A God Apart in Genesis

In Understanding Genesis, Nahum Sarna argues that a critical distinction between Genesis and the stories of contemporary pagan societies is that Genesis is not myth. Myth is associated with ritual. The story happened once upon a time, but continues to influence the world. Thus, rituals re-enact the myth as “imitative magic,” reactivating the events of the myth, effecting “the periodic renewal and revitalization of nature and so [assuring] the prosperity of the community.” (7)

That is not part of Genesis.

Genesis simply takes the existence of God for granted. There…