Lecture 6

Question 1

Rebellions in genesis

Answer 1

Expulsion from the garden of Eden
Murder of Abel
Sons ofGod and Daughters of men, The world becomes entirely corrupt
Tower of Babel

This series of rebellions demonstrates the progressive corruption of humanity that leads
God to start over with Noah.

Question 2

The primeval history

Answer 2

Answers to the universal questions 
Where do we come from?
Why we speak different languages?
Why is childbirth painful?
Why do we need to work the land and why its hard to do?

Question 3

sons of god” marrying daughters of men leading to destruction (6:1-8)

Answer 3

where the wickedness centers on the “sons of
god” mating with daughters of men. This is a very difficult story to
understand, but it must in some ways critique the polytheistic worldview

Question 4

The tree of life

Answer 4

Tree of life shows a search for immortality but the inevitability of death
Tree of good and evil three possibilities

Question 5

Divine human boundary crossing

Answer 5

Any attempt by humans to cross the boundary to the divine needs
to be stopped; they ate the fruit and now have become like god
knowing good and evil so need to be expelled from the garden so
they cannot become immortal by eating from the tree of life and
become fully divine

Question 6

The reason for the flood in other literature

Answer 6

The reason for the flood is not stated in Gilgamesh, but is given in
Atrahasis, another Mesopotamian flood story. The reason there is
because the gods are not happy with the noise of the humans and
therefore destroy them.

Question 7

Recreation in the primeval history

Answer 7

There is a partially mirrored structure in Genesis 1-11 with the events after the flood
designed to mirror the events of creation serving as a recreation where God starts over
with Noah and his descendants.

Question 8

Noahic covenant

Answer 8

God enters into a Covenant with Noah and all flesh not to destroy the world again and the sign of the covenant is the rainbow

Question 9

Similarities (connections) between Gilgamesh and Noah

Answer 9

One Hero told to build a boat
Sending of Birds
Smelling of the sacrifice