genesis 6-50

Genesis 6-50

Genesis Myths and The Patriarchal Legends

Agenda

A. Interpretative Key to the Bible

B. Important Pre-patriarchal Mythsa. Enoch

b. Sons of God

c. Noah and the Flood

C. Documentary Hypothesis Literary Identifiers

D. The Ancestral Narratives

E. Recognition of Literary Devices

A. Interpretative Key to the Bible

• The Bible (Genesis to Kings) was put together for the first time during the Exile (6th century B.C.E.)

• Its sole purpose is to explain that Exile and give hope for their return to the land promised to them

• Though some parts are older than others, ALL the final editing was done during the Exile

B. Important Pre-patriarchal Myths

EnochGen. 5:21 ¶ When Enoch had lived sixty-five

years, he became the father of Methuselah.

Gen. 5:22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.

Gen. 5:23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years.

Gen. 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.

What happened here?


Sons of GodGen. 6:1 ¶ When people began to multiply on the face

of the ground, and daughters were born to them, Gen. 6:2 the sons of God saw that they were fair; and

they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.

Gen. 6:3 Then the LORD said, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”

Gen. 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

A positive or a negative story?


NoahOpen your bibles to:Gen. 6:5 ¶ The LORD saw that the wickedness of

humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. . .

Respond to the following questions by reading only the verse asked

Students in front section answer I

Students in back section answer II

1. What were the conditions which brought about the flood?

• wickedness of humankind was great• thoughts of hearts was evil continually• the LORD was sorry, grieved and decided to exterminate

• earth corrupt, full of violence• God saw that earth and flesh were corrupt• God decided to exterminate

I

II

Flood Narrative Questions

6:5-7

6:11-13

2. Who decreed that there would be a destruction?

• the LORD

• God

I

II

6:7

6:13


3. Why was Noah to be spared?

• Noah found favour in the sightof the LORD

• Noah a righteousness man• blameless in his generation• Noah walked with God

I

II

What is the difference between “favour” and “blameless”?

6:8

6:9


4. How many of each animal were transported?

• 7 pairs of clean (14 total)• 1 pair of unclean (2 total)• 7 pairs of birds (14 total)

• 2 of every kind (male & female)• according to its kind• 2 & 2, male and female

I

II

7:2-3

6:19-20, 7:9


5. Who commanded Noah?

• the LORD commanded him

• God commanded him

I

II

7:5

6:22


6. Who went in?

• Noah with sons, wife, and sons’ wives

• Noah, Shem, Ham, Japeth, wives

I

II

7:7

7:13


7. Who oversaw the boarding of the ark?

• the LORD shut him in

• went in as God commanded

I

II

7:16b-second part of the verse only

7:16a-first part of the verse only


8. How long was it upon the earth?

• the flood continued 40 days on the earth

• waters on the earth 150 days

I

II

7:17

7:24


9. Who covenanted to never destroy with such force?

• the LORD said …

• God said …

I

II

8:21

9:12-15


• Both accounts tell a complete account of the flood story if separated

• Clearly someone has taken two different versions and spliced them together

• One author was interested in the LORD as god and a story of his having selected a man out of compassion to preserve humanity and who physically ‘shuts the door’

•Another author has the unnamed God choose a deserving ‘perfect’ man and preserve humanity while including details such as names and days

Flood Narrative Summary

1. Duplication and repetition of material



E.g., Two creation stories, two flood accounts, three Abrahamic covenant accounts



2. Variation in the ways of referring to God




J = Yahweh [LORD]

E = Elohim ‘God’

P = Elohim ‘God’ [until Exodus, then Yahweh]

D = Yahweh [LORD]




3. Contrasting author perspectives





J understanding of divine/human relationship

versus

P understanding of divine/human relationship


Prov. 26:4

Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself.

Prov. 26:5

Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.

Non-Pentateuchal but still a biblical example:




4. Variation in vocabulary and literary style





4. Variation in vocabulary and literary style J creation story more like a Greek myth

P clearly interested in establishing a powerful god





4. Variation in vocabulary and literary style

5. Evidence of editorial activity (examples)


5. Evidence of editorial activity• inconsistencies (Example 1)

Gen. 12:1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

Gen. 11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.Gen. 11:32The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.

Gen. 12:4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; …Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.

205-70135

Gen. 4:26 To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh.At that time people began to invoke the name of the LORD.

Gen. 15:7 Then he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.”

Ex. 6:2-3God also spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name ‘The LORD’ I did not make myself known to them.


Gen. 37:28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up,lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Gen. 37:36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.


Gen. 11:31 Terah took his son Abram … and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; …

What clue do you find in this verse to help you date the writing of the passage?

Gen. 12:6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.


Gen. 36:31These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.


Num. 12:3 Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.

Who most likely wrote this verse?

A) Moses

B) Someone who thought highly of Moses

C) Someone who disliked Moses

D) Someone who did not know Moses

Deut. 34:1-12 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, … Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’S command. …Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Most likely date of this text?A) During time of Moses? C) Shortly after the mourning?B) The period of mourning? D) Considerable time later?

DIAGRAM OF PENTATEUCH THEORY

The Documentary Hypothesis Viewed Chronologically

YAHWIST (J)


ELOHIST (E)


Combined Sources — JE “Old Epic”


DEUTERONOMIST (D)


PRIESTLY (P)


Combined Sources — JEP


Final Form of Pentateuch — JEDP= TORAH


Priestly Source (P)Written in Babylonia6th Century B.C.E.

Elohist Source (E)Written in Israel9th Century B.C.E.

Deuteronomist (D)Written in Jerusalem7th Century B.C.E.

Yahwist Source (J)Written in Judah10th Century B.C.E.

The Documentary Hypothesis Viewed Geographically


1950s and 1960s Biblical Scholarship• Argued for the historicity of the narratives based

on a comparative approach• Compared alleged parallels with 18th cent

B.C.E. royal documents from Mari (on Euphrates) and 15th cent. B.C.E. legal documents from Nuzi (on the Tigris) (see next slide)

• They mention pastoral nomadic tribal groups, kinship relations and legal documents that suggest that the Patriarchal narratives are at least credible

To: Zimri-LimFrom: Yassi-Dagan

Ever since I acquired the steppe lands of the Euphrates, Benjaminites (banu-yamina) have been continuously conducting raids. On one occasion they stole many sheep. I sent armed soldiers after them and killed them, so that no one got away and all the stolen sheep were recovered.

The site of Mari, has been the source of the rediscovery of Amorite civilization since the first of tens of thousands of Old Babylonian cuneiform texts began to emerge about seventy years ago. These texts represent a city fully integrated with the surrounding culture including the later Israelites. They date from the middle part of the eighteenth century B.C.E.

In the case of a childless couple, the wife could locate another wife for the husband.

“If Gilimninu (the wife) will not bear children, Gilimninu shall take a woman of Lulluland as a wife for Shennma (the husband).”

Sarah provided Hagar for Abraham (Gen 16:3) for the purposes of bearing children. Should the first wife later bear a son, he would rank over a son born to the second wife. Such was the case when Isaac was born (Gen 21:1-10)

A library of tablets dating from 1600 to 1350 B.C.E. was located at Nuzi, an ancient trade center in Assyria. Among the more interesting discoveries in the tablets were some of the social and religious practices of the periods as recorded in the deeds, wills, marriage agreements, and adoptions. They possibly shed light on many of the customs that are documented in the Bible.

Recent Scholarship:• Argues that the evidence is flawed and unreliable• That the archaeological evidence does not prove

the biblical stories as historically accurate• The ‘minimalist’ position holds that there is

absolutely no historicity in the narratives


A Balanced Approach:• Recognizes that the stories were not written

down until the period of the monarchy• Understands that the characters may simply be

constructs or composites whose actions represent biases, customs and attitudes of a later period

• That they are shadowy figures at best• That they more legend than fact• Yet they do contain how the Israelite chose to

recall their past and on that basis are relevant


Significant Events:• Highlight what will be significant for later events• Genesis 12:1-3 is meant to place the first

ancestors in a particular geographic region (see map on next slide)



Significant Events:• Genesis 15 and 17 represent covenant making in

which one man and his descendents were to treat Yahweh as their patron deity

• Such an arrangement would have unusual in the polytheistic Mesopotamian culture


1. Abram/Abraham Builds Altars:• Cultic acts are NOT tied to a religious calendar!• In Genesis, they always relate to events• The stories provide relevance to future shrine

sites• The fact that Genesis narrates several legitimate

sites for sacrifices must not be overlooked!• Builds sites at Shechem (12:6-7), Bethel (12:8)

and Hebron (13:18)


2. Abraham Purchases Family Burial Plot:• Land becomes identified with a particular people

through their living there and being buried there• Hebron site is later tied to political origins of

Davidic dynasty


3. Jacob Obtains Covenantal Blessing:• The use of deception to obtain the greater prize

becomes a recurring theme in the Bible• The mother, Rebekah, engineers Jacob’s ruse to

obtain the greater blessing• See also Tamar (Gen 38), Jael (Jg 4), Abigail (1

Sm 25) and Bathsheba (1 Kgs 1)


4. Jacob Makes a Treaty with Laban:• Ostensibly it is little more than an establishment

of boundaries (Gen 31:44-55)

a. (Gen 31:44) Proposition: “Come let us make a covenant”

b. (31:45-46) Pillar, divine image, and boundary marker

c. (31:46)Covenant meal “they ate there by the heap”

d. (31:47-48)Naming: each name the heap as witness


4. Jacob Makes a Treaty with Laban:e. (31:49-50)

Divine invocation as witness “The Lord watch”

f. (31:51-52)Stipulations: “I will not . . .”

g. (31:53)Oath: “May the God of Abraham judge . . .”

h. (31:54)Sacrifice: sacrificial meal to solemnize occasion


4. Jacob Makes a Treaty with Laban:• The treaty elements are significant in terms of

understanding the Israelite mindset about covenant relationships

• The basic idea and format has been borrowed from surrounding cultures

• However, Israel will soon have a covenant with their God

• Most importantly, it will define their future punishment (theodicy)


5. Israelites Move to Egypt• Joseph narrative is the most carefully crafted of

all the Patriarchal narratives• There is a consistent ‘garment motif’ where

Joseph receives new clothing (= change in status) and then loses it

• His ability to interpret dreams serves as important precedent for Daniel stories of the Exile (note how little is credited to God)

• Joseph had very specific diving powers


1. Familial Relationships• Stories probably originated among unrelated

groups of people who only much later came to identify themselves as ‘Israel’

• Stories help explain surrounding ‘nations’ as family offspring• Lot = Moabites and Ammonites (19:37-38)• Ishmael = nomadic Arabs (25:1-4)• Esau = Edomites• Laban = Arameans (Syrians)


2. Geographic• Stories show movements to explain how places

had special significance for later Israel

(See following tables)

Place Name Initial EventSubsequent

Event #1Subsequent

Event #2Subsequent

Event #3

Shechem

Abram first arrives in

Canaan and builds an

altar to God (Gen 12:6-7)

Rape of Dinah,

massacre of men of

Shechem by Jacob’s sons (Gen 34:2-

26)

Joshua stages

covenant renewal after the conquest (Jos 24:1-32)

Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, meets with tribal elders and divides the kingdom

(1 Kgs 12:1-17)

Bethel

Abram builds an altar to

God(Gen 12:8)

Jacob has a theophany and names the place Bethel

(Gen 28:11-22)

Jeroboam builds

northern kingdom

shrines at Bethel and

Dan (1 Kgs 12:29)

Amos prophecies

against Israel at Bethel

(Amos 7:10-13)


Event #1Subsequent

Event #2Subsequent

Event #3

Hebron

Abraham buys burial

cave of Machpelah (Gen 23:2-

19)

Given to Aaron’s sons (Jos 21:13) or to Caleb

(Jg 1:20)

David becomes

king in Hebron

(2 Sm 2:11, 1 Kg 2:11)

Absalom, David’s son, begins his revolt from

Hebron (2 Sm 15:7-

10)

Gilgal

Joshua begins

conquest, crossing the

dry bed of the Jordan River (Jos 4:14-24)

Saul made king at Gilgal after victory at Jabesh-

Gilead (1 Sm 11:5-

14)

Samuel condemns

Saul’s dynasty

(1 Sm 15:12-23)

Amos (4:4) and Hosea (9:15) tie

Gilgal to the evils of the monarchy


Event #1Subsequent

Event #2Subsequent

Event #3

Shiloh

Joshua assembles the tribes, sets up the

tent of meeting and casts lots to apportion

tribal territory (Jos 18:1-10)

Shiloh cited as the

location of the house of

God(Jg 18:31)

Eli and sons serve the

shrine and ark until its capture by Philistines(1 Sm 1:3, 3:21, 4:17)

Jeremiah warns

Jerusalem, citing Shiloh

as an example of a

destroyed shrine

(Jer 7:12-14, Ps 78:60)

Our final editor is fully aware of these developments


Conclusion• Two clusters of stories, one originally southern

(Judah) and the other originally northern (Israel) are brought together for theological and politcal reasons

• A unified narrative of Israel’s origins intermingled around the theme of God’s covenant promise

TUTORIALS

GENESIS 15 AND YAHWEH’S PROMISE

What is the larger context?

• Four patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph)

• Very ancient stories reshaped to reflect social, political and theological circumstances of a much later period

• Evidence of a thoughtful process of editing

• Several repeated references to three-fold promise:

1. Family

2. Nationhood

3. Land


How has it been reshaped?

A. Covenant as ‘Divine Promise’ in Gen 15:1-21 exists as more than one promise in these verses (divides easily into two)

1. vv 1-6 – promise of offspring

2. vv 7-21 – promise of land

• Both parts differ on how the divine communicates with human

• vv 1-6 (“the word of the Lord came to Abram/him”)

• Over 100x in Bible; twice Pentateuch (prophetic speech)

1. vv 7-21 (he said to him) no mention of “word”

• The term “covenant” only appears in the second part



B. Social/Political import of the Covenant Promise (second part) is Solomonic

• 15:18 indicates that the boundaries of future possession which just happens to 1 Kgs 4:21 river of Egypt to Euphrates

Genesis 15:18 1 Kings 4:21

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.



B. Social/Political import of the Covenant Promise (second part) is Solomonic

• 15:18 indicates that the boundaries of future possession which just happens to 1 Kgs 4:21 river of Egypt to Euphrates

• Yet, there is no reference to Abraham and this particular promise in ANY pre-exilic material

• Not even the prophets make Abrahamic references UNTIL 2nd Isaiah (Exilic author!)

• Explains why officials in Solomon’s day could not have used the promise to legitimize the monarchy (because it was edited in at a much later time!)



C. Newer theology reworked into the first part• 15:6 affirms Abraham believed Yahweh who reckoned it to

him as righteousness• Narrator is noting 19th century Abraham’s trust – he believed

the Lord and that his ‘faith’ made him righteous • Forward to King Ahaz of the 8th century who is depicted by

Isaiah as a king with no faith (ISA 7:9)• What is important to recognize is that this understanding of

faith as righteous comes from the 8th century and that there is

no evidence of it the 19th century (Time of the Patriarchs)

except this one passage!



D. Newer theology reworked into the second part• They will become God’s people when they receive the land• Even though narrative about Abraham concerns a very

ancient character who may have received a promise of a child

from his god—it was not written until a time in Israel’s

existence when it was immediately relevant (they need the

land for their identity)• This passage is being used to legitimize a nationalistic

movement. The notion of covenant is about Yahweh’s

promise to the heirs of Abraham that when they received the

land they became God’s people

Categories of similarity Gen 15 Gen 17

Recurrence of ‘covenant’

Appearance of the deity

Promise of offspring

Promise of land

Mention of heirs

?

Comparison Example: What is Similar?

Categories of difference Gen 15 Gen 17

Name of the divine

Character/portrayal of the divine

Name of the human

Character/portrayal of the human

Special vocabulary or expressions

Comparison Example: What is Different?

Conclusions

• We have two different versions of the same story

• Who is a prime candidate for Gen 17?

• Who likely wrote Gen 15?

genesis 6-50

Documents

lord noah

corrupt god

violence god

god commandediii7

sons wives noah

lord godiii6

flood narrative questions3

flood narrative questions4