What are some differences between the first and second creation stories?

Answer 1

The first creation story in Genesis 1 emphasizes the order and structure of creation, with God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh. It focuses on the grandeur and majesty of God's creative power. The second creation story in Genesis 2 provides a more intimate and detailed account of the creation of humans and the Garden of Eden. It highlights the relationship between God and humanity, as well as the origins of sin and suffering.

Answer 2

Modern Archaeology has revealed that the literary usage of Genesis 1 and 2 was known and used in the ancient world. This is simply an account of a general nature followed by a second account which gives details about a certain aspect of the former.

Thus it is known among scholars that there is only one Genesis account of creation in two parts. The first part deals with the creation of the world and universe. The second part dwells in detail with the creation of man and his place in the creation.

Further to this, the Ebla Creation tablet, which contains details similar to the Genesis 1 account is understood by scholars to totally refute the JEDP Theory which postulates a much later date as well as different sources. The Ebla Tablet dates much earlier than anything previously found and so supports the natural reading of Genesis as by one author who used the common literary usage of the day.

The differences in the two 'accounts' (which are really two parts of the one account) thus relate simply to the subject matter. The first account relates in a general sense to everything that was made, although it does refer to the creation of man. The second part of the account being more detail about the creation of man. One important difference is that the first part refers to the chronology and gives details about what was made each day. The second part, in focusing on man, does not refer to chronology but to man and his place or status as 'head' over the creation.

As stated above, the differences thus are to do entirely with differences in the subject matter by the author. They have nothing whatsoever to do with a theory of literary origins which is thoroughly refuted in every one of its main tenets by the facts of archaeology and also has no evidence whatsoever of any writing by the alleged different authors nor any knowledge of who they really were, despite the fact they wrote such important works.

Thus when one realizes the differences in terms of the nature of the two different parts of the creation account then these differences are quite understandable. They are differences in emphasis and not contradictory in terms of their detail.

Answer

Genesis 1:25-27, Humans were created after the other animals.

Genesis 2:19-19, Humans were created before the other animals.

Genesis 1:27, The first man and woman were created simultaneously.

Genesis 2:18-22, The man was created first, then the animals, then the woman from the man's rib.

Answer

From what were the fowls made?From the waters:"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl ......." Genesis 120-21

From the ground

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl ........" Genesis 2:19

Answer

There is really only one creation account which is written in two parts, according to well known ancient literary procedure.

The first part of the account deals with a general description of the totality of what God made. The intention is not to provide a detailed scientific list of everything, but to clearly indicate that God made everything that exists, as well as ordering the things He made.

The second part goes into more detail about the creation of man and man's role as well as the origin of woman and marriage. The other parts of the creation are not in focus in the second part as it is dealing particularly with man and thus the animals are only mentioned in relation to how they relate, or don't relate to man.

Answer

The creation stories in Genesis 1:1-2:4a (the first sentence in verse 2:4) and Genesis 2:4b-2:25 are different because they had different authors. The first creation story is attributed to the source now known as the Priestly source, and is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia. The second story is attributed to the Yahwist source and is much older in Judaism, and therefore more primitive.

Scholars say that the first creation story, with its emphasis on the pre-existing waters, came from a coastal or maritime culture. The second creation story, which does not mention the ocean but emphasises on the lack of rain, developed in an arid, inland environment.

One of the most frequently noted differences betwen the two accounts is the sequence of creation. In the first creation account, all the plants and animals are created before man, both male and female, who are created together. In the second creation account, God creates a man, Adam, then plants a garden and creates the animals, then finally creates Eve.

Answer 3

There is really only one creation account which is written in two parts, according to well known ancient literary procedure.

The first part of the account deals with a general description of the totality of what God made. The intention is not to provide a detailed scientific list of everything, but to clearly indicate that God made everything that exists, as well as ordering the things He made.

The second part goes into more detail about the creation of man and man's role as well as the origin of woman and marriage. The other parts of the creation are not in focus in the second part as it is dealing particularly with man and thus the animals are only mentioned in relation to how they relate, or don't relate to man.

Modern archaeology has revealed that the literary usage of Genesis 1 and 2 was known and used in the ancient world. This is simply an account of a general nature followed by a second account which gives details about a certain aspect of the former.

Thus it is believed that there is only one Genesis account of creation in two parts. The first part deals with the creation of the world and universe. The second part dwells in detail with the creation of man and his place in the creation.

The differences in the two 'accounts' (which are really two parts of the one account) thus relate simply to the subject matter. The first account relates in a general sense to everything that was made, although it does refer to the creation of man. The second part of the account being more detail about the creation of man. One important difference is that the first part refers to the chronology and gives details about what was made each day. The second part, in focusing on man, does not refer to chronology but to man and his place or staus as 'head' over the creation.

As stated above, the differences thus are to do entirely with differences in the subject matter by the author. They have nothing whatsoever to do with a theory of literary origins which is thoroughly refuted in every one of its main tenets by the facts of archaeology and also has no evidence whatsoever of any writing by the alleged different authors nor any knowledge of who they really were, despite the fact they wrote such important works. Thus when one realizes the differences in terms of the nature of the two different parts of the creation account then these differences are quite understandable. They are differences in emphasis and not contradictory in terms of their detail.

Another Answer:

Genesis 1:25-27, Humans were created after the other animals.

Genesis 2:19-19, Humans were created before the other animals.

Genesis 1:27, The first man and woman were created simultaneously.

Genesis 2:18-22, The man was created first, then the animals, then the woman from the man's rib.

From what were the fowls made? From the waters:

; "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl ......." Genesis 1:20-21 From the ground

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl ........" Genesis 2:19
Answer: A common ancient literary device in the ancient world was to give a general account in one part of a document and follow with a more specific detail on a particular subject of interest. There are thus not two 'creation stories' but only one. The first part focuses generally on the creation of the whole world and universe and the second part focuses on the creation of mankind.
It is necessary to point out firstly that there is really only one creation account with two different emphases. The first section concentrates in general on the creation as a whole and the second specifically on the creation of man.

There was a time when scholarly theory suggested that these were two different accounts with two (or more) different authors. Archaeological data, which represents real hard facts in the field (as opposed to scholarly theory) has shown that it was a literary device used at that time -to write a general account and then a second section with more detail focusing on a particular part of the first.

Answer 4

One would need to accept the premise that there actually were/are two creation stories in The Bible. It is true some do read Genesis 1 & 2 in such a way as coming to this conclusion. But others do not and see Genesis 2 as a complementary/supplementary, detailed description of the 6th day of Creation - that of the man Adam - and making Eve out of the man.

For those who do not see two stories then, generally speaking Genesis 1, presents God's acts of creation in outline fashion. The intent is to provide a panoramic view of God's creative activity - as if the readers themselves are standing in the midst of it all happening. The creation of man occurs on the sixth day, but there is nothing stated about the manner of God's pinnacle of His physical creation or how the creation of men and women are related in time or nature. Hence in Genesis 2, God's specific acts in creating man are detailed, thus providing a focus on the events of the sixth day. There is no difference in the sequencing of the events of the creation days, only an expansion of the details of the central creature - man on the sixth day.

Answer 5

If you are asking about the complementary/supplementary account of Genesis 2 as it relates to Genesis 1, then the basic outline for the 'renewal' of the face of the Earth (see Psalm 104:30) for mankind, with the flora and fauna in place and the sun and the moon positioned for their perfect purposes supporting man, is presented in sequential order by the works of days 1 thru 6 and the eternal rest or Sabbath of God on day 7.

The Genesis 2 account concentrates upon the 6th day pinnacle creation of man - Adam - by God. It gives the detail accounting of how he was made (different than all other life in that God 'blew' the breath of life or nephesh and probably the ruach or spirit into man) and placed him in the Garden (some scholars believe Adam was formed out of the 'red clay' of Salem, the now modern Jerusalem and transported to the eastern Paradise called Eden probably in modern day Iraq). This garden had all kinds of pleasing trees with fruit and nuts, and the man was to 'manage' or care for the land. God planted two trees in the center of the Garden to give the man who had free will, the choice of obeying or disobeying God's Law - many believe God walked and taught Adam (particularly) and Eve for a 'cycle' of time or 19 years so they would fully know the Law and right from wrong.

Then God, allowing the man to see for himself how the animal life had pairings for continuance, knew that Adam was wanting the same for himself so Eve was formed out of his rib - not another clay but by the same clay from Adam, a 'meet help' or co-equal being. In effect then, Genesis 2 is just the more detailed events of the creation of man in his environment and not two separate and distinct creation stories completing the creation of mankind.

Answer 6

The first creation account in Genesis (it actually goes up to the first sentence of verse 2:4) is believed to have been written by the Priestly ('P') source during the sixth-century-BCE Babylonian Exile, based on Babylonian creation myths. It has been suggested that this account arose in a culture that was familiar with the oceans. The second creation account (from the second sentence of verse 2:4) is much older in Judaism and was written by the Yahwist ('J') source. It has been suggested that this account originated in an arid environment - consistent with mountainous, landlocked Judah.
The Genesis 1 account is more structured and defines the number of days that God took to create everything. In the original Hebrew, God is known as El Shaddai ('God Almighty'), which is reflected in his ability to simply speak things into existence. The waters were pre-existing and the wind blew across the face of the waters. There was already land under the waters, but God had to draw the waters together, to allow the land to appear. Man (and woman) were created last of all - not necessarily only one of each.

The Genesis 2 account is more primitive in some ways. In the original Hebrew, God is known as YHWH (pronounced 'Yahweh') and his powers are more limited than in the first account, because he does not create living things out of nothing. There is no mention of creation of the firmament or the sun, moon and stars (lights), which were presumably pre-existing. The land was pre-existing and plants would grow without divine creation, once God sent rain. God needed dust from which to create Adam, just as he needed a rib in order to create Eve. Adam was the first creation of God, while Eve was the last creation.

For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 7

The two stories are quite different and even contradictory. Scholars attribute the first to the Priestly source, based on earlier creation stories he met during the Babylonian Exile. This story is seen as originating in a culture accustomed to oceans and rivers. The second story is attributed to the Yahwist source and is typical of an inland culture for which rain is an important creation.

The first creation story (Genesis 1:1-2:4a - the first sentence in verse 2:4) begins with a pre-existing earth and the ocean already present and a wind moving across the surface. The seas rested on the dry land, which appeared later, when God gathered the waters together. The first thing that God created was light, even though there was not yet a source for that light. God proceeded to create everything in the universe, although not necessarily in the same order that science tells us. The very last creations were man, both male and female, telling them to procreate and subdue the earth, with dominion over every living thing. As God proceeded, he saw that everything was good. In this story, God is all-powerful, simply speaking things into existence.

The second creation story (Genesis 2:4b-20) also begins with a pre-existing earth, but no plants grew because God had not yet made it rain. In this story, a man called Adam was the first creation, but a woman was not created until all the other living creatures had been created and each one named by Adam. Unlike the first creation story which has the animals created so that man can have dominion over them, this story has the animals created as possible companions for Adam, who will be a servant of the earth. There are limits to God's powers: he needs dirt in order to create Adam and a rib to create Eve. This more limited power continues through subsequent narratives of the Yahwist until God sends a Flood because he can not destroy mankind without natural assistance.

Leon R. Kass (The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis) says that when we recognise the independence of the two creation stories we must scrupulously avoid reading into the second story any facts or notions taken from the first, and vice versa.

The two stories are quite different and even contradictory. Scholars attribute the first to the Priestly source, based on earlier creation stories he met during the Babylonian Exile. This story is seen as originating in a culture accustomed to oceans and rivers. The second story is attributed to the Yahwist source and is typical of an inland culture for which rain is an important creation.

The first creation story (Genesis 1:1-2:4a - the first sentence in verse 2:4) begins with a pre-existing earth and the ocean already present and a wind moving across the surface. The seas rested on the dry land, which appeared later, when God gathered the waters together. The first thing that God created was light, even though there was not yet a source for that light. God proceeded to create everything in the universe, although not necesarity in the same order that science tells us. The very last creations were man, both male and female, telling them to procreate and subdue the earth, with dominion over every living thing. As God proceeded, he saw that everything was good. In this story, God is all-powerful, simply speaking things into existence.

The second creation story (Genesis 2:4b-20) also begins with a pre-existing earth, but no plants grew because God had not yet made it rain. In this story, a man called Adam was the first creation, but a woman was not created until all the other living creatures had been created and each one named by Adam. Unlike the first creation story which has the animals created so that man can have dominion over them, this story has the animals created as possible companions for Adam, who will be a servant of the earth. There are limits to God's powers: he needs dirt in order to create Adam and a rib to create Eve. This more limited power continues through subsequent narratives of the Yahwist until God sends a Flood because he can not destroy mankind without natural assistance.

Leon R. Kass (The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis) says that when we recognise the independence of the two creation stories we must scrupulously avoid reading into the second story any facts or notions taken from the first, and vice versa.

For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 8

The first biblical creation story is in Genesis 1:1-2:4a. The second is in Genesis 2:4b-25 and chapter 3. Leon R. Kass (The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis) says the second creation story departs from the first not only in content but also in tone, mood and orientation. He says we must scrupulously avoid reading into the second story any facts or notions taken from the first (and vice versa) if we mean to understand each story on its own terms. This means that when looking for similarities, we must look at the two texts quite separately. Kass points out that pious readers, believing that the text cannot contain contradictions, ignore the major disjunctions between the two creation stories and tend to treat the second story as the fuller, more detailed account of the creation of man (and woman) that the first story simply reported.

The only major similarity in the stories is that both attribute the creation of all living things to the same God, acting alone. It is in the Book of Proverbs that we first find biblical evidence that God had company at the time of creation: Lady Wisdom; then in John's Gospel we also find that Jesus was with God at the creation. But in terms of textual content, there is no other significant similarity in the stories - even the sequence differs, with man created last of all in the first account, but first of all in the second.
For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 9

According to tradition, there is only one Genesis creation-narrative, with ch.2 serving as an expansion of the brevity of ch.1, not a separate set of events (Rashi commentary, Gen.2:8). In ch.1, God created the universe from nothing (Exodus 20:11, Rashi commentary, Gen.1:14), and in ch.2, God performed specific acts within the broader picture.
The same literary devices which the Torah employs to enrich its text, have been used by Bible-critics in an attempt to reassign its authorship.

The Jewish sages, based on ancient tradition, identified many of these devices, which include:

recapping earlier brief passages to elucidate,

employing different names of God to signify His various attributes,

using apparent changes or redundancies to allude to additional unstated details,

speaking in the vernacular that was current during each era,

and many more. While Judaism has always seen the Torah as an intricate tapestry that nonetheless had one Divine source, some modern authors such as Wellhausen (the father of modern Biblical-criticism, 1844-1918) have suggested artificially chopping up the narrative and attributing it to various authors, despite the Torah's explicit statement as to its provenance (Exodus 24:12, Deuteronomy 31:24). This need not concern believers, since his claims have been debunked one by one, as archaeology and other disciplines have demonstrated the integrity of the Torah. No fragments have ever been found that would support his Documentary Hypothesis, which remains nothing more than an arbitrary claim:

Debunking the JEPD Documentary Hypothesis

The creation-narrative in Genesis (a Christian author)

The authorship of the Hebrew Bible

Archaeology

Answer 10

According to tradition, there is only one Genesis creation-narrative, with ch.2 serving as an expansion of the brevity of ch.1, not a separate set of events (Rashi commentary, Gen.2:8). In ch.1, God created the universe from nothing (Exodus 20:11, Rashi commentary, Gen.1:14), and in ch.2, God performed specific acts within the broader picture.
The same literary devices which the Torah employs to enrich its text, have been used by Bible-critics in an attempt to reassign its authorship.

The Jewish sages, based on ancient tradition, identified many of these devices, which include:

recapping earlier brief passages to elucidate,

employing different names of God to signify His various attributes,

using apparent changes or redundancies to allude to additional unstated details,

speaking in the vernacular that was current during each era,

and many more. While Judaism has always seen the Torah as an intricate tapestry that nonetheless had one Divine source, some modern authors such as Wellhausen (the father of modern Biblical-criticism, 1844-1918) have suggested artificially chopping up the narrative and attributing it to various authors, despite the Torah's explicit statement as to its provenance (Exodus 24:12, Deuteronomy 31:24). This need not concern believers, since his claims have been debunked one by one, as archaeology and other disciplines have demonstrated the integrity of the Torah. No fragments have ever been found that would support his Documentary Hypothesis, which remains nothing more than an arbitrary claim:

Debunking the JEPD Documentary Hypothesis

The creation-narrative in Genesis (a Christian author)

The authorship of the Hebrew Bible

Archaeology