The first book of the Bible

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Why did God accept Abel's offering and not Cain's?

In Genesis 4, we read the following account of Cain and Abel: So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also ...
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Is it possible the Biblical and scientific timelines for the age of the earth could link up? [duplicate]

In many versions of the Bible I have e read, in fiitnotes/endotes they say the Hebrew term for "day" could also mean "period of time." So if you took period of time to mean oh say, a billion years, ...
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Why did God make garments of skin for Adam and Eve when they had already made clothing for themselves?

Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, we are told that they made clothing for themselves. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together ...
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Is there a biblical reason to limit information about creation to Genesis?

Here's a debate between Hugh Ross of "Reasons to Believe" and Ken Ham. These men are popular spokesmen for each of Old Earth and Young Earth Creationism, respectively. In the hour-long discussion, ...
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Did God create Adam and Eve with free will and knowledge of right and wrong (good and evil)?

I just want to confirm based on scripture if God made Adam and Eve with both free will and knowledge of good and evil (right and wrong) or if one came after the other when they ate the forbidden ...
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What does the curse on the serpent mean?

When God cursed the Earth He also cursed the serpent. Genesis 3:14 NASB The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every ...
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What happened to the two trees in the Garden of Eden?

In Genesis 2, we are told that there were two named trees in the Garden of Eden--the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. When Adam and Eve ate fruit from the Tree of the ...
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Where does the idea of a water canopy come from in the Bible, and is there scientific evidence to support it?

Some Creationists have asserted that in pre-flood world that there may have been some sort of water vapor canopy that perhaps doubled the air pressure and caused things to be much healthier than they ...
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What was the light of the first day of creation?

In the Genesis account, the sun and stars are created on the fourth day: Gen 1:14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them ...
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Why did Joseph only present five brothers?

After Joseph and his brothers were reunited, Joseph presents only five of his brothers to Pharaoh. Genesis 47:1-2 New International Version (NIV) 47:1: Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My ...
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In Theistic Evolution when do the genealogies in Genesis become real?

In Genesis there is the genealogy of Adam to Noah, then the account of the flood. After that is the genealogy of Noah to Abraham. The accounts of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons then follow. ...
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Does God tempt Abraham in Genesis 22:1?

In James 1:13 it says: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But in Genesis 22:1 it is written: And it ...
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If Genesis is not to be taken literally by the Roman Catholics, what is the basis of the original sin?

According to this answer, Genesis is not to be taken literally by the Roman Catholic church due to the scientific evidence contradicting it. In this view, what is the basis of the original sin?
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What does “two becoming one flesh” refer to?

In the bible when it refers to the two becoming one flesh, does it mean: The physical act of sex creates a position where both body's are connected or The flesh from man and flesh from woman ...
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In Genesis 18, does Jesus meet with Abraham?

In Genesis 18, the Lord is mentioned several times. Along with 2 angels, he meets with Abraham. Is the Bible speaking of Jesus?
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Scriptures and the 'Simulated Universe'

If you were to Google "simulated universe" you'll find that major science institutions are starting to hypothesize that the universe is 'very possibly' a 'simulated environment' at the lowest level - ...
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What denominations/people don't take Genesis 1 as a historical event and why?

I read somewhere here on Christianity.SE that the Genesis 1 is not taken literally by some people and considered more like a parable than a real historical event ? So what Christian denominations ...
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Did the Jews waiting for their Messiah associate him with the creation of the world?

Often when discussing the Trinity, Christians refer to Genesis Chapter 1, where 'the Father' says 'let there be', while 'the Son' is that word, and 'the Spirit' brings creation into perfection. Sure ...
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Before the fall of man [closed]

What would happen if Adam and Eve did not disobey God?
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When was “time” created in Genesis?

When was "time" created in Genesis? Was it on "day three", when day and night were created?
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Did God create man to be gods themselves?

Genesis 1:26-28 says: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the ...
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Is gender a property of essence or existence?

In his address, the Holy Father said: According to the biblical creation account, being created by God as male and female pertains to the essence of the human creature. The use of the word ...
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What Did God Make The Universe From?

What did God make the universe from? It seems Himself, since before Creation, only God is. This seems to me to be the most important question for Christianity. NOT why, how, where or who, but what. ...
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Who are the sons God that married humans? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Sons of God begat famous people? Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose Who are the ...
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Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, why the elaborate ruse?

Genesis chapter 42 - 45 recount story of Joseph tricking his brothers who are in Egypt to buy grain, into going back and forth several times from Canaan to Egypt in an attempt exonerate themselves in ...
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Did Abraham pass or fail in God's test?

The story about Abraham sacrificing Isaac: Gen 21:12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through ...
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In Theistic Evolution, when did the alleged evolutionary animal/ape/man become accountable for his sins?

One answer to this previous question asks, One of the problems I have with theistic evolution is: when did this alleged evolutinary animal/ape/man become accountable for his sins? [sic] It would ...
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Whom did Lamech kill?

Genesis 4:23-24 NIV 23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If ...
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What was the pre-Babel language and what can be said about the mechanism used to confuse the languages?

The Tower of Babel episode in human history is known to many. This can be found in Genesis 11. As we know, it resulted in the languages of mankind becoming confused. Question: Are there opinions, ...
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Jacob wrestled with God

We had our small group meeting recently and the topic was about the life of Jacob and here were the questions that were asked during the discussion, hope you could help shed some light. If God ...
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The Creation of the World [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How can the sun be created after day and night? I had this question for sometime on my mind, but couldn't find anyone to answer this. On the first day God created the ...
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Multiple wives and concubines | male and female “original” intent

Matthew 19:1-6 New International Version (NIV) 1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large ...
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What was the Birthright?

What, specifically, did Esau lose when he lost the birthright, and what did Jacob gain? What did the birthright represent, and why was it so highly prized by Jacob?
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What did the serpent look like?

The account of creation mentions the serpent being wise among all beasts. After the temptation God curses the serpent. "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,...upon ...
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How does Jesus fulfill the Protoevangelium (First Gospel) in Genesis 3:15?

In the judgment of the serpent in Genesis 3:15, God says the following: The Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of ...
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What are the theological implications/problems with theistic evolution?

Theistic evolution holds that God used evolution to create mankind. It seems to follow then that this view must also hold the creation account in Genesis to be unhistorical. So, Adam and Eve may ...
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Why didn't God send Jesus during Noah's time instead of The Flood?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16 John 3:16 tells us that God loved us, ...
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Why is the word “Ark” used for Noah's boat and the Ark of the Covenant?

What exactly is the meaning of an "ark" that applies to a boat and that thing that melts off the Nazi's faces in the first Indiana Jones movie?
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What narrative purpose does the Flood story fulfill?

In the Epic of Atrahasis and Epic of Gilgamesh flood myth, the gods are rash, foolish, even weak. Genesis copies most of the myth. And although it's sanitized quite a bit, some actions seem to be ...
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In which country is the Garden of Eden located?

Genesis 2:15(NIV) The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. I'm curious to know, now, in which which country is the Garden of Eden located? ...
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Why did God create the Heavens and the Earth?

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Why? Does the Bible state a reason anywhere?
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Where do Catholics believe the historical narrative of the Bible begins?

I heard on the Relevant Radio recently that the Genesis account of the deluge is prehistorical. Meaning, it wasn't really recorded in histories the way other more specific accounts of historical ...
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What did the carnivores/predators eat on the Ark?

It's something that has stumped me since I was a kid: What did the carnivores/predators eat on the Ark? Did Noah also round up sufficient vegetation to feed all of the animals? Or did they somehow ...
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While on Noah's Ark, did the animals remain celibate?

While on Noah's Ark, did the animals remain celibate? If the elephants, rhinos, or giraffes, for instance, did not remain celibate, I'd imagine that things could get pretty hectic and pretty crowded ...
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Did Adam and Eve understand death? What did death mean to them?

This answer says that the serpent convinced Eve to eat the apple to avoid death by saying "surely not die". Since they are described as the first people that existed, what could death mean to them?
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How much of Genesis 2 *actually* occurred? [closed]

Building on this question... How much of Genesis 2 actually occurred? And how do historians/biblical scholars know that it occurred?
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Why we do we “know” that Joseph wasn't Hyksos?

According to the ancient historian, Mantheo, the fifteenth dynasty of Egypt were a people known as the Hyksos, literally the "rulers of foreign countries" or, as sometimes been translated "the ...
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How did Noah preserve fresh water fish?

How did Noah prevent fresh water fish from dying when salt water inundated inland waterways during the claimed floods? I'm not sure which Christian doctrines take the literalist position but what is ...
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How did the world get populated according to Bible?

Adam and Eve had only three sons (Cain, Abel, and Seth), but no daughters: how did the world get populated?
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Why was Tamar more righteous than Judah?

Genesis 38 tells the story of Judah and Tamar. At first Tamar was married to Er (Judah's firstborn son) but he was wicked and killed by the Lord v6-7. So Judah tells Tamar to wait until his youngest ...

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