The Origin of Man

I present an explanation of the first two chapters of Genesis and how the story may have been originally written. It will address what the problem the author was likely addressing, how his first listeners likely would have understood it, why this material was preserved as sacred, and how I would understand and use this material in the light of the modern world.

Let me begin with a quote from The New Age Bible Interpretation, Old Testament – Volume I: “The Watchers approach the Creator, The hour has struck for a new Cosmic Dawn, for a new Day. The time has come for Cosmos to awaken after night. God smiled, and His laughter thrilled through space and His word called forth into the light the new dawn from out of the primeval darkness in the new world space. – Hermes Trismegistus (Helene, (1978) pg. 1).

From Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” 

From How to Understand Your Bible, A Philosopher’s Interpretation of Obscure and Puzzling Passages: “Like the Christian revelation, the Old Testament in the Mosaic tradition sets forth under the guise of history an elaborate metaphysical system derived directly from the older Egyptian lore, indirectly from Chaldea, Phoenicia and India.” (Hall, pg. 10).

From Let There Be Light, The Old Testament Metaphysically Interpreted: “The Hebrews, being closely related to the Babylonians, apparently “borrowed” certain traditions from them and used these as the basis for their own more enlightened conception of God and man. For instance, the 1st chapter of Genesis shows a striking similarity to the Babylonian story of creation as recorded in cuneiform tablets found by archaeologists in 1872 when the library of Ashurbanipal, an Assyrian monarch of the seventh century B.C., was unearthed.

The older account of creation, given in the 2nd chapter of Genesis, was the first attempt of Hebrew authors to explain man’s origin. Some writer, or perhaps a group of writers, in the middle of the ninth century B.C. wrote this more primitive account that is a part of the “J” or Jehovist document.” (Turner, 1996, pg. 13-14).

The mythic short story of creation in Chapter 1 and 2 of Genesis by the Hebrews was taken from the story of creation of other lands and cultures and abbreviated. The creation story, as originally known, was probably not written at all in the beginning, but  was known as an oral tradition in the mystery schools of Egypt, Greece and Babylon by the Initiates and the High Priests.

Beginning with the second Chapter of Genesis is manifestation of man and an understanding of self consciousness and a separation from God instead of the Oneness with God which was known to Spiritual man as may be implied in Chapter 1 of Genesis.

The detailed account of the origin of man are written about in Cosmic Memory, prehistory of Earth and Man, by Rudolf Steiner and by Arthur L. Conger, editor, in  The Dialogues of G. de Purucker (in 3 Volumes). These detailed accounts describe the evolution of man from mineral, to plant, to animal to the present day human during the Saturn, Sun, Moon and Earth Periods.

“While it may seem too obvious for comment that the Creative Days of Genesis account are vast periods of time and not brief hours of solar days, it is a fact that a literal interpretation at this point has given rise to a popular misconception that has proved prejudicial to the truth as it is set forth in the Scriptures and as expounded by science.”

“The formula for the creation of all things from atom to universe is stated at the very beginning: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2.) This is descriptive of the process by which the formless takes on form, the infinite becomes finite. It is Cosmic Knowing descending into time and space.” (Helene, (1978) pg. 2).

“In this First Day man, the monad, issued forth from the heart of the Creator in a purely spiritual state. His condition then was too far attenuated to be discernable by the physical faculties we now possess. He was a golden shadow emanating from the Great Light. These first humans were androgynous: “Male and female created he them.” (Helene, (1978) pg. 3).

“The first of these seven epochs is the Polarian. It recapitulated conditions of the first or Saturn Period, which correlated with the First Day of Creation. The second Epoch is called the Hyperborean. It recapitulated the work of the Second Day or Sun Period.” (Helene, (1978) pg. 6).

From a special class in the Secret Doctrine in appreciation of H.P.B. (Madam Blavatsky): “There were no really human creatures as we know them upon the planet until about 18,000,000 years ago. At approximately that time Lohintange, the Fire Lord of Mars, separated the sexes. (This is the origin of the story concerning Adam’s rib). This was during the Lemurian Race, while the Earth was still covered with the water mist… This was the beginning of man.” (Hall, pg 8).

From Cosmic Memory: “The division into sexes takes place when the earth enters a certain stage of its densification. The density of matter inhibits a portion of the force of reproduction. That portion of this force which is still active needs an external complementation through the opposite force of another human being. The soul however must retain a portion of its earlier energy within itself, in man as well as in woman. It cannot use this portion in the physical external world. (Steiner, (1959) pg.89).

In one of the writings of Manly P. Hall, a special class in the Secret Doctrine in appreciation of H.P.B. (Madam Blavatsky): “Spirit is androgynous, and its manifested polarity is merely the result of the fact that the same vital forces used for propagation are used for thought and mind building; therefore, in order to reproduce its kind and in that way offer further opportunities for incoming Egos and at the same time build a brain for the objectifying of the mental temperament, it was necessary to divide the life force… This process results in what is physically known as sex.” (Hall, pg. 7). 

These are examples of the wisdom that was known in the mystery schools and would likely have been shared with the Hebrew people during the captivity by the Babylonians. The short living mythic account would have been for the profane and uneducated.

The problem the author was likely addressing was the children of Israel were dispersed and scattered to all lands. After being given freedom and released by the Babylonians to return home, The prophets wanted to reunite the children of Israel into a nation. The story of Adam and Eve would have been written and distributed to the children of Israel to convince them that they had a common Mother and Father and that they should return home from these foreign lands to form a nation as one people.

The twelve tribes of Judea would have learned of this story of their common Mother and Father, along with the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and would have been influenced to return home to form the nation of Israel.

This material was preserved as sacred because it was held sacred by every nation in every land and every culture. The creation story of man’s origin was an important sacred document to all people as part of their historical and ancestral mythology.

I would understand this story in light of the modern world and use it not just as a historical / metaphorical story, but also from a metaphysical point of view.

The first chapter of Genesis tells the story of Spiritual man. The second chapter of Genesis tells the story of manifest man.

A description of man as presented in the first chapter of Genesis is from Let There Be Light, The Old Testament Metaphysically Interpreted: “The man here referred to as made in the image and likeness of God is spiritual man, the perfect idea of man in Divine Mind. Spiritual man is called Lord or Jehovah in the Old Testament and Christ in the New Testament. This is the spiritual or higher nature of all men.” (Turner, 1996, pg. 18).

The second chapter of Genesis presents the manifestation of man (and woman) in physical form. The notion of the idea occurring before manifestation is further presented in Creative Thinking, “The three recondite laws behind the fact that energy follows thought can be defined in the following manner:

1. The Law of Polarity – when the polar forces of Will and Mind are brought into a relationship with one another, the creative process begins. A magnetic  field is created within the mind by that polarity.
2. The Law of Magnetic Control – when a magnetic field is created within the mind and maintained there, mental substance is set into motion in the pattern dictated by the Will. A thought is born via magnetic control of substance.
3. The Law of Precipitation – when a thought is born, a triangle of precipitation energy has been brought into juxtaposition with the time and space. (Cedercrans, (2001) pg. 215-216).

The important lesson from the first two chapters of Genesis for the modern Initiate is to understand that thought occurs first in mind followed by manifestation. By the Force of the Divine Will all things in Mind are made manifest by the above occult laws.

From the Egyptian history comes: “As above, so below.” 

These laws were known in India and Egypt. “These words circulate throughout occult and magical circles. They are recorded in Hermetic texts, although they originated in the Vedas.

The actual text of that maxim, as translated by Dennis W. Hauck from The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, is: “That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing.” Thus, whatever happens on any level of reality (physical, emotional, or mental) also happens on every other level.” (Hauck)

Overall, this idea of man was in the Mind of God and was made manifest, just as all things are first created in Mind and then manifest according to the occult laws. This is the lesson for modern man.

Bibliography

Cedercrans, Lucille, (2001), Creative Thinking, Wisdom Impressions Publishers, Whittier, California, pg. 215-216

Conger, Arthur L., editor, (1948), The Dialogues of G. de Purucker (in 3 Volumes),Theosophical University Press, Pasadena, California

Helene, Corinne, (1978) The New Age Bible Interpretation, Old Testament – Volume I, New Age Press, Los Angeles, pg. 1 – 3, 6

Hall, Manly P., How to Understand Your Bible: A Philosopher’s Interpretation of Obscure and Puzzling Passages, Philosophical Research Society, Inc. Los Angeles, pg. 10

Hall, Manly P., Special Class in Secret Doctrine in appreciation of H.P.B. (Madam Blavatsky), Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, pg 7, 8

Hauck, Dennis W., The Emerald Tablets of Hermes Trismegistus, August 23, 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeticism#.22As_above.2C_so_below.22

Steiner, Rudolf, (1959), Cosmic Memory, Rudolf Steiner Publications, Inc., Englewood, New Jersey, pg. 89

The Holy Bible (King James) Version, (1997), The National Publishing Company, pg. 2

Turner, Elizabeth Sand, (1996), Let There Be Light, The Old Testament Metaphysically Interpreted, Unity Books, Unity Village, Missouri, pg. 13-14