God formed man from the dust (afar, עָפָר) of the earth (Gen 2:7). And humans hated him for it. We tried him, found him guilty and attacked Him. And so man returns to dust. From dust [ עָפָר ] we were taken, and to dust [ עָפָר ] we return (Gen 3:19). When God cursed …
Category Archives: Genesis
Annotated Bibliography for Genesis and the Eden Narrative
This bibliography is preparatory for a formal treatment of the theme, God on Trial (of which, see my earlier articles). I want to know, How does that theme play out in Genesis? Especially in the Garden of God? And, who has written on Genesis from this perspective? To that end, I must survey ancient and …
God is News to Satan
In Genesis 3, the news of who God is and what God is like was experienced first-hand by Satan. The news also came to Adam and Eve. Indeed, all of Genesis is the revelation of God to His creatures. For us readers, and for those who directly experienced His activities — Satan included — the …
Automobiles and Eschatology
Eschatology is the biblical study of ultimate things. All things are made for a purpose and everything has an eschatological end. God revealed an eschatology in his work of creation; we reveal our eschatology in how we live. Creation was for the enthronement of the Creator (Isaiah 66:1). Creation followed a trajectory; what God started …
Genesis: Before Abraham Was and the Documentary Hypothesis (6)
This is the final installment of my review of the documentary hypothesis (the JEDP theory) and the book, Before Abraham Was: A Provocative Challenge to the Documentary Hypothesis, by Kikawada and Quinn. All page references point to it. In Parts I-V I have attempted to make a case for my own rejection of the documentary …
Genesis: Before Abraham Was and the Documentary Hypothesis (5)
This is Part V of my review of the so-called Old Testament documentary hypothesis (the JEDP theory) and the book, Before Abraham Was: A Provocative Challenge to the Documentary Hypothesis, by Kikawada and Quinn. All page references point to it. Kikawada and Quinn take pains to show the thread of overpopulation and population control that …
Genesis: Before Abraham Was and the Documentary Hypothesis (4)
This is Part IV of my review of the Old Testament documentary hypothesis (a.k.a. the JEDP theory) and the book, Before Abraham Was: A Provocative Challenge to the Documentary Hypothesis, by Kikawada and Quinn. All page references point to it. In Part III I introduced the idea that Genesis was connected by its form and …
Genesis: Before Abraham Was and the Connectedness of Ancient Cultures (3)
This is Part III of my review of the documentary hypothesis/JEDP theory and the book, Before Abraham Was: A Provocative Challenge to the Documentary Hypothesis, by Kikawada and Quinn. All page references point to it. Many Noahs, Many Floods In the previous installment of this series, I showed how Noah’s flood was a critical test …
Genesis: Before Abraham Was and the Documentary Hypothesis (2)
This is Part II of my seven part series of the documentary hypothesis (the so-called JEDP theory of the Old Testament) and the book, Before Abraham Was: A Provocative Challenge to the Documentary Hypothesis by Kikawada and Quinn. All page references point to it. In Part I, I gave basic definitions for the discussion (along …
Genesis: Before Abraham Was and the Documentary Hypothesis (1)
This series came in seven installments: an Intro, then Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Because I am preaching through Genesis it seems fair to introduce the Old Testament documentary hypothesis (sometimes called the JEDP theory), its relationship to Genesis studies, and my reasons for rejecting it. Instead of working from scratch it …