Yahwist Creation Story

How many people have ever noticed that there are two stories of creation in the Bible? The sources of the Genesis story, which I will analyze below, is that of the Priestly (P) source and of the Yahwist (J) source. Upon hearing there are multiple accounts, various sources, etc. it is tempting to automatically assume there are contradictions and discrepancies. This does not have to be the case. As such, I will describe differences between the two sources below and how one can read these accounts through theological and pastoral eyes.

The two creation stories give different kinds of information, without a doubt, but this can be quite complimentary to one another.

The P source is concerned with reflecting the order and structure of God’s plan for the world – an almighty God full of power and authority. In the P source of Genesis 1, we read God’s name as Elohim, which is the generic name of God giving off a connotation of a powerful being.

This source of the creation story, reveals God as majestic and transcendent, where all events occur according to His will. The differences between the P and the J source is that in the former, God creates the Heavens and earth and humanity by mere words where as in the former, God is like a potter molding and shaping humanity using the dust from the ground. Humanity is favored in that it has been created in the image, the likeness of Elohim. Furthermore, the P source only mentions humanity at the end as the final creation in the likeness of God.

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When we review the J source of the creation story, no longer is God called Elohim but now, the Lord is called Yahweh meaning “He is”. Between the P and J source, we can recognize the ladder as giving a more personal account related to human beings – a God seriously invested in the affair of mankind, His creation. How do we conclude such a thing? The J gives name much more personal detail in that we learn of the names of Adam and Eve, we are given a mor…

Yahwist Vs Priestly Creation Story