What levels of meaning can be found in Genesis 1.1-2.4?

Question

This is a question for my religious studies course, and for some reason the wording is throwing me off and I can't grasp what they're asking me to look for. I am lost. This is a class about the transliteration of the hebrew bible from hebrew into english. Dealing with the way things in the bible are interpreted/misinterpreted. If that helps or not I'm not sure, but any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I think these links might help you:

http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc13/htm/TOC.htm

http://www.christiancommunitychurch.us/clevelandcommentary/OT_Genesis.html

Do you know what specifically they are looking for that is misinterpreted?

There is also a great tool you can download called "Esword". It gives you lots of different Bible versions that you can download seperately. The one you would want to use would be the KJV with Strong's Numbers. It will allow to you to look at the individual words with the Hebrew equivalent & definition. It also lots of commentaries and other things you can download. And it's all FREE! http://www.e-sword.net/ If you're any sort of a Bible student, it will help.

Also try to get your hands on a copy of "Commentary on the Torah" by Richard E. Friedman The book explains the similarities and differences in the Hebrew language, and something tells me that's what you're looking for.

You also might want to get a hold of your teacher and ask him/her what he/she to explain the assignment better.

Pax Christi

Answer 2

Peace!
This section introduces the whole Pentateuch. It shows how God brought an orderly universe out of primordial chaos.
The abyss: the primordial ocean according to ancient Semitic cosmogony. After God's creative activity, part of this vast body forms the salt water seas (v. 9f); part of it is the fresh water under the earth (Psalm 33,7; Ezra 31,4), which wells forth on the earth as springs and fountains (Genesis 7, 11; 8,2; Proverbs 3,20). Part of it, the "upper water" (Psalm 148, 4; Daniel 3, 60), is held up by the dome of the sky (Genesis 1, 6f) from which rain descends on the earth (Genesis 7, 11; 2 Kings 7, 2.19; Psalm 104, 13).
A mighty wind: Literally, "a wind of God," or a "spirit of God"; cf. Genesis 8, 1.
God bless!

Answer 3

There are as many interpretations to the those passages as there are people who read them.
That is not to say that they are all correct, however.

If you're studying Hebrew you should know about the "ex nilo" part of the creation story, that is, that God created the universe out of NOTHING.

I think it can be literal and that it also has a figurative meaning. For example, the "light" and "dark" that is referenced means both visible light and the absence of, as well as "good" and "evil."

Answer 4

if it's like most liberalised agnostic scholastics they'll give you an "A" for any gobbledegoop that concludes it certainly could have all been a symbolic vision of something not taught by the fundies. It's political. They'll give you a pass if you can conclude to them that God was .. perhaps.. mistaken or speaking in lovable riddles. Stick your finger in the wind of campus idiology and you'll know what gobbledegoop they want to hear. sorry but that's the sad truth about most academics.

What do you want that paper for anyway? Is it not for political purposes? Just guessing.

Answer 5

The creation of a new Heaven and Earth after the war in heaven, and the fall of Lucifer. Is the way I see it.