Genesis (BA3100T)

Content

In this unit, students will study the Book of Genesis in English translation. Through the stories of their ancestors, ancient Israel and Judah negotiated issues of national identity, land possession and dispossession, exiles and refugees. In doing so, theological themes related to God’s sovereignty and location, election, the politics of gender, reconciliation, and hospitality to the stranger were formulated and debated, developing as the community went from kingdom to exile to life in the land under foreign imperial rule. These themes and other critical issues will be examined through exegesis of selected texts and scholarship on the book’s composition and historical contexts.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Introduction to the Old Testament (or equivalent)

Pedagogy

Twelve weekly sessions.

Indicative Bibliography

• Arnold, Bill T. Genesis Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

• Brenner, Athalya. ed. A Feminist Companion to Genesis Vols 1-2. Sheffield: Sheffield University Press, 1997, 1998.

• Brett, Mark G. Genesis: Procreation and the Politics of Identity Old Testament Readings. London: Routledge, 2000.

• Carr, David M. The Formation of Genesis 1–11: Biblical and Other Precursors New York: Oxford University Press, 2020.

• Hendel, Ronald S. Reading Genesis: Ten Methods Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

• Kennedy, Elisabeth R. Seeking a Homeland: Sojourn and Ethnic Identity in the Ancestral Narratives of Genesis Leiden: Brill, 2011.

• Mbuvi, Amanda B. Belonging in Genesis: Biblical Israel and the Politics of Identity Formation Waco: Baylor University Press, 2016.

• O’Connor, Kathleen M. Genesis Vols 1-2. Macon: Smyth & Helwys, 2018, 2021.

• Pattel-Gray, Anne, Norman Habel (eds) and Australian First Nations. De- colonising the Biblical Narrative: Volume I Adelaide: ATF, 2022.

• Warner, Megan. Effective Stories: Genesis Through the Lens of Resilience Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2023.

Assessment