Reconsidering Creation Ex Nihilo in Genesis 1

Nathan J. Chambers

Published by Penn State University Press 2020

Reconsidering Creation Ex Nihilo in Genesis 1

Nathan J. Chambers

Volume 19 in the series Journal of Theological Interpretation Supplements

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781646021024

Overview
Contents

About this book

There is a broad consensus among biblical scholars that creation ex nihilo (from nothing) is a late Hellenistic concept with little inherent connection to Genesis 1 and other biblical creation texts. In this book, Nathan J. Chambers forces us to reconsider the question, arguing in favor of reading this chapter of the Bible in terms of ex nihilo creation and demonstrating that there is a sound basis for the early Christian development of the doctrine.

Drawing on the theology of Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, Chambers considers what the ex nihilo doctrine means and does in classical Christian dogma. He examines ancient Near Eastern cosmological texts that provide a potential context for reading Genesis 1. Recognizing the distance between the possible historical and theological frameworks for interpreting the text, he illuminates how this doctrine developed within early Christian thought as a consequence of the church’s commitment to reading Genesis 1 as part of Christian Scripture. Through original close readings of the chapter that engage critically with the work of Jon Levenson, Hermann Gunkel, and Brevard Childs, Chambers demonstrates that, far from precluding interpretive possibilities, reading Genesis 1 in terms of creation from nothing opens up a variety of interpretive avenues that have largely been overlooked in contemporary biblical scholarship.

Timely and innovative, this book makes the case for a new (or recovered) framework for reading Genesis 1 that will appeal to biblical studies scholars and seminarians.

Author / Editor information

Chambers Nathan J. :

Nathan J. Chambers is Pastor at Wiser Lake Chapel.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Introduction: Reconsidering Genesis 1 and Creation Ex Nihilo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Interpretive Categories and the Ancient Near Eastern Context Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
2. “Love Sought Is Good, but Given Unsought Is Better”: The Doctrine of Creation Ex Nihilo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	45
3. Biblical Pressure and Ex Nihilo Hermeneutics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
4. The Debated Syntax of Genesis 1:1-3 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
5. Ways of Reading Genesis 1:1 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
6. Genesis 1:1 as the First Act of Creation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
Conclusion: Paths Travelled and Ways Forward Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	237
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	245
Scripture Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
Subject and Name Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	275

Language: English
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 290

eBook

Published: April 16, 2021
ISBN: 9781646021024