The Theological Importance Of Creation In The Old Testament

Abstract

+. It is true that the concept of creation takes on theological focus in Israel quitelate. e chosen nation was primarily interested in history and its relationto God, and then asked a question about the beginning of the world. Over time,as a result of historical events, it gradually developed a lesson on creation. Babylonianslavery played a decisive role in the theological reflection on creation.&. e Old Testament texts testify that the statement “Yahweh has made heavenand earth” corresponds to a threefold theological intention. It has at the sametime a doxological, soteriological and polemic character. e Old Testamenttaken as a whole evokes a cosmogonic fact to praise the glory of the God of Israeland emphasise His transcendence, to question the worship of nature, freeingman from the caring cosmic and agrarian forces, and to guarantee salvationfor Israel and the world, relying on the power of God, able to make all thingsnew out of love for his chosen.3. e Old Testament shows us that the theological reflection on the creationof the world and mankind has been expressed in various forms in the historyof Israel, there is no single formula of Israel’s faith in creation, but it is alwaysabout the same faith expressed in a formulation conditioned by the currentcultural context, always with the triple theological intentions mentioned above.is can be seen in the Old Testament writings, starting with the Jehovah andthe priestly writer, through Deutero-Isaiah and the author of the Book of Job,whose faith was later expressed in the first article of the creed: “I believe in Godthe Almighty Father, the Creator of heaven and earth.”