christianity

Last time, we looked at how the flood story in Genesis connects with the broader cultural traditions of the Ancient Near East (ANE). We saw that once again, Genesis creatively reshapes older stories for its unique theological purpose. The result is that it portrays God as all-powerful and intentional in the decision to ‘undo’ creation … Continue reading The God of the Flood: Genesis 6.5-8.19, Part 2

So far, this series has been going through Genesis at a slow pace. But today, with the story of Noah and the Ark, we can speed up considerably, and take up the bulk of three chapters in just two posts. This is because this story is very well-known already, because its narrative is pretty straightforward, … Continue reading Creation Undone: Genesis 6.5-8.19, Part 1

As we saw last time, Genesis 5 is connective material that brings us from the stories of Adam and Eve and their children to Noah and the flood. But, chapter 6 does not pick up where this story left us. Instead, it begins with a four-verse story that biblical scholars have called “surely the strangest” … Continue reading Blurred Lines: Genesis 6.1-4

Genesis 4, a generally ambivalent text about Cain and his descendants, ends with the hope of an alternative path or fresh start through the line of Adam and Eve’s third son, Seth (Sarna (1989) 40).* Genesis 5 expands on this possibility of new hope in the form of a lengthy genealogy of his line. Genealogies … Continue reading The House of Adam: An Integral Study of Genesis 5