Bible Questions and Answers
Published 02/14/2013
How did God create the world out of nothing? We know of nothing that was made from nothing. Did God transform his word energy into matter?
Doesn't the Big Bang theory imply the creation of the world and the universe by God out of nothing and doesn't this support the book of Genesis? And isn't it arrogant to think that the entire Universe was created just for us?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The land was deserted, there was nothing on the ground. Darkness hid the ocean, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. (Genesis 1:1,2)
Answer:
“Creation out of nothing,” or the theological method of casting a shadow
“Creation out of nothing,” or the theological method of casting a shadow over the fence
The Lord created everything from nothing, but the material is felt all the time.
Paul Valery
There is a cosmogonic dogma in Christianity that goes like this:
Saint Philaret (Drozdov) “Long Orthodox Catechism”
...The Holy Scriptures revealed to us about the creation of the world that in the beginning God created heaven and earth out of nothing.
Dogma as a dogma, nothing special, but what is a little surprising is the assurance that “scripture” is somehow involved in this dogma, that it was it that inspired theologians about the “discovery”. After all, if you turn to the text of the “scripture”, you can sadly see that there is not a word there about the technology of “creation from nothing”:
Genesis 1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was upon the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.
With all the desire, it is impossible to see any “discoveries” here, since they simply do not exist. Moreover, from the text of the “scripture” it directly follows that in addition to “the created heavens and earth”, another component came from nowhere – water, the creation of which is not mentioned in the “scripture”. And the parallels between this water and the water in the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian “scripture” (which appeared long before the emergence of the Hebrew “scripture”) look very suspicious - no one created water there either, it existed from the beginning, before everything else, including gods. However, on the issue of “creation out of nothing,” their sworn friends, Jewish theologians, do not lag behind Christian theologians and also talk about “discovery”:
Rav Yitzchak Zilber "Conversations on the Torah"
… The Torah begins with the story of the creation of the world and immediately tells us that the world was created from absolute “nothing.” So, are theologians lying blatantly and trivially hanging noodles on the ears of believers? No, theologians, of course, lie, but in this case they do it in a veiled way, claiming that they know the cock’s word, which allows them to claim “creation out of nothing”:
Priest Petr Zdrilyuk “SMART DOING”
...At the same time, the verb “created” in the Hebrew original corresponds to three words. In Russian it sounds the same, but in Hebrew: 1. “Bara” - created out of nothing. 2. “Assa” - created from ready-made material. 3. “Yatsar” - transformed what had already been done. Particular attention should be paid to the verb “bara”, that is, “to create out of nothing.” This verb is used only three times during the creation of the world. The first time is at the beginning. The second time was on the fifth day of creation, when the Lord created fish and birds. a living soul, something completely new. The third time is on the sixth day, at the creation of man. In all other cases of creativity, the verb “assa” is used.
Priest Oleg Davydenkov “DOGMATIC THEOLOGY”
...There are indirect indications from the Holy Spirit. Scriptures on the creation of the world out of nothing. In Gen. 1:1 says that God created the heavens and the earth. The Hebrew verb “bara” is used here. In the Hebrew language, two words are used to express the idea of creation: “asan”, which means “to create from available material”; and the word "bara", which can have two meanings: firstly, the meaning of creation from nothing, the creation of something completely new, previously non-existent; secondly, the meaning of creation from some available material.
Archbishop Nathanael (Lvov) “CREATION OF THE FIRST MAN”
...In all these verses of the 1st chapter of the Bible, speaking about the initial creation of man, the Hebrew word used is “bara” - “to create out of nothing.” "Orthodox-Dogmatic Theology". Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna ..."God created the world out of nothing," the Orthodox Church teaches... and this truth is visible: 1) From the words of the sacred Writer of Genesis: in the beginning God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1). Although the Hebrew verb bara - created has a double meaning, expressing both the creation of something from nothing, and the formation of ready-made matter (Gen. 1:27); but here it is used precisely in the first sense
Lopukhin's Explanatory Bible
“Created” - the word “bara” is used here, which, according to the common belief of both Jews and Christians, as well as all subsequent biblical usage, primarily serves as an expression of the idea of \u200b\u200bdivine work, has the meaning of creative activity or creation from nothing
Rav Yitzchak Zilber "Conversations on the Torah"
…When speaking about the act of creation, the Torah uses the word “bara”. This verb means creation out of nothing, the creation of something completely new, never existing before.
That's where the dog rummaged - it turns out there is a magical Hebrew word "bara", which means "to create out of nothing." Theologians sing this mournful song in such a well-coordinated choir that a certain contingent takes it at face value and begins to sing along with them, like, for example, these “type scientists”:
G.N.Sidorov, O.B.Shustova, V.I.Razumov “Science and philosophy about the development of life on Earth”
...In the Pentateuch of Moses, what is translated into Russian with the word “created” is expressed by two words: bara, meaning “to make out of nothing,” and assa, meaning “to create, form, make from available material.”
Well, it's time to figure out this choral singing and start with the dictionary:
Strong's Hebrew Lexicon
01254 בָּרָא 1. create, create, create; 2. to be created or created. 3. cut, clear (from plants); 4. grow fat, become obese.
06213 וַיַּעַשׂ 1. to do, produce, prepare, perform, perform, engage in, work. 2. to be done, to be prepared. 3. squeeze. 4. to be made, to be arranged.
03335 וַיִּיצֶר 1. to shape, to sculpt; 2. create, form. 3. to be created.
So, there are three terms - “bara” (01254), “asa” (06213) and “vayitser” (03335). They have different meanings and shades of meaning, but they are all synonyms in the meaning of “to do, to create.” And the most curious thing is that “bara” DOES NOT mean “create out of nothing.” But dictionaries are compiled by people and may well make mistakes, so let’s turn to the text of “scripture” and see how these terms are used - if when describing objects that theologians classify as “created from nothing,” only the term “bara” is used, and other terms are not used , then the theologians are right and the dictionary is wrong. If other terms are applied to such objects, not just “bara”, then the dictionary is right - they are all synonyms. Let’s take a closer look at the “word of God”, and what immediately catches your eye are two options for the “creation” of man:
Genesis 1 26 And God said, Let us make (“asa” 06213) man in Our image, after Our likeness... 27 And God created (“bara” 01254) man in His own image, in the image of God He created (“bara” 01254) him; He created them male and female (“bara” 01254).
Gen.2:7 And the Lord God created (“vayitzer” 03335) man from the dust of the ground...
If we do not assume that Yahweh was very hungover and did not understand what and how he “created” - at first he planned to create a person from scrap materials (“asa”), then he created him from nothing (“bara”), and then returned to the original plan and created a person a second time from scrap materials (“vayitzer”), then there can be only one conclusion - these three terms are equivalent synonyms and “bara” does not mean “to create from nothing.” And what about theologians? Will they really not try to get around this circumstance on a crooked goat? “You can’t wait!” (With):
Archbishop Nathanael (Lvov) “CREATION OF THE FIRST MAN”
...But the Bible speaks not once, but twice about the creation of man: the first time in chapter 1, the second time in chapter 2, verse 7. “And the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground.” Both stories are completely different: the first says that God “bara”, that is, created man out of nothing in His image and likeness, the second that He “assa”, that is, created him from the dust of the earth, also , like all the animals about which it is said “the Lord God formed (in Hebrew the same verb “assa”) from the ground all the birds of the air.” And just as it is said about animals in the 2nd chapter of Genesis about man: “and man became a living soul.” Further: in the first narrative, the Lord creates simultaneously a man and a woman - two persons, potentially many persons, like a multiple angelic council, in a single being; the second narrative speaks of the creation of only a man - Adam, and only after some time his wife - Eve - is created (assa) from a rib. This duality, and at the same time so different in the story of the creation of man, was, of course, used by the enemies of Christianity as evidence of the inconsistency of the Bible, the supposedly radically different origin of the Biblical narratives. Meanwhile, if we remember the elementary truth about man as a dual spiritual-physical being, then the church’s understanding of the duality of the Bible’s narrative about the creation of man will become completely obvious to us as a presentation of the different natures of human nature: spiritual and soul-corporeal: in the 1st chapter it talks about the creation of the human spirit, in the 2nd chapter about the creation of its body and animal soul. The human spirit was created out of nothing by God’s verb in the image and likeness of God, simultaneously male and female personalities, each having their own personal properties, but a single nature, a single being, just as the Persons of the Divine Trinity have personal, unmixed properties, but constitute a single Being. The human body, animated by the animal soul, was created (assa) from previously created material, from the dust of the earth, that is, from dust, from elements, from atoms and molecules of the earth, just as the Lord created animals from the same material (Gen. 1 Ch. 20 and 24 v. and 2 ch., 19 v.), to whom the Lord also gave a living soul, created from nothing (Gen. 1, 21), but not in His image, without moral content and imputation.
Although the archbishop occupies a high position in the Christian table of ranks (“An archbishop is a Christian priest who has reached a higher rank than Jesus Christ” (c)), this does not at all negate the archbishop’s obligation to teach materiel, especially if he is overwhelmed by the itch to interpret "the word of God." Firstly, in Gen. 2:7, Yahweh did not “assa” man, i.e., created him from the dust of the ground,” but “vayitzer,” and secondly, in Gen. 2:22, he did not “create (assa) from his ribs are his wife, Eve,” and the fourth term is used – “yiben” (01129) – to build, construct, create, arrange, create. However, the main thing is that the archbishop claims that the differences in the description of the creation of man between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are due to the fact that there is a separate creation of semi-finished products - in Genesis 1 “The spirit of man was created from nothing... in the image and likeness of God” , and in Genesis 2 already “the creation of his body and animal soul.” Unfortunately, the archbishop is again let down by ignorance of the equipment, and simple carelessness. After all, if the archbishop’s theory is correct, then the difference in the description appears already in the first chapter - in Genesis 1:26 Yahweh promises to create EXACTLY the “image and likeness of God” from available means, and NOT “out of nothing.” But it’s not evening yet. If you ask the archbishop - why did he get the idea that “spirit” is produced “out of nothing”, where this is written in the “word of God”, then except for a sad mooing from the archbishop you can’t expect anything, since there is no such information in “scripture” . But there is information of the opposite nature:
Zechariah 12:1 The prophetic word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretched out the sky, founded the earth and formed (“vayitzer” 03335) the spirit of man within him, says
Thus, there is a conflict of interests - on the one hand, the word of the archbishop, that the “spirit” is created “out of nothing,” and on the other hand, the word of the prophet (if we take into account that Yahweh speaks through the prophets, then the direct word of Yahweh), that for the production “spirits” use improvised means. Considering that certain considerations urgently require admitting that Yahweh is right, the archbishop’s theory is covered with a copper basin, and the verdict regarding synonyms remains in force. Having finished with the archbishop, let's move on to other goodies in the “word of God.” As already noted, if it can be discovered that other terms other than “bar” are used to describe objects that, according to theological ideas, were created “out of nothing,” then this will be evidence of the synonymy of these terms. And you don’t need to search for long - theologians are firmly convinced that in Genesis 1:1 “heaven and earth” were definitely created “out of nothing” and that is why the term “bara” is used there. But, alas, the “word of God” is full of surprises for theologians:
Gen.2:4 This is the origin of the heavens and the earth, at the creation (“bara” 01254) of them, at the time when the Lord God created (“asa” 06213″) the earth and the sky, Jer.32:17 ...You created (“ asa" 06213) heaven and earth... Jer.33:2 ...created ("asa" 06213) [the earth], the Lord, who created ("vayitzer" 03335) and established it... Exodus 20:11 ...created ("asa" 06213) The Lord heaven and earth... Ex.31:17 ...created ("asa" 06213) The Lord heaven and earth... 2 Kings 19:15 ...You created ("asa" 06213) heaven and earth... 2 Chronicles 2:12 ...created ("asa" 06213) heaven and earth... Is.37:16 ...You created ("asa" 06213) heaven and earth. Ps.32:6 By the Word of the Lord the heavens were created (“asa” 06213... Ps.95:5 ...The Lord created the heavens (“asa” 06213). Ps.113:23 ...who created (“asa” 06213) the heavens and the earth. Ps.120:2 ...who created (“asa” 06213) the heavens and the earth. Ps.123:8 ...who created (“asa” 06213) the heavens and the earth. Ps.133:3 ...who created (“asa” 06213) the heavens and the earth. Ps.145:6 who created (“asa” 06213) the heavens and the earth...
As sad as it is, we have to admit with sadness in our eyes that “bara” and “asa” are equal synonyms and there is no escape from this.
To summarize, the term "bara" does not mean "to create out of nothing" and nowhere in "scripture" is it stated that Yahweh "created out of nothing." Moreover, the Apostle Paul, in his characteristic “incomprehensible” manner (2 Pet. 3:16), reports that for the production process Yahweh either used himself, his beloved, or used some “invisible” material, but certainly did not “create from Nothing":
Hebrews 11:3 ...out of things that are invisible came what is visible. 1 Cor.8:6 But we have one God the Father, from whom are all things... Rom.11:36 For from him are all things...
And the version of the Apostle Peter looks completely prosaic - his, without any mystery, the material at hand for “creation” turns out to be banal water:
2 Peter 3:5 Those who think this way do not know that in the beginning by the word of God the heavens and the earth were made out of water and by water
Thus, the dogma “of creation from nothing” has no confirmation in “scripture” and is simply sucked out of the theological fingertips. This could be the end of the consideration of the “word of God,” but an enlightened reader will certainly ask - how is this “not stated anywhere,” but what about the Second Book of Maccabees? But it depends on who - for Protestants this is apocryphal, so for them it is of no interest at all. Among the Orthodox, although it is part of the Bible, it has the status of non-canonical, that is, useful, but not “inspired by God.” And Orthodox theologians explain where the legs grow from “creation from nothing”:
A.V. Lakirev “Six Days and Modern Apologetics”
…Shestodnev himself does not speak at all about “from what,” from what source the world was created. However, in 2 Maccabees we find the statement that “God created all things out of nothing,” clearly reflecting ancient Jewish oral tradition. This implies the creation of the world from nothing and in that method of creation by the word of God, which the Sixth Day constantly talks about.
So Yahweh has nothing to do with this information, it is just Hebrew folklore. For Catholics, this book is a full-fledged “word of God” and they have the right to claim that this “word” does say that Yahweh created “out of nothing.” And lastly, it may seem that it is in vain to accuse theologians of lying - maybe they are not lying, but simply not thinking well? Alas, as was shown above, in order to find out that “bara” does not mean “to create from nothing,” it is enough to carefully read the “word of God” - “tea, not Newton’s binomial” (c) But even if we assume that theologians cannot do this, then they must still have at least a drop of common sense - if dogmatics requires us to believe that Yahweh created “out of nothing,” and the Hebrew term “bara” means “to create out of nothing,” then why NOT ONE translation into world, starting with the Septuagint, does not translate “bara” in Genesis 1 in this way? After all, this is not only against dogma, but also a gross linguistic mistake - “to create” and “to create out of nothing” have completely different meanings. The only answer to this can only be this: they don’t translate “bara” as it should for dogmatic reasons, because the term “bara” did not originally mean “to create out of nothing.” Although theologians should have realized this, only a frostbitten person could fail to understand this. In support of this position of the translators, one can cite the words of Archpriest G.P. Pavsky, a professor of Hebrew, who at the beginning of the 19th century, for educational purposes, translated some books of the Old Testament for students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and in the notes to the translations made mistakes against dogmatics. He was called on the carpet and demanded an explanation. He explained:
I.A. Chistovich. “The history of Bible translation into Russian”
... In conclusion, I explain that in my inscriptions on prophetic speeches I always adhered to the rule that dogmatic explanations should not relate to my subject. As a translator, I shouldn’t have done this. Dogmatic explanations belong to dogmatic theology
So theologians need to listen to the words of the “father of the church” and stop lying:
St. Gregory of Nyssa “On the structure of man”
...And again it behooves us to turn our words to FAITH, WHICH WE ACCEPT that the Universe was created from nothing
You can believe in any nonsense, it is not forbidden, but lying is not good.
Creation of the world by God, heaven and earth as polar potentials
Have you ever had to deal with electric current? If yes, then you know how important it is to find the right wires and not mix them up. If you guess it, there will be light for you. But no, it might get so bad that mom, don’t worry. Now evaluate the phrase from the Bible: “And God saw the light, that it was good...” Is it that He had not seen the light before? It turns out that way. And, in fact, God was conducting an experiment in creating the world. At the same time, I believe that the Creator observed some processes and connections from himself.
What an unexpected side the Creator revealed to us. He turns out to be a great inventor and experimenter. Are there really any disruptions in His daily worries and worries?
When starting to create the world, of course, He first carefully thought through what was planned. Step by step. All the same, the Almighty took a serious risk. After all, he crossed the line of the unknown even for Him.
What did God's creation of the world look like in the solar system?
The process of the creation of the world according to the Bible in our solar system developed according to the same scenario:
“These bubbles, under the influence of the Niels-Bohr electric field, began to group around a powerful source of electricity - a star called the Sun, and a stable electrical connection was established between them, forcing them to spiral up around the Sun pushed out by the ether, which is itself connected with its Milky Way galaxy, and it also rushes in a spiral. This explains the expansion of the universe,” writes Qatar.
At the center of our galaxy, like any other, there is a black hole. This is another special form of ether. The hole is stretched by electrical connections, and it expands along with the universe. But this cannot go on forever. At one point, the force of the black hole will come into balance with the potentials stretching it. Then the reverse process will follow. The universe will begin to return to a calm state. To where it all began before the creation of the world according to the Bible.
And God said: Let there be light. And there was light
God's creation of light is a process of disturbance of the ether, which was previously at rest. Releasing electricity from it. The spark between the earth-water potentials became the spark of God.
Here's what it looked like, according to Bookman Qatar:
“What happened from that first spark? Yes, of course, matter began to form, in the form we are familiar with! Today they explain to us that the material world is denser than space, but I claim the opposite: OUR WORLD BEGAN TO FORM IN THE PLACES WHERE ELECTRIC ENERGY WAS RELEASED AND A DISCHARGE WAS CREATED. Thus, numerous material worlds were formed in the universe.”
Can you imagine the Creator as an electrical apprentice? Have to. According to Qatar, God caused a universal short circuit. Sparks from it scattered throughout the universe. And where they fell, the degeneration of the ether began. His reformation into other states. The process had a chain reaction. New electrical connections, new states of water-ether began to emerge. And then multiple chemical elements appeared.
Different amounts of energy were required to create different elements. This explains their difference and harmony in diversity. Mendeleev brilliantly displayed it in his table.
The released electricity sparked and created our world. The rarefied space took the form of ideal bubbles floating in the endless ocean of ether.
