leave this aspect of the scripture for now, because it appears as if I am theorizing.

GENESIS AS SCIENCE

Let me say that Genesis is more scientific than secular science!  The scientific method supposedly depends on observation and experiment.  My point is that the reliability of the Genesis account of origins can be observed by everyone who has eyes to see today.

First, God’s creation of the world in six days and resting on the seventh day:  “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day, God ended His work which he had made” (Genesis 2:1-2).  Nobody will doubt that the weekly circle is made up of seven days.  Furthermore, chapter one repeatedly states:  “And the evening and the morning were the first day… And the evening and the morning were the second day… And the evening and the morning were the third day… And the evening and the morning were the fourth day… And the evening and the morning were the fifth day… And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:5-31).  Everyone observes this circle of evening and morning, which confirms that the Historian has in mind a twenty-four hour day!

Second, we observe the continuity of the punishment pronounced by God on Adam and Eve, for eating the forbidden fruit:  “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19).  Every cemetery in the world demonstrates that this is true.

Third, note the statement which the Lord made after Noah and his sons came out of the Ark:  “While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease”.  Can any one deny that this is so today?  (Genesis 8:22).

Fourth, observe the confusion of human languages at Babel:  “And the Lord said, behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:6-7).  The diversity of human language is a phenomenon we observe on a daily basis.  Moreover, linguists have discovered the existence of language families, such as the Indo-European languages.  Furthermore, Genesis informs us how humans came to acquire the power of speech:  “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he Him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27).  This image of God in humans explains the fact that humans are creative, and are able to communicate with one another through speech, both spoken and written.  Specifically, God gave Adam opportunity to utilize his language skills, as recorded in Chapter three:  “And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof” (Genesis 2:19).  Again, linguists have found that only humans could use language, a fact that the Genesis account already informs us about.

CREATION OR EVOLUTION?

Fifth, we are faced with the question:  Were we created, or did we evolve?  The Genesis record is not silent on this issue.  First, it makes an assertion: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).  Second, the Genealogy recorded in Genesis demonstrates that this is what happens: “And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enos… And E’nos lived ninety years and begat Cainan:  And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years and begat sons and daughters:… And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:…” (Genesis 5:6, 9, 10, 12).  That we were created is proven by the fact that, since recorded history, everyone who have lived on earth, had come through procreation.  So it is unnecessary to consider whether we evolved or not, for everyone alive today has a birthday!  We can see that the real myth is evolution, which nobody knows when it occurred.  And if you ask me, I think it took place in the head of evolutionists!

A WRITTEN RECORD

At the outset, I stated that we find the two sources of history in Genesis, namely, oral tradition and written record.  The writer of Genesis – Moses to be specific – made use of a written record left behind by the most reliable human Adam himself!:  “This is the book of the generations of Adam.  In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;…” (Genesis 5:1).  Hence, there is no prehistoric man for, Adam was the first man of letters!

MOSES AS AUTHOR

Moses’ authorship of Genesis should not be doubted, for Stephen gives an interesting piece of information about him: “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22).  The word ‘wisdom’ refers to philosophy, a term which formerly define all branches of learning.  It is a fact that philosophy originated in Egypt, but the Greeks took it, refined it and passed it unto Western thought.  He was a scholar and mastered the Egyptian script called Hyrografic.  I present this finding for consideration by all scholarly minded people.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

Does the universe operate by unalterable laws?  ‘Secular’ scientists maintain that the universe operates by fixed laws and they intend by this assertion that it did not emerge by a special act of creation.  Paul writes concerning these atheistic scientists, that ‘they did not like to retain God in their knowledge’ (Romans 1).  Admittedly, the universe is governed by laws, but not laws based on blind chance!  For if these laws were products of chance, we should see the sun, moon, and stars all shining perpetually at the same time!  The seas should overflow their banks, and there should be summer, winter, day and night at the same time!

Again, the laws by which the Universe runs, is revealed in Genesis: “And God said, ‘let there be light, and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).  “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).  There is no scientific document outside the Bible that states these laws, and once more we see how scientifically accurate the Bible is.