Abstract
This paper defends a novel interpretation of Genesis 1 that facilitates resolution of the apparent contradiction between science, which holds that the universe is twenty billion years old, and the traditional interpretation of Genesis 1, which posits that the world is six thousand years old. The primary contribution of this paper is the introduction of a comprehensive methodology of symbolic interpretation that allows objective evaluation of whether a text is symbolic. using these symbolic methods, we defend the position that Genesis 1 does not describe the creation of the physical world, but rather describes the creation of prophecy-in other words, the primary intent of Genesis 1 through 3 is to inform us that six thousand years ago the first communication form G-d to a human happened to a person named Adam.