Creation

[Connie]

Do Jews today believe the world was created out of nothing? Did Jews in olden times believe the world was created out of nothing?

Just displaying my ignorance here.

[Guest]

Do Jews today believe the world was created out of nothing? Maybe, maybe not. Their doctrine is open to the idea either way.

Did Jews in olden times believe it? Some did, some didn't.

Interesting, huh?

I'm not a jew. I worked with one for 2 years. All my jewish understanding stemmed from what he told me.

Here's something that might shed some light into it:

The Information Underground • View topic - Have Jews always Believed in Creation Ex Nihilo? (like Modern Israel)

[rameumptom]

Modern Jews believe in creation ex nihilo. In the days of Greek philosophers, Judaism walked away from continuing revelation and began to interpret the scripture through the prism of Hellenism. Aristotle taught a God who was a nebulous pure spirit, uncreated, which we can never be like. He also taught creation ex nihilo, and they accepted it.

Early Jews believed that the Lord formed the earth. It was an issue of God overcoming chaos, not creating from nothing. For ancient Jews, darkness and water represented chaos, and God brought forth order when he called forth light and dry land. According to ancient Semitic texts, and supported by Isaiah and other prophets, God had to fight the great sea dragon Rahab to establish a partial order in order to create the order we now have. Leviathan is Rahab's partner, and will be destroyed in the end days, when all chaos will be ended and perfect order will be established.

You can read more at my blog on this:

Joel's Monastery: New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 46: “He Will Dwell with Them, and They Shall Be His People” Revelation 5-22

Joel's Monastery: Gospel Scholarship: Order out of Chaos

[Guest locksmithparkslope52]

Every religion tries to explain the creation but in different ways. For example, Judeo-Christian religions say that this world is created in 6 days. Further it says as what was created on which day. Similarly koraan, which took almost all beliefs from Judeo-Christian religions, has slightly different views about creation. Even though it says that everything is created in 6 days but still there are some differences like the way they have been created. Hinduism says that world is having cyclical nature and hence it is not a new creation but something like re-creating the world. Buddhism has different views about the world.