Creation Stories (Creation from the Void, Adam & Eve, The Garden of Eden, The Fall, Noah and the Ark)

Basic Info

Genesis 1:1—11:9

Scripture scholars today usually treat the first 10½ chapters of the Book of Genesis as the equivalent of mythical primeval history. For example, they see the first chapter (creation in 6 days) as a poetic account of the creation of the universe whose main point is that the universe is orderly and good, not chaotic and bad. That being said, throughout the art tradition, these stories were more often taken literally and any internal inconsistencies were overlooked (e.g., the fact that in Genesis 1 animals are created before human beings, but in Genesis 2 they are created after human beings). The story of Adam and Eve has been especially popular in the artistic tradition and is covered in a separate section. A separate link to the details of the art depicting Adam and Eve and the Fall is found in the Bible Stories page.

The stories of Cain and Abel, Noah, and the Tower of Babel likewise are understood by scholars today to tell universal truths about sin and the human condition and to explain some curious features of the world or of human existence (e.g., the differences among cultures, fish fossils and dinosaur bones in the desert, and the fact of multiple languages). The artworks tend to reduce these to morality stories about being faithful to God.

Cain and Abel were the first sons of Adam and Eve. They fought over God’s response to their sacrifices (Cain’s of what he had grown as a farmer and Abel’s of a sheep), and Cain killed Abel. From this first instance of sin after Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise, the amount of sin and wickedness grew in the world and eventually God told Noah to build a big boat, an ark. The people were warned not to be so wicked, but they persisted. God told Noah to gather animals in pairs because God was going to send a big flood. Noah did so and brought his family on board. There was a flood, everyone else was destroyed, and after floating for 40 days, Noah sent out a dove that came back with an olive branch, signifying that the flood waters were receding. Afterward, God promised never to flood the whole earth again and placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of that promise.

Even with that, evil wasn’t abolished. Noah planted a vineyard and got drunk. Evil spread again. The people still all spoke one language and wanted to build a tower to get closer to God. They built such a tower, but God was offended by their trying to be like God so God destroyed the tower and made them all speak different languages so they couldn’t conspire to that kind of idolatry again.

What to Look For

• The physical appearance, expressions, and attitudes / gestures of the good characters
• The physical appearance, expressions, and attitudes / gestures of the bad characters
• The relationships between the good and the bad characters (Abel and Cain; Noah and his neighbors; the people building the tower and God)
• Signs of faith in God
• Signs of God’s goodness and mercy

Questions to Focus a General Interpretation

Does the artwork present a clear moral picture of humble, obedient faith in God? Or is the viewer expected already to have a very clear understanding of the dynamics of the story?

If you had just the artwork to go on, what moral wisdom would be imparted?

Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation

Does the artwork call you to any particular awareness of sin or evil in your own life or world? Does the artwork offer an answer or perspective on how to deal with that sin or evil?

Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation

What might have been going on in the artist’s time and place (especially in terms of natural disasters and wickedness) that may have influenced this artwork?