Epiphany

Sunday, September 21, 2008

PLEASE BRING TO CLASS on Tuesday 23 September 2008

GENESIS IN SONG
Week of 23 September 2008

Farther Along

The story is told of a young man who was preparing for a long trip. He told his friend,
     "I am just about packed. I only have to put in a guidebook, a mirror, a microscope, a lamp, a telescope, a volume of fine poetry, a package of old letters, a few biographies, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of books I've been studying."
     "But you can't get all that into your bag," said his friend.
     "Oh yes I can," he replied It doesn't take much room."
     With that, he placed his Bible in the corner of his suitcase and closed the lid.

     The value of the Bible to many people is explained in this spoken prologue to a Gospel song, above: The Bible is a guidebook; it guides the believer on conduct in daily life.
     It's a mirror where the believer see himself or herself.
     It's a "microscope" and "telescope" because the Bible shows us the smallest and the biggest things. Jesus compared himself to a "lamp" and "the light of the worl."
     The Bible is "fine poetry." The "letters" are the letters (mostly by Paul) in the New Testament.
     There are biographies in the Bible. These are the four "Gospels" of the life of Jesus in the New Testament. The songs are the psalms, the most popular book in the Bible.
     The sword is the sharp blade that cuts right from wrong.
     Jesus was a carpenter (or the son of one). Hammers are used to build a strong foundation.
     Finally, the "books" are the books of the Bible.

IN THE BEGINNING

Three versions of the most famous opening in Western literature: the incipit (beginning) of Genesis. The first is a spoken version with musical accompaniment (also available in our library, without music). The second is a setting for chorus by the American composer, Aaron Copland. The final version has only the first line and is from the Austrian composer, Haydn's THE CREATION. Note how Haydn makes the word "light" stand out in his setting.

In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said let there be light and there was light. And God said let there be light and there was light. And God saw the light that it ws good. And God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

WEDLOCK

In this ballad, a text from Genesis is used to argue that woman should neither control man nor be abused by man:

When Adam was created, he dwelt in Eden's shade (as Moses has related) before a bride was made. Ten thousand times ten thousand things wheeled all around, before a bride was formed, or yet a mate was found. He had no consolation but seemed as one alone. Till, to his admiration he found he'd lost a bone. Great was his exultation to see her by his side. Great was his elevation to have a loving bride.
This woman was not taken from Adam's head, we know: and she must not rule o'er him, it's evidently so. This woman she was taken from near to Adam's heart, by which we are directed that they should never part.

Jesus Christ, The Apple Tree
The new student of the Bible will learn that the Jewish Bible, at one time the only Bible, was later taken by Christians as the first Testament before Jesus. Thereafter it became known as the "Old Testament"; while the Testament about Jesus became the "New Testament." Moreover, Christians read many verses in the Old Testament as in some way foretelling Jesus or events in Jesus' life. This is called a typological reading. Objects or persons in the Old Testament are "types" of Jesus or the Christian experience. In this reading, for example, the famous Tree in Eden which brought death into the world due to Adam's sin, now brings life through the cross, as in this song. Note that Jesus' tree is always green and with fruit.

The tree of life my soul has seen, Laden with fruit and always green: The tree of life my soul has seen, Laden with fruit and always green. The trees of nature fruitless be, Compared with Christ, the Apple Tree. His beauty doth all things excel, By faith I know, but ne'er can tell: His beauty doth all things excel, By faith I know but ne'er can tell: The glory which I now can see, In Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree. For happiness I long have sought, And pleasure dearly I have bought: For happiness I long have sought, And pleasure dearly I have bought. I missed of all, but now I see 'Tis found in Christ, the Apple Tree. I'm weary with my former toil, Here I will sit and rest awhile: I'm weary with my former toil, Here I will sit and rest awhile. Under the shadow I will be, Of Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree. This fruit doth make my soul to thrive, It keeps my dying faith alive: This fruit doth make my soul to thrive, It keeps my dying faith alive. Which makes my soul in haste to be, With Jesus Christ the Apple Tree.

These final songs are from the Broadway musical about Adam and Eve called The Apple Tree. In the first song, newly created Eve marvels at the beauty of her world. In the second song, the snake tempts Eve to eat the apple. Notice the snake's hiss or rattle at the beginning of the song. Note, although the fruit is often called an apple, there is no mention of the kind of fruit in Genesis. But apples have gotten a bad reputation ever since.
HERE IN EDEN
(Eve)

So many creatures, so many things, each wondrous object is beautiful and striking and I see nothing that isn't to my liking, here in Eden. There's plums and peaches and pears and grapes, so ripe and juicy and utterly inviting. I find the apples especially exciting here in Eden.

FORBIDDEN FRUIT
(The snake)

Listen closely let me fill you in about the rich ripe round red rosy apples they call forbidden fruit, what I'm about to say is confidential so promise you'll be mute, because if every creature in the garden knows, they'll come round like hungry buffalos and in no time there'll be none of those precious apples left for you and me. Now in the average apple you're accustomed to skins, seeds, flesh and core. But you will find that these are special apples that give you something more. Why every seed contains some information that you need to speed your education, the seeds indeed of all creation are here. Why be foolish, my dear? Come with me to that tree.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Film for 26 September 2008 (at NCKU library, Media Center) 12:30 p.m.

NOTORIOUS
26 September 2008

THE FIRST FILM we'll study this semester will be Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946) with two of the biggest Hollywood stars of their era: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Star images also factor in film appreciation: Bergman's star image was mainly developed around earthy beauty (though her star image changed over time). Cary Grant remained the greatest romantic Hollywood leading man throughout the 1940s and 1950s, until his retirement in his early 60s.
    Alfred Hitchcock was a star himself and still the most famous director in the world; in fact the only director whose picture often appears on DVD box covers instead of the stars!
    Hitchcock was at the height of his fame in the 1950s, with a monthly Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, a half-hour weekly TV show and another hour weekly TV show, as well as a long-playing album to his credit!
    In addition, he appeared in brief "cameos" in all his Hollywood films (beginning in 1940) and some of his British films (before 1940). In Notorious Hitchcock can be seen drinking a glass of wine at the party (see the handout pictures).
    Notorious is one of Hitchcock's most celebrated films. Among the more famous scenes is the long kissing scene which cheated the movie censors (the censors allowed only three-second kissing scenes) and the famous crane shot that begins over the party floor and slowly descends to the key in Ingrid Bergman's hand (see slide how, left).

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Home Listening Due Sunday 21 September 2008

Home Listening Assignment
Due Sunday 21 September 2008
Click on the slide show, view the broadcast, then answer the following questions and email to Stella Chen by Sunday.

1. What is Buck Buchanan suffering from?
    2. According to the newscaster, what is Buck's message in one word?
    3. What is his wife's name?
    4. What does the couple realize is precious?
    5. What was Buck's job?
    6. According to the newscaster what feelings does Buck wake up with every morning?
    7. What happened 3 years ago?
    8. How many months was he given to live?
In what city is the hospice he contacted?
    9. In one word, according to Buck what has he been given?
    10. He and his wife started a Christian ministry (religious organization). What is its name?
    11. Buck's message is simple. What is it in 3 words?
    12. According to Buck's wife, what has Buck brought to many people's lives?
    13. What are he and his wife planning in June?
    14. What does Buck think God can do regarding his illness?
    15. What does Buck say to God when he wakes up every morning?

20 Basic Bible Terms (for Tuesday)

20 Basic Bible Terms

Here are 20 basic Bible terms we'll talk about next Tuesday, with brief definitions now and more discussion Tuesday:

1. Bible: a collection of books believed by some to be the word of God and that collected together are called the Bible. Originally made of hand "scrolls," each scroll is now called a "book" within the Bible, such as the book of Genesis, Exodus, Revelation.

2. Testament. The Christian Bible is divided into two parts, called the Old Testament and New Testament. "Testament" means "Covenant," or agreement; like a contract. A"testament" speaks of the agreement between humans and God, including a promise from God and duties from the people. The "new" testament replaces the "old" testament for Christians. Jews have only one "testament" and for them it is not "old" but the living word of God.

3. Canon. Means "rule." A rule about which collection of books is the word of God. So "canon" now means the official list of Bible books. Jews and even some Christians disagree on some books in the Bible. These books are sometimes included as Apocrypha (see next).

4. Apocrypha. Means "hidden." Books that have disputed status in some Bibles are called Apocrypha, probably because they were "hidden" from the main Old and New Testament, or placed between them. These books are not considered the "Word of God" but nonetheless "useful" for instruction. Catholics however found them to be the "word of God" and insisted on calling them "deuterocanonial" (see next), meaning the "second canon." These books are among the most beautiful in the Bible and probably appeal especially to those who are not Christians because they show greater influence of Greek or pagan ideas.

5. Deuterocanonical. "Second Canon." A word invented by Catholics to defend inclusion of books Jews rejected as canonical. They were called "deuterocanonical" because they were not written in Hebrew but in Greek; nonetheless they seemed to justify Catholic doctrine about praying for the dead and other finer points. Protestants rejected these books for the same reason Catholics accepted them; but even Protestants recognized the beauty of these books and included them in their Bibles, but insisted on calling them "apocrypha," and kept them in a special part of their Bibles (either at the end or between the two Testaments).

6. Catholic. "Catholic" means "universal" with a small "c." And that's the original meaning of the word, which is now capitalized to refer to the Roman church. Used in "Catholic Church." Also called the Roman church because it started in Rome and of course the Pope still resides in Rome. Later churches broke away from the Catholic church, "protesting" abuses; these "protesters" became known as "Protest-ants." The main belief of Protestants is the faithful does not need a "Papa" (=Pope) as leader, but can speak to Jesus directly, "by faith alone" as Martin Luther said. Catholics seem to emphasize "works" while Protestants emphasize "faith."

7. Pentateuch. Means "five scrolls." These are by far the most important books for Jews. They are the first five books of the Bible, also called the Five Books of Moses, or the Torah (teaching). These are the books of the Law. For Jews, the Law is the most important thing; for Christians, belief in Jesus has replaced the Law.

8. Prophet. Sometimes misunderstood to mean someone who predicts the future, which is the current meaning. But it actually means someone who hears and speaks the Word of God and usually can foresee the consequences of present actions. It's true that there are many miracle stories related to prophets in the modern sense. But mainly a prophet is like someone telling you that you will fail your classes because you party too much. That's just a common sense of "if-then": if you continue to act this way, this is what God will do. If you continue to abuse the poor, God will take away your land, etc. These prophets were great social reformers, among the greatest voices in history for social justice. Modern democracy owes them a debt.

9. Sabbath. One of the important contributions of Jews: a day of rest every 6 days. This idea is developed into other days of rest. For example, every 7 years was considered a special yearly Sabbath. And every 50 years (7X7=49 + 1), called a Jubilee year, was a Sabbath, during which land had to be returned to its original owners. Modern academics still use the word when they allow teachers to "rest" (for research) every 7 years; this is called a "sabbatical." The idea of "rest" takes on greater meaning in the Bible, in the sense of final peace and harmony with God.

10. Apocalypse. Apocalypse means "revealing," as in the book of Revelation. These texts "reveal" the future, usually of judgment and punishment.
    Most scholars agree that as prophecy fails, as the Jews feel hopeless that God will help them, they turn to apocalypse, assuring the people of God's coming judgment; as if to say, "though we're suffering now, we'll win later." So apocalypse replaces prophecy over time. In fact, it ends the New Testament in the most famous apocalypse of all: the Christian book of Revelation.
    But there are many verses in the Old and New Testaments that are called "apocalypses," because they speak of future judgment of an unworldly kind. There are apocalypses in Isaiah, Daniel, and in the four Gospels, when Jesus speaks of future judgment, including Hell and Heaven.

    11. Circumcision. The process of cutting off the foreskin of the male sexual organ to show the person's dedication to Jewish belief. An important part of Jewish ritual, but rejected by Christians and replaced with the more symbolic Baptism.

    12. Baptism. The ritual involving water, either by immersion (the body goes completely into a river or large basin) or aspersion (sprinkling) to signify a person's inclusion in the community of believers.

    13. Idolatry. One of the big problems of early Jews: worshiping another "god." This problem continues today when we worship movie "idols," money, etc. All this worship separates us from God, the "real" being; all others are false gods. Whether one "believes" or not, one can see that this is "existentially" true (true in terms of existence; because we are what we love; and if we love things that perish, we ourselves become perishable; if we love foolish things, we become fools).

    14. Sacrifice. The ritual slaughter of animals to dedicate to God or as atonement (=at one ment) with God. Rejected by Christians, who believe Jesus made the final sacrifice for humans; no more need be made.

    15. Dietary laws. Laws about which foods to eat and how to eat some foods (for example, meat cannot be eaten with blood in it). Rejected by Christians, who believe God made all foods for humans to eat; but still observed by Jews in their "kosher" (proper) laws of eating.

    16. Monotheism. Belief in one God. Most scholars agree that the Jewish religion developed a monotheism slowly; that it began believing in many gods (but one main God) but advanced to monotheism, especially in the great prophets. Polytheism is belief in many gods. Henotheism is belief in many gods but with one main God.

    17. Source (Hypothesis). The belief that the Bible was not written by the people the books are named after (Moses, Isaiah, etc.) but were put together from many "sources" over hundreds of years. These collections are called "redactions."

    18. Redaction. The edited version of many texts or sources into the final version. The Bible, in other words, is a redaction of sources over hundreds of years.

    19. Documentary Hypothesis. The theory, not accepted by almost everyone except fundamentalists (below) that the Bible was redacted from many older documents or sources. These are commonly named J, E, P, and D after Jehovah (named, in German, after Yahweh), Elohim (named after the Hebrew word for God, El, or many gods, elohim), Priest, and Deuteronomy (named after the fifth book of the Law, Deuteronomy).

    20. Fundamentalism. A belief held by deeply religious people, commonly in the American Southern states, that everything written in the Bible is literally true. That is, if the Bible says God made the world in 6 days, that's exactly what happened. People who are NOT fundamentalists don't take those words literally. They suggest "day" could mean thousands of years, as in Psalm 90 or be just a figure of speech, like a sister saying to her sibling, "I'll kill you if you wear my dress to the dance" does not mean what she says. She just means I'll strongly disapprove.

COMPOSITION: Suggestions for journal exercises (optional)

Composition Exercises
I will not require these. But you would do well to follow these exercises. If you want me to check them, I'll be glad to.

Here are some suggestions for journal exercises:
    1. Direct copy of a text. "He came in." = "He came in."
Simply copying paragraphs and pages from a good piece of prose is very useful in imprinting on the mind good style or basic sentence structure.
    2. Indirect dialogue as direct dialogue. "He said he was sick." = "'I'm sick,' he said." "'I'm sick,' he sighed."
    3. Direct dialogue as indirect dialogue. "'I'm sick,' he said." = "He said he was sick."
    Of course, you can always elaborate too: "He shot me a look of misery and lamented how sick he was."
    4. Paraphrase. "He said he was sick." = "He claimed to be unwell."
    5. Epitome (summary). "He said he had a fever and a cold." = "He said he was sick."
Strictly speaking epitome and summary are different. Epitome keeps the specific language of the original but takes out anything that can be sacrificed and still keep the essential point; while summary generalizes more freely. Epitome is more like condensing a 300 page novel for a weekly journal of 50 pages; summary is like what you read on the back of a book jacket that tells the reader what is the general plot and characters. Both are useful exercises; they force the reader to read a piece several times; understand it, and then find synonymic words to keep the length down.
    6. Elaboration. "He said he was sick." = "He had a fever and a cold." Better: "He said he had a fever and a cold and all kinds of vague symptoms he was unable to describe, but which kept him in bed the whole time." (In principle, elaboration is unlimited. See #15)
    7. Dialogue elaboration. "He was sick." = "'I am sick," he cried. 'Don't you believe me? I can't drink, I can't keep my food down, I throw up everything I eat, I sneeze constantly, my wife can't stand to be around me. She says my wheezing ruins her television shows when we watch together. Even my dog hides from me. Finally, my children are afraid they'll catch worse colds if they're in my presence.'"
    8. Decombination. "The hot pepperoni pizza sizzled on the table." Make this: "The pizza was on the table. It was hot. It had pepperoni topping. It sizzled."
    9. Combination.The opposite of the above: "The woman was beautiful. The woman wore earrings. The earrings were made of silver. The earrings dangled to her shoulders." Make this: "The beautiful woman wore silver earrings that dangled to her shoulders."
    10. Prose paraphrase (from poetry). "Whose woods these are I think I know / His house is in the village though" (Robert Frost). = "As I journeyed through the woods, I guessed the name of the person who owned them. As it turned out, his house was in the village."
    11. Poetic paraphrase (from prose). "I wondered why the English did not teach their children the language. After all, Norwegians and Greeks teach their respective languages to their children!" = "Why can't the English teach their children how to speak / Norwegians learn Norwegian, the Greeks are taught their Greek!" (My Fair Lady).
    12. Variation. "I loved that song." = "That song thrilled me." "I was overwhelmed by that song." "That melody enraptured me." "If music be the food of love, play that song again." (Note, I copied the first phrase from Shakespeare; but no-one would call that plagiarism because it's a famous line and I'm clearly referring to it.)
    13. Substitution (replacement).
        a. Polysyllabic words by monosyllabic (one syllable) words. "That melody enraptured me." = "The tune thrilled me."
        b. Monosyllabic words by polysyllabic words. "I would love to have your help." = "I would be particularly honored to receive your benevolent assistance." (The last is also known as periphrasis: that is, saying something in a long-winded way, which is sometimes a sign of bad writing.)
       c. Proper nouns by noun phrases. "Bob Miller yelled at the top of his lungs, 'You're fired!'" = "The deceived hot-tempered employer yelled at the top of his lungs."
    14. Imitation. "It was a cold day and I huddled underneath the only shelter in the woods." = "It was a hot evening and I cooled myself in front of the sole air conditioner in the house." Imitation need not be exact, so long as most of the sentence structure is kept.
    15. Extended elaboration. "He died." = "The feeble aged man, sick now for many months, and barely clinging to life, finally, after making out his will, and croaking out maudlin farewells to his relatives, all of whom expected to be part of the old man's substantial largess when his last will and testament were read in court, reluctantly went the way of all flesh." Another kind of periphrasis, which can be bad writing unless it's used for special effect.
    These are 15 ways to practice English. This kind of writing is probably better than more personal writing, because you're consciously making language choices (words, grammar, syntax) and exercising your mind. It takes effort to think of a word to replace another word, or to find another way to write a sentence: "She walked up to her apartment." "Up she walked to her apartment." By placing "up" first in the sentence it imitates the effort of walking. The English novelist, Charles Dickens, used these reversed sentence structures a lot.
    Next week we'll talk more about these exercises and also developing ideas. Here's one model we talked about in class:
    I keep six honest serving men;
    (They taught me all I knew);
    Their names are What and Why and When
    And How and Where and Who.
                   —Rudyard Kipling

See the picture of the Communication Triangle too. In my next email I will give you next week's assignment so you don't get mixed up.

COMPOSITION: Assignment for 24 September 2008

COMPOSITION
FOR 24 SEPTEMBER 2008

For next Wednesday, practice the Communication Triangle: Speaker (purpose), audience (reader/auditor), text (argument/logic).
Write a brief (2 paragraphs) text on any topic you choose. It can be a letter to a friend asking for money. It can be a letter to a newspaper complaining of something. It can be a complaint to a department store. It can be a description of your brother or sister. Anything.
In class you will project it on the screen with a laptop computer and explain your purpose, your intended audience, and why you think you succeeded in your purpose by pointing out your use of language (words), sentences, argument; your use of P/S, Q/A, or the 5 W's + H as we discussed in class.

Model:

Thrift Department Stores

Mr. Tom Adams,
General Manager

Dear Mr. Adams,

I am a faithful patron of your store in Tainan. I shop there almost every weekend with my two children. Usually I have no problems.
    However, last Saturday, in a deserted section of the fifth floor, my children had to use the rest room. Unfortunately there was a suspicious-looking man nearby. He was shabbily dressed and appeared to be drunk while loitering near the rest rooms. I was afraid to let my children into the rest room, but had no choice since they had to go rather badly.
    I think you have a good store, Mr. Adams. However I'm surprised that there was no security up on that floor, when you know that parents bring their children to the toy section further down from the elevators.
    I am now afraid of returning to your store in case something similar happens in the future. Please assure me that you plan to respond to this complaint appropriately so I can remain a good patron of your department store in Tainan.
    With great appreciation for your previous service,
    Yours,
    Ellen Jones.

First, I considered my audience: the manager of a department store. He's obviously concerned with making money. So I included that fact in my letter (I'm "a faithful patron" and "I shop almost every weekend").
    See every detail has a purpose; and that purpose is related to my audience. The two cannot be separated. And the two = what I write (the text; message; speech; and which details I include).
    I begin my letter with the most important fact from my reader's point of view: money. I shop there every weekend.
    But in my second short paragraph I use what is called an adversative (usually using "but," "however," etc.). I give important details: who? children. When? last Saturday. Who (again): "suspicious-looking man." Where? "nearby" on the fifth floor near the rest room. How? (how was he dressed to look suspicious): shabbily, appeared drunk, loitering, etc.
    I use a little of P/S (problem-solution): the problem was having the children use the rest room and finding a reasonable solution: there was none. And that's the main focus of the letter.
    Note that I failed in this letter: I did NOT specify whether the children were girls or boys. Sometimes being general helps; but the manager may wish to KNOW this fact so he could check the rest room (for girls or boys). (Of course I left out this fact on purpose to illustrate a point to students in the class! I don't want to make the letter too good.)
    Next I show how reasonable I am while flattering my reader: "you have a good store." Mixing praise and blame makes the writer sound reasonable and therefore believable. For example, if a person says only bad things about New York, we tend to disbelieve the person entirely; because common sense tells us that New York or another major city must have good things about it as well as bad.
    Now Mrs. Jones uses cause-effect: she's surprised there's no security when the manager must know that children go to that floor. This is "logic."
    Cause-effect continues in the next brief paragraph: she's afraid to return. From the point of view of the Communication Triangle, she persuades the manager where it matters most: lost patronage, hence lost revenue. BAD.
    Then she links the two ideas coherently: her continued patronage and better security, so that the manager believes the two are logically related.
    Finally she shows again that she's a reasonable person by saying, "with great appreciation for your previous service."
    No manager can ignore a letter like this: the facts are clear; the writer seems reasonable; the purpose is clear too: to increase security.
    What if she had written: "What kind of jerks are you? Are you people so stupid you can't hire security in your dump? You're in the wrong business, chump. You'd better do something about this or I'm not going into that dump again."
    First he tells us nothing about himself, like how often he visits the store. He doesn't even say which floor needs security. Moreover, he insults the manager, who will probably close his mind to the letter without even reading it seriously. Finally he reflects on himself as a stupid person; so the manager thinks, "We're better off without a customer like that."
    So that was not an effective letter.
    Do you think you can do something like this. Write it (2-3 short paragraphs) and explain why you think your wrote well, using the Communication Triangle. Then we'll tell you if you wrote well or not.
    Good luck. Any questions, email me.
    Don't forget to sign up for Conferences beginning 25 September 2008.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Week of 23 September 2008

BIBLE
Week of 30 September 2008
THE FIRST MURDER

4:1 The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with Yahweh’s help.” 4:2 Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 4:3 As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. 4:4 Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, 4:5 but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. 4:6 Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? 4:7 If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” 4:8 Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.
The Bible writes about "dysfunctional families" from the beginning. Notice the first child is a murderer; the cause is envy. This kind of competing against one's neighbor, leading to sad results, cointinues. The Bible's style is to simplify what we think of as complex actions. But in the Bible we see the step by step process in simple form: Cain is rejected; his face shows anger; he invites his brother out to kill him.
4:9 Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?”

He said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Who is responsible? Another insight of the Bible writers. Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the snake. Cain asks is he responsible for his brother, even though he killed him.
    The French philosopher Rene Girard makes a lot out of what he calls the special gift the Bible has in exposing innocent victims. In other myths, he says, the victim is never called innocent. But the Bible makes a point of calling the victim innocent, from Abel, to Jesus. Girard considers this the special genius of the Bible, which gave voice to the victim.
4:10 Yahweh said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground. 4:11 Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.”

4:13 Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 4:14 Behold, you have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me.”
Note the escalation (increase) in violence. Anyone who kills Cain will be avenged seven times. There's a problem however. Who's going to kill Cain if he's the only one on earth besides his parents?
4:15 Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.

4:16 Cain went out from Yahweh’s presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 4:17 Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
Note that its the murderer who builds the first city. Below, we are back to the so-called Priest document, which we saw in chapter 1. Now we have a new phrase: "Documentary Hypothesis," identified with a man named Julius Weilhausen (1844-1918). This is also called the Source Hypothesis. I've already mentioned this but will discuss it now in more detail. The Documentary Hypothesis strongly shows that the first five books of the Bible (called the Pentateuch; pent=5; teuch=scroll) were not, as once thought, written by Moses. Rather they were edited together from 4 different sources. The earliest is the J source; because this source uses the name Yaweh (translated as Lord); the next source is E, after the word for God, Elohim; E like P uses "God"; E is the least important for our study because the least preserved as far as we know. Probably the most famous E text is the binding ("sacrifice") of Isaac. P is important; we read him in ch. 1 and find him again below. He must have belonged to the Priest class because he is concerned with later Jewish ritual, which he then imagines back to the beginning. Thus "evening and morning were the first day" shows that the Priest ritual had already begun, as had the Sabbath by the time ch. 1 was written. The final source is also important, called D because the entire book of Deuteronomy is written by this writer, as well as other books outside the Pentateuch.
    We find P again. Note there is no Cain, no Abel, no murder! There's only Seth. So Seth became a hero to some early religious sects, called Gnostics, who believed that man was not naturally "fallen"; so they traced themselves back to Seth and called themselves Sethians. Gnostics later influenced early Christianity, especially the Gospel of John. But we won't go too much into this, at least not now.

5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him in God’s likeness. 5:2 He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name “Adam,” in the day when they were created. 5:3 Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 5:4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of sons and daughters. 5:5 All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died.

5:32 Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The human race is traced through Noah's 3 sons. >From "Shem" we get "semites" (Jews); from Ham the darker races; from Japheth Europeans or Asians. The story of the Flood is famous. Here, in a more confusing way, the J and P stories are combined, rather than separated by chapters. This for example is a J text; note the use of Yahweh:
6:5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6:6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. 6:7 Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 6:8 But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.
The following is the Priest text:
6:9 Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God. 6:10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 6:11 The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 6:12 God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

6:13 God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 6:14 Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch. 6:15 This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship will be three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 6:16 You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels. 6:17 I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die. 6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 6:19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 6:20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come to you, to keep them alive. 6:21 Take with you of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.” 6:22 Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Once again the J text. Note that in the Priest text only 2 animals are taken to the ark, but in the J text 7. Why? Because the P would now allow anyone to sacrifice except the priest class. So he told the story without sacrifices. (If there had been sacrifices, one pair would not have been enough to continue the species after the flood.)
7:1 Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. 7:2 You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. 7:3 Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth. 7:4 In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground.”

7:5 Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.

7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. 7:7 Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the waters of the flood. 7:8 Clean animals, animals that are not clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground 7:9 went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 7:10 It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth. 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky’s windows were opened. 7:12 The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

7:13 In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship; 7:14 they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 7:15 They went to Noah into the ship, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them. 7:16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and Yahweh shut him in. 7:17 The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth. 7:18 The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters. 7:19 The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered. 7:20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 7:21 All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died. 7:23 Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship. 7:24 The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.

8:1 God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided. 8:2 The deep’s fountains and the sky’s windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained. 8:3 The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased. 8:4 The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat’s mountains. 8:5 The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
Note in the J version there are only 40 days to the flood; in the P version, 150 days.
8:6 It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made, 8:7 and he sent out a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8:8 He sent out a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground, 8:9 but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ship; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put out his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship. 8:10 He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent the dove out of the ship. 8:11 The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth. 8:12 He stayed yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; and she didn’t return to him any more.

8:13 It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried. 8:14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

8:15 God spoke to Noah, saying, 8:16 “Go out of the ship, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth.”

8:18 Noah went out, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him. 8:19 Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship.

8:20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 8:21 Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done. 8:22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Note how God accepts the fact that humans are evil. This is the first of the four Covenants in the Old Testament. This is called the Noachide Covenant, an agreement made with Noah. The next covenant is made with Abraham (the Abrahamic Covenant), then with the Jewish people (the Sinai Covenant), then with David (the Davidic covenant). Now people start to eat meat as well as vegetables. But the blood of meat is forbidden. This will become a key issue for Christians when they decided to give up the Law, since Jesus replaced the Law.

9:1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 9:2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand. 9:3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you. 9:4 But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat. 9:5 I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man. 9:6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image. 9:7 Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”
Note above the basis for capital punishment (9:6). Also note how the passage is written like a recreation; as if God were making the world again, with the same commands: "Be fruitful and multipy," etc.
9:8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9:9 “As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth. 9:11 I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 9:12 God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 9:13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 9:15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 9:16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 9:17 God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
This is what is called an etiological story. There are many of them in the Bible. An etiological story explains why something is the way it is, as in the case of a rainbow.

9:18 The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan. 9:19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.

9:20 Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard. 9:21 He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn’t see their father’s nakedness. 9:24 Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him. 9:25 He said,

“Canaan is cursed.
    He will be servant of servants to his brothers.”

9:26 He said,

“Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem.
    Let Canaan be his servant.
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth.
    Let him dwell in the tents of Shem.
    Let Canaan be his servant.”
This is another etiological story; it "explains" why the Canaanites are treated like slaves. This text was a key text used to justify slavery in the US South.
9:28 Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood. 9:29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died.

Now follows another famous etiological story explaining why there are so many languages on earth.
11:1 The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 11:2 It happened, as they traveled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. 11:3 They said one to another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 11:4 They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”
Note the consistent language: "Come, let's" and "Come let's," until God "came down." Once again we see a step by step process. It shows the uselessness of fighting against God:
11:5 Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. 11:6 Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. 11:7 Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 11:8 So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. 11:9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

11:27 Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.
This is the beginning of the Jewish religion. Abram, later Abraham, follows God obediently, even leaving his home without pause. This is the beginning of Jewish monotheism as well as the Abrahamic Covenant. It's also important for Christians; because St. Paul valued the Abrahamic Covenant more than the later Sinai Covenant, based on Jewish laws. Abraham's religion was "by faith alone," which became an important idea for Paul and later Christians. Note how to save oneself one must turn one's back on everything: home country, parents. (We assume they were worshiping many gods in Abraham's home, so that home was a bad influence. To found a new religion, Abrahm had to leave. And he didn't hesitate. "GO!")
12:1 Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. 12:2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you.”
V. 3 above seems to predict Christianity's appeal to "all families of the earth."

12:4 So Abram went, as Yahweh had spoken to him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of Haran. 12:5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls whom they had gotten in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. Into the land of Canaan they came. 12:6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanite was then in the land.
Notice that 12:6b is a key verse for scholars of the Documentary Hypothesis; because we read that "The Canaanite was then in the land." Obviously this verse was written long after Moses had died!

GENESIS: For week of 23 September 2008

THE OLD TESTAMENT

At least for now, I will use the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). Note that my comments are always in RED.
    The Bible is divided into two Testaments. The Jewish Bible which teaches the laws of Moses from God; and the Christian Bible. However Christians call the Jewish Bible the "old" testament and their Bible the "new" testament. "Testament" means "covenant" or "agreement." So both books tell of God's agreement (contract) with humans.
    Ideas that are special to the Bible include that God made everything. Before God there was nothing. Moreover, God does not have to battle with other Gods. There's only one God. Even more important, everything is GOOD. This is a refrain (repeat) throughout the Bible, especially in the opening verses: "God saw that it was good."
    Compare with other religions or philosophies, which believe the world is evil. In fact, later Jewish thought, in the form of Christianity, tended towards this belief that the world is evil: the Devil owns the world, as we shall see in the Christian Gospels. Still Christians never give up the idea in the Old Testament that the world is good. It's people who are bad, though made good. So something went wrong; the Bible is the story of how it went wrong and how to make it right again. As such it's not pure history, but "salvation history": a history of how people became separated from God and how they can return to God. This involves justice most of all. The reader should observe a key difference between the Old and New Testaments: the Old Testament is more concerned with social justice than the New Testament. Of course social justice is implied in what Jesus asks of people in the New Testament. But the demand for social justice is very loud and clear in the Old Testament. This is one of many reasons why the Bible should appeal to today's readers.
    The Bible is divided into books, chapers, and verses. You should familiarize yourselves with the books in order and how to cite (refer to) them in abbreviation or short form. For example GEN 5:6 means the book of Genesis, chapter 5, verse 6. A verse is usually a line but not always. Sometimes it's two lines or more. Then scholars divide up the lines into a and b. So 5:6a means chapter 5, verse 6, the first sentence.
    The question that a young student will naturally ask is, is the Bible true. The question then is what is meant by "true"? Is "love" true? Is Freud's idea of an "unconscious" true? These are words that try to capture an experience that seems real. The Bible does the same thing. It tries to capture an experience that seems real and that seems to explain a lot. When a person says "I love my spouse" the person may not know what "love" means but uses the word to explain what to the person is real, whatever words are used! The Bible has lasted so long because it tells of something real, which others recognize as real too. It doesn't matter if God made the world in 6 days or 6 million days. The point of the writer is that God controls the world. So everything is good.

Genesis

1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
The book of Genesis starts from the beginning. In fact it's called "In the beginning" in Hebrew. These are some of the most famous lines. St. John later borrows verse 1 for his Gospel in the New Testament. (You may wish to check out the beginning of John's Gospel (called the "incipet" or "beginning"; compare the English word, "incipient," or "about to begin."

1:3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 1:4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was evening and there was morning, one day.
Another key idea: separation. We can only be "holy" by keeping God's differences between animals, humans, the sexes, etc. "Light" becomes a big theme in the New Testament, where Jesus is compared to the Light which shines in darkness. So the reader should follow this theme, which we shall call a "motif" (a little idea that is repeated, as, in music, the famous opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony).
    Notice that you cannot read the Bible literally, though some do. Today few believers read the Bible literally. Those who do are called "fundamentalists." There are many in the US South. Note that God made "light" before he made the sun and moon (below). So you see, you can't read the Bible literally.
    Study too the motif of the "Word." God creates just with his "word." Later Jesus becomes the "Word." The "word" has been translated to mean many things. Probably the main meaning is "logos" (as the word "logic" or "logical" in English): order, reason. The world is orderly and reasonable.

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 1:7 God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 1:8 God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
The main idea here is that God owns everything. Whereas in other myths of this period the sea is a monster, in the Bible even the sea is "good." Later, in the book of Revelation, there is no sea; because the sea was always considered dangerous (the Jews were not good sailors). But still; the sea is owned by God. So what does this do? It assures people not to be afraid of anything; because there are no monsters; just God.

1:9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 1:10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good. 1:11 God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth”; and it was so. 1:12 The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 1:13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
Notice that evening comes before day. This is the way that Jews reckoned (counted) time: day begins at 6 p.m. or sunset. So Saturday begins at sunset on Friday evening.

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; 1:15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of sky to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 1:16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 1:17 God set them in the expanse of sky to give light to the earth, 1:18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 1:19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

1:20 God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky.” 1:21 God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. 1:22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 1:23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
"Be frutiful and multiply" encourages sex between men and women. Later Jewish thought, in Christianity, tended to look upon sex and the body as evil. So you can see a development here. Yet there's no question that Christians accept the Old Testament God. In terms of style, not the use of "ands" and repeated words and phrases ("after their kind"). This is not the King James version, which influenced many writers (especially Hemingway), but it's similar.
1:24 God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 1:25 God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
Another key text: "Let us make man in our image." First, what does "our" mean? Who is God talking to? If you go back to the beginning you'll remember that God is speaking to someone and his spirit "hovers" over the waters. Here is where we get the idea of a three-personed God: Father, son, and Holy Spirit; yet one God. However, it's also possible God is speaking to angels or lesser gods.
    Jewish monotheism (one-god) developed slowly over time. At first there was something more like "henotheism," a less familiar word which means many gods but one in command. We'll study this issue of the development of monotheism in the Bible in many other verses too.
    What does it mean to "make man in our image"? First of all it suggests man is something like God. Second, it gives man dignity. Certainly the Bible has had strong influence on later democracies, with its idea that all people are created equal and have rights.
     Now here we get to something interesting, which scholars pointed out more than a hundred years ago; that there are really two stories of creation in the first two chapters here. The first shows men and women as equal; the second shows the woman as inferior to the man. This is the first:
1:26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 1:27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. 1:28 God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 1:29 God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food. 1:30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.
Note that humans don't eat meat yet; just herbs and fruit.
1:31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Now we get to another key point: the Sabbath; one of the great ideas of the Hebrew Bible; that people are entitled to rest. This idea of "rest" becomes important later too, when "rest" is imagined as Heaven; the final rest that God has promised.
    The Sabbath gives dignity to man. It says to "stop"; forget your boss; forget your slavery; forget buying and selling. This day belongs to God; but it belongs to Man too; because in thinking of God, man gives himself dignity too. We are what we love. If we love movie stars, we are as mortal as they. But if we love God, as pictured in the Bible in Creation, then we grow bigger. By not working we know ourselves as creatures of God, not slaves to others. By not doing anything on the Sabbath, we also discover God's creation; because we allow God to do everything on that day. Note "the seventh day" is Saturday, not Sunday. The Sabbath was changed to Sunday by Christians. Also note, as I said before, Jews count time from the evening; so the Sabbath begings at sunset on Fridays to sunet on Saturday.
2:1 The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array. 2:2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 2:3 God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.
Now begins the second story of Creation. So you see there are two stories. Scholars realized this and then realized other things too. For example, God is called God in the first story but Yahweh God in the one below. Also God is more human in the one below. And this pattern is repeated in other stories. The idea of God is more dignified in the first Creation story; more human in the second. So scholars suggested that the first came later than the second. Scholars name the first writer P after "priest"; because we think he came from the priest class. The second writer is named "J" (after Jahweh in German, or Yahweh; the English form is Jehovah, or Lord). This is the name for "God" in the J text. There are other differences but these are the most basic. Note that in the second story, man is created first, not last, as in the first story. Note also that "heaven" is mentioned first in the first story, but "earth" is mentioned first in the second. That's why scholars divide the Creation story from 2:4a to 2:4b (when a verse is long, it's divided into "a" and "b." I've underlined where the J text begins. J's stories, by the way, are some of the most famous in the Bible, including the story of Adam and Eve.
2:4 This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens. 2:5 No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground, 2:6 but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground. 2:7 Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 2:8 Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 2:15 Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 2:16 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die.”
What does the tree of Good and Evil mean? Naturally this has been studied for centuries. One idea is that we know right from wrong because we can now do right or wrong. But Hebrew scholars also point out that "evil" is not the best translation; a better one is "bad." So now it means that we see differences where we did not before. We are not happy with this dish of food or that car; we always see it as bad compared to something better. And this kind of desire based on good and bad can destroy us because we always want more and better than we have.

2:18 Yahweh God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 2:21 Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 2:22 He made the rib, which Yahweh God had taken from the man, into a woman, and brought her to the man. 2:23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.” 2:24 Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. 2:25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Note that there is no shame over nudity (nakedness). Shame comes from self-consciousness that follows "good and bad." For example, the woman or man wants a better body, so feels ashamed. The main point here is that the writer of this text (J) thinks that "in the beginning" everything was good, as "P" says too. Sex is good. The body is good. How did they become bad?
3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”
Who is this serpent? Later, in the New Testament, he's called the Devil. But the Jews who wrote this, did not think so. First, God is the only power. The serpent is just the freedom to reason falsely; as when we say, "Does my father's money really belong to him? Aren't I his son and aren't I entitled to his money?" And then we steal it; but we don't call it stealing. Same for so many other crimes. Notice that Eve, below, puts words into God's mouth. God never said don't touch, but don't eat. By changing some words, Eve can change other words too. And by this "subtle" process, Even can disobey God. That's how our mind work too. NO PARKING. But this is Sunday; that sign must mean work days!

3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, 3:3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die, 3:5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
There are many ways to understand this verse (v.4). "You will be like God, knowing good and evil." First, people envy what they don't have. And this kind of "rivalry" may be the root of all evil. John doesn't want a car but what Jack has (a car)! Jill wants George because Janet wants him too. Eve wants what God has. Note below how wonderfully the writer shows the steps by which one sins: Eve "saw," and "delight," and "desired." And that process is a chain reaction; after Eve, Adam.
3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 3:7 The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 3:8 They heard the voice of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

3:9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

3:10 The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

3:11 God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

3:12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

3:13 Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

3:14 Yahweh God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
    you are cursed above all livestock,
    and above every animal of the field.
On your belly you shall go,
    and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will bruise your head,
    and you will bruise his heel.”
For Christians, this is a key text. It's called the protevangelium. A long word, but it means "first gospel." Because Christians see the future in it. The snake is later called the Devil; and there is "enmity" between him and her offspring, which to Christians means "Jesus." Jesus will bruise the snake's head (perhaps "heads" means "crown," hence kingdom), while the Devil will bruise Jesus' feet.
3:16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth.
    In pain you will bear children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.”
This suggests that woman desire men as their sole desire. Naturally feminists have discussed this text a lot. There are way to make women come out better. First, Eve seems more intelligent than Adam; she is curious; she wants to learn and be like God. She is the aggressor; Adam is passive. So in a sense all modern science comes from Eve, not Adam! But then, if we had God we would not need science!
3:17 To Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to your wife’s voice,
    and have eaten of the tree,
    of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
    cursed is the ground for your sake.
In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
    3:18 It will yield thorns and thistles to you;
    and you will eat the herb of the field.
The American writer, Thoreau, who believed in living simply, found humor in 3:19, saying something like, "I don't see why a man has to earn his living by the sweat of his brow, unless he sweats easier than I do."
3:19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken.
For you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.”

3:20 The man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 3:21 Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.

3:22 Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...” 3:23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.