The opening verse of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), reveals the origin of the universe and life. However, what is the implication of the word “beginning”? Does it merely signify the start of time? Many biblical scholars have delved into this question. In ancient texts and early Christian interpretations, “the beginning” does not necessarily refer to an absolute starting point.
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In fact, by exploring various other books of the Bible, we discover that God’s creation began not with the formation of the heavens and the earth, but much earlier. A notable example is found in Proverbs 8:22-26: “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth.” The Scriptures explicitly reveal that wisdom existed before the birth of the universe.
Hence, many ancient writings mention that in the descriptions of God’s first creation, God first created wisdom before everything else. As stated in the Wisdom of Ben Sira, “Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me.” Besides, some early exegetical scholars state that wisdom existed much earlier than the creation of the entire universe. “Moreover, wisdom...even before the creation of the universal world; nor is it lawful or possible for anyone to decide on such a matter but God alone, and those who love wisdom with guilelessness, and sincerity and truth.” (Judeaus, 1991, pp. 849-850)
If the Scriptures indeed demonstrate the existence of wisdom before everything took shape, it naturally raises the question: did wisdom play a crucial role in the subsequent process of creation? The hypothesis is affirmatively supported by many books of the Bible. For instance, in Jeremiah 10:12, it says that “But God made the earth by his power, he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.” Similarly, Psalms 104:24 praises: “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you make them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” Proverbs 3:19 also directly states, “By wisdom God laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place.” These Scriptures clearly reveal that wisdom existed before God created the heavens and earth, and emphasize its indispensability in the creation process. The power of wisdom runs through every corner of the universe. Whether in the grandeur of creation or the tiniest details, it stands as the cornerstone of order and beauty. Wisdom penetrates the entire universe, laying a solid foundation for its harmony and splendor.
Hence, due to these verses, many biblical scholars have reason to assert that “wisdom existed before the Creation”, even playing a certain role as the world was created. For example, the Wisdom of Solomon mentions, “it was a copy of the holy tent which you prepared from the beginning. With you is Wisdom, she who knows your works, she who was present when you made the world; she understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what agrees with your commandments.” Likewise, Philo used a hypophora in his writing: “And who is to be considered the daughter of God but Wisdom, who is the first-born mother of all things.” (Judeaus, 1953, p. 381) Wisdom is not only viewed as God’s first creation, but also has a special connection with the sixth day of creating humans. The early Church Fathers’ writings record, “You gave direction to Your Wisdom, and formed a reasonable creature as the citizen of the world, saying, ‘let us make man after our image, and after our likeness.’” (Schaff, 1886, p. 466) Some non-canonical literature similarly refers to, “I command my wisdom to create humans on the sixth day.” (Huang, 2002, p. 140)
These ancient texts and exegetical traditions profoundly underscore the dual role wisdom plays in the process of creation: it not only existed before the creation of the world, but also played a crucial role in the formation of humans. This understanding highlights the central position of wisdom in God’s creation plan, while revealing its decisive influence in shaping humans -- the most complex and valuable beings in the universe.
However, if wisdom existed before God created all things and indeed participated in the entire creation process, why does the Genesis seem to omit this crucial element? Why is there no direct mention of its existence or significance in the narrative? Why doesn’t the Book begin with “In the beginning, God created wisdom, followed by the heavens and the earth”? These questions invite deeper contemplation. The author may have chosen this narrative style for specific reasons. Was the intention to deliberately omit the role of wisdom to maintain a sense of mystery, or to encourage readers to discover the secret of wisdom’s role in the creation on their own? Or does it mean that the role of wisdom has already been exquisitely woven into the metaphors and symbols of the biblical texts, requiring those who devote themselves to deeper reflection and interpretation to grasp its essence?
These questions ignite contemplation among biblical scholars, and their research offers some answers. A surprising coincidence caught their attention: in Proverbs 8:22, the wisdom declares: “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old.” The Scripture stands in striking contrast to the opening verse in Genesis, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. From the perspective of some exegetcial scholars, this is not a coincidence, but rather an exquisitely designed hint. They suggest that the “beginning” in Genesis probably does not merely refer to the start of time; instead, it is a metaphor for wisdom. If wisdom is described as the starting point of God’s work of creation, then the “beginning” in other Scriptures could be interpreted as a representation of wisdom, a concise expression of God’s creative acts.
In other words, if Proverbs suggests that wisdom is God’s primary work, then the term “beginning” in other Scriptures likely refers to wisdom. In this context, the “beginning” symbolizes not only the start of time, but also the commencement of creation, during which wisdom played an instrumenting role. This provides a new interpretation of Genesis 1:1, suggesting that “God uses wisdom to create the heavens and the earth”. This understanding is supported by evidence in ancient literature, as some translations and exegetical traditions connect the concept of “beginning” with wisdom to highlight the pivotal role of wisdom in God’s creation.
In some ancient Aramaic literature, there is a translation that reads, “In the beginning and in great wisdom, God created and finished the heavens and the earth.” This shows that ancient Jewish scholars believed that wisdom was involved in the act of creation. Additionally, the Jerusalem Talmud translates the “beginning” as “with wisdom”, implying that in this version, wisdom is regarded as a key factor in God’s creation of the heavens and the earth. Furthermore, Philo’s writings mention various titles and names for holy wisdom: “For he calls that holy and heavenly wisdom by many names; and he shows that it has many titles; he calls it the beginning, image, and manifestation of God.” This further echoes the opinions of some ancient biblical scholars, who believed that the “beginning” in Genesis signified not only the start of time but also the idea that God created the world through wisdom.
Certainly, Christians today may present some opposing ideas. They view the concurrence of the “beginning” in both Genesis 1:1 and Proverbs 8:22 as merely coincidental, and as the Scripture clearly states, it directly signifies the start of the heavens and the earth. So, how do contemporary biblical scholars interpret this verse in light of this understanding? Kenneth A. Mathews, a prominent biblical scholar, explains that “beginning” not only symbolizes the commencement of the world’s creation, but also implies the end of the universe and human history. It represents the start and foretells the “end”.
In the Old Testament, “the beginning” often comes together with “the end”, representing a complete period of time. The correlation of these two terms suggests that the creation of the world was intended for a future purpose, the end. Therefore, prophets and disciples described the end as “new heavens and new earth”. The creation story in Genesis proclaims that God, as the sovereign, knows and controls “the end” from the “beginning”. The author of Genesis expounds the “beginning” from the perspectives of its lexical meaning, time dimension, and God’s ultimate plan.
Some biblical scholars elaborate on the term in the context of God’s sovereignty, thus implying that it involves more than a matter of time. This thematic variation emerges in Isaiah 40 and the subsequent verses, revealing that the “beginning” gives birth to the “end”, and that the entire process unfolds before the God of the “beginning” and the “end”.
So whose understanding comes closer to the original meaning of the biblical texts: that of ancient exegetes or today’s biblical interpreters? There is no absolute answer to this question. Ancient exegetes often overlooked interpretations that might align more closely with the textual facts, opting instead for explanations that seemed less likely. This tendency was largely influenced by their cultural contexts, prevailing thoughts (such as Greek culture, Near Eastern culture, philosophical schools, and other contemporary ideas, etc.), which prompted them to look for validation within biblical texts. In some cases, they deliberately deviated from the Scripture’s literal explanations to explore deeper biblical truths.
It should be noted that behind these explanations lies a fundamental principle: the belief that each verse of the Bible is extremely sacred and meticulously recorded. In other words, no sentence or passage in the Bible is accidental or meaningless. This serves as a reminder for today’s Christians that every aspect of the biblical texts deserves deep study and reflection -- even the word “beginning” in both Genesis 1:1 and Proverbs 8:22 should not be simply seen as mere coincidence. Thus, ancient biblical interpreters viewed their work of expounding Scripture as a sacred mission, with considerable freedom in their interpretations. Once realizing that deeper research is required to unveil the full meaning, we can leave space for understanding those seemingly eccentric explanations.
Ancient biblical expositors’ multi-dimensional interpretations of “beginning” enlighten today’s work of expounding Scripture. For contemporary exegetes, it is not merely a continuation of knowledge, but also a spiritual inspiration. We should inherit this meticulous attitude to expound Scripture, continually exploring its inner logic and the contemporary implications. Such efforts can not only allow us to better comprehend biblical truths, but also successfully uncover the wisdom and light of faith within our culture. With respect and gratitude for those ancient exegetical scholars, let us continue this journey of exploration and discovery, constantly elevating our faith and understanding of the Scriptures.
Author: Xu Shuaishuai
Translator: Bei Feng
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