1.  Prologue, 1:1-2:3

Hermeneutics
There is no indication that it should be read as myth or parable.  There is no framework to speak toward that interpretation.  A parable never explains in terms of itself, it is drawn from something else. Romans 5 and 1 Timothy 2 take Genesis 2 literally.

Literary Structure
1:1-2:3 forms the first section of Genesis.  2:1-3 echoes 1:11 by reintroducing the same phrases but in reverse order.  The "He created God heavens and earth" of 1:1 reappear as "heavens and earth" (2:1), "God" (2:2), "He created" (2:3)

Comments on Text, 1:1-2:3 (Highlights of Notes)
The syntax and context demand absolute beginning.  The so-called "gap theory" is not tenable with the syntax of the following verses.
Create:  only used of God (46x), never of man.  When it has an object, it never indicates pre-existent material out of which it takes creation.  It used for universe, mankind, something new and wonderful (Isaiah 48:6-7; 65:17), the people of Israel.  The stress is on the freedom and power of the subject of create.  That God creates means that there is order.  He did not create chaos (Isaiah 45:18).  Creatio ex nihilo is no problem here, only when Hebrew and Hellenistic cultures meet.  In Genesis 1 word and deed are not separable or mutually exclusive.
God:  This word is not simply synonymous with English "God" as an abstract philosophical concept.  God in Genesis 1 is one who speaks and acts.  His reality is seen in that He acts;  He cannot be conceived apart from His works.
Separation:  What God has distinguished man may not confuse (Leviticus 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:9-11).  Order and not chaos is the mark of God's creative ability and creation, reflecting God himself.  While we tend to be overly or preoccupied with scientific questions, we must also address this fundamental concern:  that an amoral stance could be adopted toward the natural order.  Things are the way the are because God made it so, and men and women should accept His decree.
Bless:  Blessing follows creating (1:22), as in 1:28, 2:3; 5:2.  A divine blessing follows God's benevolent work of creating.  Blessing is connected with fruitfulness (Deuteronomy 28:1-4).  Blessing and not success is the emphasis in Scripture.
Image of God:  Image makes man God's representative on earth.  That man rules supports this.  Psalm 8 describes man in royal terms.  Honor and honor are divine terms (Psalms 29:14; 90:16, etc), but applied to man.  Dominion is a kingly function (Psalms 72:8; 110:2).  Man is vice-regent over creation;  this fits in very well with priestly nation and royal priesthood.  Might Exodus 25:40 suggest that man is a copy of Jesus?  And might Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 support this?

Theses of Confessing Genesis 1-2:3
God  
Theses
* There is only one God.
* God is asexual.
Man  
Theses
* The creation of man was the high point of creation.
* Man was created good.
* Man rules over created order, and so all serves him;  a corollary is that man is the responsible steward set over creation.
* Man alone has the divine image, therefore he has inherent value.
* Sabbath is for man's benefit.
* The origin of man is of necessity a matter of divine revelation.
* Man was created to live in an I-Thou relationship.
Created Order
Theses
* God created through His all-powerful word
* Matter is neither eternal nor self-generating.
* The universe is neither autonomous nor closed.
* Creation came into existence in an orderly fashion.
* God's purposes in creation were good and the created order is inherently good.
* Order continues in creation because of God's command and rule.
* He is a God of order, materially and morally.
* God is supra-historical, yet creation reflects God and declares His glory.
* God sets boundaries;  He divides and separates, and there are orders for everything.  order and system built into creation (repeating formulae, tendency to group words into tens and sevens, chiasms and inclusio, matching groups demonstrate this.)
* The created order brings forth its fruit in response to God's controlling hand and word of command.
* It is important for humanity to render to God praise, keeping in mind the Sabbath.
* In Genesis the animals are creatures God created.
* Genesis strictly avoids using the names of the sun and moon;  the sun, moon and stars are lamps which God has set in place to provide light and divide time.
History  
Thesis
* History has a beginning, and is directed toward an end.


Antitheses
* There are many gods.
* There are female and male deities.


Antithesis
* Man was an afterthought, created to do the gods' dirty work;  his existence is utilitarian.







Antitheses
* God used pre-existing material in the process of creation.
* Creation came into existence as the result of an initial chaotic struggle among the gods.  For example, Ancient Near East cosmogonies ("creation accounts") describe the struggle to separate the upper waters from lower waters.
* Continuing order in creation depends upon the rituals men perform.  Humanity's manipulation of the gods through sexual rites in the fertility cults moves nature to provide her bounty.
* In ANEC dragons are rivals whom Canaanite gods conquer.
* In ANEC the heavenly lamps are deities people must worship.
* Whether, or how, one worships God is matter of personal choice.











Antithesis
* History is locked into a closed repetitious cycle that goes nowhere.

Any connection between Genesis 1-2 and extra-biblical accounts, such as Enuma elish (Mesopotamian) and Atrahasis (Egyptian), are not a demythologization but rather a polemical repudiation of those accounts, a deliberate rejection of non-Israelite stories.
Genesis 1-2 reinforces the significance and privilege of worship;  the God whom Israel adores is the Creator of heaven and earth.  The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is no localized deity or tribal deity but the sovereign Lord of whole earth.  All the stories that follow are of cosmic significance.
Genesis 1-2 is not meant to set science and theology against each other;  instead, biblical wisdom should tell us that they are complimentary.  Atheistic strategies and philosophies can never supply man with what he needs or how he should see himself.