Last updated: July 28, 2008
Last updated: July 28, 2008
Genesis 1-11 Creation The Fall Cain and Abel The Flood
Genesis 12-36 Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar Jacob, Leah, and Rachel
Genesis 37-50: The Joseph Story
Genesis in General
Genesis
in Hebrew from Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
The Beginning of Wisdom:
Reading Genesis. By Leon R. Kass. Review by
E. Theodore Mullen Jr. in Review of
Biblical Literature.
Early Jewish Writings. This website provides fantastic resources on
every book of the Bible and many other resources for studying the Old Testament.
Designed by Peter Kirby.
The Female Threat in Genesis. By Shana Mauer. Free-lance writer
at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Fill in the Blank Content Questions on Genesis
Genesis: Bible Tutor Sponsored by Luther Seminary
Genesis:
A Living Conversation Web site for famous PBS program with Bill Moyers.
The site discusses: First Murder (Gen 4); In God's Image (Gen 1-2);
Temptation (Gen 2-3); Apocalypse: Noah and the Flood; Call and Promise
(Gen 11-13); Family Affair: Abraham, Sarah, Hagar; Test (Gen 22); Blessed
deception (Gen 25-28); God Wrestling (Gen 28, 32, 33); Exile--Joseph story.
Genesis' Genesis, The Hebrew Transformation of the Ancient Near Eastern Myths
and their Motifs. By Walter Mattfeld
Sources
JEDP in Genesis--a table by Ralph W. Klein showing how verses are assigned to the
documentary sources
Text of JEDP sources in Genesis. A color-coded translation by David
Barnes (Blue = P; Black = J; Green = E; Red = special source in Genesis 14.
Outline
of Genesis. By Robert Dunston
What
Happens in Genesis. By David J. A. Clines. Use Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view this essay.
What's
New in Interpreting Genesis. By Paul Koptak of North Park Seminary.
Reviews a number of recent commentaries and monographs.
Genesis 1-11
"Adam, What are You? The Primeval History against the Backdrop of
Mesopotamian Mythology." Jens Bruun Kofoed. JHiphil.
The Meaning of
the Chronogenealogies of Genesis 5 and 11. By Gerhard F. Hasel.
Adapa the First
Human: Translation by Stephanie Dalley
Atrahasis
Epic and its Significance for Understanding Genesis 1-9. By Tikva
Frymer-Kensky of the University of Chicago. Published in Biblical
Archeologist (December, 1977) 147-155.
Babylonian
Creation Story. = Enuma Elish
Creation and Chaos in the
Primeval Era and the Eschaton: A Religio-Historical Study of Genesis 1 and
Revelation 12. By Hermann Gunkel. Review by
Pieter G. R. de Villiers in Review of
Biblical Literature.
Creation and Destruction:
A Reappraisal of the Chaoskampf Theory in the Old Testament. By David
Toshio Tsumura. Review by Karljürgen
G. Feuerherm in Journal of Hebrew Scriptures.
Creation Myths & Sacred Narratives of Creation. By Kathleen Jenks.
Creation
Science. (A challenge to biblical studies from the right).
Creation Stories from around the World. Compiled by Bruce Railsback,
University of Georgia
The Days of Creation in Genesis 1:
Literal "Days" or figurative "Periods/Epochs" of time? By Gerhard F. Hasel.
From Origins 21 (1994):5-38
Enuma Elish
from ANET. Translated by N. K. Sandars.
Enuma Elish
from Theology Website; also Introduction to Enuma Elish.
Enuma Elish...The Mesopotamian/Babylonian
Creation Myth. By Dennis Bratcher.
Enuma
Elish Translation Taken from Myths from Mesopotamia, by
Stephanie Dalley
Gender Construction in the Yahwist Creation Myth. By Ronald A. Simkins
Genesis
1 Translation. The NRSV arranged by Ralph W. Klein with two
illustrations.
God: What Do The Opening Chapters of Genesis Tell Us
About Him? By Jim West. Journal of
Biblical Studies 1.2 (2001).
Humanity
as the Image of God. By David J. A. Clines. The importance of
this concept in theology is out of all proportion with the laconic treatment of
it in the OT.
Israel's "New Moons
and Full Moon Observances" and the Shabbat (Sabbath) = Shapattu Controversy.
By Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld y de la Torre.
The Liberating Image: The
Imago Dei in Genesis 1. By Richard J. Middleton. Review by
Nathan MacDonald in Review of Biblical
Literature
Lilith:
Adam's First Wife Ancient sources; Jewish mysticism; modern magic and
literature; pictures.
Lilith and Musical
Worship
Macromedia Presentation of
the Seven Days of Creation. Fascinating use of multimedia!
Main
Issues in the Science Creation Debate A very fine site with good
scientific information
The Pre-biblical
Origin of the Sabbath (Shabbat) and its derivation from the Mesopotamian Epic of
Gilgamesh and Atrahasis. By Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfield y de la
Torree.
The
Purpose of Creation Myths. By Ronald A. Simkins
Ra
and the Serpent: An Egyptian Myth of Creation.
Schöpfung und Chaos in Urzeit und Endzeit. A "classic" by
Hermann Gunkel
Season of Creation: A
New Liturgical Season in September in the Lutheran Church of Australia.
Theology for a Season of
Creation
Thoughts on the Two Creation Stories. by Rabbi Joseph Dov
Soloveitchik
Bone
of My Bone and Flesh of my Flesh. By Phyllis A. Bird. "The
examples of Genesis I and Psalm 8 alert us to two dangers in appeal to biblical
statements as authority for contemporary faith. Both appear to offer general
pronouncements about the nature of humankind with universal applicability. In
fact, both are concerned with a very limited question-the place of humans within
the created order. Both also assume male models as representative of the
species."
Eve and Pandora Contrasted. By William E. Phipps. Theology
Today 45.1 (1988).
The Fall of
Satan in the Thought of St. Ephrem and John Milton. By Gary A.
Anderson. Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies 3 (2000)
The
Garden of Eden, Enki's Fruit-tree Garden in Eridu of Sumer. By
Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld y de la Torre
Images
of Women in Ancient Art--Especially Eve Women in prehistory, Egypt,
Aegean, Palestine, Greece, etc.
Rethinking
the Interpretation of Genesis 2:4b-3:24 By Lyn M. Bechtel
Seduction
of Eve and Feminist Readings of the Garden of Eden.
Temptation
of Adam and Eve in Art Lots of wonderful pictures and explanations.
The
"Fall"--a Second Look: A Literary Analysis of Genesis
2:4-3:24. By Dennis R. Bratcher.
What
Does Eve Do to Help? David J. A. Clines
Cain and Abel: Scriptures
and Folktales. D. L. Ashliman. Bible, Qur'an, Palestinian,
Turkish, Italian, and Polish folklore.
"Mozart & Salieri, Cain & Abel: A Cinematic Transformation of Genesis
4." By Gregory Allen Robbins. Journal of Religion and Film
1 (1997).
Before the Legend of Noah.
Flood Stories Predating the Noah Story.
The Biblical
View of the Extent of the Flood. By Gerhard F. Hasel
Black
Sea Discoveries and the Biblical Flood
A National Geographic expedition has been seeking to make a link between
flooding in ancient times and the biblical flood. The magazine has created
a snazzy web site with a lot of resources. Connection to biblical flood is
doubtful.
Epic
of Gilgamesh. An Outline with Bibliography and Links
The
Flood Story in J and P: An Example of the Documentary Hypothesis
Gilgamesh mentioned in the Book of Giants from Qumran Cave 4
Gilgamesh
Study Guide by Diane Thompson Terrific pedagogical site!
Noah and Disaster Planning: The Cultural Significance of the Flood Story.
By R. R. Dynes. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management.
Identifies perspectives Noah used in preparing for the flood and suggests how
these relate to modern disaster response.
Noah's
Ark--Data on Ziusudra of Sumer; many interesting links
Noah's Ark Search. Provided for
completeness. This search is futile.
Noah's
Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery. By
Stephen r. Haynes. Reviewed by Dexter E. Callender.
Noah's
Story marked according to the Documentary Hypothesis
Noahide Laws Explained. Key to
the exegesis of Gen 2:16-17 that led to the tradition of the Noahide laws.
Original
Dishonor: Noah's Curse and the Southern Defense of Slavery. By
Stephen R. Haynes of Rhodes College. Journal of Southern Religion
3, (2000).
Problems with a
Global Flood. By Mark Isaak.
Significance
of the Sons of God Episode. By David J. A. Clines. On the Way
to the Postmodern: Old Testament Essays 1967-98, Volume 1.
Sons of God by
Robert Graves and Raphael Patai
Story of Noah Marked according to the Documentary Sources
Sumerian
Flood Story
Sumerian King List
Important parallel to Genesis 5 and long-lived ante-deluvian figures.
Theology
of the Flood Narrative By David J. A. Clines. From On the Way
to the Postmodern, Volume 2.
When Heroes Love: The
Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David. By Susan
Ackerman. Review by Thomas Römer
in Review of Biblical Literature.
Genesis 12-36 Israel's Matriarchs and Patriarchs
Abraham--Not
the father of Ishmael and the Arabs? By Walter Mattfeld.
Abraham's Children: Jews,
Christians, and Muslims in Conversation. Edited by Norman Solomon, Richard
Harries, and Tim Winter. Review by Joel N. Lohr
in Review of Biblical Literature.
Age
of the Patriarchs. Historical background from Hebrew University.
Ancestor
in Danger but Not the Same Danger. By David J. A. Clines. Use
Adobe Acrobat Reader to see this essay on Genesis 12, 20, and 26.
Bible and Midrash: The
Story of 'The Wooing of Rebekah' (Gen. 24). By
Lieve M. Teugels. Review by Phillip
Sherman in Review of Biblical Literature.
Binding
of Isaac. By Dow Edgerton, Jr., of Chicago Theological Seminary.
There are as many methods of interpretation as there are interpreters.
Theology Today 44.2 (1987)
The Birth of Isaac: Genesis 21:1-7. By Wendell W. Frerichs.
Word and World 14 (1994)
Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians and the Sacrifice of Isaac.
By Edward Kessler. Review by Isaac Kalimi
in RBL.
Burial
of Sarah. An exegesis of Genesis 23. By Ben Kao.
Journal of Biblical Studies 1.1 (2001)
Death and
Resurrection of the Beloved Son. By Jon Levenson. Review by
David R. Blumenthal.
Descendants
of Israel's Matriarchs and Patriarchs By Professor Felix Just
Family
and Society in Ancient Israel Ancient
Hebrew Social Organization--patrilineal descent, marriage, sagas
Hagar According to the Documentary Hypothesis.
By Ralph W. Klein
Hagar
and Sarah--Women Quilting a Biblical Pattern. From a speech by Letty
Russell of Yale.
Hebrew
Akedah (Sacrifice of Isaac) in Christian and Islamic Traditions.
Quotations from NT, Luther, Irenaeus, Wesley, the Qur'an
The Interpretation of the
Sarah-Hagar Stories in Rabbinic and Patristic Literature. By Irene Pabst.
Lectio Difficilior 2003. Skip past brief German summary at the
beginning.
Isaac and
Ishmael: Brothers in Conflict. Leslie Hoppe, O.F.M.
Isaac's Opferung (Gen 22) in
den Konfessionen und Medien der frühen Neuzeit.
Ed. Johann Anselm Steiger and Ulrich Heinen. Review by
Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer in Review of Biblical
Literature.
Ishmael
and his Relationship to Islam.
Melchizedek: Gen 14, 17-20 in the Targums, in Rabbinic and Early Christian
Literature. By Martin McNamara. Biblica 81 (2000):1-31.
Melchizedek
in the MT, LXX, and NT. By Joseph Fitzmyer.
The Patriarchs in Scripture and History. By John Goldingay
Promises of Descendants and Land to Israel's Ancestors in Genesis.
Compiled by Ralph W. Klein
The
Religion of the Patriarchs. By Gordon J. Wenham
Remembering Abraham:
Culture, Memory, and History in the Hebrew Bible. By Ronald Hendel.
Review by Athalya Brenner in Review of
Biblical Literature and by Wesley Hu in
Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
The Rescue of
Lot. By Kenneth W. Collins. Denies connection of Sodom and
Homosexuality.
The Sacrifice of Isaac in Qumran Literature. By Joseph A. Fitzmyer.
Biblica 83 (2002): 211-229.
Sanctuaries Established by Israel's Ancestors in Genesis. Compiled by
Ralph W. Klein
Sodom
and Gomorrah (Gen 19:1-29) on the Internet An evaluation of sites
dealing with this chapter and with homosexuality. By Suzanne Scholz
Tales of
the Patriarchs (Genesis Apocryphon) from the Dead Sea Scrolls
A
Thrice-Told Tale: Genre, Theme, and Motif A study of the
wife-sister motif in Genesis 12, 20, and 26. By David L. Petersen
"The
Yahwist Looks at Abraham." By Ralph W. Klein. CTM
45 (1974)
Celebrating
and Sharing the Gift: Reflections on Jacob, Israel's Ancestor.
By Ralph W. Klein
The Ladder of Jacob: Ancient
Interpretations of the Biblical Story of Jacob and his Children. By James L.
Kugel. Review by Dan Clanton in Journal of
Hebrew Scriptures.
Old Testament Story and
Christian Ethics: The Rape of Dinah as a Case Study. By Robin
Perry. Review by Yael Shemesh in Review
of Biblical Literature.
Structure
of the Jacob Narrative. By Robert Dunston
The
Struggle at the Jabbok: the Uses of Enigma in a Biblical Narrative.
By Stephen A. Geller. JANES 1982
What Really
Happened to Dinah. By Susanne Scholz. A Feminist Analysis of
Genesis 34. lectio difficilior 2.2 (2001)
Wrestling at the
Jabbok (Gen 32:22-31). By Kirsten Abbott
Wrestling with God:
Gen 32:24-32. By Bruce Gottsche.
Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming
the Biblical Concept of Election. By Joel S. Kaminsky. Reviews by
Benjamin D. Sommer,
Jacqueline Lapsley,
Ellen F. Davis,
Joel N. Lohr, Patrick D. Miller, with a
response by Joel is Kaminsky in Review of
Biblical Literature.
"You Shall
not Abhor an Edomite, for He is Your Brother": The Tradition of Esau and
the Edomite Genealogies from an Anthropological Perspective. By Juan
Manuel Tebes. Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 6 (2006).
Anubis and
Bata. An Egyptian parallel to the story of Joseph and Potiphar's
wife.
Art, Movies, and other
links to the Joseph Story, including the account of Joseph in Josephus.
Defense
of the Historicity of the Joseph Story. Christian Answers.net
The Dual Identities of Joseph, Moses, and Joshua. From Living in
Truth: Archaeology and the Patriarchs. By Charles N. Pope.
Inquiring of Joseph:
Getting to Know a Biblical Character Through the Qur'an. By John
Kaltner. Review by R. Christopher Heard
in Review of Biblical Literature
Joseph and the Exodus.
From Egyptian Myth and Legend, chapter XXI. Joseph as Grand Vizier,
Israelites in Goshen, etc.
Joseph,
Egypt, and the Hyksos. Bills itself as the largest Egyptian photo
gallery on the internet.
Joseph
in Ancient Egypt by Wyatt Archeological Research This site discusses
the historicity of Joseph (also of the Cave of Machpelah, Noah's ark, the ark of
the covenant, Sodom and Gomorrah, Red Sea Crossing, Sinai). These findings
would generally not be supported by mainstream scholarship--but judge for
yourself.
Joseph Wise and Otherwise:
The Intersection of Wisdom and Covenant in Genesis 37-50. By Lindsay
Wilson. Review by Oren Biderman in
Review of Biblical Literature.
The
Literary Genius of the Joseph Narrative. By William D. Ramey.
Also "Preface to the Joseph Narrative."
Potiphar's
Wife and the Cultural Template of Sacred Sexuality. By Thalia Gur-Klein.
Lectio Difficilior 2.1 (2001).
Story of Joseph
in Five Religious Traditions. By Jim Stokes on Bahai Web site.
The Story of Joseph: A
Journey of Jewish Interpretation. By Alan T. Levenson. Review by
Piet Venter in Review of Biblical Literature
"Unveiling
the Versions: The Tactics of Tamar in Genesis 38:15," JHS 3, 7
(2001). By John R. Hullestun.
Victim and
Victimizer: Joseph’s Interpretation of his Destiny. By Yiu-Wing Fung
(Sheffield, 2000). SBL review by Howald Neil Wallace. PDF file.
Creation