Genesis
Chapter 1
The Story of Creation
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
God said:
“Let there be light.”
And there was light.
God called the light ‘Day’ and the darkness ‘Night.’ There was evening and there was morning: the first day.
God said:
“Let there be a firm ceiling between the waters and let it separate waters from waters.”
So God made the ceiling and separated the waters below it from those above it. And so it was.
God said:
“Let the waters below the sky be gathered together in one place and let dry land appear.”
And so it was.
God said:
“Let the earth produce vegetation, seed-bearing plants, fruit trees bearing fruit with seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.”
And so it was.
There was evening and there was morning: the third day.
God said:
“Let there be lights in the ceiling of the sky to separate day from night and to serve as signs for the seasons, days and years;
and let these lights in the sky shine above the earth.”
And so it was.
There was evening and there was morning: the fourth day.
God said:
“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth under the ceiling of the sky.”
God blessed them, saying:
“Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the waters of the sea, and let the birds increase on the earth.”
There was evening and there was morning: the fifth day.
God said:
“Let the earth produce living animals according to their kind: cattle, creatures that move along the ground, wild animals according to their kind.”
So it was.
God said:
“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, the wild animals, and all creeping things that crawl along the ground.”
So God created man in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said:
“Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
God said:
“I have given you every seed-bearing plant that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that bears fruit with seed. It will be for your food.
To every wild animal, bird of the sky, everything that creeps along the ground, and everything that has the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.”
So it was.
God saw everything He had made, and it was good. There was evening, and there was morning —the sixth day.
Commentaries
The Story of Creation.
For a long time, it was believed that this account was the first part written in the Bible, but it has since been shown to be untrue. Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., the Jewish people faced a crisis. They needed a narrative to help them regain perspective. Where was God? Why did he not defend his people? Why did he allow the city and the temple to be destroyed?
Through stories from various Eastern cultures, the editors create a hymn that conveys the message that, from the very beginning, God designed everything with harmony and goodness in mind. From the start, he desires the well-being of his people. This hymn serves as a comprehensive catechesis to foster adherence and strengthen faith in the One True God of Israel. Let’s examine some of the intentions and implications this narrative presents:
1. Creation is the result of God’s absolute goodness. During the primordial chaos, the Spirit of God moves; he is not absent, and his Word organizes things, causing everything that exists to emerge, with the characteristic note that everything is “good.”
2. In creation, everything follows a plan; nothing is random, and each element serves a specific function (even misfortunes). The pinnacle of creation is the human being, who has the other creatures at his command.
3. God creates man and woman in his image and likeness; He creates them male and female to oversee his work. Being a couple and living in community reflects a God who communicates, loves, transcends himself, and expresses his love for his creations. Through this dynamic, man and woman must also care for the creation that God places at their disposal.
4. God blesses his creation. Creation is not a cursed place or a place of punishment; rather, it is where all creatures are blessed by God and called to glorify him.
5. Finally, the Sabbath rest is the culmination of creation. God blesses and consecrates it. This “rest,” more than leisure, represents an expression of maturity and fullness. Like God in creation, human beings—men and women—along with all creatures, are directed toward it, toward fullness.