Historical Creationism

The division of the church over the Creation debate breaks my heart. Throughout the history of the church there have been as many views on Creation as there have been godly men who diligently studied it. I long for the unity of the brethren in the essential doctrines, as well as in the views derived from scripture and doctrine, such as Creationism and Eschatology.

I am simply a layperson, I have written this because I have come to espouse a view of Creationism that completely leaves scientific study of the age of the earth to scientists and does not require anything less than a literal translation of the first few chapters of Genesis. The book I read is out of print and I saw a need for a place online where Historical Creationism was simply outlined.

I was taught Young Earth Creationism from my childhood. I simply rejected scientific studies of the great age of the earth as the faulty reasoning of fallen man. My closest friend on the other hand was a relatively new Christian and was avidly studying the Progressive Creationism model. We reasoned together and bantered but I realized that our views, though vastly different in length of time and creative process, were still firmly based in God the Creator and His holy Word. Our dear Pastor offered a class to clarify the fundamentals of Creationism.

 There are two spheres of study that Creationism encompasses the realm of Theology and the realm of Science. The fact is that Science simply cannot make definitive statements about God. The more important fact is that Scripture is a definitive revelation about God and is entirely true, but it is not an exhaustive teaching of science nor does it reveal a date for the creation of all things.

Romans 1:20-21a For since the foundation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they (men) are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful,...

There is a view called *Historical Creationism* that is revealed in a book called Genesis Unbound, written by Dr. John Sailhamer, a professor of Ancient Hebrew. This view reconciles science and theology in a way you cannot yet imagine. I could never have been convinced by a scientific argument, it always came back to the faulty reason of finite man. However, I have become convinced by a wonderful treatise, which returns to the Hebrew text and uses scripture to reshape our view of the scripture of Genesis.

In the Beginning-	In a Nutshell-	After their own kind-
Created and Made-	Another interesting aspect-	The Gap Theory-
The Earth-	Mankind: Created and Made-	The Fundamentals

 In the Beginning-

Where does the bible mention baseball? In the big inning God created the heavens and the earth. ;o)

What a terrible joke, right? But it does illustrate something that the Hebrew word "reshiyth" and translated "beginning" truly connotes. "Reshiyth" does not mean the second or moment that something begins, it indicates a period of time at the start, it could mean one second as in the Big Bang, six days, or even 4.5 billion years.

Exodus 12:2 This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Here "beginning" is a whole month. (Ro'sh is the root word that "reshiyth" is derived from)

Job 42:12 Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. Here "reshiyth" or "beginning" encompasses Job's lifetime up to his trial, including marriage, seven sons and three daughters and vast possessions.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made, that was made. "In the beginning" is also used by the apostle John to display the eternal existence of Christ and in context describes the span of His existence up to the time that He "became flesh and dwelt among us." Christ, as God, existed eternally, and before "day one." (John 1:1-14 & 1 John 1:1-3) The apostle John is, most likely, expounding on the OT scripture of Proverbs 8:12-36.

Proverbs 8:22-23 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of His way. Before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there ever was an earth...:30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight. Reshiyth and Ro'sh are used consecutively here for the "everlasting" period of time "before there ever was an earth."

 The Heavens and the Earth- Many Hebrew scholars consider this phrase a Hebrew merism for universe. A merism is a grouping of words that may mean something different than it's parts. For instance, a ladybug is a common red beetle with black dots. A ladybug is not necessarily lady in gender, nor is it a bug ("x marks the bug"), as it has a straight line on its back because it has wings. Yet, if I say ladybug we envision a cute, polka-dotted little beetle.

The phrase "the heavens and the earth" encompasses all that is physical and spiritual reality, all things visible and invisible.

Deuteronomy 4:26 I call the heavens and the earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

"The heavens and the earth" here encompass all things in the "the universe." Separately "the earth" (eretz) generally means "the land" and "the heavens" means "the sky" from our perspective. As in a sentence speaking of both a lady and a bug. Similarly whenever the words appear in opposite order "the earth and the heavens" such as in Genesis 2:4b they are not the same as in Genesis 2:4a. it would be similar to saying bug lady as opposed to ladybug, when you reverse them they have separate connotations. Also when the words are grouped with other words they loose the meaning of the pair, like: lady, bug, man, beetle. (Haggai 2:6 & 2:21)

Dr. Robert Reymond though he is not a proponent of Historical Creationism explains it this way. " ...the phrase "the heavens and the earth" is what is known as an "antonymic pair" in Hebrew idiom, standing for our "universe," but more than that, for the "well-ordered universe." Then he paraphrases the first verse this way. "In the beginning God created the well-ordered universe."

There are three heavens spoken of in scripture.

1) The sky where rain forms and birds fly, (Genesis 8:2).

2) Outer space where the sun, moon and stars reside, (Genesis 15:5).

3) The "third heaven", "heaven of heavens" the spiritual realm where the throne of God is and the angels reside, invisible to our eyes. The first chapter does not speak outright about the existence or history of the spiritual realm, yet there must have been a history where Satan and the fallen angels fell because Satan was already fallen and "the deciever" in Genesis chapter 3. I would suggest that the history of the creation of angels and the third heaven(Genesis 21:17, Deuteronomy 10:14, 2 Corinthians 12:2), would be included "in the beginning."

I submit we should paraphrase it this way: "Within the beginning God created the universe." The first sentence is so important it establishes God's creation of all things and intimates "ex nihilo" or "out of nothing" creation. God is first seen as Elohim and plural thus the Trinity is intimated. And His eternality is established, there was nothing before God. A little of the beauty that is not seen in our language is the fact that the first sentence of scripture is seven words and a complete thought. A history encompassing a period of time, possibly vast, wherein God created all that existed before "day one." If we simply make this verse a summation of the 6 days following, then God began with the raw materials in Genesis 1:2, we lose "ex nihilo" creation. Also, there is a great summation in Genesis 2:4-2:8.

Genesis 2:4a These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created,

Lest you think this is a coincidence the beginning phrase opens 10 sections of Genesis. See also Genesis 5:1, 6:9, 10:1, 11:10,11:27, 25:12, 25:19, 36:1, 36:9 & 37:2. I think this might indicate that the universe was created over a great period of time.

Job 38:4-7 Indicate that the "morning stars" and angels sang as the foundation of the earth was laid. 2 Peter 3:5 indicates that the heavens were in existence long before "the earth" was formed.

But you can certainly see that this view would not rule out Young Earth Creationism. If you believe that God created the universe before dawn on 'day one,' you are still well within the bounds of the historical views of the church fathers and the Hebrew text.

 Created and Made- In Genesis 2:3 there is a challenge for our understanding of what God had done in the first six days. As I understood it from the Young earth position Creating and Making were simply synonyms. However, this sentence would not make sense if they were really the same action stated in different words.

Bara- is translated create, God is the only one ever said to create anything in scripture, it has the connotation of bringing something into existence that simply did not exist before.

Asah- is translated made, Noah is said to have made the ark in Genesis 8:6, did he bring it out of nothing? No, Genesis 6:14 clearly states he was given instruction to make it out of gopher wood and pitch. In Genesis 3:21 God makes garments out of (animal) skin to clothe Adam and Eve. Genesis 19:3 it is the preparation of a meal. Therefore when the word made is used it is speaking of the arranging and/or preparing of existing materials. Which is sensible knowing that God has already created the universe "in the beginning" and throughout the six days God is arranging materials that already exist but are "formless and void" and covered with water and in darkness according to Genesis 1:1-2.

Isa 45:12 I have made the earth(a), and created man upon it(b): I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens(c), and all their host have I commanded(d).

This verse perfectly summarizes my understanding of the main events of the first six days of human history.

Two more contrasts of Created and Made are Isaiah 45:18 and Amos 4:13.

Caution: If you do not distinguish the meanings of create and make, then you allow for the lack of deity in Christ, who was "begotten" and "made," whereas mankind is "created and made."  If Christ was "made" and that can mean that he was "brought forth out of nothing", then He was not eternal, He was not with the Father in the beginning.  We lose the very deity of Christ when we do not follow scripture in it's terminology.  His body was "made flesh" from the existing seed of Mary, he was fully human, but His life was that eternal unchangeable person, who is God.  "The only begotten of the Father."  The Creator not the created.  He is perfectly distinct as a person of the godhead but not a bit less than true human "flesh" and "blood." (Colossians 1:22, Romans 1:3, Philippians 2:5)

The Earth- In modern terms earth brings to mind a picture of our spherical planet, a globe. The Hebrew word "eretz" is translated "earth" or "land" interchangeably. In the Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible, written by Moses (John 5:45 & Luke 24:44), the focus is upon "the Promised Land" (Genesis 12:1-3, Exodus 3:8, Deuteronomy 6:3.) The area of land that is in view in the first six days of human history, Genesis 2:8-15 and 3:23 clearly establish, "the garden in the land of Eden." The river Euphrates is a boundary of the garden and of the Promised Land in the Pentateuch. (Genesis 2:14, 15:18 & Deuteronomy 1:7)

Look at Genesis 4:11. Is Cain cursed from the planet and did the blood of Abel soak the entire globe? No. Clearly Cain was removed from the land of Eden and sent eastward from the Land of blessing where God's face shines (Numbers 6:24-27 & Deuteronomy 31:17) to the land of Nod, east of Eden, Genesis 4:16. Exodus 10:15 is a great example, here it is clearly is stated that the plague covered "the face of the whole earth"(used to describe the realm of the flood in Genesis 6:7 & 7:4) which is then defined as "the land of Egypt." Did king Nebuchadnezzar rule the entire planet encompassing all of the continents, the Americas, Australia, Antarctica and the Far East?(Daniel 2:17 & 4:1 and 22) We should not take it to the absurd but simply remember the context focus which is the dwelling place of God's faithful people and the line of Christ.

Why do we have "eretz" translated as earth so many times in scripture? First of all, earth could mean dirt, a place where one kneels or bows down(Gen. 24:15), or a national country(Genesis 12:1). It might help to think of the term "earth-mover," which is a bull-dozer which is heavy duty equipment but not used to change the axis of the planet. Just as "Earthenware" is not a differentiation of which planet the clay comes from.

Ironically the translation is largely believed to be global because of scientific cosmology and the translation of the Hebrew scriptures to the Greek language. The word was translated to cosmos which can mean land but which generally has a wider scope. The Greek philosophers and scientists believed that the planet was at first "chaos" and so "formless and void" fit with their understanding of the condition of the planet "in the beginning." And by 1611, and the King James Translation, cosmology was commonly thought to be the focus of Genesis one.

Another perspective that colors our view of Genesis is the fact that the New Testament expands the scope of God's blessing from one nation to every nation, tribe and tongue, Revelation 5:9 & 14:6. Christ's death provided salvation, not only for the Jews but for the Gentile nations, Romans 9:24-26. We may carry that global perspective backward to our reading of Genesis. The land promises of the Old Covenant do not simply disappear they are broadened to encompass the entire planet, wherever God's salvation is manifest as part of the "everlasting covenant."(Romans 4:13 & Hebrews 13:23)

Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

 In a Nutshell-

Therefore, it makes exegetical sense to say that the first verse of scripture encompasses the time that it took God to create the universe. However then the scope shrinks to "the Land" wherein God is going to place Adam and Eve.

This is the whole key to understanding Historical Creationism. Verse one gives the big picture and history of the creation of the sun, moon and stars, angels, our planet, plants, and creatures (dinosaurs?) and anything that existed before the first 7 days of human and redemptive history.

I believe that the universe was created in the beginning. I believe that the garden in the Land of Eden (Genesis 2:5-15) was transformed from uninhabitable (tohuw or "formless" waste land-Deuteronomy 32:10) and empty (bohuw or void) to "very" good (towb) and a safe habitation (Isaiah 32:15-18.) Notice the word play- tohuw and bohuw made towb. The sky, Land and sea were made (arranging existing materials) and filled with life (Genesis 1:20-26) and good things (Genesis 2:9-12) in six days, all to provide for mankind, created and made in His image. What a wonderful perspective of God's Fatherly care. And what a promise for our future the New heavens and the New Earth.

Isaiah 51:3 For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it,Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

A test to see what you have learned so far, does this verse contradict the Historical Creationism claim that God created the universe before day one?

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

No. The Lord "made" heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, of existing materials (Genesis 1:2, 7, 11, 20, & 24; 2:7, 9 & 19). Also, when that which is within the atmosphere of our planet qualifies heaven and earth, namely the sea, it is no longer the antonymic pair and thus does not mean universe. It simply says that God set in order the sky, the Land and the sea in six days. Six days is not claimed to be the time span, in which, God "created" the universe. This is a beautiful pattern for life set by God, work and rest. God set the example for mankind, He worked with the materials present to prepare a place that was good. He set Adam in the garden to tend it (Genesis 2:15).

 Genesis 1:1-2:3, My Paraphrase-

Within the beginning God created the universe.

The Land (Eden and later the Promised Land) was waste and empty of life; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God spoke, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good (for habitation of mankind); and God divided the light from the darkness. God named the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So evening was and morning was, a day, one.

Then God spoke "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters dividing waters from waters. And God set in order the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God named the firmament Heaven. (We would refer to it as sky, what we see looking up from the earth.) So the evening and the morning were the second day.

Then God spoke "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together in one place, and let the dry appear." And it was so. And God named the dry "Land", and gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good (for habitation.)

Then God spoke "Let the Land bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to it's kind, whose seed is in itself, on the Land." and it was so. And the Land brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to it's kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to it's kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Then God spoke, "LET the lights be in the firmament of the heavens (outer space, still sky from earth's perspective) TO divide the day from the night; and LET THEM BE FOR signs and seasons, and FOR days and years; "and LET THEM BE FOR lights in the firmament of the heavens TO give light on the Land"; and it was so. Then God set in order two great lights: the greater light TO rule the day, and the lesser light TO rule the night. He set in order the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens TO give light on the Land, and TO rule over the day and over the night, and TO divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Then God spoke, "Let the waters be filled with an abundance of living creatures, and let the fliers fly above the land across the face of the firmament of the heavens." And God created great sea creatures and every living thing that swims, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged flier to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fliers multiply on the Land." So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Then God spoke, "Let the Land bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and animals of the Land, each according to its kind"; and it was so. And God made the animals of the Land according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the Land according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God spoke, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over those that move in the sea, over those that fly in the air, and over the cattle, over all the Land and over every creeping thing that creeps on the Land."

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God spoke to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the Land and subdue it; have dominion over the swimmers in the sea, over the fliers of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the Land." And God spoke, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the Land, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. "Also, to every animal of the Land, to every flier of the air, and to everything that creeps on the Land, in which there is life(soul), I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had set in order, and indeed it was **very good.** So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Thus the skies and the Land, and all that dwelt in them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had **created and made.**

I hope I accurately represented the Historical Creation understanding of the meanings of the Hebrew translation. This is how I understand Genesis 1:1-2:3. Here is Dr. Sailhamers paraphrase.

Comparison of Creationism views.

 Another interesting aspect-

God uses 2 cycles of 3 in the telling of the 6 days of Genesis 1:2-1:31. He cycles from sky to water (sea not oceans) to Land, twice. This answers the question of why the sun, moon and stars are not "made" until day 4. It is not until the beginning of the second cycle that God addresses sky once again and then sets in order time, as we know it.

Day 1- The Land is uninhabitable and submerged in water (2 Peter 3:5). Notice that the heavens were not "formless and void." Notice also, that evening precedes "morning", hence the Jewish practice of Friday evening being the beginning of the Sabbath 'day' observance. I believe that the light being commanded is morning, sunrise (Job 38:12). The writer deliberately says day one instead of first day(Genesis 8:13), this is not the "first" evening and morning ever to exist, God created the universe first, "in the beginning" is the first time frame in this account.

(sky) He speaks to distinguish light and darkness in the sky and to call light good(John 1:4, 1 John 1:5). The sun was already in existence, having been created "in the beginning," Job 38:4-7 & 12. Round earth divides into light and dark from a single source only, the sun.

Day 2-(water) He separates the water in the sky from the water covering the Land, see also Genesis 2:5-6. Clouds for precipitation vs. Greenhouse effect?(Job 38:25-27) This portion is very intriguing to me, nothing called good, no specific benefit to mankind. The two physical realms of heaven are now established, outer space where the sun is and the sky where birds fly, our atmosphere.

Day 3-(land) He gathers together the "seas", not oceans, into it's places so that dry land appears. (Genesis 7:22, Exodus 14:16 & Haggai 2:6). It is also very interesting that scientific study shows the area that is the Promised Land, where Christ was born, submerged in water 20 million years ago. In contrast the map of 18,000 years ago the Mesopotamian land is bounded by rivers and seas much like today, mankind definitely appeared on the planet between these times most evidently around 35,000 years ago, but probably around 80,000 years ago.

Plants, fruit trees with seed, grass with seeds and herbs with seeds. Notice the kinds of plants that God prepared for the Land of Eden. Fruit trees, herbs and grasses, all particularly suited to human taste, comfort and farming, fully-grown, ready to eat from and like others that existed. Though certainly not representing every type of plant found on our planet such as the vast numbers of trees that are not edible fruit producing and plants that reproduce by spreading roots underground. See also Genesis 2:5 & 2:10-16.

Day 4-(sky) Elohim speaks to the sun, moon and stars to declare His purpose for their being placed in their arrangement, separating days, seasons and years. He decreed and governs time. "For the word "Elohim" is formed from the Hebrew word "Alah," "to swear," and describes One(plural third person noun) who stands in a covenant-relationship, which is ratified by an oath." Notice He is not creating the heavenly bodies but setting them in order by proclamation. Setting in place verbal ordinances, a covenant or a decree. (Jeremiah 33:20 & Psalm 89:33-37)

Jeremiah 31:35-36 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and stars for light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar, (The LORD of hosts is His name): If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Isreal shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever."

Day 5-(water) He creates great sea creatures, probably not whales but the same Hebrew term (Tannyin) used for the serpent which Moses' rod became before Pharoah (Exodus 7:9.) He "fills" the empty(bohuw) waters with water dwelling creatures, He "fills" the empty sky with birds that are to multiply on the Land. Notice the correlation between the call for the flying and water creatures by commanding "let the waters bring forth abundantly" and "the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly" in the plague inflicted upon Egypt. (Genesis 1:20 & Exodus 8:3) Obviously Pharoah knew what frogs were and they were not non-existant before.

Day 6-(land) He fills the Land with beasts of the field (donkeys and oxen? Psalm 104:11-14), cattle and reptiles and insects, a wonderful eco-system. Dr. John Sailhamer indicates that there were not life threatening creatures, not the beasts of the forest who are flesh eating (Psalm 104:20-22). These were vegetarian (Genesis 1:30) domestic animals. Made to be helpers to man (Genesis 2:18-19) in his tasks of tending the garden and subduing the earth. Animals made "after their own kind", which I believe indicates other similar creatures elsewhere on the planet, created "in the beginning." These may be species specifically suited to the environment of the Land of Eden. They were brought before Adam to classify, looking for one suitable to be his helper and companion, no water creatures or creeping things are brought to Adam, Genesis 2:19-20. The garden in the Land of Eden, which God had prepared, was a safe habitation for those that dwell in righteousness, Isaiah 51:3. Then once all this was prepared God made man and woman "after Our likeness", different from any other creatures which were all made, "after their kind." Calling it all very good. "The whole first chapter of Genesis shows us One, who because He is "Elohim," in virtue of His own nature and covenant-relation to His creature, can never leave it"... "and by His word, step by step, the wondrous change is wrought, till the day of rest is reached, when 'all is very good'."(Andrew Jukes)

Day 7- God sets a precedent for rest and worship and enjoyment of all that God provides and prepares for us. He does not cease sustaining and blessing, if God stops that for even a second the world ceases to exist, Revelation 4:11 & Colossians 1:16. He was no longer preparing and arranging but He was still very much active in preservation and care of His work. Providing breath and life to all that He had created and made, governing it by declaring that rest be observed. See also Matthew 12:1-12, Sabbath rest for God is full of His doing good and providing for mankind. All things are done simply to delight in God, Isaiah 58:13-14. The church still follows the example of God in Christ, now resting on the first day of the week (Luke 24:1, 30 & 44-48 & Acts 20:7.)

The norm of the Christian life is work, and by God's example that work is to bring peace and order to the world around us. (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17 & 2 Thessalonians 3:6)

Again and again, even after He begins His work, the awful darknes rises for awhile, and in each returning "evening" seems to swallow up the light; but agains and again the covenant God, "Elohim," binds the darkness every "morning," and even incorporates them into "days" of ever progressing blessing, for it is written, " The evening and the morning made the day," until the seventh day comes, when we read of no "evening."...For in "Elohim" what we chiefly see is One whose love works with and overcomes all, and whose will prevails, whatever the hindrances.(Andrew Jukes)

I also believe that the lack of "morning" and "evening" on the day set apart for rest, foreshadows our eternal rest to come. Revelation 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

 Mankind: Created and Made-

Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7& 22 & 5:1-4 describe mankind as being both created and made in the image of God.

God's 'creating' man in His image in scripture seems to indicate the bestowing of the "breath of life," which turned his body of dust into a "living creature," "chay nephesh." "He endued them with living, reasonable, and immortal souls; after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness; having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfill it; and dominion over the creatures; yet subject to fall"(1) All of this separated Adam and Eve from the other living creatures.

God made man (formed: Genesis 2:7) from the dust and woman (banah = built: Genesis 2:22) from the rib of man. The word "formed" is Yatsar has the connotation of the Potter and the clay. (Genesis 2:19, Isaiah 64:8 & Jeremiah 33:2) He is truly a "master craftsman!"

Since the fall of mankind in Genesis chapter 3 there are two ways that God will restore us (believers) to His image, first is the restoration of our Spirit to righteousness and holiness. His image created in us is only restored by salvation and the process of sanctification (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 5:17 & Colossians 3:10.) In which case we are to assume the same purpose to spread Christ's dominion across the earth (Psalm 67 and Matthew 28:18-20.) Second, our bodies, which are made, will be restored to His likeness and image in the resurrection from the grave (Job 19:25-27, Romans 6:5, 1 Corinthians 15:49.)

The breath of life given to Adam is wisdom that was made to glorify God's wisdom (Job 27:3-8.) In fact breath and soul are both the same Hebrew word in that passage. It is very interesting that the curse brings death, the Word of God brings life-"Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Life and blessing are as linked as curse and death. (Genesis 3:17-19 & Deuteronomy 30:19)

Note: This portion is completely from my own study of scripture and not from anything that Dr. John Sailhamer said in his book.

(1) Westminster Larger Catechism, Answer to Question #17.

After their own kind-

The bible says that animals were "made after their own kind." "Kind" seems to indicate the most basic classification, one a child would make, flying, swimming and land dwelling creatures. Even if you were to include every animal in every environment on the planet being created on the fifth and sixth day:

Does flying include bats which are mammals(Leviticus 11:19), and beetles and locusts which are flying insects?? (Leviticus 11:21-22).

Does moving creature in the waters include amphibians which live both in the water and on land, and water creatures with exo-skeletons? (Leviticus 11:9-12)

Could the land dwelling animals be anything with paws(literally hands) or on "all four"(Leviticus 11:27), cattle anything with hooves(Leviticus 11:3-7), creeping things include mice, tortoises, snails, and lizards(Leviticus 11:29-42)?

According to scripture itself, Moses' account, yes, so we cannot say that God made marine animals with fins and scales(vertebrates)first, then feathered creatures(avian species), on the fifth day. Then the furry (mammalians) and then the creeping insects(exoskeleton) and reptiles, on the sixth day with humans. "Kind" is such a simplistic classification that it can hardly be compared to a scientific classification of creatures. God has made each and every animal, even the ones that we only know by their fossils, and He is the designer of the universe and alone can give life. But to reject any scientific observation of the evolution of creatures by the account of Genesis is unreasonable, it is not meant to be a science textbook.

" This is another important observation. The taxonomy employed in the OT seems to be a functionally-based one rather than the anatomically-based (i.e. Linnean) taxonomy which is used today and which is the framework for postulating evolutionary relationships. This distinction is critical IMHO. Using Genesis to postulate a young earth or deny speciation seems to be more a case of a culturally-conditioned reaction (i.e. eisegesis) rather than straightforward exegesis. As you pointed out, same goes for inserting the idea of a globe (a foreign concept to those of Moses' day) wherever erets occurs."

Kevin (an internet friend and debate partner.)

I believe that the animals made on days 5 & 6 were a local eco-system for the garden in the Land of Eden and for mankind, domestic vegetarian creatures(Genesis 1:30), and in my understanding the "beasts of the earth" probably do not include carnivores on those days, domestic animals that eat seeds and plants might include rabbits and chickens, rodents, and tortoises or anything plant eating that doesn't have hooves and may be commonly found in the Mesopotamian basin. As I was reading in Leviticus 11, I realized that Leviticus 11:46 nearly exactly repeats the listing of the living creatures of Genesis 1:20-26. And the context is that of the people of "Isreal" having crossed the Red Sea and again entering Mesopotamia, the wilderness, in which these laws were established to govern their settling in the Promised Land. Remember that the food they were provided in the wilderness was manna. Of course the animals in Leviticus are not all vegetarian, but they are not a threat to humanity either. And interestingly it seems that all of the creatures that are meat eating or feed on blood or waste are unclean. I wonder if it isn't true that the unclean animals dwelt outside of the garden in the land of Eden, the safety of the garden was guarded by the boundaries of the rivers, and by God's care.

Both animals and mankind are "living creatures," "chay nephesh".

The animals were formed out of the ground (Genesis 2:19), just as Adam was. The creatures recieved their life and blessing from God, just as mankind did. It is interesting that create(bara) and bless(barak) share the common root. Animals and humans share life(Psalm 104:29-30)and blessing, "be fruitful and multiply", from God in the creation account and in other scripture texts. Animals are limited to what we would call instinct, but it is still attributed to God who deprives them of wisdom and limits their understanding,(Job 39:13-18.)

There is no scripture text that animal death is linked to the fall of Adam. Certainly animals do not recieve eternal life benefits from the death of Christ to atone for Adam's sin. Since the animals which were made on the 5th and 6th days are filling (Genesis 1:22-ma'le) an area previously "empty," (bohuw) they are not necessarily the first creatures ever to live or to die. Just as the frogs that were "brought forth abundantly" from the river Nile in the plague of the frogs upon Egypt, which were not likely the first frogs to ever exist, (Genesis 1:20 & Exodus 8:3.)

 Is Historical Creationism New?

I think that one of the biggest stumbling blocks needs to be removed-that this view seems new, and thus probably isn't true. For if something really is in the Bible, it would be hard to argue that the church has entirely missed it for 2,000 years.

Sailhamer's choice of the name historical creationism is partially motivated by his desire to call attention to the fact that his view is not new. Rather, many theologians of the past held to the central elements of Sailhamer's view. He writes that "the term 'historical' points to the fact that this view of the Genesis creation account can be traced back to a way of reading Genesis 1 and 2 that flourished before the rise of science and its use in biblical interpretation. Before progress in navigation and transportation made global exploration of our world possible, biblical scholars and ordinary people read Genesis 1 within a rather limited geographic scope....consequently, my view is often found in earlier works" (45).

Evidence for this is that many Jewish theologians of the middle ages believed that 1:2ff. ("ff." means "and the following verses") referred to the promised land, not entire planet (214). Furthermore,