Creation and Chaos

Creation and Chaos

Author: JoAnn Scurlock

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2013-10-14

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1575068656

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Hermann Gunkel was a scholar in the generation of the origins of Assyriology, the spectacular discovery by George Smith of fragments of the “Chaldean Genesis,” and the Babel-Bibel debate. Gunkel’s thesis, inspired by materials supplied to him by the Assyriologist Heinrich Zimmern, was to take the Chaoskampf motif of Revelation as an event that would not only occur at the end of the world but had already happened at the beginning, before Creation. In other words, in this theory, one imagines God in Genesis 1 as first having battled Rahab, Leviathan, and Yam (the forces of Chaos) in a grand battle, and only then beginning to create. The problem with Gunkel’s theory is that it did not simply identify common elements in the mythologies of the ancient Near East but imposed upon them a structure dictating the relationships between the elements, a structure that was based on inadequate knowledge and a forced interpretation of his sources. On the other hand, one is not entitled to insist that there was no cultural conversation among peoples who spent the better part of several millennia trading with, fighting, and conquering one another. Creation and Chaos attempts to address some of these issues. The contributions are organized into five sections that address various aspects of the issues raised by Gunekl’s theories.


Creation and Chaos in the Primeval Era and the Eschaton

Creation and Chaos in the Primeval Era and the Eschaton

Author: Hermann Gunkel

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2006-10-10

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 1467424722

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Foreword by Peter Machinist Hermann Gunkel's groundbreaking Schöpfung und Chaos, originally published in German in 1895, is here translated in its entirety into English for the first time. Even though available only in German, this work by Gunkel has had a profound influence on modern biblical scholarship. Discovering a number of parallels between the biblical creation accounts and a Babylonian creation account, the Enuma Elish, Gunkel argues that ancient Babylonian traditions shaped the Hebrew people's perceptions both of God's creative activity at the beginning of time and of God's re-creative activity at the end of time. Including illuminating introductory pieces by eminent scholar Peter Machinist and by translator K. William Whitney, Gunkel's Creation and Chaos will appeal to serious students and scholars in the area of biblical studies.


The Creation of Chaos

The Creation of Chaos

Author: Frederick J. Ruf

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1991-01-01

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780791407011

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This is the first book-length study of William James' style, arguing that the manner in which James writes The Principles of Psychology and The Varieties of Religious Experience serves to construct a chaotic world for his readers. The book examines the uses of chaos in western literature and philosophy and reaches two conclusions: that chaos may be "utter confusion and disorder," but, paradoxically, that disorder is communicated through some particular order -- in Joyce's term, all chaos is "chaosmos." Secondly, what is essential about chaos is what it does: nothing is inherently chaotic, rather chaos is used to contrast with or challenge something that is more structured or formed. Finally, the author presents an examination of the religious function of James' chaotic worldview as a disorientation which orients.


From Chaos to Cosmos

From Chaos to Cosmos

Author: Sidney Greidanus

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2018-10-15

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 143355500X

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"I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things." Isaiah 45:7 When God created the world, he brought perfect order out of what was "without form and void." But with human rebellion against God leading to God's curse, disorder was introduced into creation—disorder that we still see all around us today. Tracing the chaos to cosmos theme from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, pastor-scholar Sidney Greidanus reveals how God is restoring his creation through Jesus Christ, who has already begun to shine light into the darkness and will one day return to bring peace, order, and restoration once and for all. With discussion questions at the end of each chapter and a fourteen-session reading plan, this book is ideal for small groups as well as individual study.


Creation and the Persistence of Evil

Creation and the Persistence of Evil

Author: Jon D. Levenson

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 1994-12-19

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 9780691029504

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This paperback edition brings to a wide audience one of the most innovative and meaningful models of God for this post-Auschwitz era. In a thought-provoking return to the original Hebrew conception of God, which questions accepted conceptions of divine omnipotence, Jon Levenson defines God's authorship of the world as a consequence of his victory in his struggle with evil. He traces a flexible conception of God to the earliest Hebrew sources, arguing, for example, that Genesis 1 does not describe the banishment of evil but the attempt to contain the menace of evil in the world, a struggle that continues today.


Sensitive Chaos

Sensitive Chaos

Author: Theodor Schwenk

Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press

Published: 2014-02-03

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1855843943

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Why does water always take a winding course in streams and rivers? Do common principles and rhythms underlie its movement - whether it be in the sea, in a plant, or even in the blood of a human being? In this seminal and thought-provoking work, the laws apparent in the subtle patterns of water in movement are shown to be the same as those perceptible in the shaping of bones, muscles and a myriad of other forms in nature. Fully illustrated, Sensitive Chaos reveals the unifying forces that underlie all living things. The author observes and explains such phenomena as the flight of birds, the formation of internal organs such as the heart, eye and ear, as well as mountain ranges and river deltas, weather and space patterns, and even the formation of the human embryo.


Quantum Gods

Quantum Gods

Author: Victor J. Stenger

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published: 2009-09-25

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1615920587

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Stenger alternates his discussions of popular spirituality with a survey of what the findings of 20th-century physics actually mean in laypersons terms--without equations.


God of Freedom - Bible Study Book

God of Freedom - Bible Study Book

Author: Jen Wilkin

Publisher:

Published: 2022-01-03

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 9781087713298

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Every book of the Bible tells us what is true about God. In Genesis we see Him as Creator and Covenant Maker. In Exodus we see Him as our strong Deliverer who sets us free from sin and death. In this 10-session study of Exodus 19-40, journey through the story of how God shepherds His newly-liberated children into an understanding of what their freedom means: lives consecrated for service to God and to one another. Revisit familiar scenes of the giving of the Ten Commandments, the idolatrous worship of a golden calf, and of the intricate details of the tabernacle. And with fresh perspective, ask what these stories teach God's children today about how to live as those set free. In every page of the Bible, learn to see Christ through the stories of His people. And discover how the God who created you and made a covenant with you will deliver you from death to life, for His name and renown. Additional purchase or renting of the video teaching sessions is recommended for the best experience of this Bible study book. Features: Leader helps to guide questions and discussions within small groups Personal study segments to complete among 10 weeks of group sessions Ten essential teaching videos, approximately 30-45 minutes per session, available via redemption code printed in Bible study book for individual streaming access Benefits: Learn the deeper theological implications of stories you may have known for years. Understand how the freedom God gives His children is meant to lead us to lives of glad service to God and our communities of faith. Explore how we understand the character of Christ, even through Old Testament accounts.