Lecture 2 Flashcards
What are the three primary structural outlines for the book of Genesis?
1.) Textual outline
• Generations
2.) Literary outline
• broken up between primeval history and patriarchical history
3.) Redemptive-Historical outline
• creation through consummation of God’s promises
Describe the Textual Outline of Genesis.
Generations- it is structured around the refrain “this is the book of the generation.”
Toledoth (generation) can be referred to the beginning of a family record, a genealogy, or a history.
The term toledoth provides a key that unlocks the storyline.
How does the term “toledoth” serve to unlock the storyline of Genesis in a Textual Outline structure?
The sequence of “these generations” (toledoth) points to the basic covenental structure of Genesis.
It is how God is going to fulfill his promise to his seed.
1. There is an expansion of the seed as you walk through Genesis.
2. Each generation amplifies and clarifies God’s promise to deliver his people through the seed of a woman.
Describe the Literary outline structure of Genesis.
Chapters 1-11 make up the primeval history of Genesis.
• Adam to Noah
• creation to the flood
Chapters 12-50 make up a Patriarchical history.
• history of covenant- from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
Describe the Redemptive-Historical outline of Genesis.
Emphasizes that in Genesis we discover the unfolding plot line of the entire Bible - which anticipates what we see in the rest of the Bible.
• a five-fold pattern (see other note card)
What is the five-fold pattern of the Redemptive-Historical outline?
1) creation - God’s divine activity
2) Fall - Genesis 3 affects the serpent, the woman, man and all of creation itself.
3) Redemption - the whole Genesis story anticipates how God will fulfill his promises. (Promise after promise is given)
4) Continuation - Abraham lives between the gap of promise and fulfillment.
• God promises Abraham will inherit a land that he never lives to see fulfilled.
• Abraham becomes the father of faith because we also live in the wilderness in hope of the promised land.
5) Consummation - we long for the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Describe the theological structure of Genesis 1 from a “Theology proper” standpoint.
Genesis 1 is about God - the creator of heaven and earth.
• the entire Bible is based on the doctrine of God.
The context of Genesis 1 is to fix our eyes on the creator.
• The historical context of Genesis is Moses preparing Israel to leave Egypt and enter into the promised land.
•the covenant God is the creator God.
Monotheism - the belief that God is one and is infinite, eternal and self-existent.
• monotheism is the basis for existence.
Revelation - the God who creates also reveals.
• since he reveals he gives a foundation for knowledge.
• revelation gives us the basis for knowledge.
Describe the theological structure of Genesis 1 from a Biblical Cosmogony perspective.
Cosmogony is the origin and evolution of the universe.
The Biblical Cosmogony is the story or account of the beginning of the world (or all that is).
God creates the world by the power of his word.
• God’s word always achieves what it sets out to accomplish. It never returns void.
• without God nothing would have been created that was created.
- John 1:2-3
What is protology?
Protology is the study of first things, first principles.
• think about Biblical cosmogony.
• the study of origins should be understood in light of eschatological considerations. (Last things)
Describe the theological structure of Genesis 1 from a Creation ex nihilo perspective.
When we think about the creation of all things and the origin of the universe we understand we have only three basic possibilities:
1.) Before the world existed, the world was created out of nothing without anyone bringing it into existence.
2.) before the world existed, an impersonal something existed.
3.) before the world was, there was an infinite, eternal, personal God who created things by his word.
• the Hebrew word “bara” (created) underscores divine activity in creation.
What is the significance of the Hebrew term “bara”?
Bara means “created.”
It underscores divine activity in creation.
• the word bara in the Bible is only attributable to God.
• bara is used where God created man, and created covenant.
- in this we see a parallel between God’s creative work and his redemptive work.
••• the creative power of God is displayed in creation, judgment, redemption, and consummation and are all the activity of God.
Why are humans considered the apex of creation? ( Genesis 1-3 theses)
• As the image of God, humans reflects God’s character.
• only after creation of man was it said the creation was “very” good.
Humanity represents God’s highest and richest self-revelation and consequently the head and crown of the whole creation.” - Herman Bavinck
5 theses on the doctrine of humanity found in Genesis 1-3.
- humans are the apex of creation
- Humans are created in distinction from God but are dependent on God.
- Humans are created in the image of God.
- Humans are created with bodies and souls.
- humans are recipients of God’s general and special revelation.
Describe how humans are created in distinction from God, but are also dependent on God.
( Genesis 1-3 theses on doctrine of humanity)
God created all things but he is not “all things.”
• creation is not God.
1) where secularism sees themselves dependent upon the self (self deifying), Christians see that all of creation depends on God.
• two circle v one circle worldview.
2) creation is dependent on but distinct from the creator.
• all creation must submit itself to the infinite, eternal, sovereign, all powerful God who created all things.
Describe the two-circle worldview in contrast to the one-circle worldview.
One circle:
- this is classical theism.
- God continuously creates, sustains and gives existence to the cosmos.
• God is the big circle that encompasses all others within the circle.
Tw-circle
- this is creationism, Deism, etc.
- this sees God as a separate circle which doesn’t really interact with the first other circle (cosmos) after creation.
