New Testament readings of Genesis 1
Says John 1:1 Ἐν ἀρχῇ matches the form of LXX Gen 1:1 ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός. That is form agreement, not a claim about which text was used. See the notes on John 1.
Says “Through Him all things were made” (John 1:3, BSB).
Implies John gives the Word the role of God’s creative speech in Genesis 1, as the notes on John 1 already set out. Deity is not argued here.
Says “in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth” (Col 1:16, BSB). The verb is ἐκτίσθη; LXX Gen 1:1 has ἐποίησεν.
Implies This reads the heavens and earth of Gen 1:1 in terms of the Son.
Uncertain The verbal link is open; the pair is common. No lean is taken.
Says “the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Heb 11:3, BSB).
Implies Hebrews reads “And God said” (Gen 1:3, BSB) as creation by God’s word.
Uncertain Whether Heb 11:3 teaches creation out of nothing, or only from what is invisible, is left as the historical note leaves it. No lean is taken on Gen 1:1.
Says Matt 19:4, ‘made them male and female,’ agrees in form with LXX Gen 1:27 ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς; so does Mark 10:6. SBLGNT has κτίσας; the Robinson–Pierpont text has ποιήσας, the same verb as the LXX. Form agreement is not a claim about which text was used. Marriage teaching is out of scope.
Claims
- SaysJohn 1:1 En arche matches the form of LXX Gen 1:1 en arche epoiesen ho theos. “Through Him all things were made” (John 1:3, BSB). Col 1:16 uses ektisthe of all things in heaven and on earth, where LXX Gen 1:1 has epoiesen. Heb 11:3 says the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Matt 19:4, ‘made them male and female,’ agrees in form with LXX Gen 1:27; SBLGNT has ktisas and the Robinson–Pierpont text has poiesas, the same verb as the LXX. Mark 10:6 has the same pair. Form agreement is not a claim about which text was used.
- ImpliesJohn gives the Word the role of God’s creative speech in Genesis 1, as the notes on John 1 already set out; deity is not argued here. Colossians reads Gen 1:1’s heavens and earth in terms of the Son. Hebrews takes up “And God said” (Gen 1:3, BSB) as creation by God’s word.
- UncertainA specifically verbal link in Col 1:16 is open; the pair is common. Whether Heb 11:3 teaches creation out of nothing, or only from what is invisible, is left as the historical note leaves it. No lean is taken on Gen 1:1. Marriage teaching is out of scope.
Citations
- BSB public domain John 1:1, 3, 5; Col 1:16; Heb 11:3; Matt 19:4; Mark 10:6; Gen 1:3; Rom 1:20, 23, 25
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 1:1–5, vol. 1, p. 1 (oldtestamentingr01swetuoft, viewer leaf n32); Gen 1:27, vol. 1, p. 2 (viewer leaf n33); read on the page images
- SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 John 1:1–3; Col 1:16; Heb 11:3; Matt 19:4; SBLGNT apparatus at Matt 19:4 (κτίσας ] ποιήσας RP)
- RP2018 Unlicense Matt 19:4 (RP2018 text; ποιήσας)
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-10
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