Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tehom as a boundary

Tĕhôm is neither an enemy to be battled nor an adversary to be defeated. It is simply a term for the cosmic waters, applying either to the precreation context or to the waters at the boundaries of the ordered cosmos. That is, tĕhôm is one of the elements of cosmic geography that parallels what is found in the cognitive environment throughout the ancient Near East. In the precreation period, the tĕhôm covered everything. In the process of creation, it was pushed out to the edges of the cosmos, where it was restrained by the power of God.”— Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology, page 145

<idle musing>
Walton is quite adamant about the lack of theomachy (gods fighting each other) in Genesis 1—rightfully so, in my opinion.
</idle musing>

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