God’s Purpose is carried out through human purpose.

Authority is vested in the author.

“For us, but not to us” Message transcends culture, but form is culture-bound.

We must take our place in His audience.

We must see

the worldthe way the text sees the world

Whose cosmic geography?

We must see

the textthe way the ancient

Israelites saw the text

No scientific revelation (heart)

Observation of natural cause

and effect does not remove God

from the picture (Ps 139:13)

In the ancient functional focus, “existence” is defined by having a function (role and purpose in ordered system), not by having a material structure

Genesis 1: provides an account of functional origins, not material origins

Genesis 1: about God bringing order (functionality) into the midst of non-order (non-functionality)

It is fruitless to ask what “things” God created on any given day, for the text is not concerned about the existence of matter

Naming and separating are acts of creation

Not about building a house, but making a house a home

Days 1-3: Functions Proclaimed

Basis for time (light not an object) Basis for weather and space for existence

(space not an object) Basis for food provision (dry land emerges;

plants sprout)

Days 4-6: Functionaries Installed

Lights for signs, celebrations, days, years (not considered objects)

Fish and birds (teem and fill our world) Animals to fill the world and people in his

image to subdue and rule

In the ancient world, gods rest in temples and temples are constructed for deity to rest in

People may be climax of six days, but “rest” is the climax of the creation account

“Rest” is the main goal of creation Resting expresses having control

over an ordered system engagement, not disengagement Rest God gives resolves “unrest”

Gudea Temple Cylinder

The word “day” suggests it should be a 24-hour period.

Discussion often concerns the age of the earth. If the 7 days is like a temple inauguration, then

objects are not necessarily being made in those seven days.

If the days are concerned with bringing order rather than making things, the seven days has nothing to do with the age of the earth.

Importance of the literary introduction (2:4)Ref Relation

5:1 synoptic6:9 sequel10:1 sequel11:10 synoptic11:27 sequel25:12 sequel25:19 synoptic36:1 sequel36:9 synoptic37:2 synoptic

All examples of synoptic relationships concern brothers

If sequel, people in 1st account not necessarily Adam & Eve

2nd account does not need to fit into day 6

proposal: archetypal functions Everything in Gen 2 regarding human

origins is first and foremost archetypal

The “forming” accounts are most relevant to Adam and Eve as archetypes rather than as individuals

dust/rib are archetypal issues Not chemistry or sculpting Dust = mortality (Gen. 3:19) Immortal people would not need tree of life

Photo: Brian McMorrow

“For he knows how we are formed,he remembers that we are dust”

(NIV)

• Every human is formed from dust

• Being formed from dust does not describe material formation

• First man of dust and all from dust (1 Cor. 15:47-48)

• Being formed from dust would not preclude being born of woman

• Egypt: King formed on potter’s wheel

• Not material origin but identity

“Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” Architectural term: one side of a pair Tardemah: deep sleep

Visionary state: Unresponsive to human realm and correspondingly responsive to communication from the divine realm

Abraham in Genesis 15 (Eliphaz, Daniel) Womankind from the side of mankind to be

helper

That is why a man leaves his father and mother

and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh

Serve and Keep (Gen. 2:15)

“Helpmeet” – Eve to help Adam in sacred task

As priests they are representatives of all humans

Disorder of sin entered through them and permeated the cosmos such that all other humans are subject to that disorder

If the details of the “forming” apply to the archetypes, we have no information about the forming of the individuals

Archetypal identity does not negate the existence of the individual—Adam and Eve are individuals, but more importantly are archetypes.

Appropriate question is not “Is this really what happened?” but “Is this what people really are?” (focus on identity, not event)

If Genesis 2 has an archetypal focus, there is no biblical account of material human origins

Does not mean that common descent is true, only that it would not contradict the biblical record

Special, direct creative work of God is found minimally at functional level Endowing with image of God Creation of spiritual being Designating as priests

Order connected to sacred space Non-order remained after creation People given task of expanding sacred

space and order (subdue and rule) Presence of God brought life Serpent as chaos creature promoting

disorder People wanted to be the center of order Sin brought disorder Cast from sacred space into less ordered

realm

Ministry

Evangelism

Attrition