The Origins of Society in the Creation Myths of Genesis1Preliminary versions of this paper were presented at a philosophical seminar in Münster, September 26, 1995, and a theological Ph.D. seminar in the Hague, March 29, 1996. I started the study of the creation myths in the mid-seventies in collaboration with my friend and colleague David Moyer (D.S. Moyer & J.G.

Abstract

The narratives of Genesis 1-11 are examined from an anthropological perspective focusing on the origin and development of human society. The actions of ancestors give rise to cultural institutions which deny or inverse those actions. A social world requires the existence of cultural rules and ancestors who precede it. The world is created and recreated so that society can take shape. The development of society is a gradual process requiring an increasing differentiation in terms of image, name, social hierarchy and language.