What are some of God's attributes that we learn from the first story of creation?

Answer 1

Whereas in the second creation story (beginning at Genesis 2:4b), God's powers are somewhat limited and he can not make living creatures out of nothing, requiring dirt to create Adam and the beasts of the earth, the first creation story (Genesis 1:1-2:4a) portrays God as almost omnipotent, able simply to speak things into existence. This account is credited to the Priestly Source and is much later in Judaism than the second account. it is consistent with the Priestly Source's frequent use of the term El Shaddai ('God Almighty') to refer to his God.

In the first creation account, God is remote and impersonal, again consistent with the Priestly Source's view of God. He makes man in his own image, blesses them and gives them instructions to multiply and have dominion over the earth, but does not show the close personal interest that we see in the second account.

For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 2

1) God is omnipotent, since He created the universe from nothing, with no pre-existing things (Exodus 20:11, Isaiah 40:28; Maimonides' "Guide," 2:30; Nachmanides on Gen. 1:1). This is one of the meanings of Genesis 1:1 (Targum, Gen.1:1; and Rashi commentary, Gen.1:14), though the verse has further meaning as well (Rashi, Gen.1:1). What_are_some_proofs_offered_by_Creationists

http://judaism.answers.com/jewish-philosophy/can-you-prove-that-god-exists

2) Since God created the plants, animals and humans, we learn that His wisdom is infinite. We understand this by observing the bottomless wisdom in living things:

http://www.allaboutscience.org/intelligent-design.htm

http://www.pathlights.com/ce_encyclopedia/sci-ev/sci_vs_ev_26.htm

3) We learn that God is kind and caring, since He gave us life, a beautiful world, food, and family.

4) God is able to manipulate the affairs of this world at will.

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

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

http://www.pearlmancta.com/BiblicalcriticswrongRShlomoCohen.htm

And see also the wider picture:

http://judaism.answers.com/hebrew/does-archaeology-support-the-hebrew-bible

Answer 3

From the first story of creation, we learn that God is powerful, as He spoke creation into existence. We also see that God is intentional and creative in His design of the world, showing attention to detail in each step of creation. Additionally, God is patient, as He carefully and methodically establishes order and beauty in the universe.