The Concept of God as a Creator Essay

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The Concept of God as a Creator 1. (a) Describe how the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) understand the concept of Gad as creator (66%)

The Judeo Christian God of the Old Testament possesses many qualities which give him his unique character and it is largely agreed among Christians that Moses wrote Genesis.
The Judeo Christian God is an Omnipotent God; this means he is all powerful. This by default makes him the most powerful being in the universe and according to the Old Testament nothing is above him. In Genesis chapter 1 God's omnipotence is made clear, "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." This shows his power because he merely speaks and light is created; and chapter 4 assures us that "the light was good."
The first creation story in Genesis chapter 1 makes God appear more powerful than the second creation story in Genesis chapter 2. In this chapter he is immanent and personal, "and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" implies a more special and careful creation of man, which is a contrast to chapter 1 where he is transcendent, impersonal and gives a feeling of greater power, "And God said...." A superior God implies God is eternal and outside of time whereas an immanent God implies he is everlasting and inside time.
Another quality of God is that he is all loving and he loves and cares for his creation, "God has poured out his love into our hearts," this quote from Romans 5 suggests that God loves humans and is therefore omnibenevolent. Genesis chapter 2 also conjures a more loving representation of God, "God formed man of the dust of the ground." This makes man's creation seem more deliberate and that God is a loving careful craftsman because he sculpts Adam.
Omniscience is a trait of the Judeo Christian God, throughout the Old Testament God demonstrates that he is all knowing for example in 1 Samuel chapter 2, "God is the God of knowledge. He knows everything." To be all powerful one would usually assume that you would also have to be all knowing because he would need to know how to do the task, for example when he creates, he can create because he is all powerful but he must also be all knowing otherwise he wouldn't know how to.
Throughout both accounts of Genesis God is portrayed as a designer, "Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east." This shows that the Old Testament says that God designated a place for everything in his creation. It also enhances the fact that God is portrayed as a creator.

(b) How far do the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) support the view that God created humanity for a purpose? (34%)

The Old Testament begins with the book of Genesis; an account which offers explanations for some of the most fundamental questions that human-being's ask. Genesis 1 puts forward the concept of God as almighty creator, who invented this world, and everything within it, for a purpose.
Genesis originated from oral tradition- folk tales passed down from generation to generation. At this time there was no formal education so people would discuss philosophy and culture by the fireside. At some point, the stories were recorded and have since been revised by bible scriptures.
Unlike the Greek writings of Plato and