Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Who recorded creation in the Bible since Adam and Eve were the only two people on earth?

A:  A fascinating question! The book of Genesis is the oldest historical narrative that we still possess and read today. Early Jewish tradition (and Jesus Christ in Luke 20:37; etc.) attributes the book to Moses. This would give a date of around 1400 B.C. for the writing, which is obviously long after many of the events it describes took place.

The lack of early corroboration, and the possible reliance on oral tradition would typically make us question the reliability of a historical document. Modern historians favor eyewitness accounts and contemporary sources when considering a document’s reliability. But there are two reasons why Genesis should be considered an exception to this rule, and both stem from the sovereignty of God. The first is that an eternal God powerful enough to create the heavens and the earth would certainly be powerful enough to preserve an accurate account of it if He so chose. Whether He preserved the truth through an oral or written tradition, or just told the story directly to Moses, doesn’t make much of a difference in the end; with God all things are possible.

But far more importantly, we have eyewitness corroboration of the Genesis account. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was present at creation and actually participated in many of the events of Genesis (John 8:58; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 1:11; etc.). We are told that God created all things through Christ, so He certainly ought to be considered an authority on creation history! And in the gospels, we have several statements from Jesus affirming and corroborating the history recorded in Genesis. These corroborations include the creation of Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:4-6) and the existence of a real and historical Noah (Luke 17:26-27). Jesus refers to Abraham (John 8:56-58), Lot and his wife (Luke 17:28, 32), and Jacob (Mark 12:26-27). He speaks of a literal and global flood (Luke 17:26-27), the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-30), and much more! Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God should take His word on the historicity of Genesis very seriously. Like I said; He ought to know!

So the short answer to the question, “who recorded the events of Genesis which Moses eventually set down for us in Genesis?” is this: God preserved the truth of His work in Creation and early human history, either by maintaining a record and tradition of it for Moses to draw on, or by communicating it directly to him on Mount Sinai. Either way we have the testimony of Jesus, as well as significant historical, scientific, and archaeological evidence which supports the Genesis story, and there is nothing hindering Christians from accepting Genesis as an accurate historical account.

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