OriginsThe Book of Genesis 1-11

• By Chaplain Ron McCants

Six Days of Forming and Filling

1 light

2 water/skies

3 dry land w/plants

4 filled with lights

5 filled with fish & birds

6 filled with beasts, man“Thus, heavens and earth completed…

… and all their hosts.” 2:1

Godbeginning

heavens and earthformless, uninhabitable, watery, darkness, hovering Spirit

Notice: all these created things were also Egyptian gods. First laws of covenant: God alone, no other gods, no idols. Compare Gen 1 order to Deut 4:15-19 (Gen 1 in reverse)

Cosmic Origins: Genesis 1-2The Literary World

Literary History: Four Sources in the Pentateuch

Timeline

• The Yahwist deals with the character flaws, blatant sins, of the main characters. He exposes:

• the lie of Abraham when he tells Pharaoh that Sarah is his sister (Genesis 12:10-20)

• the underhanded deceit of Jacob in tricking Esau and Laban (Genesis 27; 30-31)

• the dastardly trick of Simeon and Levi in killing the Shechemites (Genesis 34)

• The Elohist had a special interest in the faith and obedience of the covenant people. He was concerned that the people be obedient first of all to God.

• The Elohist is fond of using repetitions when God is calling someone, for example, "Abraham, Abraham" (Genesis 22) and "Moses, Moses" (Exodus 3). And the preferred response is "I'm here".

• D (Deuteronomist) mostly found in Deuteronomy. Some scholars contend that it is the oldest of the four sources during the time of King Kezekiah and/or King Josiah of the Southern Kingdom.

• P deals more with formal religion and worship, the priesthood and its regulations, genealogies, and sacrificial practices; in short, everything that enabled the community to maintain a right relationship with God and retain its identity in the face of changing times.

Note Table 3.1:

• The apparent parallels between Genesis 1 and the Babylonian Creation Epic (Enuma Elish) on page 54

The Communal OriginsGenesis 2-3

• Catalyst: The serpent tempts the woman.• Rebellion: The woman and man eat the

forbidden fruit.• Confrontation: The man and woman hide, but

the LORD finds and confronts them.• Rationalization: The man blames the woman

( and by implication, God ); the woman blames the serpent.

• Result (alienation): The harmony of humankind with the creator and with nature, and the harmony of male and female, is broken.

Christian theologian, Saint Augustine (354-430 C.E.)

Christian doctrine “Original Sin.” The view that sin is inherited by all subsequent humans after Adam and Eve.

Class Assignment

• On Page 71 – Read Genesis 3: The Garden of Eden• Divide into three groups.• Give presentation of statement and answers in class.• Group a. Focus on the portrayal … (read the rest

and answer questions)• Group b. Some readers take the story literally …

(read the rest and answer questions)• Group c. Some feminist readers reject the story …

(read the rest and answer questions)• Be prepared to discuss in class.• Each student will turn in a written response to questions

that pertain to his or her group.