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How do we interpret the Genesis creation accounts? Should these Biblical accounts be read literally? Do they contradict scientific findings for the origins of the universe? In this episode of Aquinas 101: Science and Faith, join Fr. Jordan Schmidt, O.P., a Biblical scholar and Dominican friar from the Province of St. Joseph, as he presents how to interpret Biblical accounts in Genesis of how the world is created for God's presence.

More from Fr. Jordan Schmidt, O.P.'s Aquinas 101 creation series:
-Does Science Contradict the Bible? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXy__3-CWm4
-Biblical Accounts of Creation Through God's Power - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIXL-uYy9eo
-Biblical Accounts of Creation With God's Wisdom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD3BVDUurp4
-How Do We Interpret the Genesis Creation Accounts? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Ik1ea8yUI

This video is an excerpt from Lesson 41: Creation for God's Presence (Aquinas 101) by Fr. Jordan Schmidt, O.P. To explore the complete module, including supplemental readings and lectures, click here: https://aquinas101.thomisticinstitute.org/creation-for-gods-presence

For readings, podcasts, and more videos like this, go to http://www.Aquinas101.com. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for one of our free video courses on Aquinas. And don’t forget to like and share with your friends, because it matters what you think!

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This video was made possible through the support of grant #61944 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

*Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

In this final video treating the Bible's presentation of creation, we will consider what it means that the physical world is created for God's presence.

Building upon the insight that God created the world through His power and with His wisdom, which serve as mediating principles between God and humanity, we can see that God's creation, especially as it is depicted in Genesis 1-2, is fundamentally ordered toward an encounter with God's presence.

To explore this topic further, let us return to the beginning.

It is perhaps a bit unexpected that we have left off consideration of Genesis 1-2 until now, since these 2 creation accounts are the most well-known of the entire Bible.

However, as will hopefully become clear, this is because they comprise a summative statement that completes and unifies the entire biblical presentation of creation.

Given the time constraints of our videos, it is not possible to analyze each of these accounts detail by detail.

Still, we can consider the manner in which they work together to depict God's creation of the physical world as providing a space for His presence in creation in a way that can be experienced by human beings.

This message is most readily perceptible in Genesis 2, which depicts an intimate relationship between God and the first man and woman in the garden.

It is often said that Genesis 2 offers an anthropocentric description of creation that complements the cosmos-centric description found in Genesis 1.

This anthropocentrism is displayed above all in the sequence of creation.

The first man is the very first thing created, and the first woman is the very last thing created.

Such a book-ending structure signals that the man and woman are the focus of the account.

Another way in which the sequence of creation demonstrates an anthropocentric focus is that God creates the man before creating anything else, even a place in which the man could live.

This too is at the service of a larger point.

The Garden, the very created world that Adam and Eve and all of humanity after them are meant to inhabit, is created by God with them specifically in mind.

They are meant for that place, and that place is meant for them.

This truth is more explicitly expressed in Isaiah.

God, the designer and maker of the earth, who established it, did not create it as an empty waste, but designed it to be lived in." Finally, the anthropocentric focus of Genesis 2 is reflected by the unique and intimate relationship that God has with the man and the woman.

The man is given a share in creation both by cultivating God's garden and by naming everything within it.

The man and the woman are also depicted as the only creatures who interact directly with God in the garden.

They speak directly with Him and regularly meet Him on His evening stroll through the garden.

The point of this highly figurative language is to stress that the garden, that is, the created world, was initially a place in which the first humans experienced God's presence.

Further, Genesis 2's depiction of such an intimate relationship between God and the first man and woman serves to elaborate the meaning of the terse statement in Genesis 1, 26-27, which describes human beings as being created in the image and likeness of God.

Let us now turn to the cosmos-centric creation account in Genesis 1, which is an intricately structured narrative that recounts God's creation of the universe in 7 days.

On first glance, it is apparent that the text features a high degree of patterning and repetition.

Each time God creates something, there are 3 basic elements.

Second, the narrator reports, and then there was X.

And finally, God sees and proclaims that X was good.

This narrative device is a means by which the sacred author colors the text, conveying the sense that God's creation is methodical and results in a meticulous arrangement of the cosmos.

This meticulous arrangement is further reflected in the parallel descriptions of the spatial realms that God creates, as well as the creatures with which He populates them.

In days 1 through 3, God creates the physical domains of the cosmos, including the sky, the seas, and the earth.

Then in days 4 through 6, God creates the many variegated creatures that inhabit each of those domains, the birds of the air, the swarming things of the sea, and the creatures of the earth." The parallelism here adds to the sense that the cosmos, both taken as a whole and considered in any of its parts, is imbued with order and structure.

Thus, these features of the text give the impression that God's creative act was both a serene display of His power and an expression of His wisdom.

The created product comes into being with no difficulty whatsoever, is well-ordered, and perfectly conforms to God's will.

This brings us to the seventh and climactic day of this creation account, which, somewhat surprisingly, doesn't feature the creation of anything at all.

Instead, it is a day defined by God's rest.

Now, this is not rest in the sense of needing a break after exhausting activity.

Rather, it is to be understood as a kind of delight or enjoyment.

A good example of this type of rest is found in the books of Numbers and Joshua, which describe how the Israelite people take up their rest in the Promised Land when they settle the land and enjoy its harvest.

Just so, Genesis 1's depiction of God resting from his creative activity on the seventh day is in fact a claim that upon completing his creative work, God takes up an abiding presence in the cosmos so as to delight in that which he has made." When this depiction of divine rest is read in light of the rest of the Pentateuch, another level of meaning emerges.

Namely, that human beings have the ability to encounter God's presence through their rest on the Sabbath.

In several places, the people are commanded to rest from all work on the seventh day of the week, and this is for 2 reasons.

First, because God himself rested on the seventh day of creation, and second, because God blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy.

Thus, there is a particular day that has been set aside by God on which human beings can encounter His divine presence through their own rest.

And for this reason, it is called the Sabbath day, which means rest in Hebrew.

In addition to setting aside a particular time for this rest, God also sets aside a particular place, the tabernacle in the wilderness and later the Jerusalem temple of which it was a forerunner.

This physical space, like the seventh day of the week, is made holy or set aside by God so that people can encounter the divine presence there.

This is why the sacred authors use the same vocabulary and repeated patterns in their description of the people's building of the tabernacle as in their depiction of God's creation in Genesis 1.

Just as God created the cosmos in 7 days, declared His creatures good 7 times, and just as the narrator refers to the heavens and the earth 7 times in that description, so too the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 40 and the inauguration of cultic worship in Leviticus 8 exhibit sevenfold repetition and patterning.

Very briefly, we might note several instances of this sevenfold pattern in these texts.

There are 7 steps involved in setting up the tabernacle, situating the Ark within the tabernacle, establishing the table of incense in the meeting tent, erecting the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard, and finally, there are 7 actions of the priests leading up to the first sacrificial feast.

Moreover, in both the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 40 and the inauguration of cultic worship in Leviticus 8-10, the narrator repeats an approbation that things were done exactly as the Lord commanded Moses, 7 times.

And this is followed by a glorious manifestation of God's presence in the tabernacle in each case.

God's active presence is to be encountered, above all, in the tabernacle, on the Sabbath.

While it is true that God is present to all creation, as is expressed in the books of Psalms and Isaiah, the glorious presence of God is found in a particular way in the tabernacle, which according to the book of Deuteronomy, God shows as the dwelling place for His name.

It is, in effect, the place of divine rest, the place where God enjoys the company of His chosen people and offers them the possibility of encountering His presence in their own Sabbath rest.

In conclusion, we might simply note that the creation accounts of Genesis 1 to 2, like every creation account and allusion to creation in the Bible, are avowedly theological descriptions of who God is and the manner in which God created the world.

They are not intended to be disinterested descriptions of the physical processes by which the universe came to be.

Instead, these accounts are a means by which the divine and human authors express both that God is the ultimate source and origin of the created world, and that God has made a special space for His presence in the created world, which is intended to enable direct, personal relationship with human beings.

For readings, podcasts, and more videos like this, go to Aquinas101.com.

While you're there, Be sure to sign up for 1 of our free video courses on Aquinas.

And don't forget to like and share with your friends, because it matters what you


Speaker 0: In this final video treating the Bible's presentation of creation, we will consider what it means that the physical world is created for God's presence. Building upon the insight that God created the world through His power and with His wisdom, which serve as mediating principles between God and humanity, we can see that God's creation, especially as it is depicted in Genesis 1-2, is fundamentally ordered toward an encounter with God's presence. To explore this topic further, let us return to the beginning. It is perhaps a bit unexpected that we have left off consideration of Genesis 1-2 until now, since these 2 creation accounts are the most well-known of the entire Bible. However, as will hopefully become clear, this is because they comprise a summative statement that completes and unifies the entire biblical presentation of creation.

Given the time constraints of our videos, it is not possible to analyze each of these accounts detail by detail. Still, we can consider the manner in which they work together to depict God's creation of the physical world as providing a space for His presence in creation in a way that can be experienced by human beings. This message is most readily perceptible in Genesis 2, which depicts an intimate relationship between God and the first man and woman in the garden. It is often said that Genesis 2 offers an anthropocentric description of creation that complements the cosmos-centric description found in Genesis 1. This anthropocentrism is displayed above all in the sequence of creation.

The first man is the very first thing created, and the first woman is the very last thing created. Such a book-ending structure signals that the man and woman are the focus of the account. Another way in which the sequence of creation demonstrates an anthropocentric focus is that God creates the man before creating anything else, even a place in which the man could live. This too is at the service of a larger point. The Garden, the very created world that Adam and Eve and all of humanity after them are meant to inhabit, is created by God with them specifically in mind.

They are meant for that place, and that place is meant for them. This truth is more explicitly expressed in Isaiah. God, the designer and maker of the earth, who established it, did not create it as an empty waste, but designed it to be lived in." Finally, the anthropocentric focus of Genesis 2 is reflected by the unique and intimate relationship that God has with the man and the woman. The man is given a share in creation both by cultivating God's garden and by naming everything within it. The man and the woman are also depicted as the only creatures who interact directly with God in the garden.

They speak directly with Him and regularly meet Him on His evening stroll through the garden. The point of this highly figurative language is to stress that the garden, that is, the created world, was initially a place in which the first humans experienced God's presence. Further, Genesis 2's depiction of such an intimate relationship between God and the first man and woman serves to elaborate the meaning of the terse statement in Genesis 1, 26-27, which describes human beings as being created in the image and likeness of God. Let us now turn to the cosmos-centric creation account in Genesis 1, which is an intricately structured narrative that recounts God's creation of the universe in 7 days. On first glance, it is apparent that the text features a high degree of patterning and repetition.

Each time God creates something, there are 3 basic elements. First, God says, let there be X. Second, the narrator reports, and then there was X. And finally, God sees and proclaims that X was good. This narrative device is a means by which the sacred author colors the text, conveying the sense that God's creation is methodical and results in a meticulous arrangement of the cosmos.

This meticulous arrangement is further reflected in the parallel descriptions of the spatial realms that God creates, as well as the creatures with which He populates them. In days 1 through 3, God creates the physical domains of the cosmos, including the sky, the seas, and the earth. Then in days 4 through 6, God creates the many variegated creatures that inhabit each of those domains, the birds of the air, the swarming things of the sea, and the creatures of the earth." The parallelism here adds to the sense that the cosmos, both taken as a whole and considered in any of its parts, is imbued with order and structure. Thus, these features of the text give the impression that God's creative act was both a serene display of His power and an expression of His wisdom. The created product comes into being with no difficulty whatsoever, is well-ordered, and perfectly conforms to God's will.

This brings us to the seventh and climactic day of this creation account, which, somewhat surprisingly, doesn't feature the creation of anything at all. Instead, it is a day defined by God's rest. Now, this is not rest in the sense of needing a break after exhausting activity. Rather, it is to be understood as a kind of delight or enjoyment. A good example of this type of rest is found in the books of Numbers and Joshua, which describe how the Israelite people take up their rest in the Promised Land when they settle the land and enjoy its harvest.

Just so, Genesis 1's depiction of God resting from his creative activity on the seventh day is in fact a claim that upon completing his creative work, God takes up an abiding presence in the cosmos so as to delight in that which he has made." When this depiction of divine rest is read in light of the rest of the Pentateuch, another level of meaning emerges. Namely, that human beings have the ability to encounter God's presence through their rest on the Sabbath. In several places, the people are commanded to rest from all work on the seventh day of the week, and this is for 2 reasons. First, because God himself rested on the seventh day of creation, and second, because God blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy. Thus, there is a particular day that has been set aside by God on which human beings can encounter His divine presence through their own rest.

And for this reason, it is called the Sabbath day, which means rest in Hebrew. In addition to setting aside a particular time for this rest, God also sets aside a particular place, the tabernacle in the wilderness and later the Jerusalem temple of which it was a forerunner. This physical space, like the seventh day of the week, is made holy or set aside by God so that people can encounter the divine presence there. This is why the sacred authors use the same vocabulary and repeated patterns in their description of the people's building of the tabernacle as in their depiction of God's creation in Genesis 1. Just as God created the cosmos in 7 days, declared His creatures good 7 times, and just as the narrator refers to the heavens and the earth 7 times in that description, so too the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 40 and the inauguration of cultic worship in Leviticus 8 exhibit sevenfold repetition and patterning.

Very briefly, we might note several instances of this sevenfold pattern in these texts. There are 7 steps involved in setting up the tabernacle, situating the Ark within the tabernacle, establishing the table of incense in the meeting tent, erecting the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard, and finally, there are 7 actions of the priests leading up to the first sacrificial feast. Moreover, in both the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 40 and the inauguration of cultic worship in Leviticus 8-10, the narrator repeats an approbation that things were done exactly as the Lord commanded Moses, 7 times. And this is followed by a glorious manifestation of God's presence in the tabernacle in each case. The message here is clear.

God's active presence is to be encountered, above all, in the tabernacle, on the Sabbath. While it is true that God is present to all creation, as is expressed in the books of Psalms and Isaiah, the glorious presence of God is found in a particular way in the tabernacle, which according to the book of Deuteronomy, God shows as the dwelling place for His name. It is, in effect, the place of divine rest, the place where God enjoys the company of His chosen people and offers them the possibility of encountering His presence in their own Sabbath rest. In conclusion, we might simply note that the creation accounts of Genesis 1 to 2, like every creation account and allusion to creation in the Bible, are avowedly theological descriptions of who God is and the manner in which God created the world. They are not intended to be disinterested descriptions of the physical processes by which the universe came to be.

Instead, these accounts are a means by which the divine and human authors express both that God is the ultimate source and origin of the created world, and that God has made a special space for His presence in the created world, which is intended to enable direct, personal relationship with human beings. For readings, podcasts, and more videos like this, go to Aquinas101.com. While you're there, Be sure to sign up for 1 of our free video courses on Aquinas. And don't forget to like and share with your friends, because it matters what you

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How Do We Interpret the Genesis Creation Accounts? (Aquinas 101)