Genesis By Walter Brueggemann

The first book in the Bible; it is the narrative account of beginnings—of the world, of the community of Israel, of faith. It is a theo­logical statement, claiming that all real begin­nings are wrought by the purpose and speech of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Content

The beginnings concern the theologi­cal ground of the created world and the origin of Israel among the peoples of the world. Gen. 1-11 is a collection of materials presenting a particu­lar notion of the character of the cosmos. It is clear that while Israel borrows and utilizes the common deposit of ancient Near Eastern tradi­tions in this material, Israel has shaped these appropriated materials to make a particular statement about the character of the world in relation to God. This statement does not concern scientific origins. It asserts that the world is formed by, accountable to, and destined for Yahweh's purposes but is recalcitrant, refusing to be God's obedient creature. The narrative concerns the theological issues of fidelity and disobedi­ence.

The remainder of the book concerns Abra­ham and Sarah (Gen. 12-25), Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 25-26), Jacob .and Rachel (Gen. 25-36), and Joseph (Gen. 37-50). Again diverse materials are used. The completed tradition makes a theological claim that Israel is formed by Yahweh's summoning, promising purpose to be a vehicle for God's way in the world. Is­rael becomes the arena in which God's remark­able deeds of fidelity are enacted.

The origin of the world and the origin of Israel are expressed in different modes and different textures. The connection of the two is decisive for understanding the intent of the book. On the one hand, it is frequently suggested that Gen. 12:l_4a (with its mention of "blessing for the na­tions") is the key link that looks back to a created world under curse and looks forward to Israel as a source of blessing among the nations. On the other hand, the goodness of the world (1:31) and Joseph's verdict on God's good providence (50:20) provide a way of holding together both ori­gins under God's promise.

Critical Study

The critical study of Genesis has included three approaches in the last several centuries: work on the oral tradition, the written sources, and the history behind the text. There is no doubt that Genesis includes many materi­als that were shaped and transmitted orally. A study of Genesis thus attends to oral narrative, the forms and modes of such transmission. Ref­erence to Hermann Gunkel's work is of crucial importance, as well as more recent studies in literary and rhetorical analysis.

Extensive study has been given to the edito­rial work done on the written sources. The scholarly consensus (associated with the name of Julius Wellhausen) is the four-document hy­pothesis (the Pentateuch is composed of four sources J, E, D, and P), which is an attempt to deal with problems discerned in the text. That hypothesis is now under severe attack from several quarters, but so far no compelling alter­native has been proposed.

Historical study (using linguistic and archae­ological methods, with particular reference to the work of W. F. Albright) has sought to estab­lish the historical realities behind the text. While important gains have been made, there is currently a great reticence about claiming too much. Whatever there is that is historical, it is now available to us only in a form that is the result of an inventive, constructive literary pro­cess.

Theological Statement

For the communities of faith that have valued the book of Genesis, it is finally a theological statement. The world and Israel belong to God, exist because of God's in­tention, and are called to live toward God's hope. Every scientific, historical, or literary analysis that misses this claim misunderstands the text.

For Jews, the book of Genesis asserts the decisive vocation of Israel among the nations as a people under promise. For Christians, the book of Genesis is understood as the source of a promissory process that leads from this com­munity to the community gathered around Jesus. For both Jews and Christians, Genesis functions to keep the world open for God's hope against every ideological and technologi­cal effort to close the world and end the histori­cal process.

Outline of Content

I.                   Creation and the history of the nations (1:1-11:32)

A.    Traditions of creation (1:1-2:25)

1.      Creation deemed good (l:l-2:4a)

2.      Creation of man and woman (2:4b-25)

B.     Traditions of creation troubled (3:1-4:16)

1.      Trouble in the garden (3:1-24)

2.      Trouble with the brothers (4:1-16)

C.     Materials before the Flood (4:17-6:4)

D.    The Flood narrative (6:5-9:29)

1.      Corruption and God's resolve (6:5-22)

2.      The coming of the Flood (7:1-24)

3.      The resolution of the Flood (8:1-22)

4.      The covenant of rainbow (9:1-17)

5.      The family of Noah (9:18-29)

E.     The generations of the sons of Noah (10:1-32)

F.      The Tower of Babel (11:1-9)

G.    The generations of Shem (11:10-32)

II.                The Traditions of Abraham (12:1-25:18)

A.    The initial summons (12:1-9)

B.     A sojourn in Egypt (12:10-20)

C.     Division of the land with Lot (13:1-18)

D.    Tradition of the kings (14:1-24)

E.     Covenanting with Abraham (15:1-21)

F.      Sarah and Hagar (16:1-16)

G.    Covenant and circumcision (17:1-27)

H.    The impossible promise (18:1-15)

I.       Sodom and Gomorrah (18:16-19:38)

J.       Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech (20:1-18)

K.    Abraham. Sarah, and their sons (21:1-21)

L.     Traditions of Beer-sheba (21:22-34)

M.   The testing of Abraham (22:1-24)

N.    The death of Sarah (23:1-20)

O.    The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah (24:1-67)

P.      Abraham's genealogy and death (25:1-18)

III.             Traditions of Isaac and Jacob (25:19-36:43)

A.    The birth of Jacob and Esau (25:19-34)

B.     Traditions of Isaac (26:1-30)

C.     The blessing of Jacob and Esau (27:1 -28:22)

1.      The blessing by Isaac (27:1-45)

2.      The warning against foreign women (27:46-28:9)

3.      The dream at Bethel (28:10-22)

D.    Jacob, Rachel, and their sons (29:1-31:55)

E.     Jacob and Esau reconciled (32:1-33:20)

1.      Preparation for meeting (32:1-21)

2.      The meeting at Penuel (32:22-32)

3.      The meeting with Esau (33:1-17)

4.      Jacob at Shechem (33:18-20)

F.      Jacob's sons at Shechem (34:l-31)

G.    Various Jacob traditions (35:1-29)

H.    The descendants of Esau (36:1-43)

IV.             The story of Joseph and his brothers (37:1-50:26)

A.    The initial dream (37:1-36)

B.     A Judah tradition (38:1-30)

C.     Joseph and the way to power (39:1-41:57)

1.      Joseph and Potiphar's wife (39:1-23)

2.      Joseph as dream interpreter (40:11-23)

3.      Joseph raised to power (41:1-57)

D.    Joseph meets his brothers (42:1-44:34)

E.     Joseph discloses himself (45:1-28)

F.      Israel settles in Egypt (46:1-47:26)

G.    The death of Jacob (47:27-50:14)

H.    Joseph meets his brothers again (50:15-26)

Bibliography

Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. Atlanta, GA: John Knox, 1982.

Brueggemann, Walter, and Hans Walter Wolff. The Vitality of Old Testament Traditions. 2nd edition. Atlanta, GA: John Knox, 1982.

Coats, George W. Genesis with an Introduction to Narrative Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1983.

Hayes, John H. An Introduction to Old Testa­ment Study. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1979. Chap. 5.

Source: Achtemeier, Harper’s Bible Dictionary.