Here’s a presentation by Dr. John Walton on reading Genesis in its original ancient context. Keeping in mind that a cardinal rule of exegesis entails that: “A later reader could simply invent or read into a biblical text a meaning not intended by the original author. In other words, in the process of reading a text, interpreters may introduce some meaning that suits their purposes.” [1] Reading it with the author’s intent in mind eliminates most of the unnecessary controversy with science, something never intended or even imagined by its original readers.
[1]William W. Klein, Craig Blomberg, Robert L. Hubbard and Kermit Allen Ecklebarger, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Dallas, Tex.: Word Pub., 1993), 176.
About Cris Putnam
Cris, I know this commentary is rather lengthy. I hope it is not too long, to get snipped. Thanks…The bible text is taken from the Douay-Rheims Bible… The commentary is in [BRACKETS] I would appreciate your thoughts on the following commentary on Genesis Chapter One. Thank You. {1} In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. [In the Infinite Eternal Light of God: God gave beginning to creation: God created his whole creation of heaven; to share everlasting life with God: heaven, and earth are in essence one; that God created freely out of nothing: all of heaven being created; yet not made: and earth created; not yet being made: heaven, and earth sharing in the shine of the Light of God: heaven is not empty and is the realm of the pure spiritual creatures that God created.] {2} And the earth was void and empty, [The earth, where the Lord God would form and place man, is void, is empty, and water covers the surface.] and darkness [Satan] was upon the face of the deep; [The Abyss] [Satan, refusing to serve God his creator: rejecting the name [Lucifer] given him by God, lost the Light of God. [Saint Luke 10:18 And Jesus said to them: I saw Satan like lighting falling from heaven] [And in the book of Isaiah: we hear how Lucifer has fallen from heaven to the earth] and the spirit of God moved over the waters. [The waters in the heaven are all the spiritual creatures that God created] {3} And God said: Be light made. And light was made. [Here, what would become by the will of God evening and morning one day; God spoke and it was complete. The spiritual creatures who loved God, were made.] {4} And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness, [Here, the darkness is all the spiritual creatures that followed Satan and refused to serve God.] {5} And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; [The Will of God has moved Night from Day: allowing for time to begin. The spiritual waters of darkness [Night], now exist in time, separated from the spiritual waters of light [Day], that have the everlasting life that God gave his creation.] and there was evening and morning one day.
{6} And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters. {7} And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so. {8} And God called the firmament, Heaven; [God spoke and it was so. The Will of God to divide the spiritual waters of darkness [Night] from the spiritual waters of light [Day]: with a solidity of a firmament that God established and called Heaven:
The spiritual waters of darkness [Night] being divided from the spiritual waters of light [Day] exist in time, and also will exist under the firmament of Heaven in the whole space between the earth and the Heaven: The spiritual waters of light [Day] being above the firmament; have Heaven] and the evening and morning were the second day.
{9} God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. {10} And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. [God spoke and it was so done. The elemental waters are gathered together into one place; establishing the earth above the waters] [In the book of Job: we hear the Lord tell Job. Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth?] [He also spoke that the spiritual waters of darkness be gathered together into one place; that he called Seas] And God saw that it was good. [God established Heaven in the second day. Here, in the third day God has established Earth: and, he has established the Seas.] {11} And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. {12} And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [He spoke and it was so done. God created these in the beginning: but here in the third day; God’s paradise of pleasure is brought forth. Receiving only God’s Light: is perfect, and without decay] {13} And the evening and the morning were the third day.
{14} And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: {15} To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was so done. {16} And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars. {17} And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth. {18} And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [God spoke and it was so done. Even with the earth receiving the pure omnipresent Light of God, along with his established Light of Heaven: God’s will provided here in the fourth day, the sun, the moon, and the stars, of which the stars extend to the heights of the firmament of heaven. To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth: for which the earth, alone from the Light of God; would need the sun to receive life giving light.] [And after the fall of our first parents in the paradise of pleasure; Adam and the whole earth lost the Light of God.] [And He said to Adam: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.] [And the generation of Adam, and men, and of all peoples, would not have the perfection of the garden that Adam enjoyed: even unto Noah with whom the Lord found grace, and was well pleased; had the sun rule the day. When the Lord told Noah, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; then Noah had the moon rule the night; and the lights of the firmament that God had made did indeed divide the day and the night: and indeed were for signs, and for seasons, and for days and for years. [Genesis 8: 22 All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall not cease.] {19} And the evening and morning were the fourth day. {20} God also said: Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven. {21} And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. {22} And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. [Here, in the fifth day; In contrast to the other five days: God did not speak that it was so; or that it was so done; or made: meaning these creatures described in the fifth day are not to be present until after God rest. Rather God speaks likewise in terms of all that the waters bring forth; meaning both the spiritual waters and elemental waters. God will allow the spiritual waters of darkness to bring forth the creeping creature having life; [The serpent], and also God will allow the spiritual waters of darkness to bring forth the fowl that may fly over the earth in the firmament: under the Heaven. Here, God will allow Satan and the demons to inhabit these creatures that God created; and that the Lord God will form out of the ground; and that the Lord God will make. [Genesis 3: 1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made.] These creatures that God will permit Satan and the demons to inhabit; will be upon the earth only after God rest; and will be brought to Adam to see what he would call them. These creatures will be destroyed when God brings the rain and waters of the deluge. The creatures that follow after the fall of our first parents are of the generations of the earth that God created; which the waters brought forth; and the Lord God made: he blessed [or enabled] them to Increase and be multiplied upon the earth, These creatures here, were also permitted by God to be destroyed in the deluge; less those saved with Noah in the ark.] [The creatures that follow after the deluge are of the generations of the earth that God created; which the waters brought forth; and the Lord God made: he blessed [or enabled] them to Increase and multiply and fill the waters of the sea: and the birds to be multiplied upon the earth. These creatures along with those saved with Noah in the ark are of the world we know today.] {23} And the evening and morning were the fifth day. {24} And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done. {25} And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good. [God spoke and it was so done. All of these are created in the beginning: but here in the sixth day; the creatures that God said: let the earth bring forth; and God made; are the cattle of the field; these are present in the sixth day and to be with Adam; and like Adam and the earthly paradise of pleasure; are perfect and not subject to decay or death. These creatures are also permitted by God to be destroyed in the deluge; less those saved with Noah in the ark] [The creatures that follow after the fall of our first parents are of the generations of the earth that God created in the beginning; that the earth brought forth; and the Lord God made. These creatures also will be permitted by God to be destroyed in the deluge; less those saved with Noah in the ark. The creatures that follow after the deluge are of the generations of the earth that God created in the beginning; that the earth brought forth; and the Lord God made. These creatures along with those saved with Noah in the ark are of the world we know today.] {26} And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. {27} And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. [Here, He spoke to make man with these qualities. And man being created with these qualities would be created in his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. Man will know God; Man will be endued with understanding and free-will. And only man will be made in the image and likeness of God. This image and likeness of God: God gives to man in the breath of life that the Lord God will breathe into the face of man; that he will form from the clay of the earth; that man will become a living soul. And Adam became a living soul: perfect in body and soul with everlasting life. God made the woman with the rib of Adam: perfect in body and soul with everlasting life. Every soul of mankind that God will create after the fall of Adam will share with Adam in original sin: and the fallen nature of creation due to sin. Adam and all mankind is possessed of many prerogatives above all other creatures of the visible world.] {28} And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, [Here, God has rendered them fruitful] and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth. {29} And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat: {30} And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done. [Here, God spoke and it was so done. God announces these to be fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of. These were given to Adam in the paradise of pleasure where Adam could enjoy the pleasure of these, but did not need to eat. After the fall of Adam these were no longer perfect, and were subject to decay, these would now be for meat for Adam; and all mankind to follow: and to all the creatures upon the earth: to be for food for the body. These were all destroyed in the deluge less those taken with Noah in the ark. After the deluge, God delivers to Noah; as were the green herb; the eating of flesh to be for meat; along with the herbs and fruit trees of the earth that God has provided.] {31} And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day. Concerning the Catholic teaching on the Virgin Mary. Mother of God.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Number {491}. – Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. Number {492} – The “splendour of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”. The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.
Number {493} – The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.