Genesis and Creatio ex nihilo

One of my Hebrew and Old Testament professor once said that to talk about creatio ex nihilo in the Genesis one is far to much doctrine asserted, and it is not intention of the text in the first place.But is that really the case? Well speaking fairly, of course Genesis did not focused on forming the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo per se, not also just presenting a brief history of time but primarily, talking about ''God'' who is the creator of the world. Gordon Wenham goes on saying in Rethinking Genesis 1-11, 

''The opening chapter of Genesis is majestic as it declares God's sovereign power in ordering the cosmos.''So, in one sense my professor was right. The focus is upon the ''who'' not ''how''. 

I agree that Genesis 1 cannot be read in with the spirit of science, with the lens of scientific inquiry and mechanism as if the Genesis is the text book of science-like of Hawking'. Claus Westermann argue that the narrative of Genesis does not trying to answer intellectual question like the existence of the universe yet more into existential question, on how God ordered everything so well, which give an answer for people are living in ''hostile environment''.

Yet having said that, could we says that the text can still be implicitly bring an the implication of creatio ex nihilo? Yes, in its second-order implication. So here, I will defending the notion that ''creatio ex nihilo'' is inferred as a direct consequences of knowing the ''who'' who act in the preliminary of Genesis.'' 

There are Four arguments to support the reading; 

The first argument is from the idea that the creatio ex nihilo is not an novel idea that poops out ex nihilo from nowhere, but the seed already been presented in early history of Christian thought. In one of the Jewish prayers preserved in the seventh book of the Apostolic constitutions paraphrasing Genesis and says, that God created the soul of mankind from ''nothing.'' In 2nd book of Maccabees clearly stated that God created the world out of nothing. Moreover, in the second half of century by answering the heresy, doctrine of creatio ex nihilo become crucial and was presented in the thought of Irenaeus. 

Second, it has implicit support from the other text of the Bible. If we read the passage from Romans 4:17 where Paul says that God calls into being the things that are not, and also from the passage Hebrews 11:3 where it says that the visible derived from invisible, then as we apply a reformed principle of Scripture interpret Scripture [scriptura sui ipsius interpres], then, it is logical to assume that Genesis 1 present God who created everything from nothing [former matter], although we can still he created from something which is ''out of his love.''

Psalms 90 also imply that before everything in the world exits, God is [''Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God'']. Thus, we can say with the lens of other text, Genesis text might presupposes the concept of creatio ex nihilo besides it gives the idea of eternity. Psalmist agree that Creation is not created from pre-existing material but from the everlasting God. 

Third, for me, this is the strongest argument of all and it is the argument from the polemic nature of Genesis. The first and second argument can show how actually the creatio ex nihilo is implied from the biblical theology of the Bible but not necessarily support the evidence for the author intention of presenting the ''How'' as narrated in the text. But if we see how the author wrote with ''polemical nature'' in the Genesis to show that the God of Israel is greater than ancient gods such conclusion is not gibberish.

To produce a world, Babylonian Myth show how their gods must fight each other.And eventually created the world from the dead corpse of the death god [Marduk vs Tiamat]. In Genesis, no such fight, everything created in peace by God's word. Also, If in the Egyptian believe sun as the ultimate God and If Ancient Summerian believe in Moon-God, Nanna and Sun-God, Utu then YHWH is definitely greater then the primitive gods. He created the moon and the sun, according to Genesis account. 

So base on this polemical reading, we can assume that God who created the world in Genesis [different from the gods of ancient world] created creation out of nothing, which make him greater than creation.

In addition from three arguments above presented, there is also the fourth argument, and its from the linguistic perspective. The world bara as John Calvin says in his commentary of Genesis imply the doctrine of creatio ex nihillo, ''When God in the beginning created the heaven and the earth, the earth was empty and waste. He moreover teaches by the word ''created'' that what before did not exists now made, for he has not use the term yastar, which signifies to frame of forms but bara, which signifies to create. Therefore, his meaning is, that the world was made out of nothing.''  In line with Calvin, Scholars like Gerhard von Rad also support the idea that bara as creating out of nothing since nowhere the word bara used to describe human activity of creating (must from something).

After presenting the arguments, at the end, people may ask, why defending this doctrine, is it so crucial? Moses Arama the great jewish 15th  century theologian says, ''creatio ex nihilo as the most important dogma of religion, for all other religious beliefs are grounded in the doctrine of creation.'' And of course, beyond doubt its crucial to defend this doctrine. By affirming to the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo, we then clearly affirms that our understanding of creation is totally different from the Pantheistic, New-Age, Scientism and any sort of worldview that plainly differs as they holds ghastly that God is equal to creation or creation is raised highly on the same level as God. Indeed, the God of Genesis, does not share His throne and existence. That is why, this truth should shake us to joy! 

One writer wrote, ''everything God does is a surprise. First, creation. There is no need for this. It is an utter superfluity. No pagan ever conceived the idea of the creation of all being out of nothing.''