1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.
6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. 8He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. 9The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. 11He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. 12But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only born Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” 16From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him.
19This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20He declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”
21They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
26John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know. 27He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.” 28These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ 31I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water, that he would be revealed to Israel.” 32John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
35Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39He said to them, “Come and see.”
They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 40One of the two who heard John and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ). 42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
43On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”
50Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” 51He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
There are several specific and unique differences between the literary and theological account found in Genesis and that of the various stories of creation in the Ancient Near East. There are minor comparisons between Gen 1 and Gen 2 with the Ancient Near Eastern cultures around Israel, but the historical account given to us by Moses has a very different presentation of the creation than ANE cosmologies, including a chronological account consistent with mainline science (absent the evolutionary hypothesis). Moreover, the biblical account has greater literary statement of creation than the ANE cosmologies. Subsequent discussion below reveals a vastly different theological view of the act of creation and its purpose.
Probably the most obvious difference between the biblical account of creation and that of the Ancient Near East cosmologies is monotheism. The biblical account begins with one God who created the universe (Gen 1:1). This is unlike the Ancient Near Eastern cosmologies, in which there were many gods who were created out of a primordial mass.
In some ancient Near Eastern myths, creation is often the result of divine conflicts or struggles among gods or deities. In Genesis there is no such conflict. God creates the world by His will and divine speech, without the need for struggle or conflict. The Creator God simply spoke and by an act of His will the world came into existence (Heb 11:3).
Unlike ANE cosmologies, whose gods came out of the pre-existent cosmos and part of it, the Genesis 1 account presents God and the creation separate from each other. The Creator is not part of creation but over creation, and distinguished from the physical universe.
Genesis emphasizes that humanity is created in the image of God and is given the task of stewardship and dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). This concept of human purpose is distinctive and reflects the biblical idea of humanity's special relationship with God as being in His image, and given responsibility over tending the earth. As well, the creation of the male and female in God's image speaks of a theomorphism1.
There is a limited comparison between God's speaking and ANE accounts, the latter connected to speaking words of incantation, or the like, while God in Genesis 1 speaks reality into existence without manipulating words, demonstrating His sovereignty and control over creation (see also Ps 33:6; 107:20; Isa 55:10, 11; John 1:1, 3; Heb 11:3; Rev 4:11).
The Genesis account of the creation includes a unique feature, with the creator introducing a day of rest on the seventh day. The rest that God takes does not relate to the Creator being tired, but rather an indication that He had ceased the creation of the universe. In the Ten Commandments the creator sets aside a day for His people Israel to cease from work and to contemplate their relationship with the Creator (Gen 2:2, 3).
One may observe in the biblical account of creation a focus on the Creator's evaluation of His handiwork, much like an artist would stand back to view the fruit of his labor in a picture that he has just completed. One sees in Genesis 1 this evaluation of "good" repeatedly as the Creator does His work (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) and "very good" (Genesis 1:31) at the end of His work. This is in stark contrast with the Ancient Near Eastern cosmologies where the result of the creative process is not "good" but a result of conflict between the various deities and the chaos produced.
The Genesis account of creation carries a distinctive theological message that emphasizes the goodness of creation, the responsibility of His human creatures to act as co-regents and stewards in the earth. As well, the biblical account of the fall of humans into sin, and the subsequent covenant of God with humans, serves as the foundation of subsequent themes, and human redemption and God's kingdom (Gen 3:15) is unlike anything within the pagan creation accounts.
"When we speak about humans made in the image of God, we understand this as theomorphic and theopathic language. By this is meant that humans are created to be like, but not the same, as their Creator, in our form and in our spiritual expression, since God created humans physically in His image, as well as spiritually. Consequently, without material eyes, the infinite God sees, and without a brain, He thinks. God has created humans as finite physical beings to act similarly to God." H. Wayne House, "Does God Have a Spirit Body?, Christian Research Journal, Vol 40, Num 3, p. 9; Original quote is from H. Wayne House, Does God Feel Your Pain? 2d ed. (Lampion House Publishing, 2009 (rev., 2023), 110. ↩︎