Creation is a doctrinal position in many religions which maintains that one or a group of gods or deities is responsible for creating the universe. Creationism affirms this belief, but the doctrinal belief is not necessarily synonymous with creationism. This article is about deities or gods from a non-monotheistic perspective. ... This list of deities aims at giving information about deities in the different religions, cultures and mythologies of the world. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ... The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré. In Abrahamic religions, creationism or creation theology is the origin belief that humans, life, the Earth, and the universe were created by a supreme being or deitys supernatural intervention. ...

Judaism & Christianity

Genesis 2:4-25

Mainstream Biblical scholarship maintains that the creation story found in Genesis 2 is the earlier of the two Genesis accounts. Filled with ancient and rich mythological imagery, it is believed that the basic story once circulated among the early nomadic Hebrews, told perhaps around simple, intimate campfire settings, answering questions about life and the origins of humankind. The story also reflects Israel's belief in its covenant relationship with God. The concern in Genesis 2 is not in the creation of the cosmos but in the origins of humankind and their environment. There is a clear connection between humans and the land (2:7) and the notion that people are a special creation of God. Biblical criticism seeks to analyze the Bible through asking certain questions of the text, such as: Who wrote it? When was it written? To whom was it written? Why was it written? What was the historical, geographical, and cultural setting of the text? How well preserved is the original text... This article is about Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). ... Michelangelos depiction of God in the painting Creation of the Sun and Moon in the Sistine Chapel This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and derived henotheistic forms. ...

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Most Biblical scholars believe that the Genesis 1 account can be attributed to the so-called "priestly" writer(s)/editor(s) (known in academic circles as "P") who was responsible for a fair portion of the Pentateuch. Dating to roughly the Exilic and early post-Exilic period of Hebrew history, the account sets forth creation on a cosmic scale. Revered for its majestic poetry concerning the beginnings of the universe, the Genesis 1 account is shaped as a litany, likely for use in the Temple in Jerusalem, though its basic form predates the building of the Second Temple. The Temple in Jerusalem or the Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash) was built in ancient Jerusalem in c. ...

Whereas the earlier account found in Genesis 2 emphasizes the closeness of humanity's relationship to the environment and the immanence of God, the later Genesis 1 account emphasizes the trancendent greatness of God and culminates in the establishment of the Sabbath. It is believed that the "P" source was concerned with maintaining a Jewish identity while removed from Jersualem and Temple worship, and that the Sabbath was thus lifted up as a means to retain a distinctive identity in the midst of a pluralist Exilic culture. Hence, the account ends with the establishment of the Sabbath as an act of God, and an important part of the creative process. This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ...

This familiar account today is utilized for a variety of theological purposes.

1. It is often used to stress the transcendence of God, his sovereignty, awesome power, and identity as wholly separate from creation.
2. The account is typically used to establish or strengthen the notion of Sabbath as a key mark of God's "chosen people", particularly by Jewish scholars.
3. This is a key passage for those who support the notion of creatio ex nihilo, or "creation out of nothing". This belief states that God created the cosmos without the aid of anything to begin. Genesis 1:1 reads in Hebrew, "Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'arets...". In most traditional English translations, it reads, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...". God's existence and creative power apart from any original "building blocks" is assumed. A notable exception to this translation appears in the NRSV translation, which reads, "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth...", which, while still faithful to the Hebrew text, seems to make the assumption that God created the universe out of "chaos". While this idea is found elsewhere in Scripture (notably in the Psalter), the NRSV is the first major English translation to find this notion in Genesis 1.
4. The first creation story found in Genesis is also the key passage for those who subscribe to some form of creationism, which purports that Genesis 1 is a literal account of how God created the universe (see article for more information).

Wikimedia needs your help in its 21-day fund drive. ... The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, released in 1989, is an update of the Revised Standard Version (RSV). ... The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré. In Abrahamic religions, creationism or creation theology is the origin belief that humans, life, the Earth, and the universe were created by a supreme being or deitys supernatural intervention. ...

Psalms

• YHWH as divine warrior
• Psalms 8, 33, 89, 98, 104, 145

Rabbinic Interpretation

A Jewish midrash or homiletical interpretation tells that six things preceded the creation of the world: the Torah and the Throne of Glory were created, the creation of the Patriarchs was contemplated, the creation of Israel was contemplated, the creation of the Temple in Jerusalem was contemplated, the name of the Messiah was contemplated, and repentance too. (Genesis Rabbah 1:4.) Midrash (pl. ... Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ... The Patriarchs, known as the Avot in Hebrew, are Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. ... The Temple in Jerusalem or the Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash) was built in ancient Jerusalem in c. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew Arabic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by a prophet of God. ... Genesis Rabba, (Breshit Rabba in Hebrew), is a religious text holy to classical Judaism. ...

The Mishnah teaches that with ten Divine utterances did God create the world. Noting that surely God could have created the world with one utterance, the Mishnah asks: What are we meant to learn from this? The Mishnah answers: If God had created the world by a single utterance, men would think less of the world, and have less compunction about undoing God’s creation. (Mishnah Avot 5:1.) The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, repetition) is a major source of rabbinic Judaisms religious texts. ...

New Testament

• John 1
• Colossians 1

Islam

Hinduism

The Hindu/Vedic texts such as the Srimad Bhagavatam describe that God in His form of the Primeval 'Maha-Vishnu' lies on the 'causal ocean' and as he exhales, countless numbers of universes are created from the pores in His skin. Then as He inhales, they are brought back into His body and become unmanifest again untill the time of His next outward breath. Each breath is equivalent to many billions of years according to our calculation. A Hindu (archaic Hindoo), as per modern definition is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of the Indian subcontinent and the island of Bali. ... The adjective Vedic may refer to The Vedas, the oldest preserved Indo-Aryan texts. ... The Bhagavata Purana (sometimes rendered as Bhagavatha Purana), also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, written c. ... Michelangelos depiction of God in the painting Creation of the Sun and Moon in the Sistine Chapel This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and derived henotheistic forms. ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ...

The first living being created in each universe is called 'Brahma' and is given the task of creating a diversity of life and environments within that particular universe. According to people's karma from the last universe they are put into appropriate bodies in the new one, anything from being Brahma themselves to being a small ant, and the cycle continues for infinity. More purified souls are given the task of stewardship over the existence in a similar fashion to Brahma, and are known as 'devas' but none have his specific powers. Brahma (written Brahmā in IAST transliteration) (Devanagari ब्रह्मा, pronounced as brÉ™hmα:) is the Hindu creator god, and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ... Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म from the root kri, to do, meaning deed) or Kamma (Pali: meaning action, effect, destiny) is a term in several eastern religions that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. ... Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ... Infinity refers to several distinct concepts which arise in theology, philosophy, mathematics and everyday life. ... A Deva, in Hinduism, is a deity, controlling forces of nature such as fire, air, etc. ...

Maha-Vishnu originates from The Supreme Personality of Godhead - Krishna, whose abode is beyond this material world. It is said that the material universes exist in a small space of an infinite and eternal 'spiritual sky', known as Vaikuntha. The spiritual sky, Vaikuntha, is beyond our material conceptions being filled with eternity, knowledge and bliss. In Vaikuntha it is said that "time is conspicuous by it's absence" and thus there is no creation or dissolution. It is not destroyed when the material universes become unmanifest, but stays as it is. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, IAST ) is according to common Hindu tradition the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... Vaikunta is the abode of Lord Vishnu, one of the Trimurti Hindu Gods. ... While in the popular mind, eternity often simply means existing for an infinite, i. ... Knowledge is information of which someone is aware. ... BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. ... Watches are used to measure time Trying to understand time has long been a prime occupation for philosophers, scientists and artists. ...

Resources

• Anderson, Bernhard, "A Stylistic Study of the Priestly Creation Story", Canon and Authority, G. Coats & B. Long, eds. (1977)
• Anderson, Bernhard, ed., Creation in the Old Testament (1984) ISBN 0800617681
• Anderson, Bernhard, Creation versus Chaos (1967), ISBN 0800619986
• Anderson, Bernhard, Understanding the Old Testament (4th Edition) (1957, 1997) ISBN 0139483993
• Brandon, S.G.F., Creation Legends of the Ancient Near East (1964)
• Brueggemann, Walter, Genesis ISBN 080423101X
• Cross, Frank Moore, Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic (1973), ISBN 0674091760
• Ellis, Peter, The Yahwist: The Bible's First Theologian (1968) ISBN 0225488191
• Gunkel, Hermann, The Legends of Genesis: The Biblical Saga and History (1964) ISBN 1592442366
• Oden, Thomas, The Living God (1984) ISBN 0060663634
• Prabhupada, A.C.B.. Life Comes From Life, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust ISBN 0892131004 (Creation from the Vedic Perspective)
• Rouvière, Jean-Marc (2006), Brèves méditations sur la création du monde L'Harmattan, Paris. ISBN 2-7475-9922-1
• Von Rad, Gerhard, Genesis (1972) ISBN 0664209572
• Wright, G.E., The Old Testament and Theology (1969)

Bernhard Word Anderson is a United Methodist pastor and one of the best known Old Testament scholars of the twentieth century. ... Professor Walter Brueggemann is an Old Testament scholar, based in the USA. He was a long-time professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. ... Translated and abridged from the German version of wikipedia. ... Dr. Thomas C. Oden Thomas Clark Oden (October 21, 1931 - ) is an American Christian theologian associated with Drew University in New Jersey. ... A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (September 1, 1896–November 14, 1977) was born Abhay Charan De, in Kolkata, West Bengal. ... Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) was founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of ISKCON, in March 1972 in India and in May in USA with the mission to publish all his books in all languages of the world, and, if it is not contrary with this primary goal...

See also

• Documentary hypothesis
• Higher criticism
• Source criticism
• Origin belief

The documentary hypothesis is a hypothesis proposed by many historians and academics in the field of linguistics and source criticism that the Five Books of Moses (the Torah) are in fact a combination of documents from different sources rather than authored by one individual. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Historical-Critical Method. ... Source Criticism is an aspect of historical criticism, a method of literary study used especially in the field of biblical criticism that seeks to understand a literary piece better by attempting to establish the sources used by the author and/or redactor who put the literary piece together. ... An origin belief is any story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, and the universe (cosmogony). ...

External links

• Genesis 2:4-25 (ESV)
• Genesis 1:1-2:3 (ESV)
• Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV)
• John 1:1-18 (ESV)
• Islam and Evolution
• Jatravartid Creation Story one of Douglas Adams's parodies of creation myths (video excerpted from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
• Creation in the Vedic tradition
• Vedic creationism in America, Frontline, Volume 23 - Issue 01, Jan. 14 - 27, 2006