How should we understand the creation?
To understand the biblical narrative of creation, we should;
- Understand that the Bible does not describe the creation of our universe or its beginning.
- Observe that the biblical narrative of creation only describes the preparation of the planet earth for the carbon-based intelligent life – humankind.
Therefore, the creation of our universe and the preparation of the earth for intelligent life are separate events. The biblical narrative of creation is based on ancient cosmology. It is ancient; nevertheless, it persisted until only a few centuries ago. People in biblical times could not have described the creation differently than they did. They had limited knowledge and a narrow worldview. However, we should not view their condition as a deficiency. Knowledge advances in time and at a rate determined by the Creator.
For millennia, humans considered the earth to be a flat disc. The heavens appeared as a canopy attached to the earth’s horizon. Therefore, the earth served like the weight that holds the heavens in place. According to ancient cosmology, there were three heavens. First heaven, the closest to humans, was the heaven of birds. The second heaven was the heaven of sun, moon and stars. The third heaven was the heaven where God, or gods, was. People in ancient times believed that the sun, moon and stars orbited the earth. However, they did not know how did the sun return to its starting place during the night. The people in ancient times did not have the means to look beyond the horizon.
The ability to see beyond the horizon and farther is a modern-day achievement. Knowledge had to advance sufficiently to enable humans to expand their horizons and increase their worldview. Today, we can see well beyond our solar system and even beyond our galaxy. The ancient’s did not know that the solar system and galaxy existed. They did not know that universe existed.
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