Title: Primeval History Genesis 1.111.26
1Primeval HistoryGenesis 1.1-11.26
2CREATION
3Parallels between the Enuma Elish and Genesis
1.1-2.3
- 1. The circumstantial clause followed by the main
account of creation. - 2. Primeval dark, watery and formless state.
- 3. The Order of Creation
4The Order of Creation
- EE Divine spirit and cosmic matter are
coexistent and coeternal - GEN Divine spirit creates cosmic matter and
exits independently of it - EE Primeval chaos, Tiamat enveloped in darkness
- GEN The earth a desolate waste, with darkness
covering the deep
5The Order of Creation
- EE Light emanation from the gods
- GEN Light created
- EE The creation of the firmament
- GEN The creation of the firmament
- EE The creation of the dry land
- GEN The creation of dry land
6The Order of Creation
- EE The creation of man
- GEN The creation of man
- EE The gods rest and celebrate
- GEN God rests and sanctifies the seventh day
7Problems concerning the parallels
- a. Tehom
- b. Tannin
- c. Separation of heaven and earth
- d. Creation and function of luminaries
- e. Purpose of humans
- f. Creation by word
81.1-2 THE BEGINNING OF CREATION
- Syntax four possibilities Wenham, Gordon J.,
Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 1 Genesis 1-15,
11 - 1. "V. 1 is a temporal clause subordinate to the
main clause in v2 In the beginning when God
created..., the earth was without form....
91.1-2 Syntax four possibilities
- 2. "V. 1 is a temporal clause subordinate to the
main clause in v3 (v2 is a parenthetic comment).
'In the beginning when God created... (now the
earth was formless) God said....'"
101.1-2 Syntax four possibilities
- 3. "V. 1 is a main clause, summarizing all the
events described in vv. 2-31. It is a title to
the chapter as a whole, and could be rendered 'In
the beginning God was the creator of heaven and
earth.' What being creator of heaven and earth
means is then explained in more detail in vv.
2-31."
111.1-2 Syntax four possibilities
- 4. "V 1 is a main clause describing the first act
of creation. Vv. 2 and 3 describe subsequent
phases in God's creative activity. This the
traditional view...."
12Four Keys to 1.3-2.3
- 1. Monotheistic
- 2. Centrality of Humankind
- 3. Sabbath
- 4. Creation as Good as God made it
13DAYS OF CREATION
- 1.3-5 DAY ONE - LIGHT
- 1.6-8 DAY TWO - THE SKY
- 1.9-13 DAY THREE - LAND AND VEGETATION
- 1.14-19 DAY FOUR - HEAVENLY BODIES
14DAYS OF CREATION
- 1.20-23 DAY FIVE - FISH AND BIRDS
- 1.24-31 DAY SIX - ANIMALS AND HUMAN BEINGS
- 2.1-3 DAY SEVEN THE CESSATION FROM WORK
15GEN 1.26 THE PLURALITY
- 1. From Philo onward, Jewish commentators have
generally held that the plural is used because
God is addressing his heavenly court, i.e., the
angels (cf. Isa 68). Among recent commentators,
Skinner, von Rad, Zimmerli, Kline, Mettinger,
Gispen, and Day prefer this explanation.
16GEN 1.26 THE PLURALITY
- 2. From the Epistle of Barnabas and Justin
Martyr, who saw the plural as a reference to
Christ . Christians have traditionally seen this
verse as adumbrating the Trinity. It is now
universally admitted that this was not what the
plural meant to the original author.
17GEN 1.26 THE PLURALITY
- 3. Gunkel suggested that the plural might reflect
the polytheistic account taken over by P, though
he recognized that this could not be Ps view. As
shown above, Gen 1 is distinctly antimythological
in its thrust, explicitly rejecting ancient Near
Eastern views of creation. Thus modern
commentators are quite agreed that Gen 126 could
never have been taken by the author of this
chapter in a polytheistic sense.
18GEN 1.26 THE PLURALITY
- 4. Some scholars, e.g., Keil, Dillmann, and
Driver, have suggested that this is an example of
a plural of majesty cf. the English royal we.
It refers to the fullness of attributes and
powers conceived as united within the God-head
(Driver, 14). Joüons observation (114e) that
we as a plural of majesty is not used with
verbs has led to the rejection of this
interpretation.
19GEN 1.26 THE PLURALITY
- 5. Joüon (114e) himself preferred the view that
this was a plural of self-deliberation. Cassuto
suggested that it is self-encouragement (cf.
117 Ps 23). In this he is followed by the most
recent commentators, e.g., Schmidt, Westermann,
Steck, Gross, Dion.
20GEN 1.26 THE PLURALITY
- 6. Clines (TB 19 1968 6869), followed by Hasel
(AUSS 13 1975 6566) suggests that the plural
is used because of plurality within the Godhead.
God is addressing his Spirit who was present and
active at the beginning of creation (12). Though
this is a possibility (cf. Prov 82231), it
loses much of its plausibility if xwr is
translated wind in verse 2.
21THE IMAGE LIKENESS
- 1. Image and likeness are distinct. According
to traditional Christian exegesis (from Irenaeus,
ca. 180 a.d.), the image and the likeness are two
distinct aspects of mans nature. The image
refers to the natural qualities in man (reason,
personality, etc.) that make him resemble God,
while the likeness refers to the supernatural
graces, e.g., ethical, that make the redeemed
godlike. While these distinctions may be useful
homiletically, they evidently do not express the
original meaning. The interchangeability of
image and likeness (cf. 53) shows that this
distinction is foreign to Genesis, and that
probably likeness is simply added to indicate
the precise nuance of image in this context.
22THE IMAGE LIKENESS
- 2. The image refers to the mental and spiritual
faculties that man shares with his creator.
Intrinsically this seems a probable view, but it
is hard to pin down the intended qualities. Among
the many suggestions are that the image of God
resides in mans reason, personality, free-will,
self-consciousness, or his intelligence. Owing to
the sparsity of references to the divine image in
the OT, it is impossible to demonstrate any of
these suggestions. In every case there is the
suspicion that the commentator may be reading his
own values into the text as to what is most
significant about man. For these reasons, most
modern commentators have either abandoned the
attempt to define the image, assuming that its
nature was too well known to require definition,
or they look for more specific clues in Genesis
as to how the image was understood.
23THE IMAGE LIKENESS
- 3. The image consists of a physical resemblance,
i.e., man looks like God. In favor of this
interpretation is the fact that physical image is
the most frequent meaning of µlx, and that in Gen
53 Adam is said to have fathered Seth after his
image, which most naturally refers to the
similar appearance of father and son. P. Humbert
(Études sur le récit du paradis, 15363) insisted
that this was all Genesis meant, Gunkel and von
Rad that it was at least part of its meaning.
Nevertheless, the OTs stress on the
incorporeality and invisibility of God makes this
view somewhat problematic (cf. Deut 41516). The
difficulty is increased if, as is usually the
case, the material is assigned to the late P
source, for this would be too gross an
anthropomorphism for exilic literature. And if,
as is widely
24THE IMAGE LIKENESS
- 3. Continued believed, the image of God
terminology is based on Egyptian and possibly
Mesopotamian thinking, it should be noted that
the image of God describes the kings function
and being, not his appearance in these cultures.
Furthermore, it is argued that the OT does not
sharply distinguish the spiritual and material
realms in this way. The image of God must
characterize mans whole being, not simply his
mind or soul on the one hand or his body on the
other. Finally, it may be noted that the ancient
world was well aware, partly through the practice
of sacrifice, that physiologically man had much
in common with the animals. But the image of God
is something that distinguishes man from the
animal kingdom. The case for identifying the
image of God with mans bodily form or upright
posture is therefore unproven.
25THE IMAGE LIKENESS
- 4. The image makes man Gods representative on
earth. That man is made in the divine image and
is thus Gods representative on earth was a
common oriental view of the king. Both Egyptian
and Assyrian texts describe the king as the image
of God (see Ockinga, Dion, Bird). Furthermore,
man is here bidden to rule and subdue the rest of
creation, an obviously royal task (cf. 1 Kgs 54
424, etc.), and Ps 8 speaks of man as having
been created a little lower than the angels,
crowned with glory and made to rule the works of
Gods hands. The allusions to the functions of
royalty are quite clear in Ps 8. Another
consideration suggesting that man is a divine
representative on earth arises from the very idea
of an image. Images of gods or kings were viewed
as representatives of the deity or king. The
divine spirit was often thought of as
26THE IMAGE LIKENESS
- 4. Continued indwelling an idol, thereby
creating a close unity between the god and his
image (Clines, TB 19 1968 8183). Whereas
Egyptian writers often spoke of kings as being in
Gods image, they never referred to other people
in this way. It appears that the OT has
democratized this old idea. It affirms that not
just a king, but every man and woman, bears Gods
image and is his representative on earth.
27THE IMAGE LIKENESS
- 5. The image is a capacity to relate to God.
Mans divine image means that God can enter into
personal relationships with him, speak to him,
and make covenants with him. This view, most
eloquently propounded by K. Barth (Church
Dogmatics, III. 1.18387), is also favored by
Westermann. He holds that the phrase in our
image modifies the verb let us make, not the
noun man. There is a special kind of creative
activity involved in making man that puts man in
a unique relationship with his creator and hence
able to respond to him. But the image of God is
not part of the human constitution so much as it
is a description of the process of creation which
made man different.
28Genesis 2.4-25
- 2.4 Introduction
- A. 2.5-17 Narrative God the sole actor man
present but passive - B. 2.18-25 Narrative God main actor, man minor
role, woman animals passive - C. 3.1-5 Dialogue Snake and woman
- D. 3.6-8 Narrative Man and woman
29Genesis 2.4-25
- C. 3.9-13 Dialogue God, man and woman
- B. 3.14-21 Narrative God main actor, man minor
role, woman animals passive - A. 3.22-24 Narrative God sole actor man passive
- 3.25 Conclusion and Transition
30Knowing Good and Evil
- 1. A description of the consequence of obeying or
disobeying the commandments. - 2. Moral discernment, knowing the difference
between right and wrong. - 3. Sexual knowledge.
- 4. Omniscience.
- 5. Wisdom or legal responsibility.
31Genesis 3.1-24
32Outline Structure
- I. The Transgress 3.1-7
- 3.1-5 The Temptation
- 3.6 The Transgression
- 3.7 The Result
- II. The Interrogation 3.8-13
- III. The Punishment 3.14-19
- IV. A Pause 3.20-21
- V. The Expulsion from Eden 3.22-24
33The Serpent vx'N"h
- 1. The serpent is Satan in disguise.
- 2. The serpent is purely symbolical it
symbolizes human curiosity (Talmud, B. Jacob), or
intellectual curiosity. - 3. The serpent is a mythological form which was
first reduced to an animal in Israelite tradition
(so H. Gunkel and others).
34The Serpent vx'N"h
- 4. The serpent is an animal that is particularly
clever. Its ability to speak is a characteristic
of the tale. - 5. . . . the serpent in Gen 3 belongs to the
realm of magic and is meant to be an animal of
life and wisdom. . . this explanation agrees with
the data of the narrative. 2 Kings 18.4 together
with Num 21 refer to a cult of the serpent in
Israel which presumes such an explanation.
35yhilaKe t,yyIh.wI
- 1. Like divine beings, i.e., angels
- 2. Like the LORD God.
36he Miruye yKi WdYEw
- Opinions differ sharply here. One group of
scholars sees the change as an awakening of
sexual consciousness. . . . A second group
understands the change as the acquisition of the
consciousness of sexuality. . . . A third group
understands the knowledge gained in the context
of a change from a primitive to a civilized state.
37Genesis 4.1-26
38Outline
- 4.1-16 Cain and Abel
- 4.17-22 The Genealogy of Cain
- 4.23-24 The Song of Lamech
- 4.25-26 Seth and Enosh
39Similarities between Gen 2-3 4.1-16
- Divine command or warning 217 (31-5) 46-7
- The act/crime 36-7 48
- Discovery and interrogation 38-13 49-10
- Pronouncement of punishment 314-19 411-12
- Mitigation of sentence 314-19 (21) 413-15
- Expulsion 323, 24 416
- Seters, van John, Prologue to History The
Yahwist as Historian in Genesis, 139
40Genesis 5.1-6.8
41Outline of Genesis 5.1-6.8
- 5132Genealogy of Adam to Noah
- 614The angel marriages
- 658Gods plan to destroy mankind except for
Noah
42Issues in Genesis 5.1-32
- 5.1-5 Adam
- 5.21-24 Enoch
- 5.25-27 Methuselah
- 5.28-31 Lamech
- 5.32 Noah
43Supernatural Evil Gen 6.1-4
- "Early Jewish authors considered it to be more
important than the story of the sin of Adam and
Eve, for this passage was retold many times while
the Eden story is only occasionally alluded to.
For several authors this was the true 'Fall
story,' the account of how evil came into the
world by means of the descent of certain
rebellious angels (e.g., Jub 5.1-11 1 En 6-10,
86-33 2 En 18 T.Reuben 5.6).
44Supernatural Evil Gen 6.1-4
- For these earliest extant interpretations there
was no question about the identity of the 'sons
of God' they were fallen angels. Later Jewish
and Christian authors 'demythologized' the
passage, however. Among Jewish writers the sons
of God were identified as members of the nobility
who married beneath them.
45Supernatural Evil Gen 6.1-4
- Christian authors insisted that the sons of God
were the descendants of Seth, while the daughters
of men were from the line of Cain." Gowan, ITC
Genesis 1-11, 82
46Problem with Genesis 6.1-4
- MATTHEW 22.30
- MARK 12.25
- LUKE 20.35-36
47NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- SOURCE CRITICAL DIVISIONS
- Topic J P
- God's Decision 6.5-8 6.9-13
- Construction of the Ark 6.14-22
- Entry into the Ark 7.1-5, 7-8, 10 7.6, 9
- The Flood 7.12, 16b, 17, 22-23 7.11,
13-16a, 18-21, 24
48NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- SOURCE CRITICAL DIVISIONS
- Topic J P
- The End of the Flood 8.2b, 3a, 6-12
- 8.1-2a, 3b-5, 13a
- Exit from the Ark 8.13b 8.14-19
- Sacrifice and Promise 8.20-22 9.1-17
49NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- A Noah (6.10a)
- B Shem, Ham, and Japheth (6.10b)
- C Ark to be built (6.14-16)
- D Flood announced (7.17)
- E Covenant with Noah (6.18-20)
- F Food in the ark (6.21)
- G Command to enter the ark (7.1-3)
50NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- H 7 days waiting for flood (7.4-5)
- I 7 days waiting for flood (7.7-10)
- J Entry to ark (7.11-15)
- K Yahweh shuts Noah in (7.16)
- L 40 days flood (7.17a)
- M Waters increase (7.17b-18)
- N Mountains covered (7.19-20)
51NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- O 150 days water prevail (7.21-24)
- P GOD REMEMBERS NOAH (8.1)
- O 150 days waters abate (8.3)
- N' Mountain tops visible (8.4-5)
- M' Waters abate (8.5)
- L' 40 days (end of) (8.6a)
- K' Noah opens window of ark (8.6b)
52NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- J' Raven and dove leave ark (8.7-9)
- I' 7 days waiting for waters to subside
(8.10-11) - H' 7 days waiting for waters to subside (8.12-13)
- G' Command to leave ark (8.15-17 22)
- F' Food outside ark (9.1-4)
- E' Covenant with all flesh (9.8-10)
53NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- D' No flood in the future (9.11-17)
- C' Ark (9.18a)
- B' Shem, Ham, and Japheth (9.18b)
- A' Noah (9.19)
- Wenham, "Coherence of the Flood Narrative," VT 28
(1978), 338.
54NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- Transitional introduction (6.9-10)
- 1. Violence in God's creation (6.11-12)
- 2. First divine address resolution to destroy
(6.13-22) - 3. Second divine address command to enter the
ark (7.1-10) - 4. Beginning of the flood (7.11-16)
- 5. The rising flood waters (7.17-24)
55NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- GOD'S REMEMBRANCE OF NOAH
- Anderson, B., "From Analysis to Synthesis The
Interpretation of Genesis 1-11," JBL 97 (1978).
56NOAH AND THE FLOOD
- 6. The receding flood waters (8.1-5)
- 7. The drying of the earth (8.6-14)
- 8. Third divine address command to leave the ark
(8.15-19) - 9. God's resolution to preserve order (8.20-22)
- 10. Fourth divine address covenant blessing and
peace (9.1-17) - Transitional conclusion (9.18-19)
57Conclusion of the Flood Narrative
- 9.1-7 Renewal of the Blessing
- 9.8-17 The Covenant with Noah
- 9.18-29 Ham's Sin and the Curse of Canaan
58(No Transcript)