Resources in your text:
The New Oxford Annotated Bible (as well as many other editions) has the following useful resources:
1) A brief essay at the beginning on the number and sequence of the books of the Bible. Note that the Christian sequence is not the same as the Jewish sequence.
2) Explanatory notes at the bottom of the pages.
3) An excellent collection of maps (with an index!) in the back.
Resources on the web:
Although there are countless sites on the web that focus on the Bible, few of them deal satisfactorily with the content of Genesis. Note also that although religious sites include much information that can be useful to us, their presentation of this information is often shaped by belief instead of a desire to ascertain objective truth.
The Hebrews, which is part of the World Civilizations website at Washington State University, offers several useful pages.
Questions and issues to think about as you read:
1. According to a theory known as the documentary hypothesis, the repetitions we encounter in Genesis are are not due to the redundancy of the oral tradition that lies behind these stories, but to the work of a redactor who edited together several versions of these stories to form the text we now have. Keep track of any repetitions or doublets you encounter as you read.
2. Although the subject of the first three chapters of Genesis is the creation and fall, they can also be read as a reflection of some of the essential values of the society (in this case, that of the early Hebrews) that narrated this story. What cultural values doe we see reflected in Genesis ch. 1-3?
3. Compare the creation and fall of Adam to the creation and civilizing of Enkidu (Gilgamesh, pp. 62-69). What similarities do you see? What is "the stuff of Anu of the firmament" in Gilgamesh?
4. Compare the flood story in Gilgamesh, (pp. 108-113) with the story in Genesis ch. 6-9. How similar are these two stories? What would you identify as some of the key differences? Are these accounts merely different versions of the same story, or are they distinct, separate stories?
5. Genesis falls naturally into two parts: the early story of humankind (ch. 1-11), and the early history of the Hebrews (ch. 12-50). What do the primary incidents of ch.1-11 (creation and fall, Cain and Abel, the flood, the tower of Babel) have in common? Is there a single message that underlies all these stories? If so, what is it?
6. What is Abraham's homeland? What is his cultural background?
7. What kind of man is Abraham? How would you describe his strengths and virtues? Does he have any weaknesses? Is he entirely submissive to God, or is he willing to stand up to Him?
8. What is the meaning of the story of the "sacrifice" of Isaac in ch. 22. Why does Abraham obey such a bizarre command without question? What does God really want from him?