GENESIS
INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS
Genesis is about beginnings — of the world , of humanity and of Israel . The book focuses on the early stages of God ’ s relationship with humankind , as he sets a plan in motion to redeem the world . God chooses Abraham — known as Abram at the time — and his descendants to participate in this plan . The thrilling stories of Abraham and his family make up the majority of Genesis .
BACKGROUND
The name “ Genesis ” comes from the Greek word meaning “ origins .” But there is great debate about the book ’ s origins and the rest of the Pentateuch ( the first five books of the Bible ). While the text of Genesis does not identify its author , Jewish and Chris tian traditions ascribe the book to Moses ( e . g ., Lk 24:44 ). However , this does not necessarily mean Moses himself wrote the Pentateuch — it may simply be in the tradition of Moses , the first known writing prophet ( Ex 20 ). The Pentateuch may use multiple sources , and multiple people may have added to it and edited it over time — with it reaching its final form in the fifth century BC . Even if Moses had a major hand in shaping this material , certain passages ( such as the record of his death in Dt 34:1 – 12 ) indicate that it underwent at least some editorial revision .
STRUCTURE
Genesis can be divided into two sections . First , Genesis 1 – 11 is known as the primeval history ; this section describes creation and its corruption by sin , with passages about humanity ’ s fall
Ur ? Harran
Tigris River
Mediterranean Sea
Euphrates River
Bethel
Shechem
Beersheba
Ur ?
There is disagreement about whether Ur of the Chaldeans is a large city in southern Mesopotamia or a smaller city in northwest Mesopotamia .
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