Page 50 - Foundations

These charges by opponents of “the gap theory” are false on multiple levels. Those who teach a
Genesis gap are no more likely to be evolutionists than those who do not. I personally believe in a
literal six days of creation. Nor do those who perceive a gap to be indicated believe that the
geologists are correct in their varied claims of the earth being hundreds of millions, or billions of
years old. They simply allow that a gap of unspecified length exists in the Biblical account. Most
Bible teachers who are advocates of the ruin/reconstruction doctrine do not pretend to know how
long a gap is indicated, and they do not look to science to provide the answer.

Additionally, the ruin/reconstruction doctrine did not begin with Thomas Chalmers in the 1800s, nor
did it arise as a response to scientific claims of a much older earth. It is an ancient doctrine. One of
the most scholarly and well documented treatises in defense of the ruin/reconstruction doctrine was
authored by Arthur C. Custance. His book is titled Without Form and Void and can be read in its
entirety free of charge online. The evidence he presents makes it inexcusable for young earth
creationists to parrot the charge that “the gap theory” is a relatively new doctrine. Arthur Custance
demonstrates the great antiquity of the doctrine among both Jews and Christians. Arthur Custance
did prodigious research into this subject, and is very rational in his presentation.

To me, this issue is important, and after studying the problem for some thirty years and after reading
everything I could lay my hands on pro and con and after accumulating in my own library some 300
commentaries on Genesis, the earliest being dated 1670, I am persuaded that there is, on the basis
of the evidence, far more reason to translate Gen. 1.2 as "But the earth had become a ruin and a
desolation, etc." than there is for any of the conventional translations in our modern versions.
[Source: Without Form and Void, Arthur Custance]

I won’t repeat the extensive Hebrew grammatical evidence that Custance presents on this subject.
Those who are interested can view his book online.

http://www.custance.org/Library/WFANDV/

Custance reveals that the ruin/reconstruction doctrine was held among the Jews as far back as the
time of the apostles. He also cites references from among the early church fathers who taught this
view.