Genesis and power: An analysis of the biblical story of creation

This essay suggests that power be conceived as a dialectic of “authorship” and “authority.” Interest in understanding the rhetorical power of sacred texts is blended with interest in explaining the cultural origins of Anglo‐American social order. Because it is inherently persuasive, and because it became the first principle of arguments for justifying hierarchy, the Biblical story of creation should be read as an archetype that circumscribes all possible power relationships in Judeo‐Christian cultures.