3.

The Primeval* Stories

God on Center Stage
Genesis 1—11

God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
I.A.1.
Translations of Genesis 1:1-3
NJB: In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness
over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the
waters. God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was
light.

JPS: When God began to create heaven and earth —

the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over
the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping
over the water — God said, “Let there be light”; and
there was light.

NJB = New Jerusalem Bible / JPS = Jewish Publication Society

I.A.2.

Creatio ex nihilo
“creation out of nothing”

The belief that God is the absolute origin of all that

is; there was no matter already in existence when

God created.

3
I.B. 1 & 2.
The First Story of Creation

1. Light 4. Sun, Moon, Stars

2. Heavens/Water 5. Birds, Fish

3. Dry Land 6. Animals, Humans

Day 7. Sabbath

4
 Source: NAB
I.B. & C.

The Biblical World 5

I.B.3.
Image of God / imago Dei (1:26-27)
 Rule over creation (Gen 1:28).

 Immortality: “For God formed man to be

imperishable; the image of his own nature he
made him. But by the envy of the devil, death
entered the world, and they who are in his
possession experience it” (Wis 2:23-24).

 Complementarity allowing a relationship (see

next slide).

6
I.B.3.
Imago Dei
“image of God” (Gen 1:27)

 There is a likeness between God and

humanity – complementarity – that allows a
relationship.

 Every human person is created in the divine

image.

 Therefore, every human person has inherent

worth and dignity.

7
I. B. & C. Gen 1:1—2:4a Gen 2:4b-24
The Creator: God (Elohim) LORD (Yahweh)
The Creator’s activity: Create Make / form

The order of creation: Light Earth, heavens, water

Heavens / water The man
Dry land Garden / trees
Sun, moon, stars Rivers
Birds / fish All animals, every bird
Animals, humans The woman
The human beings: Male / female Man / woman
How God made Created by command Formed from dust by hand
humans:
The “job” of humans: Have dominion (1:28) Care for the earth (2:15)
Characterize Creator: Transcendent Immanent, anthropomorphic
The story explains: Sabbath (2:2-3) Marriage (2:24)
8
I.D.
The Documentary Hypothesis…
…is a scholarly theory that postulates multiple
sources for the Pentateuch:
J The Yahwist
E The Elohist
D The Deuteronomist
P The Priestly source
R The Redactor

It is based on many kinds of evidence, among them:

1. Doublets (31)
2. Divine names
3. Distinctive vocabulary
4. Style and point of view
9
I.D. Michael Coogan, The Old Testament, 29.

ca. 950 J

ca. 850 E

ca. 700 J+E

ca. 630 D

ca. 550 P + JE + D

10
II.C.
Prelapsarian Life in J (Gen 2:4b-25)
Life before sin.

Harmony with:
God Adam and Eve walk and talk with God

Self Adam and Eve are naked but feel no shame

Others “Bone of my bone” / “two become one flesh”

Creation Care for the garden / eat fruits

11
II.C.

Postlapsarian Life in J (Gen 3)

Life after sin.

Alienation from:

God Adam and Eve hide from God

Self They cover their nakedness

Others They blame others

Creation Enmity / the soil is cursed

12
II.A.
Who Is to Blame?
Gen 3:6b

Hebrew: “She took of its fruit and ate; and she also
gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he
ate.”

Vulgate: “She took of its fruit and ate; and she also
gave some to her husband and he ate”

13
II.A.

Temptation of Adam
by Masolino
1424-25

14
 II.A.

The Fall of Adam

Hugo van der Goes
ca. 1470

15
II.D.

Original Sin

 The first sin.

 Sin that affects humans from their origins: all

human beings are born into a world tainted by
sin and are themselves prone to sin.

16
II.C.

Pre- and Postlapsarian Life Compared

17
III.A

Cain
and Abel

11th c.
18
 III.B.

THE FLOOD

19
III.B. The Sumerian King List
ca. 2000 BCE
A-lulim 28,200 years
Alalgar 36,000
En-men-lu-Anna 43,200
En-men-gal-Anna 28,800
Dumu-zi 36,000
En-sipa-zi-Anna 28,800
En-men-dur-Anna 21,000
Ubar-Tutu 18,600
THE
FLOOD
Ga[ ]ur 1,200
Nidaba 960
Pala-kinatim 900
?, ?, ?, 960, 840, 900, 600, 840, 720, 1560, 400, 660, 900,
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1200, 140, 305, 900, 1200, 900, 629
III.B.

Egypt and Mesopotamia have mighty rivers where

flooding is an annual event. Canaan has the much
smaller Jordan River and is dependent instead on
rain from the Mediterranean Sea.
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III.B.
The Obedience of Noah

Throughout the story, the obedience of Noah is

stressed:

Gen 6:22 Noah did all that God commanded him.

Gen 7:5 Noah did all that the LORD commanded

him.

Gen 7:9 …two and two, male and female, went into
the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.

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III.B.
Priestly Source (P) Yahwist Source (J)
Gen 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that
were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; 2
the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens
was restrained, 3 and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred
fifty days the waters had abated; 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the
month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to abate until
the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains
appeared.

6
At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent out
the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent
out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9 but the
dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on
the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with
him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11 and the
dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so
Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days,
and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.

13
In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were
dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that
the face of the ground was drying. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the
month, the earth was dry.
23
 Source: NAB
III.B.
“In the six
hundredth year
of Noah’s life,
in the second
month, on the
seventeenth day
of the month,
on that day all
the fountains of
the great deep
burst forth, and
the windows of
the heavens
were opened”
(Gen 7:11).
P source
24
III.B. Yahwist (J) Priestly (P)
Introduction » Yahweh is grieved (6:6) » God judges (6:13)
» Wipe out man & beasts » Destroy all life on
(6:7) earth (6:13)

Instructions » 7 pairs of clean animals, » 1 pair of every animal

1 pair unclean (7:2) (6:19)

The Flood » Rain causes a flood » Waters above and

(7:10, 12) below are unleashed
(7:11)
Duration » Rain for 40 days and » Earth covered with
nights (7:12, 17) water 150 days (7:24)
» Noah waits 3 weeks to » Total time on ark: 1
disembark yr, 10 days (7:11 / 8:14)

25
III.C.

The Tower of Babel

A Mesopotamian Ziggurat at Ur ca. 2100 BCE
26
III.C.

27
III.C.
Artist’s Reconstruction

28
IV. A. & B.
Key Theological Concepts
A. The Doctrine of Creation: creatio ex nihilo
The belief that God is the absolute origin of all
that is: there was no matter already in existence
when God created.

B. Humans in the Divine Image: imago Dei

There is a likeness between God and humanity – a
complementarity – that allows a relationship.

Every human person is created in the divine

image: every human person has inherent worth
and dignity.
29
IV. C. & D.
Key Theological Concepts
C. Original Sin
1. The first sin.
2. Sin that affects humans from their origins:
all human beings are born into a world
tainted by sin and are themselves prone to
sin.

D. Covenant
A formal binding agreement between two
parties: each is bound to specific obligations.

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IV.E.
Justice and Mercy in Genesis
Story Justice Mercy
Adam & Sin is punished: 1. God provides
Eve men work, women have clothing
labor, they are driven from 2. They don’t die (as
the garden threatened in 2:17)
Cain & Abel Sin is punished: God marks him for
Cain is driven from the land protection
Noah Sin is punished: Noah, his family, and
the flood creatures are spared

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