What Does Genesis 1:1 Really Mean
The following video on Gen. 1:1-3 was shared by a friend:
That was a very interesting hermeneutical perspective given by Dr. Heiser. Much more discussion about it can be done.
I can see vs. 1 being a dependent clause, but I have a problem with the creation beginning at vs. 3. On the other hand, the traditional rendering of Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning") seems to imply that when "God began or became God, He began to create the heavens and the earth." That would mean God had a beginning and thus is confined to time which is impossible because God is eternal (timeless). I have no doubt that that's not what Moses meant when he wrote Genesis. The Hebrew text has no dependent clause nor starts with a preposition ("in the beginning") but simply starts with בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית, “Beginning." I believe Moses wanted to convey to his immediate readers
(the Israelites) that heaven and earth had a definite beginning which was caused by the only true, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, Omnipresent God. This revelation was foreign to the heavily infested pagan culture, thought, and idolatrous practices in the ancient world (Genesis 6:5, 13).
In a sense, to me, Genesis 1:1 is an apologetic against false gods (demons) and their lies to mortal men (Romans 1:18-25).
Blessings!
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