 |
With all the discussion and controversy about creation and evolution, it would
make sense for Christians to incorporate into their thinking and discussion the
literary structure of Genesis.
As is often the case in breakthrough thinking,
the real breakthrough for understanding Genesis came not from an establishment
academic but a layperson. In this case the late British Air Commodore P.J.
Wiseman.
He published two works on the subject: New Discoveries in Babylonia
about Genesis and Creation Revealed in Six Days. These books were later
re-published by his son, Professor Donald J. Wiseman under the title Clues to
Creation in Genesis.
The paperback is no longer in print but with arrangement with Professor
Wiseman, who holds the copyright, we have converted Clues into an eBook.
Return to the Home page to buy Clues to Creation in Genesis.
|
Navigation
Click here to return to the Christian Resources Home Page
|
Donald Wiseman was Professor of Assyriology at the University of
London and Assistant Keeper of Antiquities at the British Museum.
He was also Chairman of Scripture Gift Mission for many years. |
Most of what is taught about the literary structure of Genesis derives from the
nineteenth century. This was at a time when uniformitarianism
was prevalent and posh. It held that what we see in the present is
pretty much what went on in the past. This is the intellectual environment
of Darwin's day. It was also the intellectual environment of nineteenth
century biblical scholarship. Hence, the documentary hypothesis put
forward initially by Graf and Wellhausen. It was based on the premise that
at the time of the events in the book of Genesis there was no writing.
That led to the 'sitting around the campfire' theory that the events of Genesis
were passed down orally until writing was invented.
We now know this premise is utterly false. But that doesn't stop
seminaries from teaching it to generation after generation of students.
Actually, there was a sophisticated culture at the time, the Sumerians, with
a fully developed written language. The Sumerians (located in modern-day
Iraq) wrote on clay tablets in cuneiform. P. J. Wiseman saw in Genesis
evidence that the first thirty-six (plus 37:1, 2a) chapters of the book were a series of
eleven histories originally written in cuneiform.
These days, we have learned much of our own planet and it is clear that
catastrophes belong in geological history. The information sent back by
NASA's space probes has forced a re-think of cosmology as well. In
historical studies, some are now relating our written records to geological and
cosmological history.
|
|
