BOB – Genesis

by Stephen Rodgers

GENESIS IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“God creates the world and chooses a special people.”

TITLE

The English title “Genesis” comes from the Greek word (geneseos) meaning “origins,” whereas the Hebrew title is derived from the Bible’s very first word (bereshith), translated “in the beginning.” Either way, Genesis can rightly be thought of as the “book of beginnings.”

As previously mentioned, it is sometimes referred to as the “First Book of Moses.”

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

The author of Genesis is not explicitly stated, but both Jewish and Christian traditions attribute the five books of the Pentateuch primarily to Moses, while acknowledging that minor revisions were posthumously added.

Furthermore, both the OT (Ex 17:14; Num 33:2; Jos 8:31; 1Ki 2:3; 2Ki 14:6; Ezr 6:18; Neh 13:1; Dan 9:11,13; Mal 4:4) and the NT (Matt 8:4; Mk 12:26; Lk 16:29; 24:27, 44; Jn 5:46; 7:22; Ac 15:1; Ro 10:19; 1Co 9:9; 2Co 3:15) credit Moses as the author.

For more information, see the “Author and Composition” section of the Pentateuch article.

The original audience were the post-Exodus Israelites.  Considering that many of their traditions were likely lost or corrupted during their enslavement in Egypt, Genesis  functions as a text that “sets the record straight.”

DATE

Depending on whether one subscribes to an early (ca. 1,446 BC) or late (ca. 1,260 BC) date of the Exodus would determine the time during which Genesis was written (after the Exodus but prior to Moses’ death).  (It should be noted that while good arguments have been put forth in favor of both dates, the majority of scholars surveyed for this series tended to favor an early date). In regards to the events of Genesis, Genesis 12  (Abraham) to Exodus 2 (the birth of Moses) covers 640-660 years.  In regards to the events of Genesis 1-11, there is not universal agreement among Christian scholars regarding the length of time it depicts, however it is generally understood to span a minimum of 2,000 years.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Genesis begins in eternity past (Gen 1:1), continuing with the events of Creation.

Genesis has three distinct, sequential, geographical settings, which (assuming an early date of the Exodus) can be dated accordingly:

  1. Mesopotamia (Gen 1-11: Creation to ca. 2,090 BC)
  2. the Promised Land (Gen 12-36: ca. 2,090-1,897 BC)
  3. Egypt (Gen 37-50: ca. 1,897-1,804 BC)

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

Somewhat ironically, while the literary feature of the “hero story” is prominently displayed in Genesis (see below), the central character is clearly and unapologetically God. The author makes no attempt to prove the existence of God, but simply assumes Him from the outset and proceeds to contrast Him with the alleged gods of the ANE.

  • Theologically, Genesis presents the theological foundations for a veritable slew of doctrines and themes: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, man, sin, redemption, covenant, promise, Satan and angels, firstborn, inheritance, kingdom, revelation, Israel, judgment, and blessing.
  • Genesis 1-11 (primeval history) deals primarily with the origin of the universe and the origins of various human experiences: marriage, family, the Fall, sin, redemption, judgment, and nations. It is often summarized as dealing with four great EVENTS: Creation, Fall, Flood, and Scattering.
  • Genesis 12-50 (patriarchal history) deals primarily with the origin of the nation of Israel, tracing their existance back to both “Eber” (hence “Hebrews”; Gen 10:24-25) and even more remotely to Shem (hence “Semites”; Gen 10:21). It is often summarized as dealing with four great CHARACTERS: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

LITERARY FEATURES

Genesis should be understood overall as falling within the genre of historical narrative.  However, it specifically employs a series of hero stories–episodic tales focused on a central character with whom the reader is to sympathize–with interspersed genealogies. It should be noted that while the hero story employs a central character, their actions are not consistently heroic; they are simply the human center of attention in the story.  In this way they are contrasted with God Himself, who is the only character to behave consistently throughout the narrative.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

Generally speaking, the interpretive challenges of Genesis fall into three categories:

  1. Contextual issues tend to center on specific ANE customs.  Since Genesis records events of a time and place found nowhere else in Scripture, hermeneutical issues must often be resolved primarily by referring to the immediate context, which can be difficult.
  2. Historical issues tend to center on whether events took place, or at least whether the author believed that events took place.  It should be noted however, that in and of itself, the label “history” is agnostic  in regards to whether an account is complete, unbiased, free from divine activity, in strict chronological order, or includes or excludes figurative elements.
  3. Scientific issues tend to center on how events took place. These often result in disagreements regarding the implications and precise nature of certain events, notably various theories regarding the “days” of Creation (calendar day, day-age, analogical day, literary framework, gap theory, etc.), the precise taxonomy of “kinds,” the exact extent of the Flood (local vs. global), and the existence (or lack thereof) of “gaps” in the genealogies, just to name a few. It should again be noted however, that while Genesis never purports to be a specifically “scientific” account (at least as we understand the term in our modern context), it nonetheless is unique among ANE accounts in providing a worldview in which science is both intelligible and possible.

OBJECTIONS

Objections to the composition of the Pentateuch (and their subsequent dismissal) were noted in the “Author and Composition” section of the Pentateuch article.  Additionally, it should be noted that historical (Abraham’s marriage to his half-sister, tolerant attitudes towards Gentiles, unrestricted travels of the patriarchs, etc.), linguistic (the prevalent use of the El compounds for the name of G0d, common names from both the Ebla and Mari texts such as “Ebrium/Eber,” “Abraham,” “Jacob,” and “Amorite”), and literary (Genesis 1-11 somewhat parallels the Mesopotamian Enuma Elish, the Babylonian epic Atrahasis, and the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic) strongly argue in favor of second millennium BC composition rather than first millennium BC composition.

Objections to the content of Genesis 1-11 generally center on the fact that it bears some similarities to other ANE creation and flood myths.  While pointing out such factual similarities is perfectly legitimate, it should be noted that they fail to address explanations that the myths have a common source, issues of precedence (which stories predate others), and dissimilarities (the centrality of the Biblical flood vs. the incidental nature of the flood story in Gilgamesh, the uniqueness of Biblical monotheism in an ANE context, etc.).

In any event, the historical framework (Gen 2:4; 5:1) and presence of genealogies (Gen 4-5; 10-11) indicate that the author presented a historical account, and not merely a literary myth.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

  • Genesis 1:1
  • Genesis 1:3
  • Genesis 4:9
  • Genesis 6:8
  • Genesis 15:6
  • Genesis 50:20

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Prior to the advent of various Big Bang cosmologies, scientists often assumed that the universe was eternal.  The position that the universe had a beginning was considered distinctly Judeo-Christian.
  • Genesis contains the earliest reference to the Trinity (Gen 1:26)
  • Genesis contains the earliest reference to Jesus Christ (Gen 3:15)
  • The “bride price” paid by a husband’s family was an ancient combination of both life insurance and pre-nup for the wife (Gen 31:14-16)
  • Genesis comprises about 25% of the Pentateuch and spans 2,500 years or more.  Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy comprise the remaining 75% of the Pentateuch and span approximately 120 years (the life of Moses).
  • Genesis covers a greater period of time than the remaining 65 books of the Bible combined (excluding the future described in Revelation).
Other Works Referenced