Source Analysis Assignment - Essay Example

Source Analysis Genesis chapters 1and 2 give complete accounts of the creation especially the order of events such as the creation of the man and woman. In the historian perception, there could have been two different authors and the author of the second account of creation (Gen 2:4-25) may have no prior knowledge that there was another account written by another person (Gen 1:1-4). After the two were brought together during compilation, there were contradictions that could not be reconciled. There are two different creation stories as written in Genesis that belongs to two different periods and two different sources as one person cannot give a similar story in two versions.

The inconsistency may be due to differing style and theological conception as highlighted in Genesis 1 and 2 resulting to a different order of creation. In the first account, man and woman were created after the birds and animals and formed the climax of the creation while in the second creation account man was created before the animals and birds while the creation of the woman followed their creation (Gen 2: 19-22). The two accounts show some disagreement as the sequence of creation of events is an indication that two authors were involved.

Looking at the style and form of writing in chapter one, it is very clear that chapter 1 is very precise, measured, and stereotyped while chapter shows diversity as there are no recurrence of formulae such as to create. Chapter 1 is more systematic while chapter 2 is spontaneous such as in the case of the earth which is first dry (GEN 2:5). In the first account, the earth emerges from the waters and the order of filling it is very different with that of the chapter 2. There is a great discrepancy between the two creations of man stories in chapters 1 and 2.

The differences may also be due to mechanical errors of the editors during compilation disturbing the order of creation. The second account seems to be more dramatic with an imagination that captures the heart with more influence on the feelings of the reader and less on the intellect part of the reader. There are other major differences between the two creation accounts. One of them is the conception of God in which the first one sees God as majestic and dignified. The second views God as somebody with humanistic traits such as speaking, walking, and behaving like an earthy man.

Other differences such as the case in which he creates man and woman at the same time in chapter one (Gen 1: 27), while in chapter 2, man was created first and women was created later after animals and vegetation from the man’s rib (Gen 2: 21). The creation stories can be myths as critically the origin of human date back very long time ago when no writing could be possible. That means that there was a major span between the occurrence of the events and the time of recording thus the information cannot miss errors.

The Hebrews information concerning the first humans may not be more trustworthy compared to the stories from the other nations. The second story of creation appears, as the older of the two and attempt to harmonize the two accounts may not be possible. ReferencesGenesis 1 New International Version (NIV)