Genesis Interpretation refers to the range of approaches taken to reading and understanding the Book of Genesis, particularly its opening chapters (Genesis 1-11), which describe the creation of the universe, the origin of humanity, the Fall, the Flood, and the early genealogies of mankind. Interpretive approaches vary chiefly along an axis of literalism versus figurative or allegorical reading, and the question carries implications for theology, the relationship between religion and science, and the age of the universe. The genre of the text itself-whether historical narrative, theological poetry, ancient Near Eastern myth, or some combination-is contested, and this question underlies much of the broader debate; see genesis-interpretation-literary-genre-debate.
Approaches to Genesis interpretation are commonly grouped by how they treat two linked questions: whether the six “days” (Hebrew yom) of creation in Genesis 1 are ordinary 24-hour periods, and whether the early chapters of Genesis describe historical events. Young Earth creationism holds that Earth and lifeforms were created by supernatural acts of the Abrahamic God between about 10,000 and 6,000 years ago, based on a literal reading of the six creation days and of the genealogies in Genesis. Old Earth creationism, by contrast, holds that the six “days” in Genesis are not ordinary 24-hour days but may represent much longer periods, an interpretation pursued through approaches such as day-age creationism, gap creationism, and the framework hypothesis. Allegorical interpretations treat elements of the Genesis narrative as symbols or types rather than as a literal record of historical events, while still treating the text as canonical scripture with spiritual significance. Theistic evolution, a related position, generally treats Genesis 1-2 as conveying theological rather than scientific or historical claims, with its content understood in light of ancient Near Eastern literary conventions.
Both literal and non-literal readings have ancient roots. Philo of Alexandria was the first commentator to make extensive use of allegory in interpreting the Bible, and medieval rationalist philosophers such as Maimonides held that a literal reading of Genesis was not required, arguing that scripture should be interpreted in light of well-established findings of natural philosophy. Augustine of Hippo interpreted the six days of creation allegorically, a reading that also influenced Gregory the Great, Bede, and Isidore of Seville, alongside other patristic figures such as Origen, Clement of Alexandria, and possibly Basil the Great. Answers in Genesis and other contemporary young Earth organizations dispute this characterization of Augustine, arguing that he held other views consistent with a young Earth (a young chronology, a literal Adam and Eve, a global Flood) while differing from young Earth creationism only on whether the days themselves were literal or allegorical. Fuller historical treatment, including the rise of modern Young Earth creationism after the 1961 publication of The Genesis Flood by John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris, appears at genesis-interpretation-history.
Interpretation of Genesis also varies across and within religious traditions. Young Earth creationists trace some roots of their view to medieval Jewish commentary, such as that of Ibn Ezra, though modern Jewish theologians generally reject literal interpretations of the text. Some commentators note that Ultra-Orthodox Jewish opinion is itself divided on the matter, though this point is less extensively documented than the broader claim about modern Jewish theology generally. Nahmanides argued that a literal reading of the creation account produces internal non-sequiturs and that the account symbolically refers to spiritual concepts transmitted privately among advanced scholars, while Kabbalistic sources describe cosmic cycles of creation (shmitot) in this connection. The Baháʼí Faith adheres to an allegorical reading of the Adam and Eve narrative, holding it to contain symbolic rather than literal meaning.