Genesis unbound : a provocative new look at the creation account

226 Pages·1996·4.02 MB·English

by  John H. Sailhamer

Genesis Unbound is a startlingly refreshing and innovative interpretation of the
text of Genesis 1–2. It is an altogether new way of seeking the much needed
rapprochement between the young and old earth Bible believers. Not everyone
will adopt all of the features of this reverent treatment of the text, but all will
find plenty to challenge their thinking in areas that they might have previously
thought were consistent with the biblical text. This volume will be talked about
for years to come.
WALTER C. KAISER JR., Ph.D.
President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Ethics Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
In many ways traditional or classical in his approach, Sailhamer is at the same
time innovative and creative (no pun intended). He will force you to rethink your
current understanding of the Genesis creation narrative.
RONALD YOUNGBLOOD, Ph.D.
Professor of Old Testament
International College and Graduate School
If you think you know what Genesis 1 and 2 say, you may, after reading Genesis
Unbound be not a little surprised at what you have missed. Sailhamer, anything
but conventional, strips away interpretive barnacles in this careful and
stimulating analysis. He is in touch with current scholarship, but he significantly
capitalizes on input by commentators from an earlier, pre-scientific period. In
Genesis Unbound he proposes that all but the first verse of Genesis 1 and 2 have
to do with God preparing the land of Palestine for Israel. Sound far-fetched?
Follow the clues in the text and Sailhamer’s arguments. Compelling? More so
than one might first think. This is a work by an author unbound except for being
intent on listening to the biblical text. Sailhamer has so focused on the text itself
that his work must be taken seriously. Here is a refreshing visit to a fundamental
Scripture by an evangelical scholar of stature.
ELMER A. MARTENS, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Old Testament
Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary
Many book titles promise more than they can deliver. Genesis Unbound,
however, yields more than first meets the eye. Not only is the reader furnished a
provocative new interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2, but he is treated to a lesson in
hermeneutical exercise. Professor Sailhamer invites us to think carefully through
these creation accounts in the full light of their grammatical, historical and
cultural, literary, and theological contexts so that through the text we may
understand what the original author intended his readers to know. All of this is
presented in a lucid and lively style that is sure to stimulate today’s readers to
examine their own previous approaches to these crucial chapters.
RICHARD PATTERSON, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Liberty University
Genesis Unbound represents a fresh and provocative challenge to traditional,
classical, and popular understanding of the first two chapters of the Bible by one
of today’s foremost evangelical authorities on the Book of Genesis. Dr.
Sailhamer’s conclusions are based upon a detailed analysis of the biblical text
and a thorough understanding of the history of its interpretation. But the
structure and style of presentation are deliberately geared to lay readers. All who
wrestle with the perplexing questions raised by the biblical account of creation
will welcome this study by a scholar with an uncompromisingly high view of
Scripture.
DANIEL L. BLOCK, Ph.D.
Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament
Wheaton College
Genesis Unbound is a truly unique book. The book presents a fresh, yet
apparently ancient perspective on the early chapters of Genesis. This book needs
to be read, pondered, and perhaps read again by all who seek to understand these
crucial early chapters of Genesis.
RAYMOND G. BOHLIN, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Probe Ministries

GENESIS UNBOUND: A PROVOCATIVE NEW LOOK
AT THE CREATION ACCOUNT
© 1996, 2011 by John H. Sailhamer
First edition published 1996. Second edition 2011.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Dawson Media, 3820 N. 30th Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904.
www.dawsonmedia.com
DAWSON MEDIA and the DAWSON MEDIA logo are registered trademarks of Dawson Media. Absence of ® in connection with marks of Dawson Media or other parties does not indicate an absence
of registration of those marks.
ISBN Information for Formats of this Book:
1996 Paperback: ISBN 0-88070-868-9
2011 Paperback: ISBN: 978-1-935651-21-5
2011 Kindle eBook: 978-1-935-65132-1
2011 ePub eBook: 978-1-935-65133-8
Cover design by DOXA
Cover photo courtesy of STScI
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are the author’s own translation. Also quoted: the Holy Bible, NewInternational Version® (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. Used by
permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010939360
FOREWORD
A between Christians and those of other beliefs regarding the
SUSTAINED WORLDVIEW BATTLE RAGES
origins of our universe and its life. That same controversy also roils the Christian
community.
There is unprecedented cultural, academic, archaeological, political,
theological, judicial, and scientific interest in this simple question: What do the
first two chapters of the Hebrew Bible reveal regarding God and creation?
John Sailhamer takes that challenge in Genesis Unbound with exactly the
right combination of courage and expertise. He is an Old Testament scholar with
an enormous respect for the Hebrew text. Even those who would never agree
that Genesis 1 and 2 should have the last word would no doubt allow it to at least
have the first word.
“What does THE BIBLE say?”
How do we know what the Bible says? How will we define key terms and
understand foundational concepts? In simplest terms, let the Bible speak for
itself, or let Scripture interpret Scripture.
Sailhamer’s commitment to develop an understanding of the opening chapters
of Genesis from the Bible itself, rather than from science or philosophy, drew us
to Genesis Unbound. Though we both are trained in science and deeply believe
in integrating a Christian worldview, we concur that one must first understand
the Bible on its own terms.
We also confess that this can be challenging.
In what terms does one define a “day”? Or, of even more importance, is that
the right question? Are the first chapters of Genesis simply hymns or poetry?
Should we modify our interpretation according to our audience and propose
“Scientific Creationism” (old earth) in secular schools and “Biblical
Creationism” (young earth) in our churches and Christian schools? Have we
driven young believers away from the gospel by demanding nonsensical
interpretations? And finally, have we silenced older believers by creating a
contradictory faith by demanding a choice between science and Scripture?
Our challenge to you: open your Bible and look carefully to see what it
actually teaches as you work through this book. If you are willing, let your
modern understandings be shaped by the biblical author’s intent.
Genesis Unbound provides a scriptural resolution to these issues. It will bring
clarity and hope for all who have struggled for a sound understanding that allows
Scripture to live alongside of what science is also discovering and confirming.
GERRY BRESHEARS, Ph.D.
MERRIT QUARUM, M.D.
January 2011
PREFACE
W Genesis Unbound mean? Is the first book in the Bible “bound” in
HAT DOES THE TITLE
some way? Does it need to be “unbound”? If it does, am I the one to do it?
Let me explain what I mean by that title. I believe we often read the first two
chapters of Genesis with a set of unexamined assumptions. We come to these
chapters with certain expectations and are surprised when difficulties in
understanding the passage arise.
What are those expectations? One is that the chapters’ primary purpose is
merely to describe how God created the world. Another is that originally the
world was a formless mass, which God shaped into the world we know today. A
third is “the land” which God made during the six days is “the earth” in its
entirety, as we know it today. Those assumptions, and others, largely guide our
reading of this important passage of Scripture.
How do I know that? I know it because those assumptions lie behind the
English translations of Genesis 1 and 2 which we use today. Like it or not,
Genesis in the English Bible is “bound” by those assumptions. A major part of
my task in this book is to loose those bonds and release the chapters to speak for
themselves. Hence, the title.
Who am I to take on such a formidable group of scholars as the translators of
our English Bibles? Believe me, I am not worthy of the task. That is why as you
read you will see I make much use of the work of others, particularly the wealth
of biblical scholarship from the past. In the modern era, readers of the Bible have
tried to harmonize Genesis 1 and 2 with the dictates of modern science. That, of
course, is a legitimate goal, but it has its downside. Too often we allow our
modern views of the world to determine what we understand the biblical writers
to be saying. By paying close attention to how earlier readers understood these
two chapters, we can often gain new insight—or old insight—into the biblical
author’s intent. So although several points I make in this book may strike you as
new, many of them are, in fact, quite old.
You will soon see that I have included drawings throughout the book. By
providing these drawings, I don’t mean to imply that my readers aren’t capable
of visualizing what I am writing about. I have found, however, after years of
teaching this material, that subtle nuances are often misunderstood without the
sketches to illustrate the points. So the drawings are here to help prevent that
kind of misunderstanding.
Finally, I wish to thank several persons for the help they have given me in
preparing and writing this book. I want to thank, first, the staff at Questar
Publishers, including the primary editor for this work, Steve Halliday. If this
book makes sense, it is because of Steve’s and others’ indefatigable labors to
make it so. I would also like to thank the many students with whom I have
studied Genesis over the years. Their questions and observations have
continually caused me to go back to the text for answers about its meaning.
Some of my best students were found in my adult Sunday school class at the
North Suburban Evangelical Free Church in Deerfield, Illinois. They patiently
and faithfully listened, literally for years, as I painstakingly worked my way
through the early chapters of Genesis with them Sunday after Sunday.
As always, I owe the most to my good friend and wife, Patty.