Women of the Word, Sept. 9

Although Genesis 2 is the second part of this book, it is the earlier version. The Jews in Mesopotamia where all creation stories emanate. The Jews were tolerant of each others' views as to the creation story, which was good because, being in fairly close quarters, they needed to get along. This feeling is not exactly rampant today.
This version of creation is the "J" version, the writer having an anthropomorphic point of view wherein God walks and talks and is a friend to the writer. There are clues as to the author of each version. The "P" or priestly writer of Genesis 1, which includes all of 4 A is a very orderly writer, with Day one, Day two, etc. His mention of the word "generations" is a sign of his hand at work. Clues to the writings of "J" are his use of upper case letters for "LORD" and the word "Elohim" for the plural of God. This is the only place in scripture that the two words are used together.
The Garden of Eden, surprisingly, was probably in Iraq. Cush was Arabia or Ethiopia. In this version, God creates order out of chaos. He brings water to the desert, the opposite of the "A" version of creation. This God creates Man first, whereby in the priestly or "P" version, Mankind is the last to be created, and his sex is not mentioned. "J"' Man, called "Ish," created from the mud, is given hand in everything. God lets him name the animals, thereby giving him dominion over them. He is master of the garden, created to till it. When God decides man needs a partner, He creates Woman, or "Ish Shah" from Adam's rib, thereby giving him dominion over her.
This is a story of need: The soil needs a garden; the garden needs tilling; man needs a helper.
The two creation stories are contradictory, but they had two themes in common :
God made everything.
Creation is good.
Stay tuned. It gets even better. And especially when Barbara tells it.
submitted by Deenie Miller

Comparing Creation Stories from Women of the Word, Sept. 2 and 9

P – Genesis 1 JE – Genesis 2
Where is the “place” of creation?
What is the “duration” of creation?
By what “means” does God do the creating?
What is the sequence in which God does the creating?
When is the male created? Of what substance?
When is the female created? Of what “substance”?
What is the relationship between male and female?
What is the relationship between God and human beings?