Genesis Study Questions

Study questions for Genesis

Creation stories

Genesis 1-3 contains two different creation stories. Genesis 1-2:3 is referred to as the "P" (or "Priestly") version [composed ca. 550-500 BCE], and Genesis 2:4-3:24 is referred to as the "J" (or "Jahwist/Yahwist") version [composed ca. 950-900 BCE]. Describe the differences between the two, not only in terms of narrative detail, but in terms of how the stories are told.
What kind of God is depicted in Genesis? Does the God of the "P" version differ in any ways from the God in the "J" version? How would you describe God's relationship to man in both versions?
How is woman depicted in the two creation stories? Is her relationship to man (or to God) different in any way?
Why does God forbid Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge? Why is it dangerous to have knowledge of good and evil? Why did God put the tree in Eden?
Read the story of Lilith (select the version from the Alphabet of Ben Sira), a Hebrew variant on the Adam and Eve story. How does your reading of this story change your understanding of the version of the story in Genesis? What kind of character is Lilith? Why do you think Lilith is not mentioned in the Hebrew, Christian, or Islamic scriptures?
Compare and contrast Ovid's story of creation to those in the Hebrew Bible. Can you identify similarities and differences in how these stories address the origins of evil?

Flood narratives

Compare the flood story in Genesis 6-9 to the versions Sura 71 of the Qur'an and Gilgamesh (an ancient Sumerian epic that is one of the earliest written works of literature--see the study questions on Gilgamesh for pictures of the cuneiform tablets on which this story was originally written). Are there differences in how the stories are told, in addition to differences in narrative detail? Do gods and mortals act differently in these versions? Is the relationship between gods and mortals different?

The Akedah: The Binding of Isaac

How is the story of Abraham and Isaac different from the other stories we have read in Genesis? Why doesn't the story describe Abraham's emotions? Can you think of any other questions that the story raises but does not answer?
Why does God test mortals?

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