Introduction to the notes on Genesis

       Introduction to the notes on Genesis

 

1. The Genesis Record, Henry M. Morris, pp. 25, 26. “Assuming that Moses was responsible for the Book of Genesis as it has come down to us, there still remains the question as to the method by which he received and transmitted it. There are three possibilities: (a) he received it all by direct revelation from God, either in the form of audible words dictated by God and transcribed by him, or else by visions given him of the great events of the past, which he then put down in his own words, as guided subconsciously by the Holy Spirit; (b) he received it all by oral traditions, passed down over the centuries from father to son, which he then collected and wrote down, again as guided by the holy Spirit; (c) he took actual written records of the past, collected them, and brought them together into final form, again as guided by the Holy Spirit. Evidently any of these methods would be consistent with both the doctrine of plenary verbal inspiration and that of Mosaic authorship. However, neither of the first two methods has a parallel anywhere in the cannon of Scripture. “Visions and revelations of the Lord” normally have to do with prophetic revelations of the future (as Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, etc.). The direct dictation method of inspiration was used mainly for promulgation of specific laws and ordinances (as in the Ten Commandments, the Book of Leviticus, etc.). The Book of Genesis, however, is entirely in the form of narrative records of historical events. Biblical parallels to Genesis are found in such books as Kings, Chronicles, Acts, and so forth. In all of these, the writer either collected previous documents and edited them (e.g., I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles), or else recorded the events which he had either seen himself or had ascertained from others who were witnesses (e.g., Luke, Acts). It is also significant that, although the Book of Genesis is quoted from or alluded to at least two hundred times in the New Testament, as we have already noted, in none of these references is it ever stated that Moses was the actual author. This is especially significant in view of the fact that Moses is mentioned at least eighty times in the New Testament, approximately twenty-five of which refer to specific passages attributed to Moses in the other books of the Pentateuch.  While this evidence is not conclusive, it does favor the explanation that, while Moses actually wrote the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, he served mainly as compiler and editor of the material in the Book of Genesis. This in no way minimizes the work of the Holy Spirit, who infallibly guided him in this process of compilation and editing, just as He later did the unknown compiler of the Book of Kings and Chronicles. It would still be appropriate to include Genesis as one of the books of Moses, since he is the human writer responsible for its present form. In fact, this explanation gives further testimony to the authenticity of the events recorded in Genesis, since we can now recognize them all as first hand testimony. It is suggested in this commentary [The Genesis Record, Henry M.Morris], that Moses compiled and edited earlier written records that had been handed down from father to son via the line of the patriarchs listed in Genesis. That is, Adam, Noah, Shem, Terah, and others each wrote down an individual account of events which had occurred in his own lifetime, or concerning which he in some way had direct knowledge. These records were kept possible on tablets of stone, in such a way that they would be preserved until they finally came into Moses possession.. He then selected those that were relevant to his own purpose (as guided by the Holy Spirit), added his own explanatory editorial comments and transitional sections and finally compiled them into the form now known as the Book of Genesis. It is possible that these original documents can still be recognized by the key phrase: “These are the generations of…” The word “generation” is a translation of the Hebrew “toledoth,” and it means essentially “origins,” or, by extension, “records of the origins.” There are eleven of these divisions marked off in Genesis…The weight of evidence suggests that the respective name attached to the “toledoth” represent the closing signatures. The events recorded in each division all took place before, not after the death of the individuals so named., and so could in each case have been accessible to them.

(1) These are the generations of heaven and earth (Genesis 2:4).

(a) This section describing the initial Creation and the work of the six days, has no human name attached to it, for the obvious reason that no man was present at the time to record what happened. It must have been written by God himself or given by inspiration to Adam who then recorded it.

(2) This is the book of generations of Adam (2:4b – 5:1). [Bibletalk.tv, inserted this note that I am adding: Note the use of the word book which suggests these were recorded works and not just oral traditions.]

(a) This section written by Adam describes the Garden of Eden, the temptation and fall, and the experiences of Cain and Abel.  Use of the word “book” makes it clear that these primeval records were written down, not handed down by word of mouth.

(3) These are the generations of Noah (5:1 – 6:9). [Bibletalk.tv.: Noah had known all the patriarchs except Adam, Seth and Enoch and so writes about actual history he lived.]

(a) The patriarch Noah, sometime before the actual coming of the Flood, compiled the records of the antediluvian patriarchs before him. According to the genealogies listed in Genesis 5. Lamech, had lived contemporaneously with every one  of these patriarchs, including Adam, Noah himself had known all of them except Adam Seth and Enoch. Noah then, also recorded his own observations of the rapid degeneracy of men in his day and God’s determination to destroy them, mentioning, however, that he himself fad found grace in God’s eyes.

(4) These are the generations of the sons of Noah (6:9 – 10:1).

(a) Shem, Ham, and Japheth evidently took the responsibility of recording the preparations of the Flood, and then describing the Flood itself. They also recorded the immediate postdiluvian events, including Noah’s prophecy concerning themselves, and then later his death.

(5) These are the generations of Shem (Genesis 11:10)

(a) After Noah’s death, and after the dispersion at babel, it seems that the three sons of Noah became separated, and Shem took the responsibility of keeping the records. Accordingly, he wrote about the confusion of languages at babel and the resultant scattering of the families. He also recorded the names of the descendants of Noah down to about the time of the scattering, in the so called, table of Nations in Genesis 10. Presumably he more or less lost track of the descendants of Ham and Japheth after this, even though he himself lived five hundred years after the Flood.

(6) Now these are the generations of Terah (Genesis 11:27)

(a) This is a very brief document, containing only the genealogies of the Semite line, from Shem down to Terah and his three sons. It is important, however, in that it gives us the only possible basis for a chronology from the Flood to Abraham.

(7) Now these are the generations of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12).

(a) Isaac apparently also appended to his own record the “generations of Ishmael” (Genesis 25:12), the record of his half brother’s sons, which he must have obtained from him at the time of Ishmael returned home to help isaac bury his father (Genesis 25:9). Isaac also included mention of the death of Ishmael, about forty-eight years after Abraham.s burial. 

(8) And these are the generations of Isaac (Genesis, Abraham’s son (Genesis 25:19).

(a) This is a long document, giving all the details of the life of Abraham, from the time of his call by God to the eime of his death, and alsso including events in Isaac’s life until his father died. 

(9) Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom (Genesis 36:1).

(a) As Isaac had appended Ishmael’ record of descendants to his own, so Jacob also included two documents from his brother Esau (Genesis 36) after his brother had joined with him in burying his father (Genesis 35:29). It is also possible that some of this material, in particular the eight generations of Edomite kings listed in Genesis 36:31-39, may have been inserted later as an editorial addition by Moses.

(10) And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir” (Genesis 36:9).

(a) As Isaac had appended Ishmael’ record of descendants to his own, so Jacob also included two documents from his brother Esau (Genesis 36) after his brother had joined with him in burying his father (Genesis 35:29). It is also possible that some of this material, in particular the eight generations of Edomite kings listed in Genesis 36:31-39, may have been inserted later as an editorial addition by Moses.

(11) These are the generations of Jacob. (Genesis 37:2)

(a) Although the regular formula is not used in this case, the wording of Exodus 1:1 is very similar to the others: “Now these are the names of the children of israel, which came into Egypt…” The events in the life of Joseph and his brethren, as recorded in these latter chapters of Genesis, could have originally been known only to them. Whether they wrote them down, as their fathers had done, or transmitted them orally, somehow their stories must finally have come into the possession of Moses, as is indicated by the smooth transition from the last verse in Genesis to the first verse in Exodus. The formula would be exactly repeated, in fact, in the word “names” in Exodus 1:1 were replaced by the word “generation.” It would then read: “Now these are the generations of the children of Israel…”

2.  Don Stewart, Blue Letter Bible: “Another important issue concerning the writing of the Book of Genesis concerns when it was written. If Moses was the author or compiler of the events in Genesis then the book was written during his lifetime. Moses lived during a period of time that is known as the Late Bronze Age (about 1550 to 1200 B.C).

The exact dates when Moses lived are still a matter of controversy. The reason is that the precise date of the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt is still debated. Two different dates, 1445 B.C. or 1290 B.C., are put forward to be the date of the Exodus. Those that advocate a 1445 B.C. date do it on the basis of internal evidence from Scripture. 1 Kings 6:1 tells us that Solomon built the Temple in the fourth year of his reign over Israel.

 

(1). 1 Kings 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord .

 

2. Don Stewart, Blue Letter Bible (Continued) The fourth year of Solomon's reign was about 966 B.C. and 480 years before that would give us the date of approximately 1445 B.C. The wandering in the desert would have taken place during the 40 years after 1445 B.C. The first five books of the Old Testament would have been composed at that time.

We also have the testimony of the Judge Jepthah. While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? (Judges 11:26). The statement that the people had been in the land for three hundred years fits with the date of the Exodus at 1445 B.C. The chronology will not fit with the 1290 date. Those who hold the 1290 B.C. date do so without any internal biblical evidence to support their claim. They come up with this date from archaeological evidence that is much in dispute.”  

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