Stephen Dempster ( Dominion and Dynasty: A Biblical Theology of the Hebrew Bible ) points to the various ways that the end of Genesis anticipates the blessing of Israel flowing to Gentiles. When Jacob moves to Goshen, Joseph introduces him to Pharaoh. What ensues is “not just two individuals . . . . Continue Reading »
In a 2002 article in History of Religions , Bruce Lincoln reviews the revisionist theory of William “Oriental” Jones regarding the origins of languages and races. As much as his predecessors and contemporaries (such as Isaac Newton, whose History of Ancient Kingdoms - A Complete . . . . Continue Reading »
In discussing the flood ( Notes on Scripture ), Edwards supports the historical accuracy of the biblical account with long quotations from Samuel Bochart’s Geographia Sacra: Seu Phaleg Et Chanaan , Grotius’s De veritate religionis Christianæ , and several other sources: . . . . Continue Reading »
Commenting on Genesis 3:1 in his Notes on Scripture , Edwards digresses into comparative religion to demonstrate that “the serpent has all along been the common symbol and representation of the heathen deities”: “That the Babylonians worshiped a dragon, we may learn from the . . . . Continue Reading »
In his Notes on the Apocalypse (in Apocalyptic Writings (The Works of Jonathan Edwards Series, Volume 5) (v. 5) , 131-2), Edwards offers this lovely typological meditation on the marriage of Isaac, into which he weaves a meditation on the role of the ministry in adorning Christ’s bride: . . . . Continue Reading »
The Joseph narrative that ends the book of beginnings (Genesis 37-50) gathers together some of the main narratives from the earlier part of the book. Joseph v. his brothers is a replay of Cain v. Abel and Esau v. Jacob. Joseph’s sojourn in Egypt links to Abraham’s journey to Egypt. . . . . Continue Reading »
Matthew Mason offers some further thoughts in response to my post on the genealogy that ends Genesis 22 . The remainder of this post if from Matthew: The genealogy of Nahor’s sons in ch. 22 also links with the genealogy of Jacob’s sons in ch. 35. The one in ch.22, it is preceded by . . . . Continue Reading »
The book of Genesis is neatly divided into sections by toledoth statements: “These are the generations of” or some variation. The phrase means “these are the things generated by” so and so, and the things generated are often children. But there is a variation within the book . . . . Continue Reading »
As Jacob re-enters the land after his sojourn in Haran, he sends ahead a present ( minchah ) to appease ( kafar ) his estranged brother Esau (Genesis 32:20-21). This is a “peace offering,” and not only in a metaphorical sense. The text uses the language of sacrifice, and other details . . . . Continue Reading »
The biblical writers don’t know how to end a story. Genesis 22, one of the best-known and most dramatic of biblical texts, the story of Abraham’s interrupted sacrifice of Isaac, is a case in point. Give the episode to a Hollywood script writer and the thing would end with a tearful . . . . Continue Reading »
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