• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Stephen M. Miller

Award-Winning, Bestselling Christian Author

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog Features
  • Bible
  • Contact
Painting/photo of Jerusalem Temple-Casual English Bible

Myths of Genesis

Stephen M. Miller
statue of Eve
ARE YOU RIBBING ME? Sculpture of the First Lady of the human race. A lot of well-respected Bible experts say the story of God creating Eve from one of Adam’s ribs is a myth—one of many myths in the Bible’s Creation story. But many Christians – perhaps most – choke on the word myth. Sculpture by Paul Dubois. Photo by Thesupermat, Wikimedia, CC 3.

YOU CAN GET IN TROUBLE using the words myth and Genesis in the same sentence.

As in “The Genesis story about God creating Eve from one of Adam’s ribs is a myth, a bit like a parable. It’s making a point, not teaching a history lesson.”

Many Bible experts, even some conservative ones, would agree with the statement I just wrote.

Revered Bible commentator Matthew Henry (1662–1714) might not have felt comfortable with the “m” word. But he did say he thought the Genesis poet had this in mind:

Eve wasn’t made out of Adam’s head, to top him,
or his feet, to get trampled on.
She was made from Adam’s side, to be equal with him;
from under his arm, to be protected by him;
and from near his heart, to be loved by him.

Just so you know, many Bible scholars are relaxed about reading some Bible stories as myths that have little to do with history and a lot to do with perception—with the way people in ancient times tried to make sense of why life is the way it is.

The scholars say they see some Bible stories as teaching something other than “one truth” about history. They say the stories, which they call myths, are teaching “many truths” about the culture of the day in which they were written.

I know, you’re probably uncomfortable with that. Please don’t shoot the messenger. But I’m seeing enough of a trend in this direction that I thought you might want to be aware of it and to think about it a bit.

Here’s an example of that brand of thinking, reported in the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

“The Eden story seeks to answer ‘present’ questions: why people wear clothes, why men have to work hard to produce food from the earth, and why women have pain in childbirth and are dominated by their husbands” (“The Multiple Truths of Myths,” by Shawna, Dolansky, adjunct professor, Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario).

In other words, the Genesis writer wasn’t quoting God. He was reverse engineering. He was starting with where he could see the world was—with people wearing clothes, working hard, and giving birth in more pain than rotator cuff surgery performed on your face. And he was brainstorming about how that might have come to be.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting you read the Bible that way. I’m saying that many people who make their living studying the Bible do.

And I’m saying you should be aware of that, since you already know that most of us wear clothes in public, work hard when the boss is watching, and ask for the strongest painkiller known to humanity when the Little One is about to arrive, larger than life.

Where NASA and the Bible agree

Now for those who feel uncomfortable with the idea that the Bible has a bunch of myths in it, you might enjoy the following counterbalance.

It’s a short video I had fun putting together for you. It’s to whet your appetite for A Visual Walk Through Genesis, coming July 1.

Bible Gateway Blogger Grid

Share this:

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...
View All Posts - Ordered by Most Recent First
« Previous
Next »

About Stephen M. Miller

STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tom Temple

    January 19, 2016 at 6:25 am

    Nice video. Some questions may never be answered. At least in this existence.

    Reply
    • Stephen M. Miller

      January 19, 2016 at 8:55 am

      Yep, I believe you got that right, Tom. Thanks.

      Reply
  2. Debbie Mitchell

    January 19, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    Your voice gets a little drowned out by the music, but it’s a really good video.

    Reply
    • Stephen M. Miller

      January 19, 2016 at 9:30 pm

      Yeah, it’s a persistent problem with my soft voice. I’ll try a wireless mic next time. This is what happens when writers experiment with other media.

      Reply
      • carmen frias

        January 21, 2016 at 11:21 pm

        It’s the first time I hear you. Somebody mentioned you and I felt drawned to see if you had a website. I found you and I think I won’t let go off you. You seem so sincere and full of God’s wisdom.
        In regard to the comments above…, you can try m
        aking the music softer in the background. What you say is so interesting, one doesn’t want to miss one word.
        May God keep using you ever so efectively . God bless you!
        Your new fried and sister in Puerto Rico, carmen

        Reply
        • Stephen M. Miller

          January 22, 2016 at 9:56 am

          Hi Carmen. You are very kind. And you are very right about the music being too loud for my soft voice. I’m teaching myself how to create videos, and I’m not a very good teacher. I’ll try to do better in the future. I may have to get a clip-on microphone, to better pick up my voice. But I’m going to make sure that the next video is easier to hear. Thanks so much for your encouraging words and your gentle advice. Peace to you.

          Reply
  3. Harvey

    April 22, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    We tend to not give the Biblical authors the benefit of a doubt, and therefore, not nearly enough credit when it comes to distinguishing writing style from writing purpose. In this way, we often overestimate the quality of historical fact (which can be altered, falsified, and even mythologized) while devaluing the truth and form of Scripture.

    As we live our lives, seeking lessons in historical fact and meaning in present reality, we do so with the hope of one day coming to know truth, and that truth is only revealed through Christ.

    Great video, by the way….

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Casual English Bible Website

Featured Book

Complete Guide to the Bible

Complete Guide to the Bible
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Christian Book Distributor
Buy from Google Play

Latest Posts

  • I do one thing better than God May 27, 2025
  • When our faith glitches May 5, 2025
  • Job is the right book for me now April 16, 2025

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog Features
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Copyright © 2025 · Stephen M. Miller · All Rights Reserved

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Reject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
%d