Creation Myth: A Sociopolitical Analysis

Among the countries of the ancient Near East divine creation was not a notion or belief instituted by the Israelites alone. Within the sociopolitical context of the Ancient Near East there existed differing creation cosmologies all of which intended to explain and define existence by having and understanding function within an ordered and created system. This holds true for the Genesis creation story as well. When the first chapters of Genesis are read, we begin to understand how God wanted Israel to relate to himself, their neighboring cultures as well as understand who and what they were created to be. This ontological understanding is seen throughout the pages of the Pentateuch as it sought to cleanse and redeem the Israelites from the effects caused by immersion into paganism throughout their time as slaves in Egypt. The creation narrative of Genesis aimed to debunk pagan mythology; teaching the covenant community about God, and his relationship with mankind and the …show more content…
When speaking of the importance of the theology of transcendence to the Israelite community, Bruce Waltke says, “A compelling argument can be put forward that every other major conception about God to be found in the Pentateuch has its rootage in this idea.” In Exodus 3:5 Yahweh calls the ground holy, this is the first time holy is used since the creation narrative in Genesis 2:3 when God blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. The holiness of Yahweh is transcendent of all things in creation, because he is utterly and completely different from all things in creation. His holiness and purity has the ability to make regular, created matter inexplicably different. We see this theme of Yahweh’s transcendent holiness in Leviticus 10:1-3, sinful and fallen creation cannot exist in the presence of Yahweh’s transcendent holiness; he is completely separate from