because with no Fall there is no need for a Saviour,
Answer
Prior to the Babylonian Exile, Judaism did not consider creation very important at all. Let me explain.
There are two creation stories in Genesis: (1) verses 1:1 to 2:4a; (2) 2:4b to 2:22. The first of these (1:1-2:4a) is recognised by scholars as the work of the Priestly (P) source, based on a Mesopotamian mythe encountered by the Jews in Babylon. So, the creation account that has the world created in six days, whcih every Christian learns as a child, did not even exist prior to the sixth century BCE. The second account (2:4b-2:22) predated the other in Judaism but was never considered important, except for the creation of Adam, later Eve. A summary follows, in order to show that there really are two creation accounts in Genesis:
In Genesis 1:1 to 2:4a ( up to first sentence of 2:4) there was a pre-existing watery chaos. The ocean was already present and a wind moved across the surface. The seas rested on the dry land, which appeared on day 3 when God gathered the waters together. The order of creation was as follows:
(Day 1) light (day); (2) the firmament, which was believed to separate the waters of the heavens from the lower waters; (3) By gathering the lower waters in one place the land appeared. Grasses and trees; (4) sun; moon and stars - the lights in the firmament; (5) fish, land creatures and fowl; (6) man, both male and female. Notice that the light of day was not yet understood to have originated from the sun, although the sun was universally understood to rule the day. That is why it was possible to have grass and trees before the sun was created.
Genesis 2:4b to 2:15 says that there was pre-existing dry land, but God had yet to make it rain for plants to grow. A spring arose and God took some moist clay and made Adam. After Adam, he made the creatures of earth, one by one, then finally Eve.
The biblical books written before the Exile rarely mentioned the creation at all. It is only after the Jews came into close contact with other cultures that they began to see Creation as important. Thereafter, Creation was more frequently mentioned in the Bible.
First answer by Itchie.c2. Last edit by Dick Harfield. Contributor trust: 152 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 26 [recommend question]
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