Studies on Genesis (11 vols.)

by Laurence A. Turner; Roger Syrén; Ron Pirson; Beverly J. Stratton

and

8 more

Publishers:

Sheffield Academic Press; JSOT Press

, 1988–2002

Overview

Genesis is a book about origins—about the beginning. It describes God’s act of creation, the fall of humanity, and the early history of humanity. It sets the framework for the entire biblical narrative and for all of redemptive history. The important position of Genesis in the history of biblical interpretation and Christian theology has aroused controversy: When was Genesis written, and who wrote it? Does Genesis describe literal events, or do the stories have their source in folklore or myth? What do the various interpretations of Genesis reveal about modern readers of the Bible?

The volumes in Studies on Genesis combine thoughtful, challenging, and—at times—provocative research on the book of Genesis from biblical scholars, historians, and textual scholars. Each volume represents years of original research—some are adaptations of dissertations and theses; others result from groundbreaking conferences or symposia on topics related to Genesis. The resulting collection combines some of the most significant scholarship on Genesis from the past decade. It includes Roger Syrén’s study of firstborn narratives, Ron Pirson’s analysis of dreams in Genesis, Weston W. Fields’ study of Sodom and Gomorrah in the context of biblical narrative, and many others. In addition to several book-length studies, this collection also contains edited volumes with more than 25 contributions from a variety of scholarly and interpretive traditions.

 

With the Logos Bible Software edition, all Scripture references are linked to the original language texts and the English Bibles in your library. By employing the advanced search features in Logos, you can find the exact topics, Scripture references, and subjects you’re looking for. With Logos, every word is essentially a link. All references to the text of Genesis are automatically linked to Hebrew texts and English Bible translations. Clicking on any word in any language—Hebrew, Ugaritic, Akkadian, Arabaic, English, and more—opens your preferred dictionary and automatically locates the exact entry you’re looking for. That makes the Logos edition the most accurate and efficient way to study the book of Genesis.

Studies on Genesis is a vital addition to the libraries of biblical scholars—in particular, scholars who deal with textual, linguistic, interpretive, and historical questions related to Genesis. This collection will also benefit pastors who preach on Genesis, as well as students and laypersons studying particular themes in the book of Genesis.

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Key Features

• Landmark scholarship on the book of Genesis
• All Scripture references linked to the original language texts and English Bibles in your library
• Over 25 contributions from a variety of scholarly and interpretive traditions

Product Details

• Title: Studies on Genesis 
• Volumes: 11
• Pages: 3,635

Announcements of Plot in Genesis

• Author: Laurence A. Turner
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 210

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The four narrative blocks which comprise Genesis are prefaced by statements (“Announcements”) which suggest ways in which the ensuing stories are likely to develop. The author concludes that the announcements influence their narratives in many different ways and that they are misleading indicators of how plots will develop. Genesis is more concerned to present the ironies of human motive and divine providence than to recount the working out of any pre-ordained plan on God's part. This original and refreshing monograph, written in a vigorous style, is certain to alter the way readers remember the Genesis stories.

Laurence A. Turner is Senior Lecturer in Old Testament and Head of the Department of Theological Studies, Newbold College, Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.

Victim and Victimizer: Joseph’s Interpretation of his Destiny

• Author: Yiu-Wing Fung
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 224

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This book attempts an interesting exercise in character analysis. It scrutinizes the speeches of Joseph in such a way as to expose the problematic nature of his claims to know God's intentions. While Judah is forced by Joseph's test to choose slavery for the sake of his father's survival, the ironic reversal of Judah's role from victimizer to victim is undercut by the rationale by which he had Joseph sold in order to save him. Unwittingly, Joseph mistakes this rationale as a divine principle that undergirds his suffering and he dreams of domination for the same purpose of survival. He is unaware of Judah's real predicament and this double blindness calls into doubt the coalescence of perspectives of Joseph and the narrator.

Yiu-Wing Fung is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Alliance Bible Seminary, Hong Kong.

Walk in the Garden: Biblical, Iconographical and Literary Images of Eden

• Authors: Paul Morris and Deborah Sawyer
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 1992
• Pages: 327

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Genesis is about beginnings and origins. It is vitally important for understanding not only the biblical narrative, but also Christian theology. This volume brings together scholars with expertise in biblical studies, the traditions of Christian and Jewish exegesis, the history of art and literature, and various contemporary approaches to the study and interpretation of texts. The contributors draw on the long and complex histories of exegesis and interpretation, and examine the allusions, motifs, structures, context, and language from within the context of historical exegesis.

Contributions to this volume include:

• “A Walk in the Garden: Images of Eden,” Paul Morris
• “The Paradise Myth: Interpreting without Jewish and Christian Spectacles,” Calum M. Carmichael
• “The Image of God, the Wisdom of Serpents and the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” John F. A. Sawyer
• “From Fig Leaves to Fingernails: Some Notes on the Garments of Adam and Eve in the Hebrew Bible and Select Early Postbiblical Jewish Writings,” Stephen N. Lambden
• “The Fall into Knowledge: the Garden of Eden/Paradise in Gnostic Literature,” Philip S. Alexander
• “The New Adam in the Theology of St. Paul,” Deborah F. Sawyer
• “Exiled from Eden: Jewish Interpretations of Genesis,” Paul Morris
• “The Trees of Eden in Mediaeval Iconography,” Jennifer O’Reilly
• “Gardens of Love and the Garden of the Fall,” Helen Phillips
• “Milton’s Eden,” Gordon Campbell
• “Blake and the Archaeology of Eden,” Paul A. Cantor
• “Sin, Saga and Gender: The Fall and Original Sin in Modern Theology,” Richard Roberts
• “Refusing to Learn to Say No: Karl Barth and the Garden of Eden,” Mark Corner
• “Resurrecting Eve? Feminist Critique of the Garden of Eden,” Deborah F. Sawyer
• “Type and Archetype in the Eden Story,” Adrian Cunningham
• “In Search of Her Father: A Lacanian Approach to Genesis 2–3,” Anna Piskorowski

Paul Morris is a Professor of Religious Studies at Lancaster University.

Deborah Sawyer is a Professor of Religious Studies at Lancaster University.

World of Genesis: Persons, Places, Perspectives

• Authors: Philip R. Davies and David J. A. Clines
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 179

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Although it opens with an argument that the earth, and not humanity, is the real subject of Genesis 1–11, this collection of essays focuses first on female personalities in Genesis (Eve, Hagar, Rebeccah, Tamar and the four tribal matriarchs), then on male characters (Abraham, Ishmael, Pharaoh). The treatment ranges from historical-critical analysis, through discourse analysis and narrative, ideological and psychological analyses, to postmodern autobiographical exegesis. Among the many delights of this selection are the mingling of traditional and contemporary perspectives, especially the interplay of gender at the level of the biblical text and of the modern author.

Contributions to this volume include:

• “Facing the Earth: Primeval History in a New Perspective,” Ellen Van Wolde
• “Postmodernizing Eve and Adam,” John Goldingay
• “Hagar: A Woman with an Attitude,” Nina Rulon-Miller
• “The Woman of their Dreams: The Image of Rebekah in Genesis 24,” Susanne Gillmayr-Bucher
• “Genesis 38: Structure and Literary Design,” Anthony J. Lambe
• “The Matriarchal Groupings of the Tribal Eponymns: A Reappraisal,” Rafael Frankel
• “A Crux and a Taunt: Nighttime then Sunset in Genesis 15,” Scott B. Noegel
• “Parataxis, Rhetorical Structure, and the Dialogue over Sodom in Genesis 18,” Jack R. Lundbom
• “The Place of Ishmael,” John Goldingay
• “The Determination of Pharaoh: His Characterization in the Joseph Story (Genesis 37–50),” Barbara Green

Philip R. Davies is Professor of Biblical Studies in the University of Sheffield, UK.

David Clines is Professor of Biblical Studies and Head of Department in the University of Sheffield.

Forsaken Firstborn: A Study of a Recurrent Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives

• Author: Roger Syrén
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 159

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This provocative book combines literary and historical methods to examine the phenomenon of the forsaken firstborn in Genesis. The dignity of the firstborn sons of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph—Ishmael, Esau, Reuben and Manasseh—is disregarded in the narrative and the rights inherent in their status are taken from them and conferred on a younger brother. One might easily compare this with the motif in many folktales of the youngest son outdoing his elder brothers in cleverness and skill. But unlike the folklore motif, in the book of Genesis the younger brother's success is not due to any courageous deed or heroic feat on his own part. Instead the displacement of the elder by the younger is usually the result of somebody else's initiative and achievement.

Roger Syrén is a Professor in the European Association for Jewish Studies.

Lord of the Dreams: A Semantic and Literary Analysis of Genesis 37–50

• Author: Ron Pirson
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Lord of the Dreams is a fascinating and highly original new look at the Joseph narrative which relies a good deal on syntactic and semantic analyses. Ron Pirson shows that there are many elements in this story that provoke a significantly different reading of the story of Joseph and his brothers, especially when these are combined with some textual aspects previously unnoticed or neglected. Special attention is given to the meaning of Joseph's dreams, to the question of who actually sold Joseph, and to the brothers' role in the narrative. Pirson also asks why Joseph did not call home after his release from prison, and—the most important question—why did Joseph, who was Jacob's favorite son, disappear from the biblical history of Israel?

Ron Pirson is Lecturer of Old Testament Exegesis at Tilburg University, The Netherlands.

Old Testament and Folklore Study

• Author: Patricia G. Kirkpatrick
• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication Date: 1988
• Pages: 152

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

It has long been a premise of Old Testament scholarship that behind much of the biblical material lies an oral literature. Many of the major attempts to reconstruct Israel’s “pre-history” has relied upon the assumption that behind the patriarchal narratives lies material which was originally oral, and transmitted by word of mouth over an extended period of time. It is hardly surprising that Old Testament scholars have turned to the findings of folklore studies in order to understand the nature of oral literature—its composition and transmission.

It has been a century since the pioneers of such an interdisciplinary approach began their work. Since that time, neither biblical nor folklore scholarship has stood still. Many of the conclusions previously arrived at by folklorists have now been either abandoned or considerably modified. It is, therefore, imperative that biblical scholars should not only be aware of contemporary folklore research, but also, in the light of its findings, revise their own theories concerning the possibility of recovering a presumed original oral form of the biblical text.

Old Testament and Folklore Study explores not only the use of folklore studies by biblical scholars of the past, but also the implications of contemporary folklore research for present day theories of the composition and transmission of the patriarchal narratives.

Patricia G. Kirkpatrick is Associate Professor in the Biblical Studies Department of McGill University. She is an expert on oral narrative composition and transmission, folklore, and ancient historiography.

Out of Eden: Reading, Rhetoric, and Ideology in Genesis 2–3

• Author: Beverly J. Stratton
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 292

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Out of Eden contributes towards conversations about interpreting scripture. Rather than adopting traditional views, this study integrates literary-critical theories and feminist scholarship to read the Genesis narrative in relation to concerns of contemporary communities. The question of how we might engage the interpretative process and the rhetorical power of texts as we live our lives “out of Eden” is addressed. Stratton argues that the interpretation of Genesis 2–3 matters, that there are consequences for the actions we take on the basis of our interpretations, and that we should enter the interpretative process only with care.

Beverly Stratton is Associate Professor of Religion at Augsburg College, Minneapolis.

Revisions of the Night: Politics and Promises in the Patriarchal Dreams of Genesis

• Author: Diana Lipton
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 288

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This volume is an intriguing and subtle study of five Genesis dreams: Abimelech's (20:1–18), Jacob's (28:10–22; 31:10–13), Laban's (31:24) and Abraham's (15:1–21). Like many of their ancient Near Eastern counterparts, all occur at times of uncertainty, concern status, and emphasize divine involvement in human affairs. At a deeper level, they also address doubts arising from God's promise of land, descendants, and a unique role for Israel among the nations. Their particular treatment of relations between Israelites and non-Israelites, and of Israel's absence from the land points to the Babylonian Exile as the background against which the patriarchal dream texts achieved their present form. Revisions of the Night shows how dreams combine the highly personal with the ardently political in an inspired response to national crisis.

Diana Lipton is a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge.

Sodom and Gomorrah: History and Motif in Biblical Narrative

• Author: Weston W. Fields
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 228

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

According to Weston W. Fields, biblical narrative is didactic socio-religious commentary on human experience, reflected in history, and that such history is a way of describing the conceptual universe of the ancient authors. Biblical narrative is strikingly free of abstract formulations but encapsulates abstract reflections, within recurring literary motifs, and by the reporting of historical information. This perception of biblical narrative is strikingly illustrated by an analysis of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). The motifs of the Sodom tradition are compared with those in the stories about the concubine in Gibeah (Judges 19) and about the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 2).

Weston W. Fields is the Executive Director of The Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation, Jerusalem.

What Does Eve Do to Help?: and Other Readerly Questions to the Old Testament

• Author: David J. A. Clines
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Publication Date: 1990
• Pages: 183

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In this volume, biblical scholar Clines examines key passages in Genesis and other books of the Old Testament from a reader-centered approach. He provides a history of literary criticism, tracing emphasis from author to text to reader, showing how the input of the reader is invaluable to interpreting Scripture. Clines focuses on several concerns as he evaluates the passages: namely, the process of reading, the process of writing, and the social climate of the reader.

David J. A. Clines is Professor of Biblical Studies and Head of Department in the University of Sheffield.