About

Gain a brand new perspective on the first book of the Old Testament with this brilliant and fascinating course that examines the true purpose and message of The Book of Genesis.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. On Reading the Book of Genesis

35m

This lecture introduces the course's ground rules-a holistic (rather than separate-source) treatment that approaches the text as literature, history, and theological treatise that must be read with, and understood from, the world-view of its original readers.

2. Genesis 1, the First Creation Story

32m

We plunge immediately into the biblical text, with the goal of learning how to read the literature of ancient Israel, so greatly removed from our own world in both time and place.

3. Genesis 2–3, the Second Creation Story

33m

This lecture highlights the four major differences between the first and second creation accounts and discusses the main reason why Genesis, and hence the Bible, begins with two divergent narratives.

4. An Overview of Ancient Israelite History

31m

This lecture presents historical background necessary for any study of the Bible, including the history of ancient Israel from Abraham, c. 1400 BCE, to the conquest of Alexander the Great, c. 330 BCE, and the development of the biblical canon.

5. The Ancient Near East

32m

We survey the broad context of ancient Israel and its world - the ancient Near East divided into the three major geographical regions of Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia.

6. The Jedp Theory and Alternative Approaches

31m

The unified approach to the two creation accounts presented in Lecture 3 is one most scholars debate, citing many contradictions. This lecture introduces their four-source hypothesis, and discusses its good points and its problems.

7. Genesis 6–8, the Flood Story

31m

We compare the Bible's account of the flood to the story incorporated in the "Epic of Gilgamesh," the literary classic of ancient Mesopotamia, and also use the biblical version as a way of comparing the contrasting methods of the JEDP and unified-whole theories.

8. Genesis 9, Covenant

31m

This lecture focuses on a crucial concept in biblical studies and how this idea of a bond between God and humanity, in general, and the people of Israel, in particular, distinguished ancient Israel from other cultures and religions of the ancient Near East.

9. Genesis 12–22, the Abraham Story

31m

This lecture presents an overview of the Abraham narrative, focusing on the interrelated themes of God granting the land of Canaan to Abraham and Abraham's quest for an heir.

10. When and Where Did Abraham Live?

31m

This question gives rise to considerable scholarly debate. We examine the arguments and also discuss the insights into Genesis provided by the archives and epic compositions, respectively, of two ancient cities.

Extended Details

SeriesBook of Genesis

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Gary A. RendsburgActor