Week 2: Creation Stories: Genesis 1-3 Flashcards
Pentateuch
Refers to the first 5 books of the OT (called the Torah in Hebrew).
penta: five
teuchos: tool, instrument, utensil, box
The Pentateuch is a mix of narrative and instruction (about the first peoples, family stories, and the leadership under Moses).
Torah: instruction, teaching, law, commandment. In Jewish tradition, the Torah contains 613 commandments (mitzvot).
“five fifths of the law”
Books of the Pentateuch
Genesis: bereshit (in beginning)
Exodus: shemot (the names)
Leviticus: wayyiqra (the [Lord] called)
Numbers: bemidbar (in the wilderness)
Deuteronomy: debarim (the word)
Moses in the Pentateuch
- Aside from God, Moses is the main character of the last 4 books
- The centrality of Moses as God’s central prophet is something that NT authors draw on to describe Jesus as God’s ultimate prophet; Jesus is often described in Mosaic ways
- These books are called “the books of Moses” therefore no books should be added
Main Themes of Pentateuch:
Creation
God creates the world
Covenant
God enters into a relationship with the people in the world
Chosenness
The idea that a particular family, and a particular branch of that family, will be elected by God for Him to be in Covenant with (the idea of Jews as a particular people; a vertical relationship between God and Israel)
Land Promised Land (literally or figuratively?)
Exile and Return
The loss of land due to conquests from other Empires sets up a yearning for return (this theme is also present in Genesis)
Myths
In the ancient world and literature, myth is a genre used to express profound existential truths through a narrative structure.
Today, myths are thought of as fantasy, make-belief, impossible to be true.
Characteristics of Myths
( 1 ) Commonality (common in Ancient Near East)
( 2 ) Ancestors (great age, size, power)
( 3 ) Successful Society of the Past (myths try to explain why they disappeared)
( 4 ) Deities: a pantheon of gods
( 5 ) Divine-Human Realms: divine and human realm are more closely intertwined (e.g. the leader of a city is thought of as quasi-divine; the divine realm informs the leader)
Purpose of Myths
Myths are ETIOLOGICAL (they investigate or explain the cause or reason for something).
This can be broken down to main functions… ( 1 ) Theological ( 2 ) Community ( 3 ) Anthropology ( 4 ) Tell a Truth
Purpose of Myths: 3 Main Functions
( 1 ) Theological: explain the nature of deities and/or religious beliefs
( 2 ) Community: bind a community together by forming the fabric of society (e.g. through rules and instructions)
( 3 ) Anthropology: explain why things are the way they are in our lives
( 4 ) Tell a Truth: myths can be based on actual events, which are shaped and embellished
What is the function of Genesis stories as myths?
The Genesis stories function as myths to tell a truth, but are not intended to explain science and history in the way that we understand them today.
Enuma Elish
Tries to explain how fresh waters in Fertile Crescent flow into salt water…
The lesser gods are being noisy, and one of the higher gods decides to kill them all. The lesser gods hear of this, and hire one of the gods to kill the highest god (Tiamat). Marduk has the power of effective speech, and then kills her and creates the world
Creates humanity to free the lesser Gods.
Humanity was created accidentally in the midst of a chaotic battle.
Hebrew slaves had to build a ceremonial walkway honouring Marmuke.
Influence of Enuma Elish on Genesis
When Judeans were enslaved in the babylonian exile, the theological power of the Enuma Elish influenced them majorly.
In Genesis:
1. God is the ultimate authority
2. Humans are created equal in the image and likeness of God
3. Humanity was created purposefully and intentionally in Genesis, not half-hazardly
This gave Jews a sense of identity.
How do scholars date Genesis?
Genesis 1 is attributed to the exile (late 500s BCE).
Genesis 2 is older. Many scholars argue that it is from 950 BCE.
Many take Genesis 2 to be an extension of Genesis 1, but it is likely that it is older.
Compare Genesis Stories: Deity
Gen 1:
God
Elohim (in Heb.)
Gen 2:
LORD God
YHWH Elohim
Compare Genesis Stories: Genre
Gen 1:
Mythological
Gen 2:
Mythological/Folklorik (plays on words)
Compare Genesis Stories: Sequence
Gen 1: Ordered, rhythmic account of creation. Creation, and then Population… Day 1: Light/Darkness Day 2: Dome Day 3: Land and Plants Day 4: Heavenly Bodies Day 5: Air and Sea Creatures Day 6: Land Creatures and Humans Day 7: Rest
Gen 2:
In the first creation story, God CREATES (bara’ in Heb.). In the second story, God does not just speak, he FORMS and MAKES.
The man (Ha-adam) is not a proper name. Adam is made from the ground (adamah in Heb.) out of clay. God breathes the breath of life into Adam through his nostrils, and Adam became a living/soul being (nephesh chayya).
Everything is made from the ground, except Eve, who is made from the rib of Adam. They were both naked (aruhim), but the snake was more crafty (arum).
Two separate trees:
(1) tree of life (2) tree of knowledge
