Category: Uncategorized
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Hagar and Ishmael Hagar (Genesis 16 and 21) The travails of Hagar, an Egyptian maidservant, as presented in Genesis 16 and 21 is a combination of J, E, and P sources. One can argue that Genesis 16 is mostly the product of the Yahwist and Genesis 21 is predominantly from the Elohist perspective. While it…
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Abraham, the Patriarch of the Israelites What kind of man was Abraham that God called him to lead his family out of Haran? And why did God establish a covenant with him and his descendants? In other words, who is Abraham that he was favored by God? To establish his legitimacy and authority as a…
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The Covenant – Berit Author’s Note – I was planning to write about Abraham in just one post … but there were too many traditions and therefore too many themes to unravel. It didn’t seem fair that I would dedicate 8 posts on the first 11 chapters but just one on Abraham which extended 14…
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Table of Nations and Tower of Babel Personal Context I don’t remember too many reflections on the table of nations or the tower of Babel stories … but I vaguely recall someone mentioning how we spoke one language until humans ruined it by trying to reach and usurp God’s power. Why do humans always ruin…
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Noah and the Flood Personal Context Once, when I was visiting my parents while I was a graduate student at Brandeis University, one of their friends asked me about the archaeological finding that proved the historicity of Noah’s ark – he read about it in a magazine. I knew next to nothing about the finding…
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Antediluvian Ancestors and the Nephilim Personal Context What do I remember about the antediluvian ancestors or the Nephilim? How many sermons did I hear about the ancient period when the descendants of Adam lived for hundreds and hundreds of years? I don’t recollect anything specific except maybe a passing reference to Methuselah, the longest living…
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Cain and Abel – Sibling Rivalry Personal Context I grew up believing that Cain was an evil man because he killed his innocent brother, Abel. I really can’t remember where I first heard/read about Cain but all I remember was that his jealousy got the best of him. I knew no other interpretations. Then one…
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Eve and Adam – The First Couple Personal Context If it wasn’t for Eve, all of humanity, or more specifically women, would be in the garden of Eden, blissfully naked, essentially a vegan, and bearing children without pain. And for Christians, if it wasn’t for Eve, we wouldn’t need Christ, i.e. redemption from our original…
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God Orders Creation Personal Context How many times have I heard pastors talk about God creating the world out of nothing, demonstrating the omnipotence of our God? God was there from the very beginning, all by himself, when God decided to create ‘adam (אָדָם; Genesis 1:27). They would shout from the pulpit that God created…
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Framework for readings on the book of Genesis (“Origin”) Personal Context The book of Genesis has laid the foundation for many of Christian doctrines of original sin, the fall, total depravity, troubled relationships between genders, siblings, and people, grace, the covenant, promised land, etc. If it wasn’t for the book of Genesis and the story…