"This is suggested at once by the circumstance that, throughout the _first_ narrative, the Creator is always spoken of by the name Elohim (God), whereas, throughout the _second_ account, as well as the story of the Fall, he is always called Jehovah Elohim (Lord God), except when the writer seems to abstain, for some reason, from placing the name Jehovah in the mouth of the serpent.[6:14] This accounts naturally for the above contradictions. It would appear that, for some reason, the productions of two pens have been here united, without any reference to their inconsistencies."[6:15]
Dr. Kalisch, who does his utmost to maintain--as far as his knowledge of the truth will allow--the general historical veracity of this narrative, after speaking of the _first_ account of the Creation, says:
"But now the narrative seems not only to pause, but to go backward. The grand and powerful climax seems at once broken off, and a languid repetition appears to follow. _Another cosmogony is introduced, which, to complete the perplexity, is, in many important features, in direct contradiction to the former._
"_It would be dishonesty to conceal these difficulties. It would be weakmindedness and cowardice. It would be flight instead of combat. It would be an ignoble retreat, instead of victory. We confess there is an apparent dissonance._"[6:16]
"The account of the Creation from the hand of the _Priestly author_ is utterly different from the _other narrative_, beginning at the fourth verse of Genesis ii. Here we are told that God created Heaven and Earth in six days, and rested on the _seventh_ day, obviously with a view to bring out the holiness of the Sabbath in a strong light."
Now that we have seen there are two different and contradictory accounts of the Creation, to be found in the first two chapters of Genesis, we will endeavor to learn if there is sufficient reason to believe they are copies of _more ancient legends_.
We have seen that, according to the first account, God divided the work of creation into _six_ days. This idea agrees with that of the ancient _Persians_.
The Zend-Avesta--the sacred writings of the Parsees--states that the Supreme being Ahuramazdâ (Ormuzd), created the universe and man in _six_ successive periods of time, in the following order: First, the Heavens; second, the Waters; third, the Earth; fourth, the Trees and Plants; fifth, Animals; and sixth, Man. After the Creator had finished his work, he rested.[7:2]