Revelation, Interpretation, and Ancient Creation Accounts

Vocabulary flashcards covering Christian theological foundations, biblical interpretation approaches, and ancient near eastern creation accounts including Genesis and Enuma Elish.

Divine Inspiration

The Christian doctrine that the Holy Spirit divinely guided the human authors of Sacred Scripture so that they wrote what God intended, while still using their own natural human faculties, styles, and historical contexts.

Saving Truth

The principle—articulated notably in Dei Verbum (Vatican II)—that Scripture teaches faithfully and without error that specific truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of human salvation, rather than providing technical scientific or historical instruction.

Divine Unity

The monotheistic doctrine that there is only one God, possessing an undivided nature and supreme sovereignty over all creation, in contrast to polytheistic systems with competing gods.

Divine Rationality

The belief that God is inherently rational, wise, and orderly, which implies that God's creation reflects an intelligible, consistent and law-governed order capable of studied by human reason.

Concordism

An approach to biblical interpretation that attempts to force a direct, one-to-one agreement between the literal details of ancient scripture (such as the 6 days of creation in Genesis 1) and modern scientific discoveries (such as geological eras or the Big Bang).

Cosmogony

An account, story, or theory regarding the origin and structure of the universe or cosmos, particularly common in ancient mythologies to describe how order was brought out of primeval chaos.

Babylonian Exile

The period in Jewish history (6th century BC) during which a significant portion of the Kingdom of Judah was deported to Babylon. This historical backdrop strongly influenced the theological framing of Genesis as a counter-narrative against Babylonian religion.

Enuma Elish

The ancient Babylonian creation epic that recounts the rise of Marduk, the defeat of primeval chaotic waters, and the creation of the world and humanity through cosmic conflict and violence.

Apsu

In the Enuma Elish, the male primordial deity who personifies freshwater and the underground ocean, husband to Tiamat.

Tiamat

In the Enuma Elish, the female primordial goddess who personifies the chaotic saltwater ocean, later slain and divided by Marduk to form the sky and the earth.

Marduk

The patron deity of Babylon who slays Tiamat in the Enuma Elish, asserts supreme authority among the gods, and fashions the universe from Tiamat's corpse.

Kingu

The demonic consort of Tiamat in the Enuma Elish who led her rebel army; after his execution, his blood is mixed with clay to create humanity as low-status servants for the gods.

Genesis 1

The opening creation narrative of the Bible, using a structured 6-day poetic framework to depict God creating an orderly, good universe ex nihilo (out of nothing) and solely by His spoken word.

Genesis 2

The second creation narrative in Scripture, offering a personal, relational account where God directly fashions humanity from the dust of the ground, breathes life into them, and sets them in the Garden of Eden.