Evolutionary Creation: Ancient Poetry
Genesis 1–11 includes ancient poetry. Of course, the term “poetry” carries a number of meanings. But using the most basic definition, it refers simply to a structured writing style in contrast to a free flowing narrative. The image below reveals that the six-day creation account features two parallel panels. This passage opens with the Spirit of God hovering over a formless and empty earth shrouded in darkness and submerged under water. The description of the earth using rhyming Hebrew words (tohu: formless; bohu: empty) immediately attracts the attention of ancient readers and points to the structure of Genesis 1. In the first three days God deals with the problem of formlessness, while during the last three days He resolves the emptiness. Striking parallels also emerge between the two panels.
On the first day of creation, God makes light. This corresponds to the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day. The Creator then separates the waters above from the waters below during the second day, providing an air space for birds and a sea for marine creatures made on the fifth day. On the third creation day, God commands dry land to appear in anticipation of land animals and humans created during the sixth day. The so-called “contradiction” of the creation of light before the sun disappears if the panel structure is respected, because obviously it is poetic license on the part of the inspired writer.
The next image shows that ancient poetry also appears in Noah’s flood account. Genesis 6–9 is framed on a chiasm. This is a common literary device used by ancient Near Eastern writers, including the Holy Spirit-inspired biblical authors (Waltke, 2001). A chiastic structure is made up of two parts. The first half is a mirror image of the second half, producing a reversed sequence of ideas or words. Especially noticeable in the biblical flood chiasm are the matching days of 7s, 40s, and 150s. Such a technique facilitated ancient peoples to memorize these accounts. In particu- lar, the chiasm focuses the reader to the middle of the structure and the main message of the passage, which in the flood account is that “God remembered Noah” (Gen 8:1). Therefore, the central spiritual truth in this passage to all generations of Christians is that the Lord remembers righteous men and women despite any flood of trouble that may inundate and submerge them.
In light of the poetic structures present in the biblical creation and flood accounts, evolutionary creationists doubt that Genesis 1–11 offers a historical record of actual events. As most Christians know, real history simply does not unfold in chiasms and parallel panels. For example, does Israel’s history as a nation develop in a chiasm? Is the historical record of the church structured in parallel panels? Or better, do the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus emerge in these brilliantly crafted poetic structures? The answer to all these questions is “no” because these examples are actual historical events. In contrast, the po- etic frameworks in Genesis 1–11 are calling out to us not to read these passages as literal facts of history. That is, the Bible itself is pointing away from the traditional literal interpretation.
To be sure, suggesting that the first chapters of Scripture are not an account of actual events in the origin of the universe and life is threatening to most conservative Christians. However, this does not in any way undermine God’s Word. The Holy Spirit inspired these passages, and they are central to the Christian faith. Instead, this proposal only challenges our traditional assumption that scientific concordism is an inerrant feature of Genesis 1–11. Of course, it is reasonable to assume an accord or alignment between Scripture and science. After all, God is both the Creator of the world and the Author of the Bible. But the question is this: Is scientific concordism true? And the answer is “no” because the Word of God features an ancient science. Once again, the Scripture itself is pointing away from the traditional literal interpretation.
Consequently, in reading the biblical accounts of origins, Christians today must separate, and not conflate, the inerrant Messages of Faith (or spiritual truths) from their incidental ancient scientific and poetic vessel. To illustrate the application of this Message-Incident Principle of scriptural interpretation, consider one of the most important passages in the New Testament — the Kenotic Hymn (Phil 2:5–11). In highlighting the fact that God emptied Himself and came down to the level of humans in the person of Jesus, the apostle Paul writes:
Therefore God exalted Him [Jesus] to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, [1] in heaven and [2] on earth and [3] under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (v. 9–11, numerals added)
Regrettably, English Bibles do not translate fully the original Greek. “Under the earth” should be rendered “the underworld” (see Figure 1). In fact, the Greek word katachthonion in this verse refers to the beings down (kata) in the chthonic (chthonios) or subterranean realm (cf. Matt 12:40; Eph 4:9–10; 1 Pt 3:19). Nevertheless, the Message of Faith in this passage is clear — Jesus is Lord of the entire creation. And Paul delivers this inerrant spiritual truth by using the incidental science-of-the-day — the three-tier universe. Similarly, in the opening chapters of Genesis, we must separate the eternal Messages from the incidental vessels as presented in the image above.
These concepts are explained further in my book, The Bible & Ancient Science: Principles of Interpretation.
About Denis Lamoureux
Denis O. Lamoureux is a professor of Science & Religion at St. Joseph’s College in the University of Alberta. He holds three earned doctoral degrees — dentistry, theology, and biology — and has written several books on the relationship between Christian faith and modern science. Denis worships at a Pentecostal church.
Click on the links to purchase his latest books from McGahan Publishing House, The Bible & Ancient Science: Principles of Interpretation and Beyond the Evolution vs. Creation Debate / Click HERE for his webpage.
