Nevertheless, underlying almost all these variations is the belief, which I suggest is central to Judaism in this period, that evil is not an essential part of creation, but is the result of a distortion within a basically good created order. As a result of this distortion, humans have lost the glory of the creator, that is, the wise stewardship of creation. Israel’s vocation is to be the agent of the creator god in restoring to the world that which it has lost.
