1Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
4So Abram went, as Yahweh had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. They entered into the land of Canaan. 6Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, Canaanites were in the land.
7Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.”
He built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. 8He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on Yahweh’s name. 9Abram traveled, still going on toward the South.
10There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11When he had come near to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. 12It will happen that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me, but they will save you alive. 13Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.”
14When Abram had come into Egypt, Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17Yahweh afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way.”
20Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they escorted him away with his wife and all that he had.
In recent years, several evangelical scholars have departed from the view that the Genesis narratives (chs 1-9) are historical narratives, but are, rather, mythical accounts that teach theological lessons (a departure from the Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy [see Article XII below] and the Doctrinal Statement of the Evangelical Theological Society on Inerrancy, based on the Chicago Statement), with the creation account of the universe similar to Ancient Near Eastern myths about creation. In so doing, they discount several aspects of the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2, and reject the historical creation of Adam and Eve. Rather, they embrace theistic evolution (similar to liberal scholars of the late 19th and early 20th century) and deny the Genesis 2 record of God physically creating Adam and Eve, as well as the fall of these first humans. See the admonition of the Church Father, Irenaeus, on the pernicious teaching of false teachers in the second century A.D.
Other Hebrew scholars argue that the creation accounts in Genesis are similar to historical accounts in the book of Genesis, similar to the genealogies, and also what we know about modern science (see https://hvsb.app/WEB/GEN/1/doc/1ZiJzA92xdyBPSPIF6zW) found in the hvsb.app. As well, several scholars have argued that the Genesis creation account is a polemic against ANE creation myths rather than evolutionary ideas based on a philosophical foundation. Moreover, literary scholars like C.S. Lewis say that myth always comes from history and not history from myth.
Following is a comparative chart that organizes the views of prominent critical scholars (embracing the philosophical evolutionary view) who see Genesis 1-2 as myth (in the ANE genre or framework), versus those conservative scholars who argue that Genesis 1-2 is a historical narrative (possibly polemical against ANE myth, but not myth itself). The chart includes representative scholars, their positions, key arguments, and relevant responses from those affirming the historical reliability of Genesis 1-2.
Article XII of the Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy: Article XII:
"We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.
We deny that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood."
Comparative Chart: Is Genesis 1-2 Myth or History?
| Viewpoint | Representative Scholars | Key Arguments | Responses by Historical View Scholars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 1-2 as Myth (ANE Parallels) | Tremper Longman III | Genesis uses symbolic, theological language; not meant as literal history. Reflects ANE worldview to teach truth through "mythic" structure. | Gerhard Hasel: Genre of Genesis 1 is historical narrative, not poetic/mythic (based on Hebrew grammar and syntax). |
| John Walton | Genesis is “functional ontology,” not material creation. God gives order/roles to existing chaos (like in ANE temple texts). Not about physical origins. | Currid: While there are surface similarities with ANE myths, Genesis is distinct in its monotheism, order, and absence of divine conflict. | |
| Bruce Waltke | Genesis adapts ANE mythical language to communicate theological truths. Literal interpretation misses intended meaning. | Hasel: Repeated use of “And God said... and it was so…” demonstrates a structured, historical framework. | |
| William Lane Craig | Genesis is mytho-history: not pure myth, but also not straightforward history. Combines symbolic and historical elements. | C. John Collins: Mythical elements may exist, but the structure is narrative and communicates real events (see his Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?). | |
| Peter Enns | The Bible reflects the ancient mindset; evolution and ANE parallels show that Genesis is accommodation, not literal history. | John Sailhamer: Genesis begins historical narrative in 1:1; Genesis 1-11 uses genealogical structure identical to Genesis 12-50. | |
| Genesis 1-2 as Historical Narrative (with Polemical Function) | Gerhard Hasel | Strong evidence of narrative structure (use of waw-consecutive verbs); not myth. Genesis contrasts sharply with polytheistic myths. | Affirmed by many conservative evangelicals; shows consistency between Genesis 1-11 and rest of Genesis. |
| John D. Currid | Genesis is a polemic against ANE myths (esp. Egyptian and Mesopotamian), not a reworking of myth. It teaches monotheism, not syncretism. | See Against the Gods: The Polemical Theology of the Old Testament (Crossway). | |
| Kenneth Kitchen | Genesis 1-11 reflects early historical thinking; lacks mythic markers like divine combat or sexual deity interplay found in ANE texts. | Emphasizes Genesis’ historical intent and structure. | |
| C. John Collins | Genesis uses exalted prose, but still intends to communicate real history. It invites careful reading without dismissing truth claims. | See Genesis 1–4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary. | |
| Allen P. Ross | The structure, themes, and grammar of Genesis support it as historical narrative meant to be taken seriously as origins account. | Creation is depicted as deliberate, ordered, and purpose-driven—unlike chaotic ANE myths. | |
| C.S. Lewis (Literary Scholar) | “Myth is a real but unfocused gleam of divine truth falling on human imagination... but Christianity is myth become fact.” | Lewis affirms that biblical stories, while grand and symbolic, are rooted in real events (e.g., Incarnation, Creation). Lewis argues that myth always comes from history, and never history from myth. |
Additional Observations