Creatio ex nihiloin Palestinian Judaism and Early Christianity

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Bockmuehl
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Creatio Ex Nihilo ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
Doctrine Of Creation ◽  
Roman Antiquity ◽  
Hellenistic Philosophy ◽  
Creation Of Matter

AbstractRecent decades have witnessed a near-consensus of critical opinion (1) that the idea of God's creation of matter ‘out of nothing’ is not affirmed in scripture, but instead (2) originated in a second-century Christian reaction against Gnosticism's convictions about matter as evil and creation as the work of an inferior Demiurge. (3) Judaism's interest, by contrast, was generally deemed late and philosophically derivative or epiphenomenal upon Christian ideas. This essay re-examines all three convictions with particular reference to the biblical creation accounts in Palestinian Jewish reception. After highlighting certain interpretative features in the ancient versions of Genesis 1, this study explores the reception of such ideas in texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls and early rabbinic literature. It is clear that the typically cited proof texts from biblical or deutero-canonical books indeed do not yield clear confirmation of the doctrine they have sometimes been said to prove. Genesis was understood even in antiquity to be somewhat ambiguous on this point, and merely to say that creation gave shape to formlessness need not entail anycreatio ex nihilo. This much seems uncontroversial. Nevertheless, closer examination also shows that the Scrolls and the rabbis do consistently affirm Israel's God as the creator ofallthings, explicitly including matter itself. Graeco-Roman antiquity axiomatically accepted that ‘nothing comes from nothing’, which also meant the pre-existence of matter. To be sure, the conceptual terminology of ‘nothingness’ came relatively late to Christians, and even later to Jews. Yet the substantive concern for God's free creation of the world without recourse to pre-existing matter is repeatedly affirmed in pre-Christian Jewish texts, and constitutes perhaps the single most important building block for the emergence of an explicit doctrine of ‘creation out of nothing’. In its Jewish and Christian origins, therefore, the idea ofcreatio ex nihiloaffirms creation's comprehensive contingency on the Creator's sovereignty and freedom. This in fact is a point which has been rightly and repeatedly accented in both historic and modern Christian theology on this subject (e.g. by K. Barth and E. Brunner, J. Moltmann and C. Gunton). Well before its explicit articulation in dialogue with Hellenistic philosophy, the doctrine of God's creation of all matter was rooted in biblical texts and their Jewish interpretation, which in turn came to be refined and enriched through Christian–Jewish dialogue and controversy.

Creation and Religious Pluralism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Cheetham
Keyword(s):  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Theology Of Religions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Creatio Ex Nihilo ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
Doctrine Of Creation ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Religious Other

In the well-worn debates about religious pluralism and the theology of religions there have been many different rubrics used to account for, comprehend, or engage with the religious other. This book is chiefly a work of Christian theology and seeks to bring the doctrine of creation and the theology of religions into dialogue and in so doing it comes at things from a different direction than other works. It contains an extensive exploration of the doctrine of creation and asks how it might intervene distinctively in these discourses to produce a new conceptual and practical topography. It will consider interreligious engagement from the perspective of the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo that forms the dominant view in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions. In the course of the book’s narrative, there will be close consideration given to anthropology (i.e. creaturehood), the quotidian and wisdom, the idea of ‘sabbath’, human action, and work, and vivifying the immanent through a consideration of some representative phenomenologists. The book will develop these ideas in a more practical direction by considering sacraments and rituals in the public sphere as well as attempting to describe the kind of ‘creational politics’ that might bring traditions into dialogue. Whilst these themes will challenge more conventional ways of considering relations between religions, such themes—because they are different from concerns commonly found in the literature—can also be profitably engaged with across the spectrum of opinion (i.e. exclusivist or pluralist etc.). Thus, whilst the position adopted in this work is creatio ex nihilo, part of the motivation is to review the ways in which this focus helps to broaden rather than limit the discussion.

scholarly journals The text-critical and exegetical value of the Dead Sea Scrolls

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann Cook
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Textual Material ◽  
The Dead

This article will analyse a number of Dead Sea manuscripts and/or fragments in order to determine their linguistic and exegetical value. The article will, firstly, address textual material that is largely in agreement with the Massoretic Text – 1QIsaa is a case in point. Secondly, fragmentsthat are seemingly less relevant will be discussed. The less helpful fragments from the Biblical books Proverbs and Job are taken as examples. Finally, highly significant textual differences, such as a fragment from Genesis 1 and one from the complicated books of Jeremiah, will be evaluated.

Genesis 1–3 and the Formation of Subjectivity in the Hodayot and the Two Spirits Teaching

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-298
Author(s):  
Carol A. Newsom
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
The Dead

Abstract Although the lived experience of subjectivity for persons in antiquity cannot be known directly, one can study certain texts as tools for the formation of subjects. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls two compositions are particularly instructive, the Hodayot found in 1QHa 2–9, 18–28 (the Hodayot of the Maskil, also known as Hodayot of the Community) and the Two Spirits Teaching (1QS 3:13–4:26). Each develops an understanding of subjectivity based on subtle interpretations of creation traditions, developed through sophisticated intertextual readings. The Hodayot privilege Gen 2–3; the Two Spirits Teaching emphasizes Gen 1. Although mutually contradictory on the surface, the two accounts actually develop subjectivities that share many similarities. By analyzing these converging patterns one may get some sense of the lived subjectivity that was created by the various texts and practices of the Yahad community.

‘Creatio Ex Nihilo’: A Context for the Emergence of the Christian Doctrine of Creation

1991 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Young
Keyword(s):  
Western Culture ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
Creatio Ex Nihilo ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
Doctrine Of Creation

Confrontation with our culture has recently been put on the agenda by Lesslie Newbigin, in Beyond 1984 and Foolishness to the Greeks. Broadly speaking his position theology has sold out to Western culture, and the opposing perceptions of the Gospel need to be reclaimed and affirmed against prevailing assumptions.

God, Creation, and Providence in Early Modern Lutheranism

2014 ◽  
pp. 297-310
Author(s):  
Robert Kolb
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Trinitarian Theology ◽  
Strong Emphasis ◽  
God's Word ◽  
Creatio Ex Nihilo ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
Doctrine Of Creation

Seventeenth-century Lutheran theologians, preachers, and devotional writers reproduced the traditional Trinitarian theology which Luther and Melanchthon had espoused, reflecting though not emphasizing elements of Luther’s distinction of God Hidden and God Revealed. Their creative treatment of the doctrine of creation accentuated the creatio ex nihilo and the nature of God’s Word as creative, applying this insight to the recreation of sinners through the forgiveness of sins. They affirmed the fundamental goodness of creation and extended the doctrine of creation into a strong emphasis on God’s creatio continua, his providing care in the midst of tribulations that serve to call believers to repentance. Although the Lutheran dogmaticians tried to avoid detailed theodical argument they did attempt explanations that defended God from the charge that he causes evil.

The Fall, Freewill and Human Responsibility in Rabbinic Judaism

1984 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.P. Hayman
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Original Sin ◽  
First Century ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
Rabbinic Judaism ◽  
Background Material ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
Human Responsibility

This paper is an attempt to follow up and expand on the following statement which I made in an earlier paper published in SJT: The Christian doctrine of original sin has no place within a rabbinic system which avoids the crucial difficulty in Christian theodicy — that of the creation of evil ex nihilo at the time of the Fall.In developing this statement I would like to sound a warning note to NT and patristic scholars who utilise rabbinic sources as background material for the study of early Christianity. It is often assumed that rabbinic texts, along with the literary remains of the other sorts of Judaism in existence in the first century A.D., can be used as a mine of material for illustrating the sort of beliefs with which the early Christians started out and against which they subsequently reacted. Thus, for example, to approach closer to the title of this paper, in considering the famous Pauline passage on the Fall (Rom. 5.12–21), it is customary for NT scholars to marshall all the evidence from the OT, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and rabbinic Judaism to try and explain the origin of the Christian doctrine of the Fall and Original Sin. But all too often the rabbinic evidence is used rather indiscriminately without regard to the date of its origin or to the possibility that rabbinic views on these matters may have changed in the course of the centuries during which the Talmudic literature was evolving.

scholarly journals Studi Kritik Teori Penciptaan Dalam Kejadian 1:1-2 (Suatu Kajian terhadap Argumentasi Teori Celah)

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-78
Author(s):  
Djonly J. R. Rosang
Keyword(s):  
The Earth ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Creatio Ex Nihilo ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
Biblical Perspective ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Philosophic Perspective

The creation of the universe, according to the Holy Bible has actually done as said in Genesis 1-2. However, there are some people who are still struggling in order to search for the reason to question the process of how is this universe actually began, so that they will look for scientific consideration to find the “theoretical justification” over the biblical truth. This writing aims to give an answer to the gap theory in Genesis 1:1-2. The author, through the study Genesis 1:1-2, the result of this study concluded as follows. First, there is no exegesis background that is strong enough for gap theory to give an assumption that there was an unmeasurably period of time or age in the creation of the universe. Second, a biblical statement, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ... for in six days the LORD made heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1; Ex. 20:11) is an ultimate fact of God’s power and majesty in creating the earth from nothing to existence with His Word (creatio ex Nihilo). Third, the doctrine of world’s creation must be the foundation of faith that is tested in the authority of God’s words (2 Tim. 3:16) and the entire creation of God which become the medium of scientifical activity in the history of humanity must be according to the biblical perspective. Fourth, The statement of Genesis 1:1 appears to be refutation toward various scientific theories and human’s philosophic perspective that are opposite the biblical truth (Gen. 1-2, Ps. 33:4-9).Pernyataan Alkitab tentang penciptaan alam semesta sebenarnya sudah tuntas sebagaimana dikemukakan dalam Kejadian 1-2. Namun ada saja orang yang berusaha mencari alasan untuk mempertanyakan proses terjadinya alam semesta ini, sehingga mencoba mencari pertimbangan ilmiah untuk menemukan “pembenaran teoritis” atas kebenaran Alkitab. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk memberi jawab terhadap teori celah (gap theory) dalam Kejadian 1:1-2, melalui studi biblika penulis mengemukakan argumentasi paham teori celah, dalam kajian metode induktif terhadap studi teks Kejadian 1:1-2. Hasil studi ini disimpulkan bahwa: Pertama, bahwa tidak ada dasar eksegesis yang kuat bagi teori celah untuk memberi ruang bagi asumsi adanya rentang waktu periode atau zaman yang tak terukur dalam proses penciptaan semesta. Kedua, pernyataan Alkitab, “Pada mulanya Allah menciptakan langit dan bumi ... dalam waktu enam hari lamanya” (Kej. 1:1, Kel. 20:11) adalah suatu fakta Alkitab yang tak terbantahkan sebagai tindakan kemahakuasaan dan keagungan Allah menciptakan dunia dari yang tidak ada menjadi ada dengan firman-Nya (creatio ex nihilo). Ketiga, doktrin penciptaan harus menjadi landasan iman Kristen yang  diuji dalam otoritas Firman Allah yang berkuasa (2 Tim. 3:16) serta dunia ciptaan Allah dan segala isinya menjadi arena kegiatan ilmiah dalam lintasan sejarah manusia haruslah berdasarkan perspektif Alkitab. Keempat,  pernyataan penciptaan Kejadian 1:1 merupakan sanggahan terhadap berbagai teori ilmu pengetahuan dan pandangan filsafat manusia yang bertentangan dengan kebenaran Alkitab (Kej. 1-2, Mzm. 33:4-9).

Divine and creaturely agency in Genesis 1

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Nathan Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Alternative Models ◽  
Biblical Narratives ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Competitive Model ◽  
Creatio Ex Nihilo ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe interaction between God and creatures is central to biblical narratives. There are several possible models for understanding the relationship between divine and creaturely agency. This article argues that a ‘non-competitive’ model for the interaction of divine and creaturely agency allows for a coherent interpretation of various features of Genesis 1 where alternative models lead to confusion. Since this ‘non-competitive’ model is historically related to creatio ex nihilo, it raises once again the question of the suitability of creatio ex nihilo for biblical interpretation.

scholarly journals Tohu Wabohu dan Creatio ex Nihilo: Tafsir Kejadian 1:1-2 Sebagai Perspektif Memahami Realitas Anomali

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agus Kriswanto
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Syntactic Analysis ◽  
New Order ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Literary Context ◽  
The World ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Creatio Ex Nihilo ◽  
Ex Nihilo ◽  
Good Order

Some interpreters have argued that the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo cannot be based on the reading of Genesis 1: 1-2. Genesis 1: 1-2 shows that the earth which was in a state of tohu wabohu (chaos) was the initial condition of pre-creation. Chaos was then organized into a new order. This paper argues that Genesis 1: 1-2 can be read, both as creation ex nihilo as well as transformation from chaos into harmony. This research is a qualitative research with descriptive-analytical method. The description of the meaning of Genesis 1: 1-2 is done through syntactic analysis, the literary context of Ancient Near Eastern cosmogony, and the relation of Genesis 1 to the world view of the priesthood. The results of this study indicate that although Genesis 1: 1-2 echoes the expression of ancient chaos, it has been placed as a consequence of God's creative act. The creation ex nihilo of heaven and earth, carries the risk of chaos which is further arranged by God into a good order. In addition, if it is related to the worldview that forms the basis of ritual, Genesis 1: 1-2 not only gives a picture of the origin of the world, but also provides a perspective to understand reality, both harmony and anomalies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document