Final Exam Page 17 Flashcards
Why can a good case be built for beginning the study of the story of the people of Israel with the books of Genesis 12-50 and Exodus rather than Genesis 1-11?
Genesis 1-11 is the Primeval Prologue to the story of Abraham and Israel. The story really begins with Abraham and continues throughout the OT. The biblical writer’s emphasis is upon the ancestral/Patriarchal history. Virtually 75% of Genesis deals with but 4 generations of a single family. The introduction, which takes one back to creation, is likely prefixed at a later time.
What is the literal meaning of the name “Adam” and “Eve”?
The name “Adam” is related to the Hebrew word adamah, meaning “ground” or “dust.” Man is created by God of or from the ground and will return to same. He becomes a psyhco-physical being as God breathes into him the “breath of life”.
It is the man Adam who names his wife Eve, as the mother of all living humans.
What understandings of sin are to be found in the early chapters of Genesis? What is meant by the “Fall”?
“Sin” is a violation of the will of God, whether God’s will be known or not. “Transgression” is a violation of the known will of God. In Adam’s case, he both “sinned” and “transgressed”.
The “Fall” is a term used to describe what happened after human beings disobeyed the will of God, as they sought to become gods unto themselves. They “fell” they actually ended up being less than what God intended them to be. They lost the God-given privileges of “Paradise”.
How does the sin of Cain begin? With the murder or something else?
Cain’s sin begins with envy or covetousness. Envy led to murder. It illustrates that sin is not “private” and leads to serious consequences for the sinner and for others. Our sin does not affect only us.
What appears to be the central meaning of the story of the Flood? Of the story of the Tower of Babel?
The story of the Flood illustrates two things. First of all, it illustrates God’s necessary judgement upon sinful humanity that is not living in accordance with his will. Secondly, it illustrates God’s determination to save or redeem humanity. God, as it were, begins again with Noah and establishes a covenant with him. One should not miss either the seriousness of sin or the seriousness of salvation in terms of divine intention.
The Tower of Babel becomes a story that seeks to explain how humanity came to speak so many different languages. It is aetiological. It also illustrates that when human beings seek to “scale heaven” to become gods unto themselves, God will not allow their efforts without judgement.
Human kind is created for a right relationship with God (salvation). The choice to live otherwise can only be greeted with judgement.
What was a ziggurat?
A pyramidal, temple tower made of mud-brick and found in Mesopotamia. It provided a model of the “Tower of Babel”.
