Seminar on Genesis

Information

The department will offer a seminar on Genesis during the spring semester of 2005. The aim of the seminar is not only to pursue a closer reading of the book of Genesis, but also to better understand the narrative techniques of the writers of Genesis, to get an overview of the history of biblical commentary, and to participate in on-going debate about the significance of the stories of Genesis.

Membership in the seminar will be limited to 8 persons. While it is a requirement for majors in the department, others have found this seminar to be stimulating and fun. To assist you in planning, the following notes describe the typical seminar.

Preparation
Preparation for each 75 minute session should include:

1. Reading, perhaps several times, the assigned passage. Take note of the passages which strike you as especially interesting or that need additional clarification.

2. Reading from a minimum of 4 commentaries or special studies on the passage. Try to draw on commentaries from different time periods and different theological perspectives, both Jewish and Christian.

3. Bring some of the commentaries to class with you so we can pursue some items more deeply.

Tentative Schedule
The seminar proceeds by examining, passage by passage, the book of Genesis and the major lines of commentary on each passage. We are interested in discovering:
* what the passage is actually saying
* what observations the various commentators have contributed
* what led the commentators to make their various comments.

A typical seminar would follow a schedule like this:

Session 1 = Creation - Gen. 1
Session 2 = Garden - Gen. 2
Session 3 = The Tree of Good and Evil - Gen 3
Session 4 = Cain and Abel - Gen 4
Session 5 = Noah's Flood - Gen 6-9
Session 6 = The Tower of Babel - Gen 10
Session 7 = Early Abraham - Gen 12-15
Session 8 = Sarah and Hagar - Gen 16 and Gen 21

Session 9 = Sodom - Gen 18 & 19
Session 10 = The "Binding of Isaac" - Gen 22
Session 11 = Purchase of a burial ground - Gen 23
Session 12 = Rebekah - Gen 24
Session 13 = Jacob and Esau - Gen 25
Session 14 = The Deception of Isaac - Gen 27
Session 15 = Jacob at Bethel - Gen 28
Session 16 = Rachel and Leah - Gen 29
Session 17 = Wrestling with Angels - Gen 32
Session 18 = Dinah - Gen 34
Session 20 = Joseph and his brothers - Gen 37
Session 21 = Judah and Tamar - Gen 38
Session 22 = Joseph in Egypt - Gen 39-41
Session 23 = Joseph's brothers in Egypt - Gen 42-45
Session 24 = Blessing the sons of Israel - Gen 49
Session 25 = Summaries and Conclusions

This outline of classes changes from year to year because the class sometimes finds it necessary to take two sessions to examine the more complex stories.

As time permits, members of the seminar will have already read and taken notes on at least four commentaries from different categories. The following are some of the commentaries available on our campus. You may also locate others.

Ancient Jewish Commentaries: Bereshit Rabbah (Vol 1 & Vol 2) Often referred to as "the midrash"
Rashi (Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac)
Ancient Christian Commentaries: These are the most difficult to locate. Look through the works of Origen, Tertullian, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Irenaeus, and others for comments on our passages.
Pre-critical Commentaries: John Calvin: This commentary can be searched on line at this site from Wheaton College.
Matthew Henry: Henry's commentary is also available on line from GOSHEN Bible Study Tools.
Critical Commentaries: Hermann Gunkel (The "granddaddy" of critical commentaries)
Gerhard Von Rad (Old Testament Library)
E. A. Speiser (Anchor Bible)
Post-critical Christian Commentaries: Eugene Roop (Believers' Commentary)
Walter Brueggemann (Interpretation Commentary)
Post Modern Jewish Commentaries: Nahum Sarna (JPS Commentary)
W. Gunther Plautt

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