Date and Author
We have no certain information about the authorship of Genesis, though early Biblical tradition views Moses as having a significant role in transmitting and perhaps even formulating the traditions preserved in the book. The oral nature of ancient culture may suggest that actual written forms of the traditions came much later, though whenever they were produced, they maintained their connectedness to the authority figures, such as Moses, who were instrumental. Regardless of the date of the final writing, the text largely preserves its mid-second-millennium BC context and perspective.
Literary Setting
Literary genres have rules and conventions by which they operate. Communication is jeopardized if we do not understand the parameters of the genre of the literature we are reading. How confusing it would be if we were reading a mystery in which the author gave every appearance of writing a biography! But at the same time, the features that indicate whether a literary work is a mystery or biography are to some extent culturally determined. The reason that genre categories work is that the categories represent a consensus of expectation among the readers.
When we approach a book like Genesis, we must be aware of what genres we will be encountering. But just as important, we must adjust our expectations so that we will come to those genres understanding the ancient conventions attached to that genre rather than imposing our own genre conventions on their literature.
Genesis contains cosmogony texts, i.e., texts that deal with the origins of key aspects of the cosmos. It also contains genealogies (e.g., chs. 5; 11; 36), founders’ or ancestors’ narratives (e.g., chs. 12–35), destiny proclamations (i.e., formal blessings and/or curses from father to son, e.g., chs. 9; 27; 49), conflict tales (e.g., chs. 4; 6–7; 11; 19; 34), battle accounts (e.g., ch. 14), and a narrative about the rise of a courtier from humble beginnings to a position of power (chs. 40–45). Some of these are unparalleled in the ancient world, and even when possible parallels exist, significant differences lead us to proceed with caution. ◆
Key Concepts
• The covenant is God’s program of revelation.
• The focus of creation is the establishment and maintenance of order and operation.
• The stories in the Bible are stories about God.