Even Deeper
January 2 In the beginning, God created Genesis 1:1
Even Deeper
The – Of course, by now you know that the word here is bere’shiyt. There is no definite article. That means there is no “the” in this text. Try reading the text without the “the” and things change – dramatically. We have already learned (cf. Nahum Sarna) that re’shit should not be taken in an absolute temporal sense. This is a word that signifies the highest in quality, the best, the first (as in first fruits) and the head (compare the noun ro’sh). The translation “in the beginning” imports the idea of a “point” where everything started. But we know that the idea of a starting point already has some really deep conceptual problems. Of course, creation ex nihilo is fundamental to understanding this word as “the” beginning. Eliminating the “the” changes a lot. Or maybe it doesn’t.
Sarna chooses to translate the verse, “When God created.” Many conservative theologians would object. Translated like this, the idea that God created time along with the material universe is less tenable. Of course, there are a lot of other issues associated with the idea of the creation of time, but generally evangelical theologians have retained the inclusion of the definite article because they wanted this verse to speak about God’s transcendent majesty. They wanted a God who was “outside” of time in order to insulate Him from change. Maybe they didn’t see just how amazing bere’shiyt is by itself.
What does this word tell us if we don’t add the definite article? Well, first it tells us that nothing that came into existence was self-generating. God brought all the material universe into existence when He decided to do so. He wasn’t compelled to do so. Frankly, He created everything because He wanted to. He is absolute master over it all. So, the first thing we learn is that the entire created order is unnecessary apart from the benevolent will of the Creator. This is vitally important. You and I exist (along with everything else) because God wants us to. We matter to Him so much that He is willing to bring everything, including us, into existence. With the first word of the Bible, we learn something critically important about God and about us. He deliberately decided to have us around! This might even be a synonym for love. If God didn’t need to create and if nothing comes about without His decision, then I suppose it would be correct to say that bere’shiyt implies that God loves what He makes. In this sense, bere’shiyt carries the idea of the source of everything. God is the loving source (the head) of all that is.
What else does this tell us? It tells us that we aren’t the center of everything. We are not gods. We are created just like everything else. We are not self-sufficient. On this scale, we are the same as every other dependent existing thing. But God still loves us. A lot. So, when we feel our insignificance, God’s decision to create reminds us that we are still extremely valuable to Him. Here bere’shiyt reminds us that for all creation God comes first.
Finally, reflection on bere’shiyt is important because the apostle John deliberately copies this opening verse in his gospel. “In the beginning was the Word,” says our translation of the Greek. But if you look carefully at the Greek text, you find that there is no definite article here as well. En arche en ho logos carries the same temporal issues. What is true of Genesis 1:1 is most likely true of John 1:1 since John was a Hebrew thinker. Once again we see that we cannot understand what the New Testament is saying without first understanding what the Old Testament says. But this much is clear: The logos of God has always been God and was fully involved in the creation of everything else. As Messiah, Yeshua reveals the depth of God’s love for His creation. Yeshua is bere’shiyt in flesh and blood: the first, the head, the highest, the source. Maybe there is a lot more to the statement “in him was life” than we have imagined.
Topical Index: bere’shiyt, beginning, Logos
