In Chapter one of Genesis the belief that the world was created by God is assumed. There is no explanation of this belief or an attempt to justify it. “In the beginning- God created the world...” Instead of explaining why God is the creator they explain the purpose of God’s creation. They believe that God pre-existed the universe, genesis states that before creation there was,
“The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the fact of the waters.”
Most believe this to mean that prior to the act of creation there was only God, and that the heavens and the earth were created, “Ex nihilo.”
The Judeo-Christian idea of God as the creator is that he is all-powerful, this is emphasised by the fact that God created ex nihilo, out of nothing. He is believed to be the only god, not one of many gods and not one of the forces of nature or Nature itself but is separate. He is also outside time as “time itself is an aspect of the created world. In the beginning down not refer to a specific moment.” Augustine. Instead they believe that whatever God commands happens,
“Then god commanded, ‘let there be light’ and light appeared.”
This verse of genesis is liturgical and we see that each of the six days God commanded and there was. This emphasises God’s power as an all-powerful god. The wind from God has become indentified with the Wisdom or word of God. This idea shows that God creates call the different components of the universe, and that he is responsible for the existence of everything that there is in the world. In genesis it says, “And it was good.” Which shows that God the creator it both powerful but good, he did not intend to create things bad. However this idea raises problems, if God created everything did he create evil? Were these planned by God, and put into the world because of God’s word?
However Genesis does attempt to explain this idea with the story of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve ignore God’s warning and destroy the perfection that he has given them, by disobeying him through their own free will and falling to the temptation presented to them by the snake.
“God said that because he knows that when you eat it you will be like god and know what is good and what is bad.”
However this still leads to question did God deliberately, purposefully create the snake and give it its trickery. Did god intend that the world should be perfect containing only goodness or was the existence of the possibility of evil part of the plan?
In both stories in genesis, humanity is the pinnacle of creation. In the first story of genesis God creates Humans last but gives them dominion over the earth.
“And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals domestic and wild.”
In the second story, humanity comes first, followed by the animals that are created to act as possible companions. Although in the two stories the order in which humanity differs, both emphasise the importance of humanity and that God created them to be special and not that they by chance but that God created them for a purpose. It is also clear that God created humans above others as “God created human beings, making them to be like himself” Genesis 27. God gives humans the capacity to look after his creation, as he looks after them. He also creates humans imagio dei, in the image of God. This authority he gives to humans is called dominion and stewardship; this gives them authority to care responsibly for creation.
God is also shown to be the designer and builder of the universe in other parts of the Old Testament. The fact the universe exists and there is evidence of design is regarded by many theists as proof of the evidence of God. This idea is shown in the book of Job,
"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”
"Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb?”
“When I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt'?”
"Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,”
Job 4-12
This idea of God contradicts greatly with Aristotle’s idea of the unmoved mover which he uses as an explanation of movement and change. In the Judaeo-Christian concept, God is not all unmoved but takes interest and pride in the things that he has made. “And it was good.” The unmoved mover is independent and once it creates it he leaves the creation alone. For Aristotle, the unmoved mover creates motion by attracting everything towards itself; it is the objects in motion that are attracted while the unmoved mover remains immutable. However in the Judaeo-Christian tradition God cares for his creation, he does not simply care for himself but his creation and takes an interest in it while giving it purpose.
In conclusion, God’s creation is described as deliberate; he gave it purpose and meaning. He is all-powerful, omnipotent, which is shown by the fact he created out of nothing, ex nihilo, matter comes into existence where there was no matter before. Jews and Christians believe that God is the creator of everything, however this idea raises problems because if this is true he created evil, and if he did this, he is not all-loving otherwise he would not wish to inflict evil upon us. Finally it is believed that God’s creation is continual, he did not just create the world and leave but he is interested in it and cares for his creation. He gave it purpose and one of those purposes was to create a relationship between himself and his creation.
