In this unit, students will study the Book of Genesis in Biblical Hebrew. 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.
Unit code: BA9110T
Unit status: Approved (Major revision)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Old Testament
Proposing College: Trinity College Theological School
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Critically engage with scholarly theories of the composition of the Book of Genesis |
| 2. | Exegete the Hebrew text of selected texts from Genesis with advanced knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew language |
| 3. | Reflect theologically on the text of Genesis in light of critical issues in the text’s interpretation |
| 4. | Communicate and evaluate interpretations of the book of Genesis in contemporary contexts |
Introduction to the Old Testament; Biblical Hebrew A and Biblical Hebrew B (or equivalent)
Twelve weekly sessions. Lecture component (online or in classroom) and tutorial component on Hebrew exegesis
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.
Pattel-Gray, Anne, Norman Habel (eds) and Australian First Nations. De- colonising the Biblical Narrative: Volume I Adelaide: ATF, 2022.
Van der Merwe, C. H. J, Naudé J. A, and Jan Kroeze. A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar. Second ed. Biblical Languages London: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2017
Warner, Megan. Effective Stories: Genesis Through the Lens of Resilience Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2023.
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay of 3000 words |
3000 | 40.0 |
| Exegesis | Exegesis of Hebrew Text |
3000 | 40.0 |
| Skill Demonstration | Weekly text translation preparation |
1500 | 20.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 11 Sep, 2024
Unit record last updated: 2024-09-11 09:41:45 +1000