Lesson 1: Approaching Genesis 1-11
This lesson will explore the various tools that will be employed to interpret and understand the text as well as the major issues involved in biblical interpretation.
Overview of Genesis 1-11
If you walked up to a random person on the street and asked them to think of a well known story from the Bible, there is a good chance that the story named would be found in the opening chapters of Genesis. The Creation, Adam and Eve, Eve and the Serpent, Cain and Abel, the Flood, the Tower of Babel -- all of these are found in the first eleven chapters of the Bible. These same stories have over hundreds of years been etched into the collective memory of Western civilization through art, literature and even music. Not only are they popular, however, they are also foundational to an understanding of the message of the Bible and thus Judaism and Christianity.
In this lesson we will explore some introductory issues related to a proper and informed approach to Genesis 1-11. It is important to bring certain tools and assumptions to the text in order to appreciate the message and depth of Genesis 1-11. The wrong set of assumptions about what these chapters intend to communicate can easily lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. In particular, there has been a good deal of confusion about the relationship of Genesis to modern science. It is not uncommon to hear rumblings from time to time about the controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution or creation in public schools.
- Are such debates necessary?
- What does Genesis teach about the creation of the universe?
- Can we read Genesis 1 as we would a science text book?
Additionally, we will then explore the basic principles of a literary reading of Genesis 1-11.
- What effect does genre have on the meaning of a text?
- What is genre?
- What can we learn about Genesis 1-11 by paying close attention to the way in which the stories have been constructed?
- What role do literary devices play in the telling of stories?
- What is the relationship between Genesis 1 and history?
- Do these chapters intend to be read as literature or history? Or is that very question unnecessary?
The following lessons will focus on the major story units within Genesis 1-11. The book of Genesis in its entirety is made up of 50 chapters. These 50 chapters can be divided into three basic sections. The first eleven, the topic of this course, are a compacted overview of history from Creation to the time of Abraham, who is the father of the people of Israel. The next major section, chapters 12-36 record the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the patriarchs or founders of Israel. Chapters 36 – 50 tell the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who is sold by his brothers into slavery. Chapters 1-11 are sometimes called the Primeval History because they deal with events that go back to the very beginnings of the universe and mankind. For the sake of brevity, we will refer to these chapters by that designation.
Chapter one begins, naturally, with the story of Creation. Chapters two and three revolve around Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before and after the temptation by the Serpent. Chapter four tells the story of Cain and Abel. Part of chapter four and all of chapter five relate two contrasting genealogies that illustrate the spread of humanity. Chapters six through nine tell the very familiar story Noah and the Flood. Chapter ten again employs genealogies to demonstrate the spread of humanity following the Flood. Chapter 11 closes the Primeval history with the story of the Tower of Babel. All of these stories are well known, but their familiarity may obscure their deep and abiding truths regarding the nature of humanity and our place in the universe. Hopefully as we look carefully at these stories, those truths will not be obscured to us.
