Was Keturah Abraham's Wife?

Analysis of the marriage and ascendancy structure of Abraham's Horite people reveals that the rulers had two wives. The first was a half-sister, as was Sarah to Abraham. The second wife was usually a patrilineal cousin, as was Keturah to Abraham. The wives maintained separate households in quite distant settlements on a north-south axis. Sarah resided in Hebron and Keturah, of the royal House of Sheba, resided at Beersheba to the south.


Alice C. Linsley


According to Genesis 25:1, Keturah is described as Abraham’s wife. The word here in Hebrew is ishshah, which means woman or wife. However, according to I Chronicles 1:32, Keturah was Abraham’s concubine. The Hebrew here is piylegesh or piyegesh meaning concubine. Keturah can’t be both a wife and concubine, so which is she?  I Chronicles reflects a time long after the events described and is not consistent with the overwhelming evidence that Keturah was a wife. The confusion may be due to the Chronicles' post-exilic reading of Genesis 25:6: "To the sons of his concubines Abraham made grants during his lifetime, sending them away from his son Isaac..."  It was the custom to sent away sons who would rule. Abraham was himself one of these sent-away sons. So were Moses and Jacob.

Keturah was Abraham's second wife which means that she was his patrilineal cousin who he married at a later age. Analysis of the marriage and ascendency pattern of Abraham’s people makes it clear that Keturah was a wife. Rulers among Abraham’s Kushite people had two wives. The first wife was the wife of the man's youth and his half-sister (as was Sarah to Abraham). The second wife was a patrilineal cousin or niece (as was Keturah to Abraham).

The name "Ketu-rah" refers to the Ketu division of the Jebusites. The Jebusites had two main divisions: the Nago-Jebu and the Ketu-Jebu. Of the Ketu-Jebu there is a good deal of information in Genesis. This division resided in Palestine and Arabia. Abraham payed tribute to the Ketu-Jebu priest Melchizedek, who was the ruler of the Jebusite city of Salem (Jerusalem). Ketu-rah was of this division of Jebu, as evidenced by her name. She resided at Beer-Sheba, which took its name from the great patriarch Sheba who controlled the well there. (Beer means well.) Ketu-rah's firstborn son was Joktan, the progentior of the Joktanite clans of Arabia. So the clans of Jebu, Sheba and Joktan are related, but what was their western boundary? It appears from historical records that it was in Nigeria at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers which in the time of Abraham's ancestors were very great rivers.


Abraham and Keturah are descendants of Sheba, the great grandson of Ham. They are also descendants of Shem, as the lines of Shem and Ham intermarried. Sheba was a contemporary of Eber, Shem's great grandson. Eber’s son Joktan married a daughter of Sheba. We know this because Joktan’s first-born son was named Sheba, after his cousin bride’s father. This naming prerogative of the cousin bride was already a custom in the time of Lamech (Gen. 4). Lamech’s daughter Naamah married her patrilineal cousin Methuselah and named their firstborn son Lamech after her father.  Lamech the Younger would ascend to the throne of his maternal grandfather.
 
 

Keturah likewise named her first-born son Joktan, after her father. So Abraham had two first-born sons by his wives: Isaac and Joktan. He also had firstborn sons by his two concubines Masek and Hagar. By Masek he had Eliezar and by Hagar he had Ishmael. Contrary to common belief, Ishmael was not Abraham's firstborn.

The assumption that Keturah was a concubine runs contrary to the biblical information about her relationship to Abraham and her status. Instead, we should recognize that Keturah and Sarah were wives whose firstborns sons would rule over different territories. Hagar and Masek were Abraham's concubines whose subordinate status we can discern from studying Jacob's relationship to Bilhah and Zilpah and the subordinate status of their sons to the firstborn sons of Rachel (Joseph) and Leah (Reu-ben).


The Pattern of Keturah Parallels the Pattern of Naamah

According to Gen. 10:24-30, Keturah’s father had a brother named Peleg. The text makes much of the implications of Peleg’s name which means “division”, “because it was in his time that the earth was divided” (Gen. 10:25). There are different possible explanations for this division, but the most likely is that expressed in the pattern of genealogical information. The daughter of Sheba who married Joktan and named her firstborn son Sheba is the last bride named of Ham’s line. In this respect she parallels Naamah, the last bride named of Cain’s line.

Ketu-rah’s father was Joktan and her paternal uncle was Peleg, who is said to be the “first” son. This means that Joktan, like Abraham, was not to receive the rights of primogeniture by which he would become chief after his father’s death. So Joktan, Abraham’s firstborn by Ketu-rah, would not be chief after his death. That would fall to Isaac, the son of Sarah. Nevertheless the Joktanites would become a powerful presence in the Sinai and by their skills and generosity would enable the Israelites to come out of Egypt and survive in the wilderness.

Genesis 10: 26 tells us that Joktan had 13 sons. Almodad appears to be the first-born, as his name is listed first. If Joktan followed the pattern of his fathers, his two wives would have maintained separate households on a north-south axis. This may be the meaning of the sites mentioned in Gen. 10:30: Mesha and Sephar, although “sephar,’ which means “numbering,” might refer to the cosmology of Abraham’s people rather than to a specific location.

Some of the descendants of Joktan and Sheba hold an annual autumn feast at an oasis in the wilderness to celebrate the date harvest. This is the one time of the year that women and men may dance together. The date palm (“tamar”) is a symbol of prosperity and fertility. The ‘Id el-Tamar is a festival when the unmarried check out the pool of available matches. As is the custom from time immemorial, wife selection takes place at a well or an oasis.

The Evidence of the Well

Wells and oases are where boy meets girl in the Bible. There are several incidents of wives being found at wells. Abraham’s servant found Rebecca at a well. Moses met Zipporah, his future wife, at a Midianite well. In none of these stories is the woman a concubine. Keturah could not have been a concubine because Abraham met her at the well of Sheba (Beer-Sheba) according to the pattern of wives.

The Horite priests among Abraham's people established their shrines near rivers and wells. They needed the water to sustain their flocks and it was from these flocks and herds that they selected animals to sacrifice.  The evidence of the Bible indicates that the rulers among Abaham's people married the daughters of priests. Moses married Zipporah, the daughter of a priest named Jethro. He was of the clan of Midian. Midian was another son born to Abraham by Ketu-rah.
Abraham had nine sons, according to the Septuagint. Here is a list of sons:

Sarah, daughter of Terah (Gen. 20:12)
Yitzak (Issac)

Hagar the Egyptian (Sarah’s handmaid)
Yismael (Ishmael) was Egyptian, since ethnicity was traced through the mother and Hagar was Egyptian.  Tracing ethnicity through the mother rather than the father is still required to establish Jewish identity today. This pattern is recognized in Egypt as well, which is why the Egyptian government has made it illegal for Egyptian men to marry Jewish women.

Ketu-rah, daughter of Joktan (Gen. 25)
Yisbak
Joktan – Keturah’s firstborn son
Midian
Zimran
Medan
Shuah

Masek (Keturah’s handmaid)
Eliezar of Damascus

Related reading:  The Nigerian Boundary of the Jebu-Sheba-Joktan Confederation; Abraham's Sons; Who was Eliezar of Damascus?; Abraham's Two Concubines

The Cosmology of Abraham's People

Alice C. Linsley

Anthropologically, the roots of religion are in the primitive soil of man’s most fundamental experience of and response to earthly phenomena. Early man made distinctions based on what he observed and experienced: hot and cold, night and day, and east and west, male and female. These distinctions ordered their world and observing them was essential for survival. The ability to determine direction was important when migrating, and to find hunting grounds, and to mark the boundaries of tribal lands. The cardinal poles are important in all tribal religion, and because all peoples were originally tribal, these continue even today to influence our religious ideas.

From the binary oppositions of east-west and north-south, archaic man was able to assign names to phenomena that he perceived as belonging to certain quadrants on a sphere. An example is the designation of winds that proceed from directions between the 4 cardinal poles: a southwest wind or a northeast wind. To each wind was given a name indicating a socio-metaphysical meaning. Winds proceeding from the west were regarded as a positive omen. Theophrastus, a 4th century BC scholar wrote, “Zephyros, the west wind, is the most gentle of all the winds and it blows in the afternoon and towards the land, and is cold.” The east wind (called “Sirocco” in Arabic) was less welcome as it brought heat and dust carried on strong winds.
In the Afro-Asiatic scheme, quadrant 1 would be that space on earth where sunlight falls as the sun makes its journey from east to north (morning). Quadrant 2 would be that space on earth where sunlight is seen as the sun journeys from north to west (afternoon). Quadrants 3 and 4 would be those associated with the sun’s hidden activity from the setting of the sun (quadrant 3) to before the sun’s rising again (quadrant 4). Thus, according to ancient Egyptian hymns, the sovereign Deity was both immanent and transcendent and “double-concealed.”

The key reference points in the Afro-Asiatic cosmology are the sun’s rising and the polar star. The polar or North Star never changes its place in the sky. When you face it, you are always facing north. So east and north are the primary astronomical and religious points of reference and are associated with Divine arousal and judgment. Among Abraham's people the sun was the emblem of the Creator. Genesis reveals their cosmology. Were the writers of the Bible from the Paleo-Siberian culture, for example, where there are long periods of darkness and long periods of daylight, we would find a different theological perspective, one reflecting that phenomenon.

The cosmology that we find in the Bible pertains to the experience of peoples of the Afro-Asiatic Dominion. It is from them that Jews, Christians and Muslims receive the tradition of facing east in prayer. The notion of the shrine of the heart as the sacred place of the indwelling god is evident in Egypt as early as 1200 BC, when personal piety entailed facing the rising sun, thereby inviting the most sovereign Deity to dwell in the person. Even earlier, the Pharaoh was called “son of Re,” the celestial creative principle whose emblem was the sun. Rulers were not chosen based on hereditary bloodline (Egyptian texts never mention an earthly "father of the king"). Kingship was a manifestation of the solar deity’s cultic overshadowing of noble women.

The cosmology of the Afro-Asiatics is represented in the Egyptian Ankh. I believe that the loop at the top was once a rounder circle, symbolizing the sun. The cross bar represent the sun's daily journey from east to west. The Ankh has affinity to the Agadez Cross of Niger (shown at left) and to the Sign of Tanit of Carthage (shown at right.) A similar image with the TNT inscription was found in the temple of Eshmun near Sidon. It dates to about the 5 century B.C. Assignment of the name 'Tanit' is guess work, however, since no one knows how TNT should be transliterated.

All the images shown here have the solar symbol over a horizontal bar representing the east-west movement of the sun. The sun is shown at the mountain top at the sacred center (high noon - as James explains, "In Him there is no shadow..."). We already know that mountains were a meeting place between God and man. Consider the many incidents of biblical heros ascending mountains and there experiencing theophanies.

The horned altar is a negative image signifying the same view of God's sovereignty over the earth, only here the circle has disappeared and God's presence is instead evident in the negative space. The upright horns are similar to those on the Tanit symbol shown at right.

Interestingly, the metal working chiefs of the Inadan who live in the Air Desert surrounding Agadez, maintain 2 wives in separate households on an north-south axis, as did the chiefs of Abraham's people. They speak a secret language which they call TeNeT (National Geographic, Aug. 1979, p. 389).

The binary distinctions, based most fundamentally on the four directional poles, must have impressed upon early humans the reality of their limitations, since they had no power to make the sun follow a different course or to move the polar star. Early man recognized that a greater Power had established night and day, the seasons, and the rising and the setting of the sun. So it is that the great structures of antiquity were oriented to welcome the rising light. The layout of the Temple in Jerusalem was arranged taking the path of the sun into account, and the great pyramids of Egypt face east.

The metal-working chiefs of the Afro-Asiatic Dominion knew true north because they had discovered the pattern of polarized iron filings. These chiefs maintained two wives in separate households on a north-south axis rather than an east-west axis, out of deference to the Sovereign God, who journeyed daily between his wives: Dawn and Dust. This sheds light on Lamech (Genesis 5) whose 2 wives were settled on an east-west axis. Lamech’s wives’ names were Adah, related to the word “dawn” and T-Zillah, related to the word “dusk.” So the braggart Lamech is guilty of claiming equality with God and in his mind this claim justified killing another human being.

It is evident from the Genesis text, when one knows what to look for, that this cosmology prevailed in Abraham’s time. It was this mystical symbolism that guided Abraham in deciding what to do after he had been in the land of Canaan for a while. Genesis 12:8 says that Abraham proceeded “to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.”
Bethel means “House of God” and is associated with the east, the direction of the sunrise. Yet we are told that Abraham pitched his tent with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. This mysterious orientation represents a reversal. The word Ai suggests a mystical explanation. In Jewish mysticism, “Ain soph” is Hidden God and “Aima” is great reproductive Mother. Ain is one with Aima in a mystical union that signals that something new is about to be born. This is the forward motion of Abraham’s life.

Now we must remember that Abraham had come into this land as a stranger and did not possess a territory. In this vicinity was the Oak of Moreh near “the navel of the earth” (Judges 9:37). “Moreh” means instructor or diviner. In other words, Abraham went to the Diviner’s oak for guidance about how he was to become established in the land.

In Jewish mysticism Ain soph is associated with north and the number 1 and represents the Hidden God. Aima is associated with south and the number 3 and represents creative union. In pitching his tent where he did, the house of Ain (Bethel) has moved to the west, which means that south has moved to the position of north. We have a reversal of directional poles that places south in the position of priority. South presents marriage and reproduction. In the very next verse (Genesis 12:9) we are told that Abraham heads south, making “his way stage by stage to the Negev.” The text appears to be telling us that this is when Abraham took Keturah as his second wife. Now with Sarah in Hebron and Keturah in Beersheba, he was able to establish control over a territory on a north-south axis, following the pattern of his forefathers.

We have further confirmation of the association of 1 with north and 3 with south in I Kings 7:23-26 and II Chronicles 4:1-4. Here we read that the altar in Solomon’s temple was to rest on 12 oxen: 3 facing north, 3 facing west, 3 facing south and 3 facing east. We note that north heads the list, having the position of priority. Then comes west (associated with the numbers 9 and 10) and then in the third position we have south.

Are the directional poles the “esse” of Christianity? No, but the Afro-Asiatic cosmology foretells Messiah's appearing and the poles remind us that we must face the only Great God who alone can save, the uncreated, preexistent God who stretched out the heavens and made the sun to shine on the wise and the foolish, the same Eternal One who will make the new heaven and earth. Blessed be his Name!

(For related articles, go here and here.)

John Wesley on Genesis

Alice C. Linsley


In reviewing what various Christian leaders and theologians have said about Genesis, we have considered Martin Luther’s sermons and, not surprisingly, we find that he employs the text polemically in support of justification by faith. Likewise John Calvin’s sermons on Genesis are polemical in tone and he extracts support for his Reformed doctrine.

John Wesley’s Notes Upon the Old Testament (1765) are refreshing by virtue of the man’s humility and non-polemical tone. In the Preface, he states that his intention “is not to write sermons, essays or set discourses upon any part of Scripture. It is not to draw inferences from the text, or to shew what doctrines may be proved thereby. It is this: To give the direct, literal meaning, of every verse, of every sentence, and as far as I am able, of every word in the oracles of God. I design only like the hand of a dial, to point every man to This: not to take up his mind with some thing else, how excellent soever: but to keep his eye fixt upon the naked Bible, that he may read and hear it with understanding. I say again, (and desire it may be well observed, that none may expect what they will not find) It is not my design to write a book which a man may read separate from the Bible: but barely to assist those who fear God, in hearing and reading the bible itself, by shewing the natural sense of every part, in as few and plain words as I can.”

Wesley’s approach to Genesis is closer to that of John Chrysostom and Basil the Great. He reads the text through the lens of Jesus Christ, finding His form and hearing His voice in the creation narratives and in the lives of the Patriarchs. In reference to Genesis 3:15, he writes, “Christ as the deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan.”

William M. Arnett (Asbury Theological Seminary) encourages his students to read Wesley’s Notes “for he loved God with a holy passion; he bowed in adoring wonder before a Redeeming Saviour who died for him and who had strangely warmed his heart; and he loved the souls and bodies of all men, and especially the common man to whom his lifework was given. I can well imagine that some present day scholars who are preoccupied with critical problems would be impatient with Wesley's efforts on the Old Testament. But if there are such who hear or read these lines and are tempted to undue impatience, I beg you to remember the purpose for which Wesley wrote and the people for whom he wrote. Really, I stand in awe before the monumental labors of this man, and particularly his Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament when I recall the abundance of his travel and preaching in the months in which he produced it. It is amazing grace and an amazing achievement!”

Wesley’s remarkably fresh commentary was undertaken with a great deal of reluctance, which he explains in the Preface:

“About ten years ago I was prevailed upon to publish Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament. When that work was begun, and indeed when it was finished, I had no design to attempt any thing farther of the kind. Nay I had a full determination, Not to do it, being throughly [sic.] fatigued with the immense labour. . . of writing twice over a Quarto book containing seven or eight hundred pages.

But this was scarce published before I was importuned to write Explanatory Notes Upon the Old Testament. This importunity I have withstood for many years. Over and above the deep conviction I had of my insufficiency for such a work, of my want of learning, of understanding, of spiritual experiences, for an undertaking more difficult by many degrees, than even writing on the New Testament, I objected, that there were many passages in the Old, which I did not understand myself, and consequently could not explain to others, either to their satisfaction, or my own. Above all, I objected the want of time: not only as I have a thousand other employments, but as my day is near spent, as I am declined into the vale of years. And to this day it appears to me as a dream, a thing almost incredible, that I should be entering upon a work of this kind, when I am entering into the sixty third year of my age.”

One should remember that Wesley was preparing his notes on the Old Testament while he was itinerating as an Anglican priest and by his estimate preaching “eight hundred sermons a year.”

Because Wesley holds the Bible in such high regard and does not attempt to use it polemically, his Notes on Genesis seem almost “scientific” in the quality of observation. For example, regarding the Flood, he remarks that “The six hundredth year of Noah's life was 1656 years from the creation.” Yet, he recognizes that there is a problem with young earth dating because he observes: “The mountains were covered - Therefore there were mountains before the flood.” He knows that mountains are the result of volcanic activity and geologic forces that require thousands, indeed, millions of years.


From Wesley’s Notes on Genesis

On the Location of Eden
The situation of this garden was extremely sweet; it was in Eden, which signifies delight and pleasure. The place is here particularly pointed out by such marks and bounds as were sufficient when Moses wrote, to specify the place to those who knew that country; but now it seems the curious cannot satisfy themselves concerning it. Let it be our care to make sure a place in the heavenly paradise, and then we need not perplex ourselves with a search after the place of the earthly paradise.

On the Authorship of Genesis
Wesley accepted the Jewish tradition that Moses was the author of Genesis. He wrote, “A description of the garden of Eden, which was intended for the palace of this prince. The inspired penman in this history writing for the Jews first, and calculating his narratives from the infant state of the church, describes things by their outward sensible appearances, and leaves us, by farther discoveries of the divine light, to be led into the understanding of the mysteries couched under them. Therefore he doth not so much insist upon the happiness of Adam's mind, as upon that of his outward estate. The Mosaic history, as well as the Mosaic law, has rather the patterns of heavenly things, than the heavenly things themselves, (Heb 9:23).

Wesley regards Moses as a divinely inspired writer. However, he refers at least 3 times in his Notes on Genesis to the Holy Spirit as the author of particular narratives.

On the Serpent
Whether it was only the appearance of a serpent, or a real serpent, acted and possessed by the devil, is not certain. The devil chose to act his part in a serpent, because it is a subtle creature. It is not improbable, that reason and speech were then the known properties of the serpent. And therefore Eve was not surprised at his reasoning and speaking, which otherwise she must have been.

That which the devil aimed at, was to persuade Eve to eat forbidden fruit; and to do this, he took the same method that he doth still. 1. He questions whether it were a sin or no, (Gen 3:1,2). He denies that there was any danger in it, (Gen 3:4). 3. He suggests much advantage by it, (Gen 3:5). And these are his common topics.

And this is part of the serpent's curse: A perpetual reproach is fastened upon him. Under the cover of the serpent he is here sentenced to be, (1.) Degraded and accursed of God. It is supposed, pride was the sin that turned angels into devils, which is here justly punished by a great variety of mortifications couched under the mean circumstances of a serpent, crawling on his belly, and licking the dust. (2.) Detested and abhorred of all mankind: even those that are really seduced into his interest, yet profess a hatred of him. (3.) Destroyed and ruined at last by the great Redeemer, signified by the bruising of his head; his subtle politics shall be all baffled, his usurped power entirely crushed.

A perpetual quarrel is here commenced between the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of the devil among men; war proclaimed between the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent, (Re 12:7). It is the fruit of this enmity, (1.) That there is a continual conflict between God's people and him. Heaven and hell can never be reconciled, no more can Satan and a sanctified soul. (2.) That there is likewise a continual struggle between the wicked and the good. And all the malice of persecutors against the people of God is the fruit of this enmity, which will continue while there is a godly man on this side heaven, and a wicked man on this side hell.

A gracious promise is here made of Christ as the deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. By faith in this promise, our first parents, and the patriarchs before the flood, were justified and saved; and to this promise, and the benefit of it, instantly serving God day and night they hoped to come. Notice is here given them of three things concerning Christ. (1.) His incarnation, that he should be the seed of the woman. (2.) His sufferings and death, pointed at in Satan's bruising his heel, that is, his human nature. (3.) His victory over Satan thereby. Satan had now trampled upon the woman, and insulted over her; but the seed of the woman should be raised up in the fulness of time to avenge her quarrel, and to trample upon him, to spoil him, to lead him captive, and to triumph over him,(Col 2:15).

On Cain and Abel
Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, (Gen 5:4). But Cain and Abel seem to have been the two eldest. Cain signifies possession; for Eve when she bare him said with joy and thankfulness, and great expectation, I have gotten a man from the Lord. Abel signifies vanity.

…at some set time Cain and Abel brought to Adam, as the priest of the family, each of them an offering to the Lord; for which we have reason to think there was a divine appointment given to Adam.

…Abel brought a sacrifice of atonement, the blood whereof was shed in order to remission, thereby owning himself a sinner, deprecating God's wrath, and imploring his favour in a Mediator. But the great difference was, Abel offered in faith, and Cain did not. Abel offered with an eye to God's will as his rule, and in dependence upon the promise of a Redeemer. But Cain did not offer in faith, and so it turned into sin to him.

On Cain’s Wandering
And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt on the east of Eden - Somewhere distant from the place where Adam and his religious family resided: distinguishing himself and his accursed generation from the holy seed; in the land of Nod - That is, of shaking or trembling, because of the continual restlessness of his spirit.

On Lamech
We know not whom he slew, or on what occasion: neither what ground he had to be so confident of the Divine protection.

On Lamech’s Daughter, Naamah
Why Naamah is particularly named, we know not: probably they did, who lived when Moses wrote.

Editor’s Note: Naamah is named because she is the bridge between the line of Cain (Gen. 4) and the line of Seth (Gen. 5)
On the Location of Noah’s Ark
And the ark rested - upon the mountains of Ararat - Or, Armenia, whether it was directed, not by Noah's prudence, but the wise providence of God.

On Noah’s Drunkeness
And he drank of the wine and was drunk - 'Tis highly probable, he did not know the effect of it before. And he was uncovered in his tent - Made naked to his shame.

On Peleg
The reason of the name of Peleg, (Gen 10:25), because, in his days, (that is, about the time of his birth) was the earth divided among the children of men that were to inhabit it; either when Noah divided it, by an orderly distribution of it, as Joshua divided the land of Canaan by lot, or when, upon their refusal to comply with that division, God, in justice, divided them by the confusion of tongues.


Related reading:  About Commentaries on Genesis; Hermann Gunkel on Genesis; John Calvin on Genesis; Martin Luther on Genesis; John Wesley on Genesis; Giovanni Pico della Mirandola on Genesis; Jacob Böehme on Genesis

Rainer Maria Rilke on Genesis

Rainer Maria Rilke, an Austrian humanist poet of great sensitivity, lived from December 1875 to December 1926. He died of leukemia. Given all he suffered in his life and the turmoil of his time, he inspires through his steadfast regard for beauty and hope. His writings are full of classical pagan and biblical allusions.

Renate Hannaford has written:
Rilke proclaimed the poet's saintly need to accept reality in all its aspects, meanwhile welcoming only those parts of the world for which he could compose and ennobling description. He was venomous about organized religion, yet there are more Virgin Marys, Saints and Angels in his work than in many cathedrals. And he hid inside The Poet he eventually became, both secure there and scared, empty and fulfilled; the inspired author of the Duino Elegies, sensitive, insightful, gifted nearly beyond compare; a man with many devoted and distant friends, many extraordinary though frequently fatuous enthusiasms, but still a lonely unloving homeless boy as well, with fears words couldn't wave away, a self-pity there were rarely buckets enough to contain; yet a persistence in the pursuit of his goals, a courage, that overcame weakness and worry and made them into poems...no...into lyrics that love, however pure or passionate or sacrificial, could never have achieved by itself…lines only frailty, terror, emotional duplicity even, could accomplish--an honesty bitter about weakness from which it took its strength.

Writing for the New York Sun, Eric Ormsby notes:

In the Garden of Eden Adam's first task was to give everything a name. Whenever God created a new animal or plant, he showed it to Adam and, according to the Book of Genesis, "whatever he called each living creature, that was its name." In the variant version of the Koran, God "taught Adam all the names." The biblical Adam is the original poet, capturing the essence of a thing in words. His Koranic counterpart is more of a decipherer, discerning the secret nature of things through the word hidden inside them. In both instances, the conferral of names is a human prerogative; a thing remains unknowable until a human voice sounds out its distinctive moniker. Even God needs Adam to give names the breath of life.

Until recently that Edenic innocence still existed between things and their names. In the ninth "Duino Elegy," Rainer Maria Rilke could ask:

Are we, perhaps, here just for saying: House,Bridge, Fountain, Gate, Jug, Fruit tree, Window—possibly: Pillar, Tower?

Of course for Rilke this isn't just mouthing names but involves "such saying as never the things themselves / hoped so intensely to be.” In his view, things, when invoked, if not conjured, become more fully themselves. This is a magical notion, and a deeply appealing one, but can anyone still believe in it?

This observation about Rilke suggests something of his complex nature, since he was a great realist. He wrote, “How good life is. How fair, how incorruptible, how impossible to deceive: not even by strength, not even by willpower, and not even by courage. How everything remains what it is and has only this choice: to come true, or to exaggerate and push too far.”

His realist approach to life and his artistic temperament contributed to his non-conventional approach to the Bible.

Benjamin Ivry notes this in Rilke’s interpretation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son:

In his semi-autobiographical “Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge” (1910) writer Rainer Maria Rilke, (1875–1926) argues that the story of the prodigal son is about a young man "who did not want to be loved," and who therefore rejects suffocating family affection in order to express his own personality: "Shall he stay and pretend to live the sort of life they ascribe to him, and grow to resemble them in his whole appearance?” By fleeing family smothering, Rilke's prodigal son obtains special powers: "I believe that the strength of his transformation consisted in his no longer being the son of anyone in particular. This, in the end, is the strength of all young people who have gone away."

Rilke wasn’t a practitioner of Christianity, (he preferred Islam) yet much of his work deals with religion. He wrote: "Religion is something infinitely simple, ingenuous. It is not knowledge, not content of feeling (for all content is admitted from the start, where a man comes to terms with life), it is not duty and not renunciation, it is not restriction: but in the infinite extent of the universe it is a direction of the heart.” (Selected Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke)

The following poems (translated by Albert Ernest Flemming) reveal Rilke’s artistic interpretation of Genesis themes.

In the Beginning

Ever since those wondrous days of Creation
our Lord God sleeps: we are His sleep.
And He accepted this in His indulgence,
resigned to rest among the distant stars.

Our actions stopped Him from reacting,
for His fist-tight hand is numbed by sleep,
and the times brought in the age of heroes
during which our dark hearts plundered Him.

Sometimes He appears as if tormented,
and His body jerks as if plagued by pain;
but these spells are always outweighed by the
number of His countless other worlds.


Adam

High above he stands, beside the many
saintly figures fronting the cathedral's
gothic tympanum, close by the window
called the rose, and looks astonished at his

own deification which placed him there.
Erect and proud he smiles, and quite enjoys
this feat of his survival, willed by choice.

As labourer in the fields he made his start
and through his efforts brought to full fruition
the garden God named Eden. But where was
the hidden path that led to the New Earth?

God would not listen to his endless pleas.
Instead, He threatened him that he shall die.
Yet Adam stood his ground: Eve shall give birth.


Eve

Look how she stands, high on the steep facade
of the cathedral, near the window-rose,
simply, holding in her hand the apple,
judged for all time as the guiltless-guilty

for the growing fruit her body held
which she gave birth to after parting from
the circle of eternities. She left
to face the strange New Earth, so young in years.

Oh, how she would have loved to stay a little
longer in that enchanted garden, where
the peaceful gentle beasts grazed side by side.

But Adam was resolved to leave, to go
out into this New Earth, and facing death
she followed him. God she had hardly known.

Other Rilke poems may be found here.

John Calvin on Genesis

On Man’s Blindness to the Creator

And, certainly, if Paul justly condemns the perverse stupidity of men, because with closed eyes they pass by the splendid mirror of God's glory which is constantly presented to them in the fabric of the world, and thus unrighteously suppress the light of truth; not less base and disgraceful has been that ignorance of the origin and creation of the human race which has prevailed almost in every age. It is indeed probable, that shortly after the building of Babel, the memory of those things, which ought to have been discussed and celebrated by being made the subjects of continual discourse, was obliterated. For seeing that to profane men their dispersion would be a kind of emancipation from the pure worship of God, they took no care to carry along with them, to whatever regions of the earth they might visit, what they had heard from their fathers concerning the Creation of the World, or its subsequent restoration. Hence it has happened, that no nation, the posterity of Abraham alone excepted, knew for more than two thousand successive years, either from what fountain itself had sprung, or when the universal race of man began to exist. For Ptolemy, in providing at length that the Books of Moses should be translated into Greek, did a work which was rather laudable than useful, (at least for that period,) since the light which he had attempted to bring out of darkness was nevertheless stifled and hidden through the negligence of men. Whence it may easily be gathered, that they who ought to have stretched every nerve of their mind to attain a knowledge of The Creator of the world, have rather, by a malignant impiety, involved themselves in voluntary blindness. In the meantime the liberal sciences flourished, men of exalted genius arose, treatises of all kinds were published; but concerning the History of the Creation of the World there was a profound silence.

Now, whether all nations which formerly existed, purposely drew a veil over themselves, or whether their own indolence was the sole obstacle to their knowledge, the [First] Book of Moses deserves to be regarded as an incomparable treasure, since it at least gives an indisputable assurance respecting The Creation of the World, without which we should be unworthy of a place on earth… This one consideration stamps an inestimable value on the Book, that it alone reveals those things which are of primary necessity to be known; namely, in what manner God, after the destructive fall of man, adopted to himself a Church; what constituted the true worship of himself, and in what offices of piety the holy fathers exercised themselves; in which way pure religion, having for a time declined through the indolence of men, was restored as it were, to its integrity; we also learn, when God deposited with a special people his gratuitous covenant of eternal salvation; in what manner a small progeny gradually proceeding from one man, who was both barren and withering, almost half-dead, and (as Isaiah calls him) solitary, yet suddenly grew to an immense multitude; by what unexpected means God both exalted and defended a family chosen by himself, at though poor, destitute of protection, exposed to every storm, and surrounded on all sides by innumerable hosts of enemies. Let every one, from his own use and experience, form his judgment respecting the necessity of the knowledge of these things. We see how vehemently the Papists alarm the simple by their false claim of the title of The Church. Moses so delineates the genuine features of the Church as to take away this absurd fear, by dissipating these illusions. It is by an ostentatious display of splendour and of pomp that they (the Papists) carry away the less informed to a foolish admiration of themselves, and even render them stupid and infatuated. But if we turn our eyes to those marks by which Moses designates the Church, these vain phantoms will have no more power to deceive…while we see in this history of Moses, the building of the Church out of ruins, and the gathering of it out of broken fragments, and out of desolation itself, such an instance of the grace of God ought to raise us to firm confidence. But since the propensity, not to say the wanton disposition, of the human mind to frame false systems of worship is so great, nothing can be more useful to us than to seek our rule for the pure and sincere worshipping of God, from those holy Patriarchs, whose piety Moses points out to us chiefly by this mark, that they depended on the Word of God alone. (This and all subsequent excerpts are taken from Calvin's Commentary on Genesis.)


On the Location of Eden

Moreover it is to be observed, that when he describes paradise as in the east, he speaks in reference to the Jews, for he directs his discourse to his own people. Hence we infer, in the first place, that there was a certain region assigned by God to the first man, in which he might have his home… that this garden was situated on the earth, not as some dream in the air; for unless it had been a region of our world, it would not have been placed opposite to Judea, towards the east… It may be, indeed, that some, impelled by a supposed necessity, have resorted to an allegorical sense, because they never found in the world such a place as is described by Moses: but we see that the greater part, through a foolish affectation of subtleties, have been too much addicted to allegories. As it concerns the present passage, they speculate in vain, and to no purpose, by departing from the literal sense… But although we have said, that the situation of Paradise lay between the rising of the sun and Judea, yet something more definite may be required respecting that region. They who contend that it was in the vicinity of Mesopotamia, rely on reasons not to be despised; because it is probable that the sons of Eden were contiguous to the river Tigris. But as the description of it by Moses will immediately follow, it is better to defer the consideration of it to that place.


On the Serpent


And the Lord God said unto the serpent." He does not interrogate the serpent as he had done the man and the woman; because, in the animal itself there was no sense of sin, and because, to the devil he would hold out no hope of pardon…to eat dust is the sign of a vile and sordid nature. This (in my opinion) is the simple meaning of the passage, which the testimony of Isaiah also confirms, (chap. 65: 25;) for while he promises under the reign of Christ, the complete restoration of a sound and well-constituted nature, he records, among other things, that dust shall be to the serpent for bread… Moses, indeed, says that the serpent was a skilful and cunning animal; yet it is certain, that, when Satan was devising the destruction of man, the serpent was guiltless of his fraud and wickedness. Wherefore, many explain this whole passage allegorically, and plausible are the subtleties which they adduce for this purpose. But when all things are more accurately weighed, readers endued with sound judgment will easily perceive that the language is of a mixed character; for God so addresses the serpent that the last clause belongs to the devil. If it seem to any one absurd, that the punishment of another's fraud should be exacted from a brute animal, the solution is at hand; that, since it had been created for the benefit of man, there was nothing improper in its being accursed from the moment that it was employed for his destruction…But if God so severely avenged the destruction of man upon a brute animal, much less did he spare Satan, the author of the whole evil…Meanwhile, we see that the Lord acts mercifully in chastising man, whom he does not suffer Satan to touch except in the heel; while he subjects the head of the serpent to be wounded by him. For in the terms head and heel there is a distinction between the superior and the inferior.


On the Line of Cain (Gen. 4)

This, however, is without controversy, that many persons, as well males as females, are omitted in this narrative; it being the design of Moses only to follow one line of his progeny, until he should come to Lamech. The house of Cain, therefore, was more populous than Moses states; but because of the memorable history of Lamech, which he is about to subjoin, he only adverts to one line of descendents, and passes over the rest in silence.


On the Mark of Cain

God had intended that Cain should be a horrible example to warn others against the commission of murder; and for this end had marked him with a shameful stigma.


On Lamech as the First Polygamist Identified in the Bible


And Lamech took unto him two wives." We have here the origin of polygamy in a perverse and degenerate race; and the first author of it, a cruel man, destitute of all humanity. Whether he had been impelled by an immoderate desire of augmenting his own family, as proud and ambitious men are wont to be, or by mere lust, it is of little consequence to determine; because, in either way he violated the sacred law of marriage, which had been delivered by God. For God had determined, that "they two should be one flesh," and that is the perpetual order of nature. Lamech, with brutal contempt of God, corrupts nature's laws. The Lord, therefore, willed that the corruption of lawful marriage should proceed from the house of Cain, and from the person of Lamech, in order that polygamists might be ashamed of the example.


On the Historicity and Choseness of Seth's Line (though the lines of Cain and Seth intermarried)

In this chapter [Gen. 5] Moses briefly recites the length of time which had intervened between the creation of the world and the deluge; and also slightly touches on some portion of the history of that period. And although we do not comprehend the design of the Spirit, in leaving unrecorded great and memorable events, it is, nevertheless, our business to reflect on many things which are passed over in silence. I entirely disapprove of those speculations which every one frames for himself from light conjectures; nor will I furnish readers with the occasion of indulging themselves in this respect; yet it may, in some degree, be gathered from a naked and apparently dry narration, what was the state of those times, as we shall see in the proper places. "The book," according to the Hebrew phrase, is taken for a catalogue. "The generations" signify a continuous succession of a race, or a continuous progeny.


On the Extent of the Flood


"The same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up." Moses recalls the period of the first creation to our memory; for the earth was originally covered with water; and by the singular kindness ofGod, they were made to recede, that some space should be left clear for living creatures. And this, philosophers are compelled to acknowledge, that it is contrary to the course of nature for the waters to subside, so that some portion of the earth might rise above them. And Scripture records this among the miracles of God, that he restrains the force of the sea, as with barriers, lest it should overwhelm that part of the earth which is granted for a habitation to men. Moses also says, in the first chapter, that some waters were suspended above in the heaven; and David, in like manner, declares, that they are held enclosed as in a bottle. Lastly, God raised for men a theatre in the habitable region of the earth; and caused, by his secret power, that the subterraneous waters should not break forth to overwhelm us, and the celestial waters should not conspire with them for that purpose. Now, however, Moses states, thatwhen God resolved to destroy the earth by a deluge, those barriers were torn up. And here we must consider the wonderful counsel of God; for he might have deposited, in certain channels or veins of the earth, as much water as would have sufficed for all the purposes of human life; but he has designedly placed us between two graves, lest, in fancied security,we should despise that kindness on which our life depends. For the element of water, it is restrained by the hand of God. In saying that the fountains were broken up, and the cataracts opened, his language is metaphorical, and means, that neither did the waters flow in their accustomed manner, nor did the rain distil from heaven; but that the distinctions which we see had been established by God, being now removed, there were no longer any bars to restrain the violent irruption... And the flood was forty days..." Moses copiously insists upon this fact, in order to show that the whole world was immersed in the waters. Moreover, it is to be regarded as the special design of this narration that we should not ascribe to fortune, the flood by which the world perished; how ever customary it may be for men to cast some veil over the works of God, which may obscure either his goodness or his judgments manifested in them. But seeing it is plainly declared, that whatever was flourishing on the earth was destroyed, we hence infer, that it was an indisputable and signal judgment of God.


On the Holy Patriarchs and the Church


Now, whether all nations which formerly existed, purposely drew a veil over themselves, or whether their own indolence was the sole obstacle to their knowledge, the [First] Book of Moses deserves to be regarded as an incomparable treasure, since it at least gives an indisputable assurance respecting The Creation of the World, without which we should be unworthy of a place on earth... We see how vehemently the Papists alarm the simple by their false claim of the title of The Church. Moses so delineates the genuine features of the Church as to take away this absurd fear, by dissipating these illusions. It is by an ostentatious display of splendour and of pomp that they (the Papists) carry away the less informed to a foolish admiration of themselves, and even render them stupid and infatuated. But if we turn our eyes to those marks by which Moses designates the Church... On the contrary, while we see in this history of Moses, the building of the Church out of ruins, and the gathering of it out of broken fragments, and out of desolation itself, such an instance of the grace of God ought to raise us to firm confidence. But since the propensity, not to say the wanton disposition, of the human mind to frame false systems of worship is so great, nothing can be more useful to us than to seek our rule for the pure and sincere worshipping of God, from those holy Patriarchs, whose piety Moses points out to us chiefly by this mark, that they depended on the Word of God alone.


On the Necessity of Holy Scripture


Now, in describing the world as a mirror in which we ought to behold God, I would not be understood to assert, either that our eyes are sufficiently clear-sighted to discern what the fabric of heaven and earth represents, or that the knowledge to be hence attained is sufficient for salvation. And whereas the Lord invites us to himself by the means of created things, with no other effect than that of thereby rendering us inexcusable, he has added (as was necessary) a new remedy, or at least by a new aid, he has assisted the ignorance of our mind. For by the Scripture as our guide and teacher, he not only makes those things plain which would otherwise escape our notice, but almost compels us to behold them; as if he had assisted our dull sight with spectacles. On this point, (as we have already observed,) Moses insists. For if the mute instruction of the heaven and the earth were sufficient, the teaching of Moses would have been superfluous.

_______________________

I have refrained from critique of Calvin's interpretation of Genesis in order to allow his words to stand alone. For those who wish to explore the significant problems with Calvinism, I recommend reading this and this.

Two Passovers and Two Drunken Fathers

Alice C. Linsley



Blood and wine are associated in Christianity as sacramental signs that point to salvation through Jesus Christ. We also find these associated in 2 sets of Old Testament stories, suggesting that the sacramental association pre-dates Christianity. For some Protestant readers the meaning of sacrament may be unclear, so before we turn to the stories, we must define “sacrament.”

A sacrament is an action that God performs for humans that we can’t do for ourselves. In the sacrament of Baptism, God unites us to Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection and makes us heirs of the Kingdom. The sign of the sacrament is water. In the sacrament of Holy Communion, God nourishes us with spiritual food and communes with us as if we were present in Paradise. The sign of Holy Communion is wine and water mixed with bread.

Remembering that a sacrament is something only God can do for humanity, we turn to the Old Testament story sets of 2 Passovers and 2 Drunken Fathers.

The first story set involves the Passover in Egypt and the Passover in Jericho. In Egypt, the door posts were marked with blood from the sacrificed Lamb and seeing the blood, the angel of death passed over, and the people of Israel were led out to a new life. This is the Passover of the tribes who were in Egypt.

Another Passover takes place in Jericho. The scarlet cord was hung from the window of Rahab’s house and when the Israelites swept through that city, Rahab and her whole household were spared and led out to a new life, God redeeming their lives from destruction. Rahab became an ancestress of King David and Messiah. This is the Passover of David's ancestors who never were in Egypt.

A study of the scarlet cord in Scripture reveals that it symbolizes blood, so the sacramental sign in both stories is blood and Christians understand this to be the Blood of Jesus.

In the second set of stories, we find 2 fathers who became drunk with wine. The first is Noah and the second is Lot. In Noah’s case, his 3 sons decide what to do while their father sleeps in a drunken stupor. In Lot’s case, his 2 daughters decide what to do while their father sleeps. In both stories, the results are not good. One of Noah’s sons comes under a curse, and Abraham’s descendents find their lives troubled by Lot’s Ammonite and Moabite descendents. Wine in these stories is not sacramental. These stories are about what mankind does and stand in contrast to the first set of stories. Yet we find a note of redemption even in these stories.

The descendents of Ham will help the Israelites make their escape from Egypt. Jethro, the Priest of Midian (a descendent of Ham through Keturah’s line) will act as an advisor to Moses, his son-in-law. A daughter of Moab will trust God to care for her and her mother-in-law in Bethlehem. There she will marry Boaz and become the great grandmother of King David and ancestress of Messiah. (Notice the symmetry of a father-in-law and a mother-in-law.) Even when we sinners take matters into our own hands, God shows us mercy that we might move to newness of life.

The symmetry of these story sets is remarkable. In the Egyptian Passover Moses is the central figure, but in the Jericho Passover, it is the woman Rahab. Clearly God uses both males and females to bring about salvation and deliverance. In the story of Noah’s drunkenness, 3 sons take action (a mystery), but in the story of Lot’s drunkenness, 2 daughters take action to procreate and from them comes not one kingdom (as with 2 wives), but two peoples.

Let us return to the sacramental signs of blood and wine. The association of blood and wine is made in the prophecies concerning Judah, who will be elevated above his brothers and from whom “the scepter shall not depart… nor a lawgiver until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the expectations of the nations…who will “wash his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes” (Gen. 49:10-11).

We notice concerning Judah that 4 promises are given.
Judah shall be elevated above the other tribes.
Judah shall rule and give the law until Christ appears.
Christ shall be the hope and expectation of the nations.
He shall wash his clothes in blood.

This parallels the Passover Seder which involves 4 promises given to Israel, symbolized by the 4 cups of wine. These speak of God’s 4 promises to Israel in Exodus 6:6-7: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians (1st cup), and I will deliver you from their slavery (2nd cup), and I will redeem you with a outstretched arm, and with great judgments (3rd cup); And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God (4th cup).”

The promises concerning Judah and the promises concerning Israel can be fulfilled only by God. In that sense the wine used in the Seder is sacramental. It points to the mighty acts of God to deliver and redeem His people and to consummate a love relationship. Jesus told his disciples that he would not drink the fourth cup again until the last promise is fulfilled: “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. I say to you, I will not drink this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (Matt. 26:28-29)

Martin Luther on Genesis

Having completed a series of lectures on the Psalms, Martin Luther lectured on Genesis beginning in 1535 and until his death in 1545. He moved deeply into the patriarchal narratives and yet he recognized that there was still more to be said, deferring to later commentators: “This is now the dear Genesis… God grant that after me others will do better.” (Martin Luther “Lectures on Genesis,” J. Pelikan, ed. Luther’s Works, Vol. 1., Concordia Publishing, p. 333.)

Luther’s words seem an invitation to subsequent generations and indeed many have taken up the study of this remarkably rich book: E.A. Speiser, Gerhard Von Rad, and Matthew Henry, to name but a few.

Luther’s Interpretive Method
Luther found Christ prefigured in the Psalms and in other books of the Old Testament, but in his commentary on Genesis he focuses more on traditional Lutheran doctrine. He appears to have been using his reflections on Genesis to refine reformed dogma. James Arne Nestingen suggests that one receives this impression because, as Peter Meinhold argued fifty years ago, the lectures were edited by Viet Dietrich and his colleagues to enlist Luther’s authority in support of Melanchthon’s theological revisions in the 1540s.

Given the consistency with which Luther interpreted Scripture, it seems likely that he found Christ throughout the book of Genesis, especially as he read it through the lens of the Pauline epistles.

Clearly, Luther regarded Gen 3:15, the “proto-evangelion,” as the first promise concerning Christ. From this promise the history of salvation begins to unfold. “Christ is the Lord of the Scripture,” Luther wrote in a letter to Erasmus, “take Christ out of them and what do you have left?” (De Servo Arbitrio, 1525)

On the Authorship of Genesis
Luther believed that Genesis is the work of Moses and that “Moses spoke in the literal sense, not allegorically or figuratively.” Yet, referring to the placement of the sun in a watery mass (Gen. 1:14-16), Luther admits that “I for my part shall confess that I do not understand Moses in this passage.”

Luther accepts that there are mysteries in the Genesis. One such mystery is the hidden Trinity. He wrote, “Of course, he [Moses] does not say in so many words that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the one true God; this was to be reserved for the teaching of the Gospel.” Luther writes repeatedly in his Lectures on Genesis that the plural Elohim can only refer to the Trinity, but he claims that this mystery would have been incomprehensible to those who lived before the appearing of Christ.

On the Fall
Luther regarded Satan to be the great enemy of God and Man and he saw fighting the devil through the grace of Christ to be the duty of every Christian. He wrote, “Let this, then, my dear sirs and friends, be the first consideration to influence you, namely, that herein we are fighting against the devil as the most dangerous and subtle enemy of all.” He regards the serpent as the devil embodied, and concerning the devil’s cunning he writes. “He does not immediately try to allure Eve by means of the loveliness of the fruit. He first attacks man’s greatest strength, faith in the word. Therefore the root and source of sin is unbelief and turning away from God.” (LW, Vol. 1, p. 162)

Luther writes: “the pattern of all the temptations of Satan is the same, namely, that he first puts faith to trial and draws away from the Word. Then follow the sins against the Second Table. From our own experience we perceive that this is his procedure. The events which now follow deal with the description of sin: what its nature is when it is active, and what it is later on when it lies in the past. For while it is active it is not felt; otherwise we would be warned and draw back. But because these lie hidden, we proceed smugly to the deed itself after we have forsaken our uprightness and faith. Eve trespassed similarly in the instance of the fruit after she had been persuaded, contrary to the Word of God, that she would not die.” (LW, Vol.1, p. 163)

On Adam and Eve as Historical Persons
“Afterwards, when Eve was with child again, they hoped to have a daughter, that their beloved son, Cain, might have a wife; but Eve bearing again a son, called him Abel—that is, vanity and nothingness; as much as to say, my hope is gone, and I am deceived.”

On Locating the Garden of Eden
Concerning the rivers mentioned in Genesis 2:10-14, Luther says: “…one must not imagine that the source of these rivers is the same today as it was at that time; but the situation is the same today as in the case of the earth, which now exists and brings forth trees, herbs, etc. If you compare these with the uncorrupted creation, they are like wretched remnants of that wealth which the earth had when it was created. Thus these rivers remain like ruins, but, to be sure, not in the same place; much less do they have the same sources.” (LW, Vol. 1., p. 99.)

Jacob Böehme (1575-1624) on Genesis

A mystic from his youth and an avid Bible reader, Jacob Böehme developed his idea of the spiritual structure of the world as a great tree which from root to flower and fruit is permeated by a life-giving sap and formed from within according to its own nature. Boehme’s articulation of a vital monism: that all is animated by the divine unity of the living All represents a kind of Catholic Gnosticism which became popular during the Renaissance. To articulate this monism, Boehme often poses the cosmos in dualistic terms. Good and Evil, Heaven and Hell, and Angels and Demons struggle in humanity and in the world.

Boehme regards God as unknowable. He wrote: "I did not climb up into the Godhead, neither can so mean a man as I am do it; but the Godhead climbed up in me, and revealed such to me out of his Love..." God reveals Himself from within creation when the individual submits his will to the will of God “on earth as in heaven.” Boehme called the mind or spirit of the individual the “Primus” (drawing on Paraclesus’ “Archeus”) and he saw the universal remedy for strengthening each spirit to be knowledge of the Self-revealed Creator in Nature.

In Boehme’s cosmology, the world’s evolution is God’s visible self-revelation, emerging out of a desire to reveal Divine Self to Divine Self. He writes: "Creation was an act of the free will of God; God unfolded his eternal nature, and through his active love, or desire, he caused that which heretofore had been in him merely as spirit (as an image contained in a piece of wood before the artist has cut it out), to become substantial, corporeal." He regards the Fall as a necessity in the evolution of Nature as the sphere in which the divine All expresses Self.

Boehme’s writings reveal his interest in alchemy and the Kabbala and these stir his metaphysical imagination, as can be seen in the selection below.

Excerpt from the Author’s Preface to Aurora: The Day-Spring by Jacob Boehme:

GOD commanded Man to do Good, and did forbid him to do Evil; and now daily calls and preaches, and exhorts Man unto Good; whereby we see well enough, that God willeth not Evil, but his Will is, That his Kingdom should come, and his Will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. But now Man is poisoned through Sin, so that the fierce wrathful Quality, as well as the Good, reigns in him, and is now half dead, and in his gross Ignorance can no more know God his Creator, nor Nature and its Operation; Yet has Nature used its best Endeavours from the Beginning till now, to which God hath given his Holy Ghost, so that it hath at all Times generated wise, holy and understanding Men, which learned to know Nature and their Creator, who always in their Writings and Teachings have been a Light to the World, whereby God has raised his Church on Earth, to his eternal Praise. Against which the Devil has raged, and spoiled many a noble Twig, through the wrathful Fierceness in Nature, whose Prince and God he is.

For Nature has many Times prepared and fitted a learned judicious Man with good gifts, and then the Devil has done his utmost to seduce that Man, and bring him into carnal Pleasure, to Pride, to a Desire to be Rich, and to be in Authority and Power. Thereby the Devil hath ruled in him, and the fierce wrathful Quality has overcome the Good; his Understanding, his Knowledge and Wisdom have been turned into Heresy and Error, who hath made a Mock of the Truth, and been the Author of Great Errors on Earth, and a good Leader of the Devil’s Host.

For the bad Quality in Nature has wrestled, and does still wrestle with the Good, ever since the Beginning, and has elevated itself, and spoiled many a noble Fruit even in the Mothers Womb, as it plainly appears, first by Cain and Abel, which came from one Womb. Cain was from his Mothers Womb a Despiser of God, and proud; but Abel, on the contrary, was a humble Man, and one that feared God.

The same is seen also in the three Sons of Noah; as also by Abraham’s Sons Isaac and Ishmael, especially by Isaac’s in Esau and Jacob, which struggled and wrestled even in the Mother’s Womb: therefore said God, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated, Gen.25.23., which is nothing else, but that both Qualities in Nature have vehemently wrestled one with another.

For when God at that Time moved in Nature, and would reveal himself unto the World through righteous Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and would raise a Church to himself on Earth for his Glory, then in Nature Malice also moved, and its Prince Lucifer. Seeing there was good and bad in Man, therefore both Qualities could reign in him, and therefore there was born at once, in one Womb, an evil and a good Man.

Also it is clearly seen by the first World, as also by the second, even unto the End of our Time, how the Heavenly and Hellish Kingdom in Nature have always wrestled one with another, and stood in great Travail, even as a Woman in the Birth. This does most clearly appear by Adam and Eve. For there grew up a Tree in Paradise of both Qualities of Good and Bad, wherewith Adam and Eve were to be tempted, to try whether they would hold out in the good Quality in the Angelical Kind and Form. For the Creator did forbid Adam and Eve to eat of the Fruit: but the evil Quality in Nature wrestled with the Good, and brought Adam and Eve into a Lust and Longing to eat of both. Thereupon they presently became of a bestial Form and Nature, and did eat of Good and Bad, and must increase and live in a bestial Manner; and so many a noble Twig begotten or born of them perished.

Afterwards it is seen, how God did work in Nature, when the Holy Fathers in the first World were born: as Abel, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methusalah, Lamech, and holy Noah. These made the Name of the Lord known to the World, and preached Repentance: for the Holy Ghost wrought in them.

On the contrary, the Hellish God also wrought against it, in Nature, and begot Mockers and Despisers, first Cain and his Posterity: And it was with the first World as with a young Tree, which grows, is green, blossometh fairly, but brings little good Fruit, by Reason of its wild Kind. So Nature in the first World brought forth but little good Fruit, though it blossometh fair in worldly Knowledge, and Luxury or Wantonness, which could not apprehend the Holy Spirit, who wrought in Nature then, as well as now.

Therefore said God, It repents me, that I have made Man, Gen.6.6., and he stirred up Nature so, that all Flesh died, which lived on dry Land, except the Root and Stock, that remained in Virtue: and so he has hereby dunged the wild Tree, and manured it, that it should bear better Fruit. But when the same sprung up again, it brought forth good and bad Fruit again; Among the Sons of Noah, there were found again Mockers and Despisers of God, and there hardly grew any good Branch on the Tree, which brought forth any holy and good Fruit: The other Branches were bearing also, and brought forth wild Heathens.

But when God saw that Man was thus dead in his Knowledge, He moved Nature again, and shewed unto Man, how there was good and bad therein, that they should avoid Evil, and live unto the Good; and he caused Fire to fall down out of Nature, and fired Sodom and Gomorrah, for a terrible Example to the World. But when the Blindness of Men grew predominant, and refused to be taught by the Spirit of God, he Gave Laws and Precepts unto them, showing how they should behave themselves, and confirmed them with Wonders and Signs, lest the Knowledge of the true God should be quite extinct. But for all this, the Light did not manifest it self, for the Darkness and wrathful Fierceness in Nature struggled against it, and the Prince thereof ruled powerfully.

But when the Tree of Nature came to its middle Age, then it began to bear some mild and sweet Fruit, to show, that it would henceforth bear pleasant Fruit. Then were born, the Holy Prophets, out of the sweet Branch of the Tree, which taught and preached of the Light, which hereafter should overcome the wrathful Fierceness in Nature. And then there arose a Light in Nature among the Heathens, so that they knew Nature, and her Operation, although this was only a Light in the wild Nature, and was not yet the holy Light.

For the wild Nature was not yet overcome, and Light and Darkness wrestled so long one with another, till the Sun arose, and forced this Tree with its Heat, so that it did bear pleasant sweet Fruit: that is, till there came the Prince of Light out of the Heart of God and became Man in Nature, and wrestled in his human Body in the Power of the Divine Light, in the wild Nature. That same Prince and Royal Twig grew up in Nature, and became a Tree in Nature, and spread its Branches abroad from the East to the West, and encompassed the whole Nature, and wrestled and fought with the fierce Wrath which was in Nature, and with the Prince thereof, till he overcame and triumphed as a King in Nature, and took the Prince of Wrath or Fierceness, Captive in his own House, Psalm 68.

Pepinakht-Heqaib: Upholding the Rights of Two Sons

Alice C. Linsley


"Never did I judge two brothers in such a way that a son was deprived of his paternal possession."

This statement is found on the Inscription of Pepinakht-Heqaib who lived during the reign of pharaoh Pepi II, about 2800 BC. Pepinakht was ennobled (saH) and sanctified a living god (nTr anx) 300 years after his death. As a deified human he was regarded as a mediator between people and the gods. Source: http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/texts/pepinakht.htm

The Pepinakht-Heqaib inscription appears on the 2 jambs of the facade of his tomb on Elephantine Island near Aswan (ancient Swenet/Syene). From the inscription we may surmise that this man had to judge cases between 2 brothers and refused to deprive a rightful male heir of his paternal possession. (See The Biblical Theme of Two Sons, here.)

Pepinakht-Heqaib was revered as a wise judge and administrator who cared for the poor. His sanctuary on Elephantine Island was at the border of Egypt and Nubia. He commanded an expedition to Nubia to crush a revolt which hindered Egyptian commerce along the caravan route. He then acted to pacify tribes in Lower Nubia. In his later years he commanded an expedition to the Red Sea coast to investigate the murder of a sea captain and his contingent of tribal supporters. For more on his life, go here.

The extent of Pepinakht's rule is unclear. He was a local ruler on Elephantine Island, but held authority as pharoah's agent in a vaster broader area. He lived before the time of the biblical Joseph, but during his life there was already social and political interaction among Africans and Asians ("Afro-Asiatics").

The Brooklyn Papyrus 35.1446 of the 13th dynasty (1783-1643 BC) identifies a domestic staff in Thebes of 79 persons, of which 49 are "Asiatic."

Older 19th century BC inscriptions inside the carving of a ship's sail refer to an Asiatic commander named Bebi as a "General of Asiatics." Likely he commanded Semitic mercenaries and conscripts who provided border protection and maintained water depots. The same inscriptions mention a "Scribe of the Asiatics."

In the Pre-dynastic period (5000-3300 BC) Asiatic Semites lived throughout the Delta and the Egyptians were confined to the Upper Nile (ancient Cush). Pepinakht-Heqaib lived toward the beginning of the First Intermediate Period. During the Second Intermediate Period (17th-15th c. BC), coinciding with the time of the Biblical Joseph, there was an influx of Semitic peoples from Canaan, called "Aamu" by the Egyptians. Some believe that the Aamu may be the Amalekites of Scripture, or possibly the Amorites who were called Amurru. These peoples established settlements in Tanis, Avaris and el Yehudiya. The Egyptians called the chiefs of these settlements "Hyk Khase", the origin of the term "Hyksos."

One measure of Pepinakht-Heqaib's righteousness is his claim that when judging between two brothers (presumably first born sons) he did not deprive a rightful heir of his paternal possession. Since he lived well before the time of Joseph, we may speculate that he was honoring a custom that was well known among his people. This suggests that the practice of chiefs having two wives and the rights of the two first born sons pre-dates the Asiatic Hyksos' domination of Egypt.


Related reading:  E.A. Speiser on Deuteronomy 21:16; Kushite Diversity and Unity

 

Paradise in a Single Moment

Father Stephen Freeman writes, "During Holy Week, one of my favorite hymns in the Church is the Wise Thief (the Exapostelarion of Holy Friday). It recalls the thief, crucified on Christ’s right hand, who repents and finds paradise “in a single moment.” It demonstrates the fullness of God’s love who would take the repentance of a single moment and transform it into life eternal."

The Wise Thief didst Thou make worthy of Paradise,
in a single moment, O Lord.
By the wood of thy Cross illumine me as well, and save me

From here.

What Happened in the Garden?

Alice C. Linsley

What happened in the Garden?

Adam and Eve lived in the Garden (egan) of the Lord which was well watered, like “the land of Egypt” (Gen. 13:10). Here a creature more cunning than all the other creatures enabled the man and the woman to "see" that the tree was good to eat, a delight to behold, and desirable to make one wise (Gen. 3:6). The woman admits that "the serpent deceived me and I ate." (Gen. 3:13) Having taken the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve hid from the Lord their God because, for the first time, they feared their Creator. This is exactly what the Serpent wanted. Fear is doubt of God's goodness. The Creator desires to protect the man and the woman from fear, the first obstacle to communion with God, since fear is the opposite of love.

Adam and Eve were driven from Paradise for their own protection and the Lord commanded an angel to guard the gate on the east side of the Garden, barring the way to the Tree of Life, "lest he put out his hand ... and eat, and live forever."

The story of the loss of Paradise speaks of the introduction of the "deliberative will" (θέλημα γνωμικόν) which tends toward self and estrangement from others. This will opposes the "natural will" (θέλημα φυσικόν) which tends toward God and union with the Creator. Adam and Eve chose separation from God when they willed to obey the wisdom of the creature over the goodness of God, upon Whom all humanity is dependent for life. Since humanity is made in the image of God, our salvation entails our restoration to Paradise and unity with God through the renewal of the natural will. This will is renewed the the will of Jesus Christ.

God’s plan to restore Paradise

The belief that humans inherit original sin from Adam and Eve presents a different picture. This tenet, upon which the Latin Church bases its understanding of baptism as a spiritual washing, led people to delay baptism until they were near to death and caused people to fear dying without baptism. This notion of ancestral guilt or “original sin” was articulated by St Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) who interpreted St Paul's writings as a platonist, especially this verse: "...through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin passed upon all men because of Adam, [in whom] all sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

David Bradshaw notes that the East-West bifurcation on the question of what happened in the Garden is in part traced to St Augustine's dislike of Greek. He writes, "The change is illustrated by the career of Augustine, who tells us in the Confessions how much he detested Greek as a boy and how glad he was to put it behind him. His entire theological formation seems to have taken place without reference to the enormous body of Greek theological writing which was at that time the main repository of Christian thought. Although this absence no doubt aided the flowering of Augustine’s originality, it meant that the legacy he bestowed on the western church was remarkably disconnected from the earlier tradition." (From "The Concept of Divine Energies", here.)

The concept that all are born sinful because of Adam's sin is not the unanimous view of the Fathers. St. Maximus holds that the significance of the Garden is that we have a corrupted nature. In a letter to his friend Thalassius, he wrote, "Nothing in theosis is the product of human nature for nature cannot comprehend God. It is only the mercy of God that has the capacity to endow theosis unto the existing... In theosis man (the image of God) becomes likened to God, he rejoices in all the plenitude that does not belong to him by nature, because the grace of the Spirit triumphs within him, and because God acts in him" (Letter 22).

By participating in the life of Christ, whose perfect humanity willed to be one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, we are able to enjoy God without fear. The expulsion from the Garden was not a legal judgment requiring expiation, but rather a sigg of God's continuing mercy: "for while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungoldy" (Rom 5:6).

As Christians partake of the Eucharistic food, freely given by God, we return to dependence on God for our life. We also experience a gradual healing of the relationship between God and humanity. The goal is theosis or divinization, a real union with God and closer likeness to Christ than existed even in the Garden.

Index of Topics at Just Genesis

Just Genesis presents the latest research on the book of Genesis drawing on the disciplines of cultural anthropology, linguistics, molecular genealogy, and climate studies.


INDEX (Current as of 25 May 2013)

Abel
Cain's Murder of Abel
Life is in the Blood
Were Cain and Abel Twins?
Lenten Meditation of Cain and Abel

Abraham
Abraham's Complaint
The Calling of Abraham
Challenge to Shaye Cohen's Portrayal of Abraham
Was Abraham the First Jew?
Where Abraham Spent His Old Age
Abraham's Two Concubines
Keturah: Wife or Concubine?
Abraham's Sons
Abraham's Nephews and Niece
Abraham's Ancestors Came Out of Africa
The Bosom of Abraham
Abraham and Circumcision
Was Abraham a Pagan?
Was Abraham a Liar?
Abraham and Moses: Different Origins of Israel?
Abraham and Job: Horite Rulers
Abraham and Moses as Types of Christ
Abraham's Horite Mother
The Substance of Abraham's Faith
Abraham's Saharan Ancestors
Abraham on Mount Moriah
Did Abraham Believe Isaac to be Messiah?
What Color Was Abraham?
Busting Myths Concerning Abraham

Adam and Eve
Dating Adam: Paul H. Sheely Proposes a Solution
Are Adam and Eve Real?
Answers to Students' Questions About Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve: Archetypal First Ancestors
Adam and Enoch: Archetype and Ancestor
Objections to the Fundamentalist Reading of Genesis 1-5
The Real Adam
Elder Joseph on Adam and Eve
Eve's Sin
The First Historical Persons in Genesis
The Biblical Meaning of Eve

Amorites
The Amorites: a caste of royal scribes?
The Clans of Ar

Ainu/Annu/Hannu
Abraham's Ainu Ancestors
The Nile-Japan Ainu Connection
A Kindling of Ancient Memory
First People at Genetic Center

Ascendancy Pattern

The Marriage and Ascendancy Pattern of Abraham's People

Sent-Away Sons

Sons Who Stayed Home
Genesis on the Ancient Kingdom Builders

Africa
African Context of Genesis
Abraham's Ancestors Came Out of Africa
God's African Ancestors
The Origin of Castes
Qesem Cave Finds in Perspective
Conversaton with Hausa Muslim
Conversation About Igbo Origins
An African Reflects on Biblical Names
Genesis and African Bishops
African Naming Practices

Afro-Arabian
The Dedanites
Qesem Cave Finds in Perspective
Alignment of Oldest Mosques
Kushite and Horite Rulers Linked
Peleg: Time of Division
Using Arab Math to Uncover the Authors of the Torah

Afro-Asiatic
Afro-Asiatic Metalworkers
The Afro-Asiatic Dominion
The Spread of the Afro-Asiatic Worldview
Was Genghis Khan the Last Afro-Asiatic Kingdom Builder?
Afro-Asiatic Kingdom Building
Decline of the Afro-Asiatic Rulers
Nimrod: Afro-Asiatic Kingdom Builder
Afro-Asiatic Rulers and the Celestial Archetype
Akkadian Dictionary Finished
The Proto-Elamite Script

Alice C. Linsley
Zaji Magazine Interview with Alice C. Linsley
Why I'm Not a Protestant
Reactions to My Genesis Research
Stepping into the Stream: Road to Emmaus Interview with Alice C. Linsley
Orthodox Radio of Canada Interview with Alice C. Linsley
Illumined Heart Podcast (Ancient Faith Radio)

From Canterbury to Constantinople, Frank Lockwood Interview with A.C. Linsley

Wim Houtman (Nederlands Dagblad) interviews Alice C. Linsley

Why a Blog About Genesis?
My Method
Where to Begin Processing Material at JUST GENESIS
Genesis Has Strengthened My Faith

Alice C. Linsley's Research on Genesis

Analysis of the Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists
Telling My Story, Part 1 (A Priestess Comes to Repentance)

Telling My Story, Part 2 (A Joyful Penitent)

Telling My Story, Part 3 (Coming Home)

Thoughts on Blogging

Ancestors and Archetypes
Adam and Enoch as Archetype and Ancestor
The Father of Cain and Seth
Were Abraham's Ancestors Rulers or Refugees?
Oholibamah: Ancestor and Archetype of Mary
Horus: King of the Universe
The Eyes of Horus Speak of Jesus
Adam and Eve as Archetypes
The Celestial Archetype
Nilotic-Kushitic Celestial Archetypes
Questions Asked by Primitive Man

Anglicana
Some Thoughts of Women Priests
Anglicanism and Spiritualism
Are Anglican Bishops Schismatic?
The Crisis of Authority in Anglicanism
Modernist-Traditionalist Divide in Anglicanism
Impressions of the New American Anglicanism
Growing Consensus that WO Must Be Addressed
Anglicanism on the Doctrine of Creation
N.T. Wright Should Admit His Own Church's Failing

Apologetics
The Purpose of the Bible
Gender and the Bible
Why Prejudice Against a Scientific Approach to the Bible?

Art
El Castillo Rock Art in Perspective
3000 BC Rock Art in Sudan
The Scarlet Cord: A Poem and a Painting

Astronomy and Physics
The Pyramids of Bosnia
Jesuit Astronomer on the Higgs Boson
Higgs Boson: Expected End in Particle Physics
The Celestial Dance Observed by the Magi
A Series Worth Mention
The Bethlehem Star
The Sun and Moon in Genesis
Two Powers in Heaven
Eliade Was Right About Celestial Archetypes
Afro-Asiatic Rulers and the Celestial Archetype
Ancient African Astronomers

Authorship (Genesis)
Who Wrote Genesis?
Is Mosaic Authorship Necessary?
The Possibility of Davidic Authorship
How Did Genesis Come to Be?

Bethlehem
4000 Year Bethlehem Town
Horite Expectation and the Star of Bethlehem
The Virgin Birth and the Manger Too!
Bethlehem: A Horite Settlement
Who Were the Horites?
The Bethlehem Star
The Celestial Dance Observed by the Magi
The Holy One Hidden and Revealed

Bible and History
Episode 1: History Channel Scores a C
Episode 2: Horite Prophets and Kings
Episode 3: The Messiah appears!
Episode 4: The King is Revealed
Success of Bible Series Hard to Assess
Genesis on the Ancient Kingdom Builders
The Afro-Asiatic Dominion

Biblical Anthropology
INDEX of Topics on Biblical Anthropology
Is Biblical Anthropology an Oximoron?
What Does a Biblical Anthropologist Do?
Between Biblical Literalism and Biblical Illiteracy
Biblical Anthropology is Scientific Study of the Bible
The Bible and Anthropological Investigation
The Sacred Center in Biblical Theology
A Blog Dedicated to Biblical Anthropology
Genesis Through the Lens of Anthropology
Biblical Anthropology: Image of God or Imaging God?
Race and the Bible
Jacques Derrida and Biblical Anthropology

Biblical Tribes and Clans
Petra Reflects Horite Belief
The Jebusites: Extant Biblical People
Who Were the Horites?
Who Were the Kushites?
The Habiru/Hapiru
Extant Biblical Tribes and Clans

Biblical Worldview
The Ruach of God
Afro-Asiatic Symbols that Speak of God
Afro-Asiatic Religious Life
The Importance of Binary Distinctions
Genesis and Jacques Derrida
The Cosmology of Abraham's People
Tracing the Scarlet Cord
African Religion Predates Hinduism
Afro-Asiatic vs Aryan Religion: The Horse as Example
Who Were the Hapiru?

Binary Structure/Binary Distinctions/Binary Worldview
The Importance of Binary Distinctions
Today's Savage Mind
Binary Sets in the Ancient World
Blood and Binary Distinctions
Circumcision and Binary Distinctions
Binary Distinctions and Kenosis
The Theme of Hidden Sons
The Biblical Theme of Two Sons
Time and Eternity
A Conversation About Binary Distinctions

Birds
Noah's Birds
The Chiastic Center of Ecclesiasticus

Blood Symbolism/Sacrifice
Water and Blood
Life is in the Blood
What Constitutes Being?
Blood and Binary Distinctions
Mining Blood
The Pleromic Blood and Gnosticism
The Blood of Jesus
God as Male Priest

Book Reviews
John Coats on Genesis
Leon Kass on Genesis
Patrick Henry Reardon on Genesis
John Walton's Lost World of Genesis One
Narby's Cosmic Serpent
Terry Mortenson's Coming to Grips With Genesis

Bulls and Bovine Symbolism
The Bull's Head in Antiquity
Israel Museum Reopens

Cain/Kain
From Cain to Jesus Christ
Who Did Cain Marry?
Cain's Father
Cain as Ruler
Father of Cain and Seth
Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists
Mohammed and the Descendants of Cain
Ancient Symbols of Authority Linked to Cain
Cain's Princess Bride

Canaanite
The Peoples of Canaan
Canaanite Origins of the Alphabet
Ancient Canaanite Inscriptions
Abraham's Canaanite Mother

Camels
Abraham's Camels

Cartoons
Adam's Bad Dream
On the Lighter Side
Noah's Dog

Castes
The Origin of Castes
Evidence of Castes in the Book of Ruth

Cattle
Nilotic Cattle Herders
Twin Pyramids and Sphinx in Zinder
A Tent for the Sun

Christ in Genesis
The Christ in Nilotic Mythology
The Risen Christ in Genesis
Tracing the Scarlet Cord
One Greater Than Moses
Did Abraham Believe Isaac to be the Messiah?
Abraham and Moses Prefigure Christ
In the Beginning... was Love
The Holy One Hidden and Revealed

Christmas
Christmas Message From Genesis
Genesis and the True Meaning of Christmas
The Virgin Birth and the Manger Too!
Christians Are Christmas People
Egypt in the Christmas Narrative

Church Fathers
Recap of What We've Learned from St. Basil
St. Augustine on Divine Illumination
St. John Chrysostom on Lamech
St. John Chrysostom on Lamech's Speech
Clement of Alexandria on Biblical Concealment
St. Augustine on Genesis
Augustine on Days of Creation
Jerome's Extraordinary Insights on Genesis

Circumcision
The Origins of Circumcision
Circumcision Debated
Circumcision and Binary Distinctions
Abraham and Circumcision
Zipporah's Flint Knife

Climate Change
Kansas Science Bill Faces Defeat
Rick Pott's Variability Hypothesis has Biblical support
Antarctica Once Had Baobab Trees
Climate Change and Genesis
Decline of the Afro-Asiatic Dominion
Lower Solar Irradiance, Higher Atmospheric Temps?
Climate Cycles and Noah's Flood

Commentators on Genesis
List of Commentaries on Genesis

St Basil's Commentaries on the Days of Creation  (The Hexaemeron)

St. Basil the Great

In the Beginning God

God Said "Let There be Light."

On Germination

On Luminous Bodies

         On Moving Creatures         

The Creation of Fowl and Water Creatures

On the Creation of Terrestrial Animals

Jacob Böehme on Genesis
John Calvin on Genesis
Martin Luther on Genesis
John Wesley on Genesis
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola on Genesis
Rainer Maria Rilke on Genesis
Hermann Gunkel on Genesis
Patrick Henry Reardon on Genesis
Peter Bouteneff and Genesis
Theodore Bobosh on Genesis

Concordism
The Danger of Concordism
The Creation Museum
This Gets My Blood Pressure Up!

Cosmology
Cosmology of Abraham's People
Christ's Sign in Creation
Cosmology and Ethics
The Importance of Binary Distinctions
Reality is Cross Shaped
Hierarchy in Creation: The Biblical View

Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative
Lamech Segment Analysis
The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative
Some 'Cousin' Brides Were Nieces
Cousin Brides and Their Ruler Sons
Speiser and Deuteronomy 21:16
Lot's Daughters

Creationism (Young Earth)
YEC Dogma is NOT Biblical
Bishop Ussher Goofed
False Assumption #1 of YEC
False Assumption #2 of YEC
False Assumption #3 of YEC
False Assumption #4 of YEC
False Assumption #5 of YEC
The Age of the Earth
The Battle Over Genesis
Why Fundamentalists Look Stupid
Science Teachers and Creationism
Are Science and Scripture at Odds?
This Gets My Blood Pressure Up!
Between Biblical Literalism and Biblical Illiteracy

Creationism (Old Earth)
Humans Originated in Africa
Facts about Human Origins
Evangelicals Surrender Too Much Ground to Darwin
Q and A on Creation and Evolution
370 Million Fish Found
African Projectiles 90,000 Years Old
77,000 Year Old Mattresses
Rightly Reading Genesis 1-3
What Genesis Tells Us About Creation
Genesis and Genetics
The Making of Man
Theories of Creation: An Overview

Creation: Theistic; Darwinian Evolution
Thomas Nagel: Neo-Darwinian Conception is False
The Evolution of Darwinian Evolution
Was Lucy Human?
Has Science Buried God?
Have Humans Outgrown Natural Selection?
Christians Debate Genesis and Evolution
Biblical Anthropologists Discuss Darwin

Creation Stories
The Genesis Creation Stories
Literalists in Good Standing?
Rightly Reading Genesis 1-3
Genesis 1 Sets the Scene
Genesis: Just a Story for Ancient Peoples?
Andrew Parker's Genesis Enigma

Cross
The Sacred Center in Biblical Theology
Christ's Sign in Creation
Blood and Crosses
Three Specimens to Ponder
Crosses in Astro-Sidereal Theology

C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis on Genesis
C.S. Lewis on Evolution
Priestesses in the Church?

Dating/Prehistory
Calculating the Dates of the Patriarchs
Who Wrote Genesis?
Africa in the Days of Noah
Ancient Earthquakes

David
The Ethnicity of David and Abraham
The Jerusalem that David Knew
Elah Fortress

Days of Creation
Answers to High Schoolers' Questions About the Age of the Earth
Days of Creation: Literal or Figurative?
The Age of the Earth

Deifed Sons
Why Does Genesis Speak of Gods?
Deified Sons
Potiphar, Son of Horus

Dispensationalism
The Problem With Dispensationalism
God Has Made Progress With Us
Dispensationalism and the Three Witnesses

DNA
Genesis and Molecular Genealogy
Hunter-Gatherer Study Inconclusive
Tut's Father Married His Cousin
Ethiopian DNA Study Ignores Significant Data
A Kindling of Ancient Memory
Abraham: Descendant of Both Shem and Ham
Migrations Out of Africa
Denisovan Populations

Documentary Hypothesis
The Documentary Hypothesis
Documents, Sources and God's Purpose
Should Genesis Be Taught in Public Schools?

Dreams and Visions
The Dragon and the Beast of Revelation
Dreams in Genesis

Drunken Fathers
Two Passovers and Two Drunken Fathers
Lot's Daughters

Easter/Pascua
St. John Chrysostom's Pascua Homily
Cristos Anesti! - C.S. Lewis on the Resurrection
The Empty Tomb

Eber
Who was Eber?
Who were the Habiru?

Eden
The Search for Eden
Why Jesus Visited Tyre
What Happened in the Garden?
What Paradise Must Have Been
The Garden of Eden: Myth or Real?
Eden: A Well-Watered Region
The Serpent of Eden

Edenic Promise (Gen. 3:15)
God's Word Never Fails

Edom
Petra Reflects Horite Belief
The Edomites and the Color Red

Egypt
A Visit to King Tut's Seattle Exhibit
Tut's Father Married his Cousin
Egypt in the Book of Genesis
Ancient Egyptians Were Seafaring
Ritual Sex and Ancient Egyptian Priests
Medical Care in Ancient Egypt
The World's Oldest Book Found in Egypt
Egypt in the Christmas Narrative
Horus, King of the Universe
Plato's Debt to Ancient Egypt

Eliezer of Damascus
Who Was Eliezar of Damascus?
Abraham's Two Concubines

Enoch/Nok
Is Enoch a Royal Title?
Teraphim: Idols or Ancestor Figurines?
Are the Names Enoch and Enosh Equivalent?
Is the Land of Nod the Region of Nok?

Esau
Esau in Yoruba Tradition
Two Named Esau

Eschatology
Yes, Virginia, There is a Kingdom
The Kingdom of God in Genesis
Gog and Magog
Genesis and the Eucharist
The Water, the Blood and the Spirit

Ethics in Genesis
Cosmology and Ethics
Such a God as This
Leon Kass on Genesis

The Fall
Humanity's Fallen Existence
Original Sin or Ancestral Sin?
The Extent of the Fall
The Genesis Kings and the Fall

Flood
How Big was Noah's Flood?
Analysis of the Flood Story
Noah's Flood: Forces Beyond Our Control
Africa in the days of Noah
Climate Cycles and Noah's Flood
Noah's Ark: Looking in the Right Place
Noah's Ark
Noah's Birds
Noah and the Black Sea Theory
Dark Sky and Howling Wind
Replica (Almost) of Noah's Ark
Kentucky to Get Noah's Ark Theme Park

Gender
God as Male Priest
Gender Reversal and Sacred Mystery

Genesis
The Science Guy Reveals His Ignorance
A Scientific Timeline of Genesis
Why Genesis Matters
The Battle Over Genesis
John Walton's Lost World of Genesis One
The Nilotic Substrata of Genesis 1
Genesis One: A Mistranslation?
Parsing Genesis 1:1-2
A Creature After God's Kind
Heaven or Heavens: Does It Matter?
Reading the First Few Chapters of the Bible

Genetics
DNA Confirms Mixed Ancestry of Jews
Mitochondrial Eve
Genesis and Genetics

Geology
Phil Jones on Burnet's Sacred Theology of the Earth
Psalm 104:8 and Flood Geology

GLOSSARY (Anthropological Terms)

God
God's Motive For Creation
Calvin on God's Motive for Creation
Answers to Questions About God

Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog in Myth and Literature
Connecting Gog, Magog and Og to Abraham

Gold
The Gold of Ophir
Kushite Gold

Government and Law
Evidence for Ancient Government and Law in Genesis
The Law of Te-hut
Ancient Law Codes
Judging Between Two Brothers

Hagar
The Conversion of Hagar
Abraham's Two Concubines

Ham
The Lines of Ham and Shem Intermarried
The Curse of Ham
Rabbinic Disparaging of the Hamites/Kushites
The God of Shem is the God of Ham

Haran
Locating Biblical Ur

Heaven
Heaven or Heavens: Does it Matter?
Cosmology and Ethics

Hebrew
Is Hebrew an African Language?

Heresy
Avoiding Heresy
The Importance of Binary Distinctions
Gene Robinson on the Bible
Why the Episcopal Church Leadership Hates the Nigerians

Hidden Sons
The Theme of Hidden Sons
The Holy One Hidden and Revealed

Holy Tradition
What is Holy Tradition?
Ideologies Opposed to Holy Tradition
Women Priests
Received Tradition vs Special Revelation
The Stream of Holy Tradition
We're in Big Trouble

Horites
Frank Moore Cross:  Israel's God is the God of the Horites
Origins of the Word "Horite"
Lamech's Story and Horite Kinship
The Myth of Israel's Dual Origins
Who Were the Horites?
Samuel's Horite Family
Horite Territory
Abraham and Job: Horite Rulers
Architecture Links Nabateans and Horites
Kushite and Horite Rulers Linked
Missionary Horite Priests
Horite Confederation of Sheba, Jebu and Joktan
Horite Priests and the Hapiru
Some Jews and Arabs Have Horite Blood
The Kenite-Horite Connection

Horses
7000 BC Horse Burial Linked to Sheba
A Tent for the Sun
Petra Reflects Horite Belief
Afro-Asiatic vs Aryan Religion: the Horse as Example

Hor or Horus (called "son of God")
Horus, King of the Universe
The Eyes of Horus Speak of Jesus
The Double Crown
Potiphar, Son of Horus
Jesus: From Lamb to Ram
Who Were the Horites?

Human Origins
The Making of Man
Overview of Human Origins
Genesis: Is It Really About Human Origins?
Q and A on Creation vs Evolution
Genesis and Genetics

Image of God (Imago Dei)
Made in the Image of the King
Fr Hopko on the Image and Likeness of God
Evolution and Imago Dei by Sy Garte

Isaac (Yitzak)
Isaac's Three Sons
Isaac's Horite Descendants
Patrick Reardon on the Binding of Isaac
Did Abraham Believe Isaac to Be Messiah?
Some Jews and Arabs Have Horite Blood

Ishmael
Ishmael was NOT Abraham's Firstborn Son
Sent-Away Sons

Islam
A Muslim Calls on the God of Abraham
Mohammed and the Descendants of Cain
The Dedanites and Old Arabic
The Alignment of the Oldest Mosques

Israelites
Abraham and Moses: Different Origins of Israel?
The Myth of Israel's Dual Origins
Abraham and Moses Prefigure Jesus Christ
Israel's God is the God of the Horites
Genesis and Israel's Land Claim
Rabbi Simon Altaf on the Israelites

Jacob
Jacob's Journeys
Jacob Leaves Beersheba
Jacob's Blood and Betrayal
Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban
Teraphim: Idols or Ancestor Figurines?

Japan
Holy Theophany Orthodox Church in Japan
The Nile-Japan Ainu Connection

Jebusites
The Jebusites Unveiled
The Jebu, Sheba, Joktan Confederation
The Priestly Order of Melchizedek

Jesus Christ (Yeshua, Yashuah)
The Son of God
From Cain to Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ in Genesis
The Horite Ancestry of Jesus Christ
Tracing Christ's Kushite Ancestors
Did Jesus Have a Wife?
The Pure One
The MSNBC Spin on Jesus
The Black Messiah
The Christ in Nilotic Mythology
The King is Risen
Jesus: From Lamb to Ram
God With Us
One Greater Than Moses
Jesus Christ's Resurrection in Genesis
Gender Reversal and Sacred Mystery
Jesus Christ of Two Crowns
Christ as Alpha and Omega

John, the Forerunner
Jesus' Baptism by John at Nimrah
The Testimony of Blessed John, Forerunner

Joktan (Yaqtan)
Abraham's First-born Son
Evidence that Yaqtan was Abraham's firstborn Son
Confederation of Sheba, Jebu and Joktan
Why Jesus Visited Tyre

Joseph
The Enigma of Joseph
Such a God as This
Elie Wiesel on Joseph
Potiphar, Son of Horus

Judaica
The Myth of Israel's Dual Origins
Messianic Jews and the Antecedents of Judaism
Some Jews and Arabs Have Common Horite Ancestry
The Talmud vs The Doctrine of the Lord

Kemuel
Abraham's Nephews and Nieces
Kemuel, Father of Aram the Younger

Kenites (metal-working descendants of Kain)
The Kenite-Horite Connection
Mohammed and the Kenites
Documents, Sources and God's Purpose

Keturah
Keturah: Wife or Concubine
Women at a Well
Speiser Recognized the Two-Wife Pattern

Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God in Genesis
Yes, Georgia, There is a Kingdom
Does the Kingdom Have a Caste System?

Kinship
A Chief Must Have More Than One Wife
The Pattern of Two Wives
What is Kinship?
Speiser Recognized the Two-Wife Pattern
Analysis of the Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists
Lamech Segment Analysis
The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative
Abraham's First-born Son
The Genesis King Lists

Kushites (Cushites)
Who Were the Kushites?
Kushite Gold
Kushite Diversity and Unity
The Kushite-Kushan Connection
The Kushite Marriage Pattern Drove Kushite Expansion
Kushite Kings and the Kingdom of God
Morkot's Book Might Have Been Stronger
Were the Natufians Kushites?
Moses' Kushite Wife
Kushite Wives
The Migration of Abraham's Kushite Ancestors
DNA Confirms Kushite Migration

Laban
Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban

Lamech
Analysis of the Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists
John Chrysostom's Interpretation of Lamech's Speech
Lamech Segment Analysis
Lamech's Story and Horite Kinship
Methuselah's Wife (The daughter of Lamech the Elder)
Life Spans of Lamech and Methuselah

Leah
Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban

Lilith
The Myth of Lilith

Linguistics
The Nile and Tigris Linguistically Connected
Phoneme Study Pinpoints Origin of Modern Languages
The Beginnings of Spoken Language
Navajo and Ket are Cognate Languages
Ket-Navajo Connection is Old News
Hausa and Ancient Egyptian
The Afro-Asiatic Dominion

Lot
Lot's Story
Lot's Daughters

Mary, the Theotokos
Mary's Priestly Lineage
The Daughters of Priests
The Bible as Woman's Story
Mount Mary and the Origins of Life
God's Word Never Fails
Mary Hated Even in Her Repose
Freud and the Virgin Mary

Melchizedek
Melchizedek: His Lineage
The Priestly Order of Melchizedek
The Jebusites Unveiled

Methuselah
Methuselah's Age
Methuselah's Wife
St. Jerome on Methuselah
The Life Spans of Methuselah and Lamech

Migration and Human Populations
Was Earth Repopulated After Noah's Flood?
Crete Finds Confirm Migration Out of Africa
Migration of Abraham's Kushite Ancestors
Noah's Sons and Their Descendants
DNA Confirms Kushite Migration

Monastic Views on Genesis
St Anthony the Great on Creation
Abuna Elia Reflects on Genesis
St Jerome on Genesis
Elder Joseph on Adam and Eve
St Ephrem on Creation
Fr Seraphim Rose on Genesis

Moses
Moses' Wives and Brothers
Moses' Two Wives
Moses and Abraham Prefigure Christ
One Greater Than Moses
Moses and Abraham: Different Origins of Israel?

Mountains
Sacred Mountains
Mount Moriah
Horite Territory
Mount Mary and the Origins of Life
Peaks and Valleys

Naamah
Methuselah's Wife
Analysis of the Genesis 4 and 5 King Lists

Nahor
Is Nehesi the Biblical Name Nahor?
Nahor's Sons
Nahor and His Descendants

Natufians
Were the Natufians Kushites?

Nephilim
Nephilim: Angels or Ancestors?
UFOs in Genesis?

Nilotic Religion
Nilotic vs Aryan Religion: The Horse as Example
The Christ in Nilotic Mythology
Nilotic-Kushitic Celestial Archetypes
African Religion Predates Hinduism
The Saharan Origin of Pharaonic Egypt
The Ornaments and Rites of Nubia

Noah
Noah's Homeland
Noah's Descendants
Noah's Birds
Noah's Dog
Forty Days and Forty Nights

News Flash: Noah's Ark Found!

How Big Was Noah's Flood?

Nimrod
Nimrod: Afro-Asiatic Kingdon Builder
Nimrod: A Tall Tale
Before Alexander the Great There was Nimrod
Was Genghis Khan the Last Afro-Asiatic Kingdom Builder?

Number Symbolism
Number Symbolism in the Bible
Afro-Arabian Number System
Number Symbolism in Revelation
The Nine Divine Utterances
Methuselah's Real Age
Forty Days and Forty Nights

Order of Creation
Hierarchy in Creation: The Biblical View
Plato and Intelligent Design
Reality is Cross-Shaped
Thomas Hobbes on Orders of Creation

Patriarchy
The Question of Patriarchy
The Paradox of Feminism

Peleg
Peleg: Time of Division
Noah's Sons and Their Descendants
Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban

Polygyny (multiple wives)
Polygyny Among Rulers of Abraham's People
Teraphim: Idols or Ancestor Figurines?
Polygyny: Silent Social Challenge

Priesthood
What is a Priest?
Luther Was Wrong About the Priesthood
More Thoughts on the Priesthood
Why Women Were Never Priests
What's Lost When Women Serve as Priests?
Some Thoughts on Women Priests
The Messianic Priesthood of Jesus
The Priesthood and Genesis
The Priesthood as Heavenly Ordinance
The Horite Priesthood
Males as Spiritual Leaders: Two Patterns
Shamanic Practice and the Priesthood
What is a Presbyter?
Ideologies Opposed to Holy Tradition
What is Holy Tradition?
The Spread of the Afro-Asiatic Worldview
The Priestly Divisions
Genesis and the Eucharist
Passing Conversation with Priestess Kaeton

Prophecy/Prophets
The Prophetess Anna
God With Us
God's Word Never Fails
Prophecy in Historical Perspective

Pyramids
The Pyramids of Bosnia
17 Undiscovered Pyramids Seen from Space
Niger Pyramids and Sphinx
More Pyramids in Sudan
Kushan Pyramids in China

Rabbis on Genesis
Rabbi Hirsch on 'The Nations'
Rabbi Kaduri
Rabbi Simon Altaf on the Israelites
Rabbi Simon Altaf on the Black Messiah
Rabbi (St.) Paul on Genesis

Rachel
Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban
Women at a Well
Teraphim: Idols or Ancestor Figurines?
Grasping at Mandrakes

Resurrection
The King is Risen
Christ's Resurrection in Genesis
Of Dung Beetles and Red Herrings
Genesis and the True Meaning of Christmas

Rivers
Swelling of Sun and River Speaks of God

Rulers/Ruling Priests
Women Rulers in Ancient Israel
Ruler-Priests and the Biblical Worldview
Who Were the Horites?

Sarah
Sarah's Story
Sarah's People
Sarah's Laughter

Sacred Center (Biblical Theology)
The Sacred Center in Biblical Theology
Analysis of the Flood Story
Sons Who Stayed Home
Sent-Away Sons

Serpent
Serpent Symbolism
Answers to Questions About the Serpent in Genesis
The Cosmic Serpent Exposed
The Amorites and Serpent Veneration
The Dragon and the Beast of Revelation
What Happened in the Garden?
The Serpent from Africa to India
The Serpent of Eden

The Serpent and the Lion Totems

Theories about the Tree of Life

Seth (Set)
Analysis of the Genesis 4 and 5 King List
The Father of Cain and Seth
Seth's First-born Son
Symbols of Authority Linked to Seth and Cain
Using Animal Totems to Trace Ancestry

Sex
Some Thoughts on Sex
More Questions About Sex
Genesis on Homosex: Beyond Sodom

Sheba
7000 BC Horse Burial Linked to Sheba
Sheba and East African Settlements Linked
The Nigerian Boundary of the Jebu-Sheba-Joktan Confederation

Shem
Lines of Ham and Shem Intermarried
The God of Shem is the God of Ham

Sheol
Sheol and the Second Death

Shrines and Temples
Joseph and the Temple at Heliopolis
Wells and Brides
Daughters of Priests
Women at Wells

Science and Religion
The Problem with Gould's NOMA
Jesuit Astronomer on Science and Religion

Solar Boats and Sun Symbolism
African Religion Predates Hinduism
The Bull Head in Antiquity
Sun and a Tree of Life Among Magyar

Sudan (Part of ancient Kush and the Proto-Saharan territories)
17 Undiscovered Pyramids Seen from Space
3000 B.C. Rock Carvings in Sudan
Twin Pyramids and Sphinx in Zinder

Sun
A Tent for the Sun
Solar Imagery of the Proto-Gospel
The Sun and Moon in Genesis

Tamar
The Biblical Theme of Two Sons
Daughters of Priests
The Religion of Tamar of Timna

Terah
Terah's Nubian Ancestors
Abraham's Annu Ancestors
Was Terah an Idol Worshipper?

Teraphim
The Teraphim: Idols or Ancestor Figurines?
Why Rachel Didn't Trust Laban

Three-clan Confederations
Isaac's Three Sons
The Horite Confederation of Uz, Buz and Huz
Three Clan Confederations to Twelve Clan Confederations
Nigerian Boundary of Sheba, Jebu and Joktan
Og, Gog and Magog

Tower of Babel
The Confusion of Languages

Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge, Fruit-Bearing Trees
The Tree of Life
The Fig Tree in Biblical Symbolism
African Religion Predates Hinduism

Trees in Genesis
The Chiastic Center of Ecclesiasticus

Theories about the Tree of Life

Twins

The Biblical Theme of Two Sons
Cain and Abel Were Twins

Ur

Locating Biblical Ur

Water Systems and Wells
The Jordan River
Water Systems Connected the Nile and Central Africa
When the Sahara Was Wet
Women at Wells
Wells and Brides
The Blessing of Waters
Afro-Asiatic Kingdom Building

Wine
Two Passovers and Two Drunken Fathers
Oldest Wine-Making Equipment
Genesis and the Eucharist
Wine Use in Antiquity

Women in Genesis
Eve's Sin
The Daughters of Priests
Who Was Oholibamah?
Keturah: Wife or Concubine?
Abraham's Canaanite Mother
The Bible as Woman's Study
Mother of Seven Sons
Women at a Well
Survey of Women in Genesis
Sarah's Story
Tamar: Mother of Twins
Response to Fr. Behr's Women Disciples of the Lord

Written Communication in Antiquity
Paleolithic Ostrich Eggshells
Thamudic Scripts
The World's Oldest Books
Canaanite Origins of the Alphabet
The Origins of Written Communication
The Writing of David's Realm

Young Earth Creationism
Stephen M. Barr on Young Earth Creationism
False Assumption #1 of YEC
False Assumption #2 of YEC
False Assumption #3 of YEC
Between Biblical Literalism and Biblical Illiteracy
The Creation Museum

Zipporah
Moses' Two Wives
Zipporah's Flint Knife