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News & ArtsWednesday, October 14, 2009
Religion / Books Which Came First?
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Professor Ellen van Wolde, a respected Old Testament scholar and author, claims the first sentence of Genesis "in the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth" is not a true translation of the Hebrew.She claims she has carried out fresh textual analysis that suggests the writers of the great book never intended to suggest that God created the world — and in fact the Earth was already there when he created humans and animals.
Professer van Wolde says that the opening line of the Bible's first sentence should in fact read "In the beginning God separated the Heaven and the Earth." She says that God did not create something out of nothing.
On a slightly related note, I read the first half of Robert Crumb's incredibly faithful adaptation of the Book of Genesis last night, and it's a really impressive work. So far, it's perhaps the most readable version of the Book of Genesis I've ever read, and I've read quite a few. If you're a Crumb fan and you're skipping this one because you're not a religious person, you're missing out.
2
as with Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth's description of the formation of ego/self, the "separation of Heaven and Earth" is about discrimination, distinguishing between parts, and identifying with a part of the whole.
Ever after, we find ourselves trying to unite what has been rended.
Ever after, we find ourselves trying to unite what has been rended.
6
@4 Not so. The Hebrew word for "organize" comes from Greek: l'ergen. The word used in Genesis is "bara'," which means "create," and the line reads:
B'reishit bara Elohim et ha-shamayim v'ha-aretz
Not:
B'reishit irgan Elohim et ha-shamayim v'ha-aretz.
B'reishit bara Elohim et ha-shamayim v'ha-aretz
Not:
B'reishit irgan Elohim et ha-shamayim v'ha-aretz.
9
In the ancient Greek translations of the Bible several words were used to translate bara’, the most common being ktizein (which also translates other words for creation). In classical use the word meant “to people a place” or “to make habitable.”
10
The major synonym for bara’ is yatsar.
Yatsar, means “to form or fashion” something purposefully, or by design. It is the activity of the artist, as may be illustrated by the participle from the verb, yotser, “a potter.”
Yatsar, means “to form or fashion” something purposefully, or by design. It is the activity of the artist, as may be illustrated by the participle from the verb, yotser, “a potter.”
11
1. I have heard it said (and Hebrew scholars please correct me) that God in the first verse is in an objective rather than subjective case, so that the sentence might be translated "[something unnamed/unnameable] created God...", which is an interesting twist.
2. I think the Crumb version messes up the flow from verse to verse by breaking it up into graphic novel panels, so I would not recommend Crumb's version as a first read. However, I think his take is brilliant and does bring out many interesting perspectives that hadn't really stood out to me before.
I like, for example, that Crumb shows Able presenting a living lamb to God as his sacrifice, and shows God petting the lamb--portraying it that way suggests that the sheep might only be used for its wool rather than its flesh or skin. It's a very tender scene, esp. in contrast to the subsequent violence.
I think Crumb's is an incredibly humane rendition, in the sense of really drawing out the human emotions and characters and confusions in all their complexity. For example, the look of heartbroken resignation on Isaac's face when he realized he is to be sacrificed is absolutely devastating.
2. I think the Crumb version messes up the flow from verse to verse by breaking it up into graphic novel panels, so I would not recommend Crumb's version as a first read. However, I think his take is brilliant and does bring out many interesting perspectives that hadn't really stood out to me before.
I like, for example, that Crumb shows Able presenting a living lamb to God as his sacrifice, and shows God petting the lamb--portraying it that way suggests that the sheep might only be used for its wool rather than its flesh or skin. It's a very tender scene, esp. in contrast to the subsequent violence.
I think Crumb's is an incredibly humane rendition, in the sense of really drawing out the human emotions and characters and confusions in all their complexity. For example, the look of heartbroken resignation on Isaac's face when he realized he is to be sacrificed is absolutely devastating.
12
@11 - God (Elohim) is not what is created, but the direct objects of the creating action (indicated in Hebrew by אֵת) are the heavens (hashmayim) and the earth (eretz).
Also, that translation is pretty specious. No one translates בָּרָא (bara) other than variations of "create" - believe me, this isn't something that hasn't been poured over for the last 3000 years, randomly solved by a modern day Dutchmen.
Also, that translation is pretty specious. No one translates בָּרָא (bara) other than variations of "create" - believe me, this isn't something that hasn't been poured over for the last 3000 years, randomly solved by a modern day Dutchmen.
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