Genesis at story: Oxford NRSV Commentary

[chaoschristian]

So, I had the opportunity to pull a few more boxes out of storarge from our recent move and finally found one of our boxes of Bibles. I still haven't located my trusty New Interpreters yet, but I did find my Oxford.

Following is the commentary on Genesis:

Genesis, meaning 'origin', covers the time from creation to the Israelite sojourn in Egypt. The book falls naturally into two main sections. The primeval history (Chs 1-11), which is universal in scope, tells how the blessings of God enabled humanity to multiply, diversify, and disperse on the face of the earth. The ancestral history (chs 12-50), on the other hand, deals with the limited family history of Israel's ancestors: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah and their twin sons Esau and Jacob, and Jacob's family, the chief member of which was Joseph.

The primeval history reflects a 'prehistorical' or mythical view of the movement from creation to the return of chaos in a catastrophic flood and the new beginning afterwards, while the ancestral history can be read, at least to some degree, in the context of the history of the Near East in the latter part of the second millenium (1500-1200 BC) The primary purpose of the book, however, is not to present straightforward history, but to tell the dramatic story of God's dealings with the world and, in particular, to interpret Israel's special role in God's purpose.

The the migration of Abram and Abraham's family in response to God's promise is the turning point of the unfolding story. God's creation had been marred by human violence that, under the judgment of God, threatened the earth with a return to pre-creation chaos.

Middle paragraph underlined for emphasis.

1. Note the primary purpose is not to convey straightforward history, but to present a dramatic story.

2. Note the description of Genesis as a dramatic story, a reference not only to its genre but also to its presentation.

3. Note that while the authors of this commentary view the creation account as myth/drama, they by no means indicate that they also view it as false.

 

[chaoschristian]

Drat. Could a Mod please fix the thread title to read 'as' instead of the erroneous 'at'? Thank you!

 

[PaladinValer]

That's why I own a NOAB 3rd Edition NRSV w/ Deuterocanonicals; honest and scholarly