What a Difference a Yom Makes

In modern times, a large group of fanatical Christians known as "creationists" have been calling for an abandonment of modern science to be replaced by their own dogmas known as creationism. Of course the idea that God or a god created the earth is not the problem with this doctrine. Science to date has taught nothing that would discredit the idea that God created the universe.

The issue arises through a narrow self identified fundamentalist view of the Genesis account, in particular the fanatical adherence to three untenable positions have caused divisiveness and confusion over Christianity as a whole. These three positions are;

1. The Young Earth (Less than 6000 years)

2. The short day (24 hour) creation period

and in some extreme cases, this 3rd untenable concept:

3. The geocentric universe (the earth created before the heavens)

None of these positions of course would pass a 3rd grade science quiz, yet they dominate the public discussion on Christianity today. Candidates for office profess their denials of scientific theory to woo the sort of religious groups that adhere to such untenable doctrines and concepts and we're seeing more and more that many Americans seem to associate these beliefs with piety. The truth of course is that one does not need to adopt such untenable positions to believe in the Gospel of Christ, or Christianity as a whole. No where in Christ's Gospel did he command us to believe the earth is 6000 years old. Obviously this was not a prerequisite of salvation or even a tenet of faith as preached by Christ. Additionally we do not know the exact age of the earth from the Bible. Great gaps in time periods exist throughout the Old Testament, therefore its impossible to assume that the Bible is attempting to be some sort of Chronological calendar of the universe. In fact when the books were written there was no Bible, thus it is inconceivable that it was intended to be some sort of cosmic clock. The Bible deals with matters of the soul, not science.

The idea of the young earth is primarily due to teachings of one Bishop James Ussher of the Church of Ireland, who dated the earth to 4004 BC based on calculating the ages of biblical figures plus the 6 days of creation which he assumed were intended to represent literal 24 hour days. The original word in Genesis translated as "Day" was the Hebrew "Yom". Yom can and does often refer to a 24 hour day, but only in modern times. Yom is also translated as many other periods, in fact in the Bible itself Yom is translated dozens of times as everything from "chronicles" to "always". Yom can mean a day in the literal sense, or a day in the figurative sense (as in "in that day there were giants in the land", etc) or it can be translated as a period of light and darkness or more. Yom does not have to mean a literal 24 hour period.

But more importantly, "Yom" did NOT mean a literal 24 hour day when Genesis was written. This is not speculation but proven and verifiable fact, chiefly due to the fact that there was no 24 hour clock in the Hebrew Calendar at the time of the writing of Genesis. Hence we know that it does not refer to a 24 hour day in the literal sense.

Yet modern Evangelical and fundamental Christian sects demand we not only accept their misguided interpretation, they actively attempt to integrate it into our schools and textbooks.

Potential converts to Christianity, particularly youth of high school or college age are therefore left with a difficult choice. On the one hand they have the plain clear science which demonstrates the millions of years of creation in which our earth and universe was formed. On the other hand they have the vocal Evangelical Christians who are seemingly everywhere these days, preaching their untenable dogma that the earth was created in 6 literal days by God, and leaving no room for the knowledge of science on the subject.

This clear contrast between science and religion leaves many potential converts to Christianity out in the cold. Many "want" to believe in Christ and his Gospel, yet cannot make the leap from the real science they learn in school to the untenable dogmas created by fundamentalist fanatics that defy not only science, but logic and reason. And as it turns out, the Bible as well.

Simply put, the Bible just does NOT teach that the earth was created in 6 literal modern days. A brief examination of the Bible and the language and knowledge of the day quickly confirms this. And therein lies the irony. As we have already seen and will further illustrate, the Bible in no way demands the reader to accept any such doctrine of a 6 literal day creation period. And understanding the Hebrew word "Yom", is critical to understanding this simple fact.

Under the Yom Yom Tree

1.The Hebrew word for day that is translated in Genesis is "Yom". Yom does not necessarily define a 24 hour "day". Yom may mean a period or era, a figurative expression for a period of time. Or it can mean a day. In Genesis and throughout the Old Testament the word Yom is routinely used to indicate a period of time other than a day. For example, in Deuteronomy Chapter 10 verse 10, "Yom" its translated as a period of time equal to 40 days. In other areas it is translated as other periods of time including a week in Genesis Chapter 2. So yes, the Hebrew word used in Genesis for "day" can actually mean a much, much longer period of time, as in "those days" where "days = "age" or "era" for example.

2. "The evening and morning" are not literal evenings or mornings. The misconception that the "evening and morning" refers to literal evenings and mornings is dispelled in Genesis itself. According to Genesis the sun was not created until the 4th day. So when Genesis states "the evening and morning were the first day", we see that this cannot refer to a literal earthly "evening and morning" as the Hebrew calendar measured a day as from "sunset to sunset". And since the sun had not yet been created then there was no sunset, hence no "day" in any literal sense of the word.

3. Genesis itself confirms that the word Yom is used in a figurative sense. In the Genesis creation account in Chapter 2 we see Yom being translated in the figurative..In Genesis 2:4 it clearly states "in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens" . Now, according to the literalists, if we're to believe their narrow, literal interpretation in Chapter 1, then we're in trouble when we get to Chapter 2. Because now we see that the Lord made it all in "one" day instead of six. See the problem? You can't insist on a literal interpretation of the Hebrew "Yom" in chapter 1 then toss it out the window in chapter 2. "In the day" is a prime example of the figurative use of the word "day" and Genesis itself provides it to us.

4. No Sun, no day. Again, there was no sun so there were no "days' when the earth was first created. Because there were no sun or heavens for the earth to revolve around, according to Genesis, if you're going to insist on taking everything this allegorical account says literally, then the sun did not yet exist. . So no sun. No sunrise or sunset hence no days.

5. The Hebrew Calendar didn't have a 24 hour clock. So the discussion ends there as to whether or not the Hebrew author of Genesis was referring to a literal 24 hour day. He didn't have a literal 24 hour day, so he couldn't possibly have been indicating one. More to the point, the Hebrews did not see a day as "midnight to midnight". The Hebrews measured days by Sunsets. So how could the account referred to a literal 24 hour day, when the literal day to the Hebrew would require a sun to set? So here again we see the "short day" theorists logic completely break down. The Hebrew calendar simply didn't have a 24 hour clock for the Genesis authors to have referenced.

Additional Information