Chapter 3 -- " Create" (Hebrew bara) Concerns Functions -- is similar to Chapter 2. Chapter 2 is about ancient cosmology in general; Chapter 3 is more specifically related to biblical idea of creation. But the thrust of the argument is that both are about function.
The English word 'create' generally implies creating something or bringing something into existence. The Hebrew word 'bara' (create) does not really imply material creation or bringing into existence a matter. The verb 'bara' occurs about fifty times in the Bible. Since the term is not defined, in modern sense, it has to be understood by the way the word is used whenever it occurs. And when that is done, most often it is more about functional activity. Theoretically, it can mean material creation as well, but the way it is used in the text convincingly refers to functional activity. The author does say that he believes that God is responsible for the material creation, but he insists that the point in Genesis 1 is not really about that.
Regarding the word 'beginning', the author further argues that it does not really mean the beginning of time and space. "In Hebrew usage this adverb typically introduces a period of time rather than a point in time." So the word 'beginning' is really a way of talking about the seven-day framework than about the beginning of time at the point of the Big Bang. This is also the way the word is generally used in other cultures of the day. The overall structure of Genesis 1 supports the argument.
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