The Seven Days of Genesis
Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:01 am
A recent discussion I had with a Christian friend of mine led to a question of the interpretation of the beginning of Genesis. If taken literally, it goes against rationality and scientific evidence, and shows the book of scripture and the book of nature to be in disagreement. So it must be a metaphor, but what do the seven days represent?
"We Bahá'ís do not believe in Genesis literally. We know this world was not created in seven days, or six, or eight, but evolved gradually over a period of millions of years, as science, has proved. As to where the idea of a seven-day week originated, it is certainly very ancient and you should refer to scholars for an answer."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 28, 1949)
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 493)
Likewise, the statement that God created the heaven and the earth in six days is symbolic. We will not explain this further today. The texts of the Holy Books are all symbolical, needing authoritative interpretation.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 219)
Our Exalted Lord said that a great Manifestation
appears on the earth every 500,000 years.
The difference between a great Manifestation
and a lesser One, is as that between the sun and
the planets. The 7th "day" of Genesis, 1st chapter,
refers to the Great Manifestation.
(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers 9, p. 50)
The Master and the Guardian ask us to look to scholars to decipher the hidden meaning of the seven days of Genesis, but everywhere I look I see only highly opinionated platitudes. On one side are literalists who say that there is only one meaning of Genesis. On the other, critics of the Bible who use the absurdity of the former's claim to say the Holy Book is fictitious, fantastic, useless, and should be paid no heed.
My question restated: What do the seven days of Genesis mean?
"We Bahá'ís do not believe in Genesis literally. We know this world was not created in seven days, or six, or eight, but evolved gradually over a period of millions of years, as science, has proved. As to where the idea of a seven-day week originated, it is certainly very ancient and you should refer to scholars for an answer."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 28, 1949)
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 493)
Likewise, the statement that God created the heaven and the earth in six days is symbolic. We will not explain this further today. The texts of the Holy Books are all symbolical, needing authoritative interpretation.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 219)
Our Exalted Lord said that a great Manifestation
appears on the earth every 500,000 years.
The difference between a great Manifestation
and a lesser One, is as that between the sun and
the planets. The 7th "day" of Genesis, 1st chapter,
refers to the Great Manifestation.
(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers 9, p. 50)
The Master and the Guardian ask us to look to scholars to decipher the hidden meaning of the seven days of Genesis, but everywhere I look I see only highly opinionated platitudes. On one side are literalists who say that there is only one meaning of Genesis. On the other, critics of the Bible who use the absurdity of the former's claim to say the Holy Book is fictitious, fantastic, useless, and should be paid no heed.
My question restated: What do the seven days of Genesis mean?