The Bible Book

24 CREATION

This illuminated illustration of the

Creation is from the Bible of Souvigny,

produced in Cluny Abbey, France, in

the 12th century. In the Middle Ages,

even non-religious books often opened

with an image of the Creation.

Contrary to many ancient

philosophies, which saw the

physical world as a cumbersome

drag on the human spirit, Jewish

and Christian thinking begins

with an affirmation of the goodness

of the created world. Despite

humanity’s later departure from

God’s intentions, a belief in

The opening of Genesis is a vision

of the entire creation. This stands

behind many of the Psalms—songs

or hymns—later in the Bible, which

delight in the beauty and variety

of the created world, and find

that creation is a signpost to

the existence and character of

God. It is a concept developed

in “natural theology,” which uses

the beauty and complexity of the

world as proof of God’s existence.

Natural theology is sometimes

explained using the “watchmaker

analogy,” in which the skill that

brought a watch into existence is

“proof” that a watchmaker exists.

Those who have faith see the

complexity, order, and purpose of

the natural world as an indication

that the Earth is no accident, but

rather designed and made by God.

Modern response

This creationist view was

challenged in the 19th century,

when scientific discoveries led to

new theories of the universe’s

origins. Charles Darwin’s On the

Origin of Species (1859) put forth the

theory of evolution, which stood in

stark contradiction to the Genesis

account of a seven-day creation.

For some people, the theory

of evolution is a reason to reject

not only the Genesis account

of creation, but the whole Bible.

Among Christians, there is a

spectrum of responses to the

creation story. Some believe it

is absolutely true and a reason for

rejecting theories of evolution and

geological evidence; others view the

biblical account as allegorical rather

creation’s innate goodness means

that Judaism and Christianity have

an earthly character. They expect

the spiritual life to have an impact

on the physical world, whether

through the rhythms of worship

and prayer, or through acts of

service and love that promote the

original goodness of God’s world.

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