When was Genesis Chapter 2 written?

Answer 1

In a translation by the British scholar and Bible translator, James Moffatt, the answer is yes - but that is just a man's interpretation and not necessarily fact.

In the book of Genesis, there is reflected evidence that it was compiled by Moses (circa 1446-1407 BC) from earlier documents. In some cases the earlier documents he used are specifically named. One of the most obvious is noted in Genesis 5:1: "This is the book of the genealogy of Adam." Another intriguing example is found in Genesis 2:4: "This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created...." Some scholars point out that this apparently refers to a document, "the history of the heavens and the earth," that is the source for all the preceding material from Genesis 1:1 through 2:3.

Hence James Moffatt became firmly convinced that this was an editorial note giving the source of the information. In his translation he even transferred the first part of Genesis 2:4 to serve as the introduction to Genesis 1:1. Thus his Bible translation begins with Genesis 2:4, "This is the story of how the universe was formed...," before going into Genesis 1:1.

An interesting point to consider is that the Hebrew word translated "history" in Genesis 2:4 literally means "generations"-or, as the New King James Version translates it elsewhere , "genealogy." Bible scholars recognize at least eight other passages in Genesis where the same word is used in what appear to be a series of ancient documents that form much of the source material for the book.

Answer 2

A:The books of The Bible did not have chapters and verses until many centuries after it was written, so the change of chapters and even verses do not necessarily coincide with a change of passages or a change of authorship.

Genesis 2:4b-25 is attributed to an anonymous source now known as the Yahwist, who wrote around the ninth century BCE. The first few verses of chapter 2 (2:1-4a) follows on from chapter 1 and is attributed to the Priestly Source, writing during or shortly after the Babylonian Exile.

Answer 3

Yes. Bear in mind that chapters and verses were added long after the Bible was compiled, so the separation is not exactly at a chapter boundary.

Genesis verse 2:4b (the second sentence in verse 2:4) to verse 2:25 was the only creation story in the earlier version of what was to become the Book of Genesis. Some time during the Babylonian Exile, some centuries later, the creation story in verses 1:1-2:4a was added by the anonymous source now known as the Priestly Source. The Redactor responsible for combining the two accounts placed the later version first so as not to interrupt the progression from the second account through the story of the Fall and then Cain and Abel. The two creation stories differ in content, tone, mood and style, and. are entirely unrelated.

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

Answer 4

No, not according to tradition, which states that 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 (Exodus 20:11, Isaiah 40:28; Maimonides' "Guide," 2:30; Targum and Nachmanides on Gen. 1:1; 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)

And see also the wider picture:

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

Answer 5

The Book of Genesis, which includes Chapter 2, is believed to have been written around the 5th century BCE, although some scholars suggest it may have been compiled from earlier sources.