1. The Omniscience of God

Growing up in Western culture, it is nearly impossible for one to remain unfamiliar with Christianity. In fact, Christianity—with all of its doctrines and precepts—is driven so deeply into Western thought that it is almost impossible to understand one without studying another. Almost all children born into the Western world become familiar with the Bible at an early age, and are given certain ideas about text from day one. One such ideas is that of God as an all-powerful, all-knowing creator.  However, when the text is studied in close detail, one must question whether or not the character presented to us in the book of Genesis is truly omniscient. Omniscience is defined as “having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things (1).” The protagonist is no doubt a mighty character, but is he truly all-knowing?

This question is first raised in the Garden of Eden, when Yaweh questions Adam after Man first sinned. When Adam hides from his creator, ashamed of his nakedness, God asks him where he is (Genesis 3:9). Later, after Cain murders his brother, he questions Cain about Abel’s whereabouts (Genesis 4:9). When discussing with Abraham whether or not the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah should be razed (Genesis 18), God must physically send angels to Sodom to count the number of innocents within the walls before making his decision. Why would an omniscient creator need to take such measures?

 Perhaps the most striking verse calling into question whether or not the protagonist of Genesis is truly all-knowing, however, is before the Flood, when he regrets creating the race of men. This not only implies that the protagonist might not be all-knowing, but also that he is capable of error (Genesis 6:5).  

As with so many questions about the text, there are many conflicting answers. Unfortunately, with a question so deeply rooted in theology, it is difficult to find answers from a purely literary standpoint. Many will state that the protagonist merely feigns ignorance in order to test the loyalty of his creations in much the same way a parent might interrogate a misbehaving child, even if said parent is already well aware that the child has erred (2). The protagonist’s “regret” over flooding the world might be interpreted and is in fact, in later translations, portrayed as remorse over the sin of man rather than any need to reconcile his own actions (3).

Alternatively, it is possible to interpret the text literally, taking the words of the protagonist at face value. Doing this has very different implications. From a purely literal interpretation of the text, one based more on the literature itself rather than the centuries of evolution and theology that revolve around it, it would indeed seem that the protagonist is not omniscient (4). In fact, the authors of the earliest books in the text may never have intended Yaweh to be omniscient. Rather, he seems much more akin to the other god-figures common to the authors’ time. These gods, though in possession of divine power, were by no means infallible, and perhaps it was never the author's intentions that the protagonist of our text be either. Instead of the untouchable, all-knowing, all-powerful god we view the protagonist as today, he is a character with emotions, thoughts, and regrets that make him seem strikingly human.

(1)    Dictionary.com

(2)    http://www.tektonics.org/gk/godallover.php

(3)    http://answersfromthebook.net/is-god-omniscient-if-so-why-did-he-repent-in-genesis-66-didnt-the-lord-know-that-men-would-sin/

(4)    http://www.cresourcei.org/gen18and22.htm