Episode Details

What does "In the beginning" mean in Genesis 1-2 (KJV)? Thomas "Paranoid American" reads Genesis on its own terms, with Hebrew wordplay, gematria and hard questions.
Straight Bible Interview Sessions with Thomas "Paranoid American," hosted by Matt Hepner and TopLobsta.

This is the start of a book-by-book run through the Bible with Thomas of Paranoid American Comics, working through Genesis 1 and 2 read aloud from the King James. Thomas read Genesis as if it were the only book in front of him; Matt and TopLobsta answer from the rest of Scripture and keep coming back to one point: knowing God matters more than winning a doctrine fight.

Topics include whether God is limited to three dimensions, whether it matters if Genesis is literal history, sola scriptura and the Book of Enoch, what the word "in" implies in "In the beginning," tohu va bohu and Isaiah 45:18 ("he created it not in vain"), gematria, the Bible code and the golden ratio, the Spirit moving on the waters, Adam and adamah, light before the sun, the greater and lesser lights, the pattern of sevens, the image of God, "after his kind," two creation accounts, the Sabbath ("made for man," Mark 2:27), man becoming a living soul, naming the animals, Eve from the rib, the two trees, and whether "the fall" and original sin are in Genesis. Next time: Genesis 3.

Questions answered
• Is it heresy to say God is not limited to three dimensions? (6:22)
• Does it matter if Genesis is literal history? (16:03)
• What does "In the beginning" mean in Genesis 1, Verse 1? (26:30)
• Did the earth "become" without form and void? (31:57)
• Why is light created before the sun? (1:01:57)
• Are there two creation accounts in Genesis? (1:34:16)
• Is original sin in Genesis? (2:14:03)

Related Straight Bible studies
• Previous sit-down with Thomas: Paranoid American Book Review Pt 2: https://youtu.be/KMwmp6U-Pps
• Paranoid American Book Review Pt 1 (A Woman Rides the Beast): https://youtu.be/KOa-3Qz9now
• Interview Sessions playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playli...

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Chapters
0:00 Book by Book Through the Bible, Starting With Genesis
3:28 How Do You Read Genesis on Its Own Terms?
6:22 Is God Limited to Three Dimensions?
16:03 Does It Matter if Genesis Is Literal History?
20:38 Sola Scriptura, Hebrew Wordplay and the Book of Enoch
26:30 What Does "In the Beginning" Mean? (Genesis 1, Verse 1)
31:57 Tohu va Bohu: Did the Earth Become Void? (Isaiah 45, Verse 18)
43:34 Gematria, the Bible Code and the Golden Ratio
52:35 The Spirit Moved Upon the Waters (Genesis 1, Verse 2)
1:01:57 Why Is There Light Before the Sun? (Genesis 1, Verses 3-19)
1:06:07 Greater and Lesser Lights, Freemasons and Prosperity
1:11:33 Why Seven? The Pattern of Creation
1:19:19 What Is the Image of God in Hebrew?
1:25:40 "After His Kind" (Genesis 1, Verses 20-25)
1:34:16 Let Us Make Man: Two Creation Accounts? (Genesis 1, Verses 26-31)
1:43:39 God Rested: The Sabbath (Genesis 2, Verses 1-3)
1:53:51 Man Became a Living Soul (Genesis 2, Verses 4-7)
2:02:12 Naming the Animals and Eve From the Rib