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Transcript
Overall Literary Structure
- Usually divided into two major parts:
- The Primeval History (1-11) and Patriarchal Narratives (12-50)
- Another structuring device is the "toledot" formulas
Overarching Themes
- "Be fruitful and multiply" (47.27)
- Younger son motif
Accomplished somewhat by names
- Adam
- Eve
- Abel
- Noah
Literary considerations
- Genre
- Comparative lit
- Plot line
- Characterization
Literary considerations
- Genre
- Type scenes
- Characterization
- Plot
Genesis
Primeval History
Patriarchs
Legend or saga
- sound much more like real people
- however, still historical problems
- definition of legend
original image:
http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/
archives/2004/Aug/
- wife sister narratives
- betrothal type scenes
Myth, epic or something else
- term myth has two meanings
- unfortunate that one meaning dominates modern English usage
- why I use the term myth
- comparison with other texts
- mythical elements in the narrative
- examples - divine council, sons of god, Enoch
- these are some of the most well-rounded characters in the Hebrew Bible
- sometimes hard to know how to feel about these characters
- variety of means used - appearence, speech, costume, etc.
- names are also significant here, but mostly in name changes
- Abram -> Abraham
- Jacob -> Israel
- Ben-oni -> Benjamin
- Joseph -> Zaphenath-Paneah
Plenty of material for comparison
- Enuma Elish
- Hymn to Ptah
- Hymn to Ra
- Epic of Gilgamesh
- Epic of Atrahasis
- Dilmun
climax - sin continues to predominate - Noah & Canaan, Tower of Babel
apparent climax and resolution - flood
Multifaceted
- three separate cycles
- revolve around promises to Abraham
- promise is twofold: descendants and land
- Abraham cycle deals mostly with descendants
- Jacob cycle deals more with the land
- Joseph cycle deals with both to some extent
Noah - new Adam
falling action and resolution - humanity dispersed ... then Abraham
conflict - downward spiral - Cain, Lamech
Seth
introduction - world created good
original image: bibleplaces.com