If Moses wrote the Book of Genesis then why is there a need for two accounts and why was the chronology of creation of two accounts different?

Answer 1

Firstly, it needs to be understood that there are not two creation accounts but two 'parts' to the one account. The reason for this assertion will be explained below.

The common ancient practice, as evidenced in other ancient literature, was to write one main account and then to write a second part or section which expanded on the first or some aspect of it. This is precisely what we have in the creation account which spans Genesis 1 and 2. It is Archaeology, with its growing evidence of ancient literature which has furnished examples which highlight this ancient literary device.

Secondly, in relation to the two parts of the one account the divisions are these. The first part of the account is generally chronological in that it gives a summary of the total creation over the period of the six days into the seventh day of rest. This account proceeds from Genesis 1:1 to 2:4a.

The second part of the one account begins at 2:4a and deals specifically with the creation of man. It is non-chronological, which is why some people see a non-existent contradiction between the two parts. Understanding the different emphasis removes this misunderstanding. It is not that the chronology appears different it is that one part has chronology (the first part in Genesis 1:1 to 2:4a) and the other doesn't as it has a non-chronological emphasis.

Understanding that Moses is not contradicting himself but is just using an ancient literary device takes away this misunderstanding about contradiction and chronology.

Regarding Moses' authorship: It must be realized that there is far greater actual evidence for Moses being the author than there is against it. Significant archaeological discoveries totally refute the false presuppositions of the documentary theorists. Further to this, there is not one scrap of textual or historical evidence (outside of the disproved theory itself) that any of the alleged 'mystery authors' ever existed. Not one scrap. Ancient literature demonstrates that the writings collected by Moses as Genesis fit perfectly into their historical setting and do not belong into a later setting which would have been entirely unknown to these alleged later authors. It is impossible for them to have invented historical data about which they knew nothing and which has subsequently proved to be accurate. Summary:

The simple reason there appears to be two creation accounts is that this is an ancient literary usage. This usage takes a general overview and then later takes a particular part and expands upon it. There are thus not two accounts but different parts of the one account. There is thus no contradiction but there is a different emphasis in each.

Answer 2

This Question presupposes that Moses wrote the Book of Genesis, a tradition that is unsupported by the evidence of the book itself, except in direct claims of authorship that could as equally have been inserted in an attempt to prove Mosaic authorship. The reason that there are many such doublets throughout not only Genesis, but the entire Pentateuch, can only be accounted for by the fact that the books are actually compilations of the works of several authors.

For more information, please see:

http://christianity.answers.com/theology/moses-in-history-and-tradition
http://christianity.answers.com/bible/the-pentateuch-explained
http://christianity.answers.com/bible/the-book-of-genesis

http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 3

Moses wrote the entire Torah-scroll as we have it today (Deuteronomy 31:24), including Genesis (Rashi commentary, Exodus 24:7).According to tradition, there is only one Genesis creation-narrative, with ch.2 serving as an expansion of the brevity of ch.1, not a separate set of events (Rashi commentary, Gen.2:8). In ch.1, God created the universe from nothing (Rashi commentary, Gen.1:14), and in ch.2, God performed specific acts within the broader picture.
The same literary devices which the Torah employs to enrich its text, have been used by Bible-critics in an attempt to reassign its authorship.

The Jewish sages, based on ancient tradition, identified many of these devices, which include:

recapping earlier brief passages to elucidate,

employing different names of God to signify His various attributes,

using apparent changes or redundancies to allude to additional unstated details,

speaking in the vernacular that was current during each era,

and many more. While Judaism has always seen the Torah as an intricate tapestry that nonetheless had one Divine source, some modern authors such as Wellhausen (the father of modern Biblical-criticism, 1844-1918) have suggested artificially chopping up the narrative and attributing it to various authors, despite the Torah's explicit statement as to its provenance (Exodus 24:12, Deuteronomy 31:24). This need not concern believers, since his claims have been debunked one by one, as archaeology and other disciplines have demonstrated the integrity of the Torah. No fragments have ever been found that would support his Documentary Hypothesis, which remains nothing more than an arbitrary claim:

http://religion.answers.com/theory/debunking-the-jepd-documentary-hypothesis

http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=1131(a Christian author)

http://www.WhoReallyWroteTheBible.com/excerpts/chapter4-1.php

Answer 4

Scholars believe that the Book of Genesis contains two creation accounts (Genesis 1 and Genesis 2) because they were likely compiled from different oral traditions. The differing chronologies in the two accounts may reflect different theological perspectives or serve different narrative purposes. The Book of Genesis likely included these accounts to convey different aspects and layers of meaning about the nature of creation.