Genesis 1-11 Research Paper

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As humanity has progressed, interpretations of Genesis and the introduction of human sin into the world have evolved. The basis of human nature introduced first in Genesis is supported throughout other parts of the bible as well. Theology, through its modernization, is often a study of will rather than a search for the innate truths told in the Old and New Testaments. This causes many theological researchers to look beyond what the Bible is simply saying, searching for a more complex truth rather that a simple one. Genesis 1-11 states that humans were created by God and therefore are dependent upon God for their existence, which correlates with the idea that God created humans to be perfect; and, though He created humans in perfection, He also…show more content…
The Bible states two major attributes of humans, the first being that they are created beings, like all of His created work. What sets humanity apart from the other members of the animal kingdom, though, is that Genesis states that humans are fashioned in the image of God. It is clear that God made Adam and Eve in His image, and along with them, all of their descendants. God specifically made Adam from earth itself and, once he was fully formed, breathed into him the “breath of life.” With Eve, He fashioned her from Adam’s rib, a special act of creation by God. The difference between God and mankind is clear, as God is the only one doing the creating. While humans are created by God and in the image of Him, they are innately different because they do not have the ability to create man from dust. They must create by human means of procreation, a restriction that does not apply to God. When God created Adam and Eve, He created them in a way such that they were unaware of sin, and in such a way that they resemble God himself. This idea, that Adam and Eve are image-bearers of God, applies not only to them but also to all of their descendants. The privilege…show more content…
This story of Eve eating an apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a display of humanity exercising the free will given to them by God. When Eve speaks with the snake, she describes God’s prohibition of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in a way that is not entirely true. Yahweh had never mentioned that Adam and Eve could not touch the tree, only that they could not eat the fruit that it bears. Eve, as she speaks with the snake, exaggerates what she is prohibited to do and makes God’s threat of punishment seem less severe. It is important to note the specification that the snake tells Eve that if she is to eat the fruit, she will have knowledge of ‘Elohim’ rather than ‘Yahweh Elohim.’ While there are many possibilities as to why it is written this way, its possible that it “suggest[s] that the snake’s promise points not to humans’ becoming like the Israelite god, Yahweh, but like a more generalized god.” The new knowledge that Adam and Eve have gained after eating the fruit is exemplified but their sudden shame of their nakedness; to the Israelites, nakedness must have signified some a kind of vulnerability. Yahweh must have had knowledge that Adam and Eve were naked, but before eating the fruit, they were unashamed of their bodies. Once Yahweh has discovered that Adam and Eve have disobeyed him, He punishes them in a sort of

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