GEN
1:26
| JERUSALEM
BIBLE |
(ALTERNATIVE
GENESIS) |
|
God
said, 'Let us make man in our image, in the likeness of
ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the
sea, the birds of heaven and all the reptiles that crawl
upon the earth.'
|
The
Shining Onessaid, 'We must produce men in our image
- in the likeness of ourselves - so that they may be responsible
for the fish in the reservoir [inland waters], the birds
on the Heights, and for all the cattle that are so abundant
in the land'.
|
In the
above alternative, we have attempted to put right an error that
has confused mankind for far too long. We know from later passages
in Genesis, and from Sumerian and Akkadian accounts, that the
intention in genetically hybridising men, was to put them to
work in the Garden in Eden (Kharsag) to assist the Shining
Onesin their agriculture and husbandry.
The root
= rdhis ambiguous; it could have meant 'rule' or 'govern'
(and so 'be masters of'), which is the sense in which the biblical
translators have accepted it; but it could also have meant 'take
into one's own hands'. An example of this is JE 5:31- 'the priests
take into their own hands whatever they please'. An alternative
to this phrase is assume responsibility forwhich, in
our view, is the more likely translation.
Men were
not intended, in an all-embracing sense, to rule over(or
be masters of)the whole animal kingdom. At Kharsag, men
were intended to take responsibility for the good management
of the fish and birds, and the domestic animals which were so
important to the Shining Ones.
We have
heard the slaughter of animals - and even the case for scientific
experimentation on animals - justified by the biblical authority
apparently invested in this verse. But we cannot emphasise too
strongly that any such authority is based on a very dubious
premise leading from a doubtful translation.
