Old Testament Introduction: a Survey of the Hebrew Bible

Lecture 1: Introductions and Genesis 1-11

Class Introductions
What do we want to accomplish in this course?

What's in the Old Testament?

Environment of the Old Testament

• Geography
• History

The old Israelite epic

"Primeval" History as Prelude

	creation and "fall"  (Gen 1-4)
		Cain and Abel (Gen 4)
	wickedness and flood (Gen 6-9)
		"sons of god" (6:1-4)
	dispersion of peoples (Gen 10-11)
		babel (11:1-9)

First Movement: The Ancestors

	Abraham  (Gen 12:1 - 25:18)
	   called from Mesopotamia
	[Isaac  (Gen 21:1 - 28:9)]
	Jacob (Gen 25:19 - 37:1)
	   wandering aramean
	   twelve sons  :  tribes
		rachel and leah
	Joseph (Gen 37:2 - 49:26)
	   novella style
	   move to egypt

Main Story: Creation of a People

PRELUDE

Creation and fall

see also Psalm 104; Job 38-39; etc

Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a

	1-5 face of waters / tohu?
	   cf enuma elish iv 75-104, 129-146 (dott 9-10)
	6-8 only day without good
	   separation of earth & sky (nert p74)
	      dome (start diagram)
		(ginzberg p6)
	9-13 separation of waters on earth
	   vegetation
	14-19 lights in dome
	   natural, not gods assigned territory
	20-23 water creatures & birds
	24-31 land animals & humans
	2:1-3 sabbath rest
	   (later tradition: millgram 213, 220)

	2:4a priestly summary - tying this story to the next

	6 (7) days - climax sabbath
	creation by word   cf memphite ane 1-2
	importance of separations
	humanity as divine image - to represent God on earth
	"priestly" source

Gensis 2:4b - 3:24

	4b-7 creation of man
	   from clay (sumerian nert 77)
	8-9 planting of garden
	10-14 rivers
	15-17 man in garden and prohibition
	   preparation for chap 3
	18-20 creation & naming of animals
	21-25 creation of woman and "marriage"
		lack of "helper" [(zr] for man [term used often of God]
	   wordplay of man / woman
	   nakedness wordplay with crafty snake (3:1)

	3:1-7 fateful decisions
	   woman knows limits
	   will they die?  will they be like God?
	   knew nakedness - sewed fig leaves
		knowledge sexual??
	8-13 interrogation by God
	   hiding - can't deny ate of tree
	   passing of buck from man to woman to snake

	14-19 "curses"
	   enmity between snakes and humans - what?
	   pains in childbirth - husband rule
	   thorny toil 'til return to ground
	20-21 naming of Eve
	      God provides clothing
		what about old loincloths?
	22-24 blocking the way back

	molding of man and woman
		role of woman as helper
	role as gardeners - and limitation of diet - to remind of place
	rebellion and expulsion from garden
		[cf Ezek 28:11-19]
		limitation to earthly life
	Yahwist  [note Book of J]

[ immortality and knowledge   {if time sufficient}
	Adapa (A&B) [ane 76-79]
	   name like Adam
	   refusal of immortality on other god's advice
	Gilgamesh
	   xi.258-297 (snake)
	   Bohuslav Martinu's oratorio "The Epic of GIlgamesh" ]

• Genesis 4: Cain and Abel
• Genesis 5: List of desendants

Flood and dispersal

	background
		introducing Gilgamesh and Enkidu
		Gilgamesh' rejection of Ishtar
		The bull of heaven
		Dream and death of Enkidu
	Tale of Utnapishtim (xi:1-256 ane 65-74)
	   secret of gods
	   workmen included
	   gods frightened by deluge
	   immortality to Utnapishtim
		but not to Gilgamesh, since serpent ate plant

Genesis 6-9

	chapter 6
	   sons of God & daughters of humans *
	   note two starts to story: 5 & 11 *
		separated by P summary
	chapter 7
	   note multiple pairs of clean
	   fountains of deep & windows of heaven *
	chapter 8
	   confusion between 40 and 150 days
	   ararat  (armenia / turkey)
	   sweet-smelling savor of sacrifice *
	   	no destruction -- human heart evil *
	chapter 9
	   meat-eating, but not cannibalism
	   covenant - rainbow *

After the Flood

	9:18-28 drunkenness of Noah
	chapter 10: descendants of Japheth, Ham, and Shem
	chapter 11; Tower of Babel ; from Shem to Abram