DAY FOUROn a superficial reading this seems very unscientific! How can the creation of light on earth precede the creation of the sun, moon and stars! It is as wrong to be dismissive of the accuracy of the Genesis account as it is to take it too literally. The earth's oceans continued to cool as the earth's upper layer cooled. The reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide meant that the temperature of the atmosphere was also lowered. The reduction in the surface area of the oceans as landmasses formed further reduced the amount of water vapour in the air. So at last the cloud canopy broke up and for the first time the sun, moon, and stars became visible in the sky. That is what the creation account is dealing with; the appearance of the sun, moon and stars in the sky. It is significant that a literal translation of v14 would state, Let there be places where light is in the ...... In other words the light now has a visible source, there is a light holder, whereas before it was an invisible source above the cloud layer. There is nothing unreasonable about the succession of events the writer is describing. Indeed it is a remarkable series of guesses - unless some input by God is acknowledged. |