Genesis

​We will be reading six chapters from "Genesis."

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It is important to note that this is being presented from a scholarly & literary perspective NOT a religious one.

​The Bible is part of Hebrew literature. The Hebrew Bible consists only of the Old Testament.

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The word bible means a collection of writings.

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There are three main sections to the Hebew Bible:

1. The Torah (law) This is the first 5 books.

2. Nevi'im (prophets)

3. Ketuvim (poetry/prose writings)

​Quick facts:

• the Old Testiment has inspired three major religions: Judaism, Christianity & Islam

• In the 16th Century, Martin Luther (NOT King) translated the Bible into German & inagurated Protestantism

• Another translation, in English, was written by a committe of scholars in 1611 for King James

​Themes-

The themes in the Bible often address the power, goodness & mercy of a single god. There are numerous parabales within the Bibe that can be interpreted as life lessons. These parables can be about deep strength in the face of adversity, the capacity of the weak to survive in the harshest of circumstances, and the consequences of vices, like greed & betrayal.

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These types of lessons are integral to parables in world literature; however, in the Bible, they are rooted to spitituality. ​

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Multiple Choice

How many parts is the Old Testimament of the Bible broken into?

• 1

• 3

• 4

• 7

Multiple Choice

An archetype is... (this is from Gilgamesh)

• a recurring theme, symbol, motif, or character in literature

• a valuable lesson

​Yes, you can guess we are still studying at archetype. Not only will we look at the vengeful god(s) as an archetype, but we will look at archetypal setting.

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An archetypal setting is a time, place, or landscape feature that has similar significance for different peoples and, therefore, connects to powerful, universal experiences.

So what does that mean? Here are examples:

• a universe of opposites

• a circle that symbolizes completion

• ​a great tree that connects the realms of heaven and earth

​Additionally, we will study dialogue (a conversation between characters). Dialogue is important within the Bible as it reveals information about the characters

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Last, remember we are moving from Mesopotamian literature, where there was a belief in many gods, to a Hebrew literature, where there is a belief in one god. Nonetheless, the themes and archetypes are the same. ​