Article 6 - Introduction to Genesis

By Adrian Mathew

(Audio format click to listen -> Spotify narrated by Suharsh Xavier)

Disclaimer – The following article is meant for educational purpose only and not for any commercial purpose.

The word Genesis comes from the Greek word ‘geneseos’ which means birth or origin. The Book explains the origin of the world and Israel’s place in it. Genesis narrates sacred history from its commencement at the time of creation and rounds it off with the account of the Israelites’ descent into Egypt. In its rich theological theme, the Book points to the true God who created the heavens, the earth and all that’s in the universe and thereby dethroning all false claimants to divinity. Nothing in this world is god and nothing in this world deserves worship but all of creation comes from the true God, bears witness to God and is under the aegis of the true God. We human beings are the stewards of this creation.

The Book is divided into two parts:

- Primeval History (Chapters 1-11)

- Patriarchal History (Chapters 12-50)

Genesis 1 to 2 portray creation as it came from the Creator’s hand, that is in a perfect state. All human needs were provided for and man, woman and God lived together in perfect harmony. They trusted each other and enjoyed each other’s company, walking together in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day. This golden age was abruptly brought to an end by human disobedience when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. This disobedience and rebellion led to their expulsion from the Garden. Worse and more widespread sin led to the destruction of mankind by the flood. Yet, God started again with a new race headed by the righteous Noah. Unfortunately, he faltered and his son Ham sinned as well (9:20-27) and the process of sin enslaving mankind was repeated over and over culminating in the dispersal of the Nations at Babel (11:1-9)

God started anew with Abraham, the forefather of Israel, and Genesis shows how God planned to restore the human race through him and his descendants. Patriarchal History is essentially the history of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose descendants will inherit the land of Canaan, It should be noted that the sacred history transpires on two levels, the divine and the human. On the human level, the sacred history involves sin, for example, Jacob cheats his father Isaac (Ch 27), and his wife Rachel steals her father’s idols (31:19), but in spite of sin, God’s designs go ahead, for in the final analysis it is not the human will but the Lord’s will that reigns supreme.

What is truly amazing is the frequency with which the motif of blessing appears in the Book. The whole humanity is blessed (Gen 1:28), then as we go along, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph receive blessings. Genesis is also a story of faith. The story of Abraham’s trust has always been central to biblical theology. God’s absolute Lordship over history is strongly stressed in the Book.

Although Genesis tells a story about the origin and the history of the world and Israel’s ancestors, it never claims that it is primarily interested in verifying or teaching about the “facts” involved. In other words, Genesis is not Book of History. We should not seek in Genesis an exact explanation of astronomy or geology or the origins of the physical world that science today gives. We should not also hope to find and accurate and complete record of ancient history in the pages of Genesis. On the other hand, the authors of Genesis had a sharp vision of who God was and how human beings were to act in relationship with this God. So, we can expect that Genesis will provide a very readable, literate, entertaining, and edifying series of stories, poems, laws and other literary pieces that will persuade us of the truth about what God does and wills. Its purpose is religious and it should lead to belief, personal commitment and conversion to God in worship and obedience.

 

The Structure

The two divisions of the Book are further divided as follows –

1. Primeval History (1:1-11:26)

a) The Priestly Account of Creation (1:1-2:4a)

b) The Yahwist Account of Creation (2:4b-25)

c) The Fall and the Judgement (3:1-24)

d) Cain and Abel (4:1-26)

e) The Pre-flood Generations (5:1-6:8)

f) The Flood (6:9-9:29)

g) The Table of the Nations of the World (10:1-32)

h) The Tower of Babel (11:1-9)

i) The Genealogy from Shem to Terah (11:10-26)

2. The Patriarchal History (11:27-50:26)

a) Abraham (11:27-25:18)

b) Isaac (25:19-27:45)

c) Jacob (27:46-36:43)

d) Joseph (37:1-45:28)

e) The Israelites in Egypt (46:1-50:26)

 

Please have a look at the following videos by a renowned Catholic Bishop, Rev Robert Barron to have a clearer understanding on how to approach the Book of Genesis:

1) Bishop Barron on Misreading Genesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVsbVAVSssc

2) Understanding Genesis: Creation

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s2OTo4wuKY

 

 

References – 

The content of the above article has been taken from the following Bible

The New Community Bible Catholic Edition [pg. 5-6]