Ngap theory in the book of genesis

The gap theory attempts to resolve the apparent conflict between scripture and modern geology by inserting a gap of unknown time between the first two verses of genesis 1. If anyone would like to waste time on these problems and exercise in cadence with grafwellhausen, he may spend several years in the extensive and sometimes commendable work of john peter langes commentary. Gap theorists make a distinction between the verbs create bara and made asah. The ancient earth and the angels an introduction to the ancient earths first inhabitants, the sons of god. There is no clear record of anyone prior to 1814 interpreting genesis 1. The gap theory is another attempt to place a large, indeterminate amount of time into the book of genesis, in an effort to compromise scripture with evolutionary long ages. The gap is said to have involved great eons of time. Gap theorists hold that the need for a recreation, as they interpret genesis chapter one, is based on the loss of plants, animal life and surface features of the alleged prior creation due to a worldwide, complete, catastrophic judgment imposed upon the earth as a result of the fall of one called lucifer. The verb bara is used with regard to god creating while asah means refashioning or made to appear. Heres an extract from something i wrote nearly 20 years ago for a university physicsreligion course. Posted on july 9, 2005 by john oakes wrote in bible interpretation, general, science and the bible. Before going into details, notice that genesis does not account for all creation, it focuses on only two ev.

The genesis gap doctrine, commonly called the gap theory or ruinreconstruction interpretation of genesis, is not a modernday interpretation of the holy bible. Its background the gap theory was first proposed in 1814 by a scottish minister named chalmers. It was an attempt to harmonize the lengthy time periods, or ages, with genesis. The socalled gap theory is a conjecture about a possible interval between the first two verses in genesis 1. Evidence of the typical teaching of the passage, the. Rather than educating the listener on the book of genesis, he creates strawman argument after strawman argument about how science and evolution has it wrong. The gap theory is an early and significant attempt by christian theologians to explain the apparent short scale of world history found in genesis, in order to reduce or remove conflict with the popular belief that geologists since 1700 have provided undeniable evidence that the world is exceedingly old currently estimated at 4. Books gap theory page the gap theory is scriptural. The second verse merely describes the initial aspect of the creation as without form and voidthat is, with neither structure nor inhabitants. Genesis 1, the opening scene of the biblical drama, introduces us to the two main characters in the bible.

In the beginnings is a defense of the biblical gap theory of creation. As a response to the scientific community, chalmers theorized a gap in time between genesis 1. This position holds that a gap of thousands or even millions of years took place between genesis 1. The gap theories of creation 78 adamic world before the creation recounted in genesis chapter one. The gap theory or better termed, gap principle is not a fundamental doctrine of the faith. The gap theory does not rest on internal exegesis of the text of genesis 1 interpreted in the light of the subsequent scriptures that allude to and comment on it. The gap theory did not arise merely from a study of scripture, it arose to solve the problem of the bible and time. In both cases, evolutionary time is inserted into the biblical account with no direct evidence. However, many of those who hold to the gap theory do so in order to reconcile oldearth, evolutionary theories with the book of genesis. New versions of the once popular gap theory are now arising. One of the popular devices for trying to accommodate the evolutionary ages of the geologists and astronomers in the creation record of the bible has been the gap theory also called the ruinandreconstruction theory. Among other things, it attempts to deal with the creation of the angels, the fall of lucifer, and related topics.

Pember in his book earths earliest ages, and is held by many christian fundamentalists today. Into this gapbelieved by many to be billions of yearsthey want to place all the major geological phenomena that have shaped the world. Basically, it says that god created the universe and the world as secular scientists state, then destroyed all the life and started over at genesis. The gap theory is a theory held by creationists on how god created the earth. A gap between any of the verses would destroy the structure of the narrative. The gap theory, at its core, is an effort to insert a huge amount of time between genesis 1. Gap creationism also known as ruinrestoration creationism, restoration creationism, or the gap theory is a form of old earth creationism that posits that the six yom creation period, as described in the book of genesis, involved six literal 24hour days light being day and dark night as god specified. In this case, a large span of time is believed to occur in between the first two verses of genesis 1. Thus the gap theory was forced into genesis from outside ideaslongage geological uniformitarianismthings foreign to the structure of the narrative. A second proof put forth to substantiate the gap theory is the declaration that the word was in genesis 1. It was during this period that scientists were beginning to teach that the earth was billions of years in age. The gap theory of the bible in genesis chapter one proposes that a long period of time, an ambiguous gap, separates the first two verses of the bible genesis 1. The gap theory doesnt just insert a gap of time in order to give room for geological. The gap theory invites confusion about human origins.

In 1814, as a response to scientists who were beginning to teach that the earth was billions of years in age, chalmers theorized a gap in time between genesis 1. The truth is that genesis is the book of beginnings, with god the originator of all things. Why the gap theory wont work the institute for creation. The gap theory is a little known theory among christians and jews regarding the creation of the universe, earth and particularly us humans. The motive is the sameto accommodate an old universe and earth into genesis 1, but to still retain a recent, literal sixday creation week. Chalmers, therefore, proposed the gap theory to harmonize genesis with the demands of those geologists. There are some, however, who try to combine the biblical account with the evolutionary model and the theories they come up with are the subject for this lesson. This theory, once popular in the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, has been rejected by many modernday creationists as being without biblical or scientific support. The gap theory, which is distinct from theistic evolution and the dayage theory, is also called oldearth creationism, gap creationism, and the ruinreconstruction theory. The gap theory is an attempt to reconcile what secular scientists believe about geology, paleontology, and cosmology with the sixday creation story in genesis 1. The gap theory arose when modern science began to argue for an ancient earth and universe. Addressing the gap theory of creation reading genesis. By some the proposed gap is used to accommodate the alleged vast ages of cosmic, geological, and biological evolution, and has certain similarities with the theory that views the days of genesis 1, not as literal days representing but one complete rotation of the earth upon its axis, but as entire epochs, during which the earth was subject to. For more detailed accounts of what the gap theory entails.

Rather, it rests on postulating, presumably somewhere in genesis 1. The gap theory overview and history of the genesis gap doctrine ruinreconstruction interpretation of oldearth creationism. The modified gap theory or precreation chaos gap theory, which is the proposed gap between genesis 1. They claim the first verse refers to gods initial creation or first creation and what follows in the rest of the chapter is another creation a second one. Study the bible, learn about jesus christ, get christian living advice online. What happened on the six days of genesis was not creating but rather making over. The plain reading of genesis 1 does not at all intimate a length of time between the first two verses.

Nevertheless i am increasingly convinced that it is a matter that needs to be addressed. This, of course, is done so as to allow a change of state to occur from verse one to verse two. This fact alone should make the entire theory suspect. Following this, the standard events of cosmic evolution took. His arguments are misguided, sophomoric and at times just plain wrong. The gap theory thus undermines the very gospel of our salvation, as well as the holy character of god. The gap theory maintains that the genesis creation account is inerrant in matters of scientific fact, and gap creationists assert that there is a gap of time in the biblical account that lasted an unknown number of years between a first creation in genesis 1. What do you think of the gap theory when reading the.

Author gene edwards refers to this drama as the divine romance. Missionary evangelist robert breaker talks about the gap theory, being careful to explain what it is, and where it is found in the bible. Thus the gap theory is a subtle form of theistic evolution. In fact, several gap models have been proposed over the years for one. The genesis gap is an interesting study and i hope the following will make some sense of it. No one claims to know for sure exactly how long this gap lasted, but it is generally assumed to have been a very long time i. Advocates of the gap theory claim that the first verse in genesis is the first statement of gods creative act of our universe. He also shows the various beliefs about this theory. This is when god created both the stars and the earth that we live on. Syntax and semantics in genesis one blue letter bible. His repeated misdirection of the intersection of science and religion takes away. The framework interpretation also known as the literary framework view, framework theory, or framework hypothesis is a description of the structure of the first chapter of the book of genesis more precisely genesis 1. So we should not pander to a wholly materialistic explanation of things by trying to fit it into the bible and coming up with ideas like the gap theory. The fact is that no such gap exists between the first two verses of genesis at all.