A Biblical Account of Origins Should Also Explain the Origins of the Biblical Account

The biblical account of origins includes the creation itself (Genesis 1–3) and the origins of civilisation, religion, and languages (Genesis 4–11). Ever since these accounts were first written down there have been questions about their meaning, and about how literally they should be taken. To grasp their meaning we need to understand their origins, but for most scholars the traditional view that they were written down by Moses is not consistent with the evidence from the texts. This causes difficulties of understanding, so that a reconsideration of the origins of the accounts is a necessary precursor to speculations about their meaning, especially in relation to the faith–science dialogue on cosmic origins. A viable explanation for the origins of the biblical creation accounts should explain the evidence for multiple documentary sources, as well as the historical origins of these sources. Such an explanation was outlined by William F. Albright, who attributed the creation accounts of Genesis to distinct Priestly and Yahwist traditions, while also affirming that much of this material was brought from Mesopotamia during the time of the patriarchs. This raises the question of how multiple accounts of origins could be preserved in the family history of one man (Abraham). However, this is possible if the Mesopotamian origins accounts included both oral and written sources. These different media would have allowed the preservation of conflicting accounts of origins that eventually fed into the tribal histories of Israel, now recognised as the Priestly and Yahwist traditions. This represents a testable model for the origins of the biblical accounts, allowing the possibility of a new understanding of biblical origins in Genesis, both as texts and as histories.