Xem mẫu
- Claus Westermann
- G E N E S I S : A \ INTRODUCTION
A fjjyUv flfdknwt/ rjxirl, tu ¡tri hilcmjti^uilh imynizril scta&ir
"TSi-^ iJftwiwt**»«- h j n i i j t t i U j j f f r j t i i - h n ü t t l K p n x r i d k ' ^ u i n i l f r i i h r
I iTrttinrnl.it Ccuraxiitiry S m s H '
IJiflrt. L.uthkr Mjki un /flirrt rfJtnMt
"Otv can tilllc hut prflw lut Iht b t v d i d f WriliTmiinrissclMlaHhlp, ami i.ir iKc
IhnRHlghni-ss theilirity, and tlio filrritss with whkh Iii« discussion is prt^vnti'il."
John BngtiHr iJttfrjVH-JirJJuM
AfWln .nid ,ignin Wr*£i"rmfl«n upt'tis updkuHL-nsjuiih l>4 mriinlnß which ¡m nut unly trlcttnl 1
lnr lhi\»limy htl for human fkintaice m ilw iriodt'in mirid"
— WrtTuni W. i\ndir-i!Ti Hi .'nwrttsi c^'ftWoi ÜiflJtKH
"l » i ^ p n u n n t mjt^nr Ihfn* wiiuitv Gmi-Jh nnnnsmi.»^ . is tfai d » 4 oiuu-tnT
1
-rjt^MT^I r# that W i n i i 4 iv Jkbbt iDdl.
-I i S t . J U T T T A - N H R / S E A -TPFL J N N R Y B - ri'"
i IT* hu» tv ursirtul rur iht me kJuuititili' immun; tntiairwd [n du-» virtl ii.irtslrtni
flifclntpiftty pruitk-d -i-."i-üH-Eii.tr*- "
Kjlfih VV Klein In Curmm JP TTiBnfi^wdnef VI,^HM
Onus Wrütmuann. PniU'^iii F.iwrriltis .11 iln' UnivimHv ui
I\i'xirihnpt^Tman).ntbe iull«riil ntLnktniufc nipwiid
I P . 1 M I L N C I U I I L W C R L I I I O N I I A R I I I Y ERF hiHkil F . ' ^ J . V UVILKIERS:
Tfh CinWo4Jlew» L ,4.1 * Ar ÜU TesfJtn«! «Firtio- riw.
I ^ f ] and IV fKuli-^ Pr^*. MP-
9 FORTRESS PRESS
1-2582
I SEIN' D - f i D G b - 2 5 A S ~ X
- CLAUS
WESTERMANN
GENESIS: AN
INTRODUCTION
Translated by
John J. Scullion S.J.
Fortress Press Minneapolis
- GENESIS: AN INTRODUCTION
First published in the Biblischer Kommentar Series as the introductions to GENESIS 1-11 (1974),
GENESIS 12-36 (1981), GENESIS 37-50 (1982) by Neukirchener Verlag, Neukirchener Verlag.
First published in English as the introductions to GENESIS 1-11 (1984), GENESIS 12-36 (1985), GENESIS
37-50 (1986) in the U.S.A. by Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, and in the U.K. by SPCK,
London.
Copyright © 1992 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical
articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written
permission from the publisher. Write to: Permissions, Augsburg Fortress, 426 S. Fifth St., Box
1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of Churches.
Cover image: Jacob's Dream by Rembrandt van Rijn. Photograph from the Musees Nationaux, Paris.
Reprinted by permission.
Cover design: Patricia Boman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Westermann, Claus, 1909-
Genesis : an introduction / Claus Westermann ; translated by John
J. Scullion,
p. cm.
"First published in English as the introductions to Genesis 1-11
(1984), Genesis 12-36 (1985), Genesis 37-50 (1986) by Augsburg
Publishing House"—T.p. verso.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-8006-2582-X (alk. paper) :
1. Bible. O.T. Genesis—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
I. Scullion, John. II. Title.
BS1235.2.W453 1992 92-12727
CIP
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z329.48-1984.
OO V
Manufactured in the U.S.A. AF 1-2582
96 95 94 93 92 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
- Contents
Translator's Preface vii
Part One: Introduction to the Story of the Primeval Events: Genesis 1-11
1. The Story of Primeval Events in the Pentateuch and Its Prehistory 1
2. The Numerative Sections in Genesis 1-11: The Genealogies as the
Framework of the Story of Primeval Events 6
3. The Narrative Sections of Genesis 1-11 18
A. The Creation Narratives 19
B. The Narratives of Crime and Punishment 47
C. The Stories of Human Achievements 56
D. The Primeval Story as a Whole 62
4. The Theological Significance of the Primeval Story 64
5. Literature 69
6. The Formation and Theological Meaning of the Primeval Story 74
A. Literature 74
B. Pentateuchal Research 76
Part Two: Introduction to the Patriarchal Story: Genesis 12-50
1. The Significance of the Patriarchal Story 115
A. The Fathers of the People 116
B. The Patriarchal Story in the Canon 118
C. The Composition of the Patriarchal Story 120
2. The Origin and Growth of the Patriarchal Story 122
A. The Written Stage of the Patriarchal Traditions—the Literary
Approach 123
B. The Oral Stage 127
3. The World of the Patriarchal Story and Its Setting:
The Question of the Time of the Patriarchs 150
A. The Modern Archaeological Approach 150
- B. Migrations of the Peoples in the Near East and Migrations of the
Patriarchs 153
C. Peoples, Territories, and Cities 155
D. The Time of the Patriarchs 165
4. Literature: Genesis 12-50 178
5. The Religion of the Patriarchs 197
A. Characteristics of the Religions of the Patriarchs 200
B. The Cult 202
C. The Promises to the Patriarchs 203
D. The Covenant with the Fathers 204
E. Literature for Section 5 205
6. Structure and Growth of Genesis 12-25 214
7. Conclusion to Genesis 12-36 223
Part Three: Introduction to the Joseph Story: Genesis 37-50
Literature on the History of the Exegesis of Genesis 37-50 231
Other Literature on Genesis 37-50 232
1. The History of the Exegesis of Genesis 37-50 234
2. The Composition of Genesis 37-50 238
3. The Composition of the Joseph Story in the Stricter Sense (Genesis 37;
39-45f.) 240
4. The Literary Form of the Joseph Story 241
5. The Joseph Story and Wisdom 242
6. The Joseph Story and the Patriarchal Traditions 243
7. The Origin and Growth of Genesis 37-50 244
8. Parallels and Egyptian Background 244
9. Concluding Remarks on Genesis 37-50 247
Supplement to Literature on Genesis 1-50
Abbreviations 259
Index of Biblical References 273
Index of Names and Subjects 275
vi
- Translator's Preface
Professor Claus Westermann of the University of Heidelberg is well known
to Old Testament scholars and students in the English-speaking world. A number
of his important books have already been translated. He has visited the United
States of America several times and was made an honorary member of the Society
of Biblical Literature. In 1977 he was honored by the British Academy with the
Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies.
For almost twenty-five years Professor Westermann was engaged in a com-
mentary on the book of Genesis. Under his direction a Genesis-Research Institute
was set up within the Theological Faculty of the University of Heidelberg in
which a comprehensive bibliography was assembled. He brought this monumental
commentary to a conclusion with the publication of the last fascicule on the
Joseph story in 1982. The work has been published in three volumes in Biblischer
Kommentar, Altes Testament, by Neukirchener Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn: Gen-
esis 1-11 (1/1), Genesis 12-36 (1/2), Genesis 37-50 (1/3), with the English
translation published by Augsburg Publishing House in the Continental Com-
mentary Series: Genesis 1-11 (1984), Genesis 12-36 (1985), Genesis 37-50
(1986). The following points should be noted:
1. The translation of the Hebrew text of Genesis is deliberately rather literal,
but attempts in every case to convey Professor Westermann's nuances.
2. The spelling of all personal, proper and place names in the Bible follows
the Revised Standard Version.
3. Citations from other parts of the Bible follow the RSV unless otherwise
indicated.
4. Abbreviations of the biblical books are those of the RSV, Common Bible.
5. The German word Sage is regularly rendered by "story," not by "saga."
6. Professor Westermann often uses the word Geschehensbogen to describe
the movement of a narrative. As he wrote to me, "ein Gerschehensbogen is like
vii
- the arch of a bridge which spans the whole from beginning to end. Likewise the
narrative arch spans an event from beginning to end and makes it into a self-
contained whole" (letter, 23.1.80). My translation of Geschehensbogen varies;
sometimes it is "narrative span (arch)," sometimes a paraphrase according to
context.
Convention requires that the word "man" be restricted to the male of the
species and that "mankind" yield to "humankind." (It is not the place here to
argue my conviction that "man" without the article—not "men"—for the most
part and "mankind" virtually always are neutral terms.) This has entailed the
frequent replacement of "man" and "mankind" by "human beings," "persons,"
"people," "humanity," "humankind," "human race," and so on.
The translation was spread over seven years amid full programs of lecturing
and adminstration and several lengthy periods of hospitalization. My relief and
joy on completing it were balanced by the sober reflection that I should do it
all over again and much better. I can only apologize for its inadequacies and
hope that, despite them, Professor Westermann's great contribution to biblical
studies will become known to a wide audience in the English-speaking world.
John J. Scullion, S.J.*
From the translator's
preface to Genesis 1-11 (1984)
viii
- Part One:
Introduction to the Story
of the Primeval Events
1. The Story of Primeval Events in the Pentateuch and
Its Prehistory
The biblical story of the primeval events hands down what has been said about
the beginnings of the world and of humanity in an unbroken line from antiquity to
modern times. It is in this above all that its significance lies. The biblical ac-
counts of creation have had an uninterrupted audience from the time when the
Yah wist planned his work in the 10th-9th century B.C. until the present day. The
circles which handed them down pondered on them again and again. Whenever a
new world view was sketched, what was said about the beginning was almost
always resumed: in Deutero-Isaiah, in the priestly syntheses, in Paul and John in
the New Testament, in Marcion and in the great confessions of the universal
Church in the anti-Marcionite campaign, in the scholastic systems of the Middle
Ages and in the Reformation, in the philosophical system of the West right up to
the radical attack on the creation story in the assertions of the champions of
evolution. The debate about the beginnings of the world and of humankind has
long since passed from the field of religion to the field of science, and the
Christian Churches of the last generations have renounced their claims to enter
the lists in the scientific controversies. Nevertheless, there has been no break in
that line of tradition which stretches back to the early stages of the Old Testa-
ment. The Christian Churches throughout the world continue in their formal
worship to acknowledge their belief in God, the creator of heaven and earth, and
every attempt to detach faith in the creator from faith in Christ has miscarried.
The Christian faith does not take its stand on an event at the beginning,
but on an event in the "middle of the time"; but because it looks to the whole, it
must speak of the beginning. If Jesus Christ came as the savior of all humanity,
then his coming in 'the middle of the time" must have something to do with the
4
beginning. The Pauline and Johannine theologies alike are at pains to relate the
event "in the middle" with the event at the beginning.
The Yahwistic and Priestly syntheses of the Old Testament, both of which
begin with an account of creation, have already done this. The intention of each
of these works in setting the story of primeval events before the historical section
proper was to relate an event "in the middle" with an event at the beginning.
1
- There is a further parallel: just as the theological thinking of early Christianity
had to rely on an already existing pre-Christian tradition, namely the Old Testa-
ment, so the theological thinking of Israel had to rely on traditions both older
than Israel and from outside Israel to relate the beginnings with the event "in the
middle." A pre-Christian tradition penetrates the Christian confession of faith in
God the creator; traditions which preceded Israel and from outside Israel penet-
rate what Israel has to say about God the creator, Yahweh, the God of Israel.
The story of primeval events should be thought of primarily as an element
in the structure of the Pentateuch. The central part of the Pentateuch tells the
story of the rescue at the Reed Sea, Ex 1-18. This event was the basis of the
history of a people. It gave both parts of the book of Genesis the character of an
introduction. Both the story of primeval events, Gen 1-11, and the stories of the
patriarchs, Gen 12-50, are placed before the central part like two concentric
circles. The relation of each circle to the central part is different. Hence, their
introductory functions are different. While the stories of the patriarchs, Gen
12-50, present the history of Israel before it became a people, the story of the
primeval events has a far wider horizon. It gives the events which take place in
the middle of the Pentateuch a much wider horizon, extending them to world
events in the broadest sense of the word. The different functions of these intro-
ductory sections become very clear in the summary confessions of faith which
draw together the tradition developed in the Pentateuch, Deut 26:5; Josh 24:2-4.
The stories of the patriarchs play their introductory role, while there is no men-
tion at all of the story of primeval events.
There are however other writings in the Old Testament which draw to-
gether God's activity as a whole, from his saving action in the middle of the
Pentateuch to those distant beginnings of his work of which the story of primeval
events speaks: these are the hymns of the praise of God which describe at once
both God's action and what God is. The hymn, polarizing the praise of God in his
majesty and God stooping to speak to his creation, sweeps across the whole order
from creation to the rescue of Israel, e.g., Pss 33; 136. The hymn of descriptive
praise, in contrast to the confessions of faith, does not intend to describe
chronological sequence or historical succession, but rather the all-embracing
richness of God's activity. The story of primeval events is related to the whole in
a different way from the stories of the patriarchs.
Accordingly, chs. 1-11 of Genesis must be regarded as a separate element
of the Pentateuch, that is, as a relatively self-contained unity, and not primarily as
a part of "Genesis." It is a relatively late component. The point of departure of
our exegesis then cannot be those literary types whose form and content have
been discovered in Gen 12-50. Such cannot be imposed on chs. 1-11. Nor can we
without more ado apply the theological plan which draws together the patriarchal
cycle to the story of primeval events. We must recognize this story as a distinct
unity, as a separate element of the Pentateuch, and take it as our starting point.
Furthermore, the approach to the problem of Gen 1-11 as a whole had
been frustrated and shackled by two presuppositions which had been passed on
uncritically from one generation to another. The first was the presumption that
the two decisive passages which colored the whole of the primeval story were
Gen 1 and 3. A tradition of more than a thousand years had imposed itself; under
this influence, and for the most part quite unconsciously, one summed up the
2
- basic content of the primeval story under the heading 'Creation and Fall." The
4
main reason for this was that from the primeval story into the New Testament,
and from the New Testament into the teachings of the Christian Churches, it was
creation and fall that prevailed. This emphasis on Gen 1 and 3 or 1-3 shows itself
in the titles of books, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Creation and Fall (1937; new
impression 1955) or of articles, "The Creation and Fall" (H. Richards, Scripture
8 [1956] 109-115), as well as in those parts of many larger treatises which deal
with the primeval story, and whose theological understanding of it is determined
entirely, or almost entirely, by Gen 1-3.
The immediate consequence of this limitation is a diminution, however
unconscious, of the intrinsic value of Gen 4-11, whose function is reduced to
filling out or intensifying what has been said already. When chs. 1-3 are isolated
in this way there results an understanding of them which is quite different from
the purpose of the primeval story as a whole. The title 'The Fall" given to Gen 3
is an indication of this attitude. But more of this later.
The second presupposition is connected closely with the first. The one-
sided emphasis on Gen 1-3 has already decided that the genealogies of chs. 1-11
can have no particular significance, in any case, no determining theological
significance. The commentaries deal very thoroughly with the names listed in
these genealogies; but there is scarcely ever any discussion of the meaning of the
genealogies for the whole. To devalue implicitly the genealogies or to leave them
aside must have far-reaching effects on one's final understanding of and judg-
ment on the primeval story.
Leaving aside these two traditional presuppositions, one must take the
text just as it stands as the starting point of one's enquiry into its meaning as a
whole. Two different types of writing strike us immediately; we will call them
provisionally narrative and numerative. They are almost equal in extent. This is
the only place in the Old Testament where genealogies and narratives are put
together in such a way. It is this that gives the primeval story its unique character.
The origin of the world and of humankind is presented in such a way that
a succession of generations stretches from creation to Abraham. A series of
happenings is set into these genealogies, sometimes being merely mentioned,
sometimes being narrated in detail. The genealogies trace the long succession of
centuries from Adam to Abraham as well as the gradual expansion over the
surface of the earth. They move from the first human pair to the furthest bound-
aries of the inhabited world as it was known at the time. The narratives which
have been inserted deal either with individual human beings, with groups or with
the whole of humanity.
This description of the whole which is part of the primeval story is
common to the two literary traditions in which Gen 1-11 has been handed down to
us. The Redactor (R) has altered nothing. If we compare the contents of J
(Yahwist) and P (Priestly Tradition), it appears at first glance that P has a prepon-
derance of numerative and J of narrative material. The story of the Flood is the
only narrative where J and P are mingled together. It is both significant and
understandable that only in Gen 6-9 did R shape one narrative out of the two that
lay before him. And so there arises a third form of tradition in which narrative
and numerative elements balance each other. (I leave aside here R's other redac-
tional interventions.)
3
- The very content of the text then forces the exegete to devote proportion-
ate attention to both constituent parts of the primeval story. We can say then that
an exegesis which lays a one-sided emphasis on the narratives, (or which em-
phasizes one-sidedly Gen 1-3), does not do justice to all three forms of tradition.
We will only understand what the primeval story has to say to us when we take as
our starting point each constituent part in its entirety.
The Prehistory of the Reflection on Creation and Primeval Times. We have
seen above that the story of primeval events, viewed from the middle of the
Pentateuch, forms the outermost circle; this is extremely important for the
exegesis. The account of the Exodus is the account of a happening that took place
once only; there was a series of events which ran their own course over a definite
period of time and which concerned a particular group of people. This "once and
for all" is there too in Gen 12-50, but in a much looser way. In Gen 1-11 it has
been completely resolved. These chapters look to the universal; they include all
humanity; and primeval time in which all takes place cannot be fixed on the
calendar. This is the reason why there is little room for comparing the unique
happenings "in the middle" with similar traditions from elsewhere; there is more
ground for comparing the stories of the patriarchs with such traditions. But when
it comes to the universal happening, to the happening that includes all human-
kind, then a comparison with similar traditions is of great importance and is a
necessary pre-requisite for exegesis.
It is no mere chance that there are so many parallels to Gen 1-11 in the
history of religions — more or less similar descriptions of creation, of the flood,
as well as of other events; it is rather because of the very content of this part of
the Bible, which is so deeply imbedded in the history of religions or the world.
All religions are concerned in some way or another with a primeval happening,
like Gen 1-11.
When we turn to the prehistory of what the Bible has to say about creation
and primeval time, we are struck by the vast richness of stories in this area. They
all share a common interest in the origins of our present world. There are stories
of creation of every kind, of sin or misdemeanor which have as their consequence
deficiencies and limitations in human life; there are stories of the origin of death,
of great universal catastrophies, of difference of languages and of the scattering
of the nations; stories too of the most important cultural achievements, and of
human alienation from God or the gods. Other motits could be added, others
unravelled; there are so many links between them and they occur with the most
diverse colorings. Nevertheless one can be certain that there was a definite circle
of motifs at hand.
It is from what is common to all these stories that we recognize that all
of them are concerned with the origin of the present state of the world. It is not
enough to designate them as "story" or "myth," because the history of what is
said about creation and primeval time covers such a long period and includes
such a wide range of cultures which make use of such different forms of speech.
They range from tales, or primitive stories, through myth to mythical epic, as in
Babylon, and to many other forms. Our present very extensive knowledge of the lit-
erature and stories about creation and primeval time does not allow us to draw a
sharp line of distinction between the high cultures and the primitive cultures and
4
- then to exclude the latter from the prehistory of the biblical story of primeval
events. The discovery of the Sumerian myths has made us familiar with a stage
in the development of the great Babylonian epics when the individual episodes
were still independent stories (e.g., the flood in the Gilgamesh epic). The Su-
merian myths of primeval time show a great number of characteristics which
point back to an earlier stage and which occur quite often in the corresponding
stories of the primitive cultures. The biblical story, for example, allows the snake
to speak and takes it for granted. This points clearly to a pre-mythical stage.
When one reflects that these stories are spread over the whole world, and that
they are one of the most important elements which link the primitive and the
high cultures, then one cannot pass them over when surveying the material at
hand in the biblical stories.
It is not without reason and not at all arbitrary that the stories of primeval
time are arranged according to the themes of Gen 1-11 in the surveys of primitive
religion. J. P. Frazer in his book Folklore in the Old Testament (abridged edition,
London 1923) has drawn together the stories of primeval time according to
the main themes of Gen 1-11. W. Wundt in his Völkerpsychologie (VI. Band,
Mythus und Religion, 1915, 5. Kosmosgonishe und theogonische Mythen 268ff.
und 6. Weltuntergangsmythen 290ff. refers constantly to the primeval biblical
themes. H. Baumann in Schöpfung und Urzeit des Menschen im Mythus der
afrikanischen Völker (1936; new impression 1964) has demonstrated that all the
themes in the biblical story of primeval events occur too in the myths of primeval
time among the African peoples. Though only some of the most important have
been mentioned, two conclusions impose themselves from a study of these col-
lections and surveys: first, despite the vast number of stories, the themes are very
limited in number, and so it is possible to compare them with or arrange them
according to the motifs of Gen 1-11. The ways in which people of all places and
at all times are going to present the origin of humanity and the universe or of the
present state of the world are not without limit; they are relatively few. And so
there will be many similarities even though direct influence is excluded.
The second conclusion is that there are very many signs that the stories of
creation and primeval time belong together. The different themes and motifs of
the primeval happening do not stand in isolation from each other; there are all
sorts of links and points of contact between them. The creation and the flood have
special significance in Gen 1-11 in that both are used by J and P and are resumed
by R. A survey of the history of religions shows that the creation and the flood
are the themes which occur most often in the stories of primeval time. The many
links between these two principal themes are found too in Gen 1-11. There are
other examples too where the themes cross each other. There are many links too
between creation and the genealogies, between creation and achievement, be-
tween creation and the origin of evil, between achievement and the origin of evil.
It is imperative therefore to keep in view the primeval event as a whole
when one is inquiring into the prehistory of a narrative or of a motif in Gen 1-11;
for example, that the flood stands in relationship to creation, or, as W. Wundt
(op. cit., 290) says, creation and flood complement each other. It was neither
J nor P who brought these themes together, even though they made basic alter-
ations to the material at hand. Not only individual pieces in Gen 1-11, as for
example the flood story of chs. 6-9, but the whole plan of the story of primeval
5
- events, go back to a complex of traditions within which there is many a crisscross
pattern.
One of the deficiencies in the exegesis of Gen 1-11 up to the present has
been that the comparison with extra-biblical texts or motifs has for the most part
been made piece by piece. One has begun from the individual biblical texts and
looked for parallels which were examined and judged separated from their context.
It should be evident that such piecemeal comparison is exposed to errors and
misunderstandings. (Cf. C. Westermann, "Sinn und Grenze religionsgeschicht-
licher Paralleled' ThLZ 90 [1965] 489-496; K. Koch, "Wort und Einheit des
Schopfergottes in Memphis und Jerusalem," ZThK [1965] 251-293, esp. 251-
253.) Moreover, it is noticeable that the comparison is often very uneven; to one
scholar the Mesopotamian texts seem to be particularly important, to another the
Egyptian, to a third the Ugaritic. The dominant question is for the most part: Are
the biblical texts dependent upon the extra-biblical texts? This question however
is not as decisive and important as is often thought. It is much more to the point
to research, as far as possible, the prehistory of the biblical story as a whole, and
then to examine it in the context of its background. Only then is it possible to set
in relief the utterly unique character of the biblical story.
The real question is this: Why has Israel's confession of the god who
rescued Israel from Egypt been extended back into the primeval events? And why
did Israel speak of its rescuer as the creator of heaven and earth in a way which
has so many points of contact with what the surrounding world said of its gods in
the same context? It is basically a theological question which arises from Israel's
confession of Yahweh as the rescuer that requires the exegesis of Gen 1-11 to
research the relationship of the biblical story of primeval events to the tradition of
the primeval happening in the history of humankind. This question presupposes
the biblical story as a whole and compares it with the whole complex of extra-
biblical texts which speak of creation and primeval time. It is not the intention of
this introduction to overemphasize the importance of the extra-biblical texts and
motifs in order to explain the biblical story; it is rather to bring out more clearly
than has been done the special nature of the biblical text. The introductory survey
enables us to relieve ourselves of the burden of a special exegesis of the compari-
sons from the history of religions.
2. The Numerative Sections in Gen 1-11: The
Genealogies as the Framework of the Story of
Primeval Events
The genealogies are an essential constitutive part of the primeval story and form
the framework of everything that is narrated in Gen l-l 1. Gen 1 has run its course
with the creation of humans; it halts, while Gen 2-3 take up the story. A succes-
sion of generations begins with Gen 4 and progresses from the first created pair
to Abraham, who introduces the second part of Genesis, the patriarchal cycle.
Everything that happens between these two points, that is, between Adam and
Abraham, takes its origin from and comes back to these genealogies. They give
that continuity to all that happens which makes the biblical account of the origins
unique in its kind in the history of religions. A coherent and summary history is
prefaced, by means of the genealogies, to the salvation history which begins in
Gen 12.
6
- Origin in Tribal Traditions. The family trees or genealogies in Gen 1-11
belong to a many-faceted genre that runs through the whole of the Old Testament.
This genre is found in a highly developed form in the patriarchal cycle, Gen
12-50, and occurs again only with the kings, the priests and priestly circle, and
with the chronicler. It continues into the New Testament in the family tree of
Jesus.
Earlier interpreters explained the genealogies as relics of sagas which
dealt with an individual; only the name remained, and it was at a later stage that
the story relics were threaded into a collection. (So H. Gunkel, Genesis, 1922,
5th ed., 49f, 134; cf. J. Wellhausen, Prolegomena to the History of Ancient
Israel, 1905, 6th ed., 330f, "It is the natural chain to link the different stories
together.") On the contrary the genealogies form an independent genre which is
very ancient and very significant, and which had its origin and fullest develop-
ment among nomad tribes. The nomad Arabs provide plenty of evidence for this,
cf. R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 1960, 12ff; L. Ramlot, "Les généalogies bib-
liques," Bible et Vie chrétienne, 60 (1964) 53-70: "The conclusion is that the
tribe and the genealogy that explains its history, its cohesion and alliances, are
essential to the structures of nomadic life, and gradually disappear among those
who become sedentary. . . . "
The basic form of social life among nomads is the tribe or family. Accord-
ingly the genealogy, inasmuch as it is both the basis and the sign of origin and
belonging, has a significance which gives direction to life in common (cf. de
Vaux, op. cit., 12ff). The genealogies then take on something of a historical
presentation of a form of existence which precedes history, as Herder had thought
(both Wellhausen and Gunkel disputed this). It is a way of presenting the history
of a form of life in common in which chronological continuity as well as the
community and contiguity of the groups follow naturally from the ties of blood,
from the origin from one father and from brotherly relationship.
Common to the genealogies with their historical presentation is a con-
tinuous succession of events which reaches its goal in the present. These events
however have a prehistorical character, that is, they depend exclusively on be-
getting and birth; continuous event is not possible except in a succession of
generations. This is the only way that the boring and apparently uninformative
genealogies make sense to us today: "When Seth had lived a hundred and five
years, he became the father of Enosh. Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight
hundred and seven years, and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days
of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died" (Gen. 5:6-8).
These sentences are as monotonous and have the same effect as those of
Gen 1, presenting as they do the steady, ongoing rhythm of events which stamp
the course of human existence — birth, length of life, begetting, death; all that is
essential. The real significance of what is happening lies in the continuity of
successive generations.
Consequently, the significance of the succession of generations together
with the form in which it is expressed must decline or disappear completely when
the form of community life to which it belongs is replaced by another (see the
citation from Ramlot). Other events become important: struggles, authority,
forms of authority, the foundation of states, the forms of states, i.e., all properly
political matters. The genealogies can no longer mean what they once meant.
7
- The genealogies begin to disappear from the Book of Exodus on. When they
occur again they have but a partial function, to demonstrate, for example, that the
claim of a particular priestly family is legitimate. In the work of the chronicler,
the genealogies are nothing more than a collection of abbreviated lists of names.
Application to the Story of Primeval Events. The patriarchal cycle is the
real source of genealogies. They were carried over from there to the story of
primeval events. It would scarcely be possible to extend the patriarchal cycle
back to the beginning of humankind in any other way than by the use of the
genealogy form; and the story from Adam to Abraham needs a succession of
generations. But the use of the genealogy form in the primeval story is much
more than the mere extension of the line backwards. The genealogies are far
more important to Gen 1-11 than to Gen 12-50.
The reason for this is the important place that the genealogies have had
prior to their appearance in the biblical story of primeval events. Creation or
Origins occur occasionally in primitive cultures as a birth or a succession of
births. The cosmogony appears in its most highly developed form in the
theogony, that is, in a series of generations of gods, in the high cultures of the
Mediterranean world, in Egypt, Mesopotamia and in Greece (Hesiod). These
genealogies which explain the origin of the world — heaven and earth, sea and
winds, plants and animals — from a succession of births of gods, are the
forerunners of the genealogies in the primeval story.
The word which P uses, nilVlfl shows this clearly. The priestly writing
understands the whole primeval story as a series of "generations" (nilVlfi), as
the headings of the individual parts indicate. P includes the creation of "the
heavens and the earth" under the nilVlD, 2:4a, preserving a tradition that there
was a time when all origins were thought of and described as "generations." P
brought creation by the word of the creator under the rubric "generation of the
heavens and the earth," thereby recalling the cosmogony of Memphis, where the
commanding word of Ptah had replaced the succession of divine births of an
older cosmogony.
It is only in the light of this history of the genealogies in the context of the
creation of the world that it becomes clear how thorough-going a change has been
made in the genealogies of the biblical primeval story. Anything like the
genealogies of the gods is excluded from the very beginning. Genealogies can
begin only after the creation of humankind. The form of presentation is pre-
served; the event which is presented is freed from myth and is an event which
concerns human beings and their world. It is the clear line of distinction that the
biblical story of primeval events draws between creation and the genealogy of the
birth of the gods that gives the human genealogies their distinctive meaning. The
biblical genealogies describe the history of humankind only and so acquire an
importance that they could not have in the realm of myth. The uniqueness of
what happened before history or in the primeval event has moved from the story
of the gods to the story of human beings. This is the reason why in Egypt and
Mesopotamia, after the genealogies of the gods, it is the genealogies of the kings
that are of importance, that is, merit being part of tradition. After the origin, the
only real history is the history of the kings.
The primeval story of the Old Testament, however, includes people,
8
- God's creatures, in the succession of generations right from the very act of
creation. The genealogies run from Adam to Abraham. The difference becomes
clear in a comparison between Gen 5 and the Sumerian king-lists (ANET 265f).
All of the more recent commentaries on Genesis have drawn attention to the
similarity of names, numbers and ages. But not enough notice has been given to
the very important difference; the succession of generations in Gen 5 is on the
other side of history; in the Sumerian king-lists it is a part of history. It begins:
When kingship was lowered from heaven,
kingship was (first) in Eridu,
A-lulim (became) king and ruled 28,800 years. . . .
History begins at Sumer with the descent of the kingship from heaven; the
biblical genealogies from Adam to Abraham have no meaning as an actual
succession of generations. The system is deliberately abstracted from the histori-
cal character of the peoples mentioned; it is the blessing of the creator, constant
and effective, enabling humanity to continue and to expand over the face of the
earth, that is essential for humankind in primeval time.
The genealogies of the primeval story belong to a context whose horizon-
tal and linear ramifications are vast and which has not yet been adequately
researched. A form-critical study of the genealogies is yet to be elaborated. The
point of departure would have to be the many appropriate texts in the patriarchal
cycle; then there would follow the study of the genealogies of the primeval story,
their history outside Israel, and finally their revival throughout the Old Testament
right up to the genealogies of Jesus in the gospels.
The Genealogies of J and P. This brief consideration of the genealogies of
the primeval story is concerned primarily with their form, and not with the proper
names. There is a profound difference between the genealogies of J and P: in J
the form is quite free, adaptable and varied; in P it is highly stylized and for the
most part stereotyped. The genealogies of J stand very close to the narratives, in
fact so close that they very often pass over into narrative. In P the genealogy
retains its straitened form and is quite different from the narrative.
The Genealogies in J:
It must be borne in mind that the genealogies of J have not been preserved in their
entirety; parts have dropped out in favor of P.
4:1-2: Adam and Eve, Cain, Abel
4:17-24: from Cain to the children of Lamech
(the family tree of the Cainites)
4:25-26: Adam-Seth-Enosh
5:29; 9:18-19; 10:1b: Noah and his sons
10:8-30: the descendants of the sons of Noah
(J's table of the nations)
11:28-30: the death of Haran, the wives of
Abraham and Nahor (transition to the Abraham cycle)
Though there are only two larger complexes, 4:7-26 and 10:8-30, and the
rest are but small fragments, they display a great variety of forms. The latter
appear only after the flood; they are formally introduced in 9:19. The following
forms occur:
9
- NN knew NN — (conceived) — bore NN 4:1,17, 25
conceived again — bore NN 4:2a
to NN were bom NN 4:18, 26; 10:21, 25
NN begot NN 4:18b (3 times); 10:8-18; 10:24, 26-29 (13 names)
NN took two wives, NN and NN
NN begot NN (occupation) and his brother NN (occupation)
NN begot NN (occupation) and his sister NN
(the song of Lamech) 4:19-24
The sons of NN were NN, NN, NN 9:18f.
these were born sons. . . . 10:1b
NN died, time, place 11:28-30
Then NN and NN took wives
NN's wife was called NN
NN's wife was called NN, the daughter of NN, the
father of NN and NN.
These texts will be seen in their proper perspective if one takes the
beginning and the end as the starting point, namely 4:1-2, 17 and 11:28-29. They
are very close to narrative and actually introduce narrative. The formula "NN
begot NN" is furthest removed from narrative and nearest to pure numeration. In
10:13f. and 15-18 the formula becomes a mere enumeration of names united
simply by "and." Another formula which merely enumerates is "the sons of NN
were NN, NN, NN," 9:18f. The forms which occur between these two extremes
do not need any special explanation; they give a list of two lines, sons of two
wives, 4:19-24; 11:28-30.
The juxtaposition of these forms tells us something of the history of the
genealogies: they grew out of narratives, gradually freed themselves, became
ever more formal, and survived finally as lists of names. This becomes clearer
when we take note of a feature which has been left aside up to the present,
namely the addenda.
First, there are the explanations of the meanings of names, 4:1b, 25b;
5:29; 10:25b. The first two explain the name as the praise of God for the gift of a
son. They belong in the context of the blessing which is effective in the gift of
heirs; the words of praise which the mother utters as she names the child which
has been given to her corresponds to the cry of joy with which the man greets the
woman whom God has given him as his companion, 2:23. Both explanations are
closely connected with the creation of human beings. They are saying that the
blessing which the creator bestowed on humanity remains effective after the
expulsion from the garden.
The third and fourth explanations of names are attached to well-known
narrative motifs. The name of Noah is explained in 5:29 with reference to the
foundation of viticulture which brings refreshment to people. The verse is to be
taken with 9:20, where Noah was the first to plant a vineyard. The explanation of
a name, together with further observations, belongs to the group of narratives
that deal with achievements; it is an additional narrative piece. The fourth expla-
nation is the same, 10:25b. It explains the name Peleg with reference to an event
which took place at that time, the division of humankind, the same event as is
narrated in 11:1-9. The third and fourth explanations of names are typical exam-
ples of the growth of a narrative out of a genealogy. A striking example from the
patriarchal cycle is Gen 38, where a genealogy, vv. 1-6, is the exposition of a
10
- narrative. Likewise 4:1-2 is the genealogical exposition of the narrative of Cain
and Abel, 4:1-16.
A second group of texts carries information about professions and crafts,
especially 4:17-22:
4:2: Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a
tiller of the ground
17b: and he (Henoch) built a city
20b: he was the father of those who dwelled
in tents and have cattle
21: he was the father of all those who played
the lyre and pipe
22: he was the forger of all instruments of
bronze and iron
10:8: he was the first on earth to be a
mighty man (1321)
9: he was a mighty hunter before the Lord
9:20: Noah was the first tiller of the soil.
He planted a vineyard
The concern here is with human contributions to the progress of civiliza-
tion; they will be considered later. All these short sentences point to the begin-
ning, the founding, or the discovery of something new or to the realization of a
new capacity in people; this is very clear in 9:20 and 10:8. This is the meaning of
the phrase, "he was the father of those . . ."; because each case deals with the
beginning, the founding, or the discovery of something, we can conclude that
each of these was a special event and was at one time narrated as such. This is
confirmed by parallels from other religions. These passages cannot be understood
properly apart from their background in the history of religion where the
emergence of culture and civilization as well as of human skill are a dominating
motif that underwent a many-sided development.
The motif has all but disappeared in the biblical story (except for Gen
11:1-9) and has been preserved only in these brief additions. The reason for this is
the mythical nature of the stories of the growth of civilization in the cultures that
preceded Israel. The Sumerian myths show very clearly how the motifs grew out
of the genealogies (in this case genealogy of the gods); the information about the
beginnings of civilization in the biblical genealogies comes from an earlier stage
of their development.
A third group of additions speaks of the spread of humankind over the
earth:
9:19b: and from these the whole earth was peopled
10:25b: for in his days the earth was divided
10:18b: afterward the families of the Canaanites spread abroad
The first two passages describe a primeval event, the third gives political
and geographical information. The two passages are saying something very
different; 10:25b is the narrative motif that lies behind 11:1-9 and is widespread in
pre-Israelite primeval stories, 9:19b on the contrary goes back to the blessing and
commission of the priestly tradition, "fill the earth." A fourth group of additions
is of a geographical and political kind; the primeval story passes into the
framework of world history. There is the description of the Mesopotamian empire
11
- and its main cities in 10:10-12, and the geographical information about the
territories of the Canaanites in 10:19 and of the sons of Joktan in 10:30. These
verses are different; they are not narratives which enclose an event in a brief
remark, but pieces of information about peoples and territories. The story is no
longer the primeval story in the strict sense; it has moved on to the stage of world
history. This is important inasmuch as the transition was already there in J and
was not primarily the work of P.
The fifth group of additions includes sayings of or about people mentioned
in the genealogies. One can include here explanations of names, especially when
the saying is introduced as in 5:29. In the case of Nimrod a proverb is quoted
10:9b: "Therefore it is said, like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord." The
proverb refers to Nimrod's reputation, and so points back to stories which gave
rise to it. The song of Lamech is similar, 4:23-24; this "braggart song" also goes
back to a narrative tradition, without which it would never have arisen. These
two proverbs reveal a circle of narratives about the heroes of old which had had a
remarkable development in Sumer and Babylon, and which in a much earlier
stage must have been of great importance for the ancestors of Israel. A fragment
is preserved in 6:1-4. The reason why this circle of narratives of the heroes of old
was not continued in Israel is that it was too deeply rooted in the world of myth.
This is clear from the Babylonian account of the Gilgamesh story with its earlier
Sumerian stage, as well as from the fragment of 6:1-4.
There remains finally the lone sentence of 4:26, "At that time men began
to call upon the name of the Lord." It is a loose addition and has no connection
with any name in the genealogy. It is very unlikely that the verse is the remains of
a narrative. I can only make a suggestion about its meaning here: there were
among Israel's neighbors stories about the origin of the cult which belong to the
stories about the primeval events. According to the different Sumerian and
Babylonian stories of creation people were created to serve the gods, or better to
dance attendance on them. One could scarcely forge a stronger bond between the
creation of humans and the beginning of cult! Cult was there at the beginning; it
must be included in the story of the beginnings. The Yahwist, or his predecessor,
saw this and taking his stand against it, linked the invocation of Yahweh's name
to the primeval story in a quite different way.
We have seen that the genealogies of J show an amazing variety of motifs
and contain traces and fragments of a whole series of narratives and narrative
cycles. This recurring relationship between genealogy and narrative is nowhere
as evident as it is in the Yahwistic genealogies of the primeval story.
The Genealogies of P:
The genealogies of P present a very different picture; they trace an uninterrupted
line from Adam to Abraham.
5:1-32: From Adam through Seth to Noah
6:9-10; 9:28-29: Noah and his sons, the death
of Noah
10:1-7, 20, 22, 23, 31, 32: The generations of the
sons of Noah
10:1-5: The sons of Japheth
12
nguon tai.lieu . vn
