Identifying Strands of the Genesis Narratives

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Genesis is a complex and layered text. Shalom Ratgeizer, an Israeli Bible scholar, notes, “The texts were written by different authors in different times and places in and outside Eretz Israel and were meant for different audiences. The literary styles, languages, and theological ideas are different and at times contradict each other.”

The older material in Genesis pertains to the earliest biblical populations and to the antecedents of the Messianic Faith among Abraham's Hebrew ancestors. Over these older layers are glosses and anachronisms that reflect at least two later sources: the Deuteronomist Historian, and the later hands of Jewish writers. The Deuteronomist writes from the context of the Neo-Babylonian Period, c.700-300 BC, about 1500 years after the time of Abraham. The Jewish insertions reflect even later periods. They date from around 400 B.C. to 200 A.D. The different sources are detected by the contextual incongruities and unraveling the interwoven elements is necessary if we hope to understand the Book of Genesis.

Understanding also requires attention to the anthropologically significant data that highlight contextual incongruities. Consider a Native American chief with a fleet of birch wood canoes controlling trade between villages on the Mississippi in 1720. Fast forward a mere 200 years to 1920 when a river magnate controls commerce on the same river with his fleet of riveted steel ships. Same river, very different cultural contexts.

The cultural contexts of the biblical persons in Genesis 4-12 were as distantly in the past for First Century Jews as they are to most readers today. Adam and Eve lived around 5000-4800 B.C. in a vast well-watered region called Eden. Nimrod, one of their descendants, left Kush (East Africa) and became a city builder in Southern Mesopotamia around 3500 B.C. (Gen. 10). Abraham the Hebrew was one of his descendants.

Abraham's territory extended between Hebron and Beersheba. He also had control of the wells that he dug in Gerar around 2000 B.C. To understand biblical history, we must grapple with the shifts in temporal, spatial, and cultural contexts, and the best disciplines to apply in this effort are cultural anthropology, archaeology, DNA studies, and linguistics.

Critical reading can prevent imposing a presumed or denominational interpretation on the text. The richness of the Genesis narratives is found by tracing the layers and listening for the subordinated voices. Often those are the voices of women.

Discerning the Antecedents

Biblical anthropology asks about antecedents. It explores what comes before what is described in the text. What events preceded the events recounted? It seeks to understand the cultural context of the earliest persons named in Genesis: Adam, Eve, Cain and Seth, etc. It is concerned with ancestors and received traditions. From what earlier context did certain practices develop? What traces of ancient memory can be uncovered?

The biblical text always speaks of something older, some prior action that solicits a response from later generations. The later generations are enjoined to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is a thick cultural web surrounding the God of the early biblical Hebrew.

That context is not apparent to the casual reader because it is hidden behind layers of Jewish midrash, denominational interpretations, theological typologies and mythological motifs. The motifs of the tree of life and the serpent are found in many of the world's religions. They are clues as to the lush riverine contexts of the early Hebrew who believed that a woman of their ruler-priest caste would bring forth the Son/Seed of God who would crush the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15). God’s adversary bruises the foot of the Woman’s Son, but the Son crushes his head. That expectation was expressed around 4000 years ago and recorded in Utterance 388 of The Ancient Pyramid Texts: "Horus has shattered (crushed) the mouth of the serpent with the sole of his foot".

Similar references are found in the later Vedic texts. "The Ancient Man danced on the serpent, who still spewed poison from his eyes and hissed loudly in his anger, and he trampled down with his feet whatever head the serpent raised, subduing him calmly as if he were being worshipped with flowers. Kaliya, his umbrella of hoods shattered by the gay dance of death, his limbs broken, vomiting blood copiously from his mouths, remembered the Guru of all who move and are still, the Ancient Man, Narayana, and he surrendered to him in his heart." (Srimad Bhagavatam 10:6, from Andrew Wilson, Ed. World Scriptures, p. 449.) The early Hebrew were a priest caste that believed in God Father and God Son. The Son of God was called HR which means Most High One in ancient Egyptian. The Greeks referred to HR as Horus. In Ancient Egyptian Re means "father."

In the Ancient Pyramid Texts, a priest prays for the King, saying, "Horus is a soul and he recognizes his Father in you..." (Utterance 423)

In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Horus is called the "advocate of his Father" (cf. 1 John 2:1), and all the gods are said to be "in the train of Horus." Here we find the language of a royal procession such as this: "When He ascended on high, He led captives in his train, and gave gifts to men.” (Eph. 4:8).

Biblical anthropology insists that the texts be read objectively and with an eye to extracting data that helps us to understand the earlier contexts. The mythological Adam and Eve are posed as the first parents (apical ancestors). This is consistent with many African origin stories. Among the Gikuyu, the first man and women were called Gikuyu and Mumbi. However, these are not the first humans on earth, but the founders of the Gikuyu people. Likewise, Adam and Eve are the founders of the clans that come to be identified as Horite and Sethite Hebrew. These were Abraham's ancestors.

Abraham is the father of many peoples, an icon of faith, and a "sent away son" to whom God delivered a territory in ancient Edom. The sending away of non-ascendant sons is a feature of the marriage and ascendancy pattern of the biblical Hebrew. That feature drove the Hebrew dispersion out of Africa and the spread of the primitive Messianic Faith that came to be known as "Christianity".

Related reading: The Substance of Abraham's Faith; Three Portraits of Adam; The Hebrew were a Caste; Horite and Sethite Mounds; What Abraham Discovered on Mt. Moriah; The Hebrew Selection of Marriage Partners

The Ram of God has been Provided

 

Connecting the Genesis 10 data with the Genesis 11 data.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The beliefs of the early Hebrew concerning the Son of God are reflected in their solar symbolism. They pictured the Son of God rising with the sun as a lamb and setting in the west as a ram. As they ascended Mount Moriah, Isaac asked his father "where is the lamb" for the sacrifice? Abraham replied that God would provide the lamb, but God provided a ram instead.

The Son of God often was shown riding with the Father on the celestial Sun boat. The boat of the morning hours was called Mandjet and the boat of the evening hours was called Mesektet. While the Son was on the Mandjet, he was depicted as a lamb. While on the Mesektet, he was a ram. Abraham would have understood the message of the ram provided by God on Mount Moriah, and he believed the promise, and believing, he was justified. We if don’t get hung up on chronological time, which does not pertain to God, we will see that the ground for justification is the same for all people throughout all human existence. 

The Son of God was called the “Lamb” in his weaker (kenotic) state, and he was called the “Ram” in his glorified state. The solar arc spoke of the Son’s death and resurrection. It spoke of a future Righteous Ruler who would overcome death and lead his people to immortality. This is what Jesus meant when he told the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it and was glad." (John 8:56)

The Genesis data shown in the diagram above reveals that Abraham was a descendant of both Ham and Shem because their lines intermarried. This is an example of caste endogamy. The Hebrew were a caste of ruler-priests. They were organized into 2 ritual groups (moieties): the Horite Hebrew and the Sethite Hebrew. A great deal is known about both groups from texts and prayers that they wrote on the walls of royal tombs in the Nile Valley. Those have been translated and collected in a volume titled “Ancient Pyramid Texts”. Some of the prayers date as early as 6200 years ago. Most date to around 4200 years ago, closer to the time of Abraham.

It is clear in The Ancient Pyramid Texts that the Horites and the Sethites maintained separate settlements. Utterance 308 addresses them as separate: "Hail to you, Horus in the Horite Mounds! Hail to you, Horus in the Sethite Mounds!"

Though separate groups or moieties, the Horite and Sethite Hebrew shared common religious practices and beliefs. They worshiped the same God whose symbol was the Sun, and they served the same king. However, the Horite temples and shrines were more prestigious. Utterance 470 strikes a contrast between the Horite and Sethite mounds and designates the Horite mounds as "the High Mounds."

Figures relating to both Seth and Horus have been found at Nekhen on the Nile, the oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship (4000 B.C.). This figurine of Seth as a red man with the head of a hippo was found at Nekhen. A gold figure of HR (Horus in Greek) as a falcon was also found at Nekhen. The hippo was the totem of the Sethite Hebrew, and the golden falcon was the totem of the Horite Hebrew.

Among the early Hebrew green malachite was associated with HR and represented new life and the hope of resurrection. The Egyptian Book of the Dead speaks of how the deceased will become a falcon "whose wings are of green stone" (chapter 77). The Ancient Pyramid Texts speak of Horus as the "Lord of the green stone" (Utterance 301) and the land of the blessed dead was described as the "field of malachite."

Note that these prayers are written in hope that the buried king might rise to new life. In his resurrection body he is to restore his settlements and cities, and open the door to the Westerners, Easterners, Northerners and Southerners (Pt Utterance 587). He is to rule over the peoples, restore the former state of blessedness, and unite heaven and earth. The early Messianic expectation was expressed in Utterance 388 of The Pyramid Texts: "Horus has shattered the mouth of the serpent with the sole of his foot". In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, HR is called the "advocate of his father" (cf. 1 John 2: 1).

When seen from this perspective, the early Hebrew religion appears to be the foundation of the Messianic hope that is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, a direct descendant of the Hebrew ruler-priests.

The New Testament speaks about Jesus as the firstborn from the grave and by his resurrection He delivers to the Father a "peculiar people." He leads us to the Father where we receive heavenly recognition because we belong to Him. Here we find the language of a royal procession: "When He ascended on high, He led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” 

Paul continues in Ephesians 4:8-10.

What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the depths of the earth? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.

A Horite Hebrew song found at the royal complex at Ugarit, speaks of the Son's descent to the place of the dead "to announce good tidings." The text reads: Hr ešeni timerri duri - "Horus below in the dark netherworld" and has the phrase Šanizzin ḫalukan ḫalzi - "to announce good tidings." (See Note 2 on page 2012.)

The early Hebrew expected the Righteous Ruler to rise on the third day. Utterance 667 says: "Oh Horus, this hour of the morning, of this third day is come, when thou surely passeth on to heaven, together with the stars, the imperishable stars."

Heavenly recognition for the early Hebrew was never an individual prospect. Heavenly recognition came to the people through the righteousness of the ruler-priest. Some early Hebrew rulers took this seriously and the worst were so earthy minded that they shed much blood enlarging their territories. All failed to be the Ruler-Priest who rose from the dead. None had the power to deliver captives from the grave and to lead them to the Father in heaven (Ps. 68:18; Ps. 7:7; Eph. 4:8). That would be fulfilled by Jesus, the Son of God, and this was revealed to Abraham on Mount Moriah.

Related reading: The Hebrew Were a Caste; What Abraham Discovered on Mount Moriah; The Faith of the Early Hebrew Delivered to Us; The Religious Symbolism of Green Malachite; Competition Between the Horites and the Sethites

Where the Messianic Narrative Gets Lost

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, provides the data shown in the diagram. The science of Biblical Anthropology draws its data from the 66 canonical books of the Bible and regards books such as Jasher to be of secondary importance because of their late dates. Jasher (Sefer haYashar) belongs to the Jewish literature known as Midrash and dates to the Middle Ages. Such late rabbinic writings reflect the theology and historical narrative of Judaism which did not exist when Abraham and his ancestors lived. The people shown in the diagram above were all Hebrew. None were Jewish.

Abraham's father was Tera (Terah). The word means "priest", and it is found among Abraham's Hebrew ancestors, some of whom lived in the Nile Valley. The word is found among the rulers of the Nilotic Anu. The title "Tera-netjer" is shown on this tile found by the famous archaeologist Flinders Petrie. Tera-netjer means "priest of God/King".

A Sethite Hebrew priest at a temple of the ruler Heth among the cities of the Nilotic Anu.

Among the Nilotic Luo, Ja'ter refers to the priest who performs the widow cleansing rituals. Among the Dinka of East Africa, the word for priest is tier. The root of these words is TR, the same as appears in the original Hebrew which had no vowels.

In Joshua 24:2 we read: "In olden times, your forefathers – Terah, father of Abraham and father of Nahor – lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods...". 

Because of this, many assume that Abraham was the first of his family to turn from idol worship to iconoclastic monotheism. However, all of the men named in the diagram above worshipped the same God. They were a priest caste, and castes are united in their religion as well as by blood and marriage ties. 

The Joshua passage also is from a much latter time than the persons about which it speaks. The Joshua narrative rejects the model of monarchic and priestly power held among the early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC). That model defines Messiah's authority. This shift causes readers of the Old Testament to lose sight of the continuity between the Messianic expectation of Abraham's Hebrew ancestors and the later Messianic prophesies of the Old Testament. 

Abraham had 9 sons and all were Hebrew because the Hebrew ruler-priest caste practiced endogamy. Abraham lived c. 1500 years before Judaism emerged as a world religion. He lived c. 2200 years before Islam emerged. This is nonsense: "Abraham’s sons were the ancestors to the lineages from which Judaism and Islam emerged. Isaac, son of Sarah, is forebear of the Jewish people, while Ishmael, son of Hagar, is the ancestor of the Arab people and Prophet Muhammad, anchoring Islamic tradition."

Islam has nothing in common with the faith of Abraham the Hebrew. On the other hand, the Messianic faith that we call "Christianity" is consistent in its core beliefs with the religion of the early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC). See this: The Substance of Abraham's Faith and this: Abraham's Faith Lives in Christianity.

Related reading: Abraham was a Descendant of Nimrod; Why So Many Names For God?; The Hebrew were a Caste; Ancient Words for Priests; Judaism is Not the Faith of Abraham; Jesus and the Horus Narrative

Trees as Boundary Markers

 

Alice C. Linsley

Trees served as boundary markers for the ancient Hebrew. According to Scripture, terebinth trees marked the northern and southern boundaries of Abraham's territory between Hebron and Beersheba. Sarah, Abraham's half-sister wife, resided in Hebron, and Abraham's cousin-wife resided in Beersheba. The wives' settlements marked the northern and southern boundaries of Abraham's territory in ancient Edom.

Hebron and Beersheba are in Idumea (Edom), the land of red people. 

The Horite Hebrew rulers of Edom are listed in Genesis 36. Abraham's territory was entirely in the region of Edom. It extended on a north-south axis between Hebron and Beersheba and on an east-west axis between Ein Gedi and Gerar. This region was called Idumea by the Greeks which means "land of red people."

One of the rulers of Edom was Seir the Horite. He was a contemporary of Esau the Elder. He married Adah. Esau the Younger is described as red and hairy. He married Oholibamah. Job was of the Horite Hebrew clan of Uz. Uz was a son of Dishan.

After offering Isaac at Mount Moriah, Abraham apparently did not return to Hebron. He spent his last years in Beersheba with Keturah (Genesis 22:19). There he had built an altar and planted a terebinth. A terebinth marked the northern end of Abraham's territory (Gen. 12:6) and after Abraham formed a treaty with Abimelech, he planted a terebinth at the southern end of his territory (Gen. 21:22-34).

People often were buried under oaks and terebinths (Gen. 35:8; 1 Chron. 10:12). This helped to ensure that the boundaries were observed since people stayed away from burial grounds, fearing the spirits of the dead.

Related reading: Edom and the Horite Hebrew; Trees of the Bible; The Trees of Prophets

A Living Faith Justifies

Dr. Alice C. Linsley


What is the difference between a living faith and a dead faith? A faith that works by which we are justified, according to Scripture, hangs on the God-Man Jesus Christ. This is why it is essential to get Christology (the study of Christ) right.

James and Paul approach this central truth, but from different angles. Both refer to the Mount Moriah narrative to present the relationship of faith and works. We are challenged to consider the relationship of faith and works not as either-or, but instead as both-and. For Christ followers, faith and works point to consideration of more complex matters including grace, justification, and eternal life.

The story of Abraham on Mount Moriah illustrates how both-and reasoning expands our consideration of the faith-works relationship. The narrative speaks of Abraham’s obedience to God, divine revelation, human understanding, righteousness, absolute grace, and justification.

James explains in 2:21-24

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Paul explains in Romans 4:2-3

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”.

In Judaism, the Mount Moriah story is called “Akedah” (ah-kay-DAH), or “The Binding of Isaac”. This powerful narrative has been interpreted differently by Jews and Christians. For Jews, who regard Abraham as the first Jew, the story speaks of Abraham’s absolute obedience. For Christians, the narrative has Messianic meaning, and indeed, the Christian interpretation is closer to what the early Hebrew believed concerning the High God who has a son. 

Among the early Hebrew the High God was known by various names depending on where they lived. Some Hebrew clans called the High God El, or Yahweh, or Adonai. Some called the High God Re, which means “father” in ancient Egyptian. The Hebrew who lived along the Nile called the son of the High God HR, which in ancient Egyptian means “Most High One”. The Greeks referred to HR as Horus. The Hebrew were devotees of the Father and the Son. Their prayers and writings have been collected from the walls of royal monuments and tombs and translated to English. They can be read in the Pyramid Texts (2400-2000 BC).

Abraham lived around 2000 BC so the beliefs of the Horite and Sethite Hebrew were familiar to him. According to Genesis 10, some of Abraham’s ancestors, such as Nimrod, came from the Nile Valley. The earliest known site of Horite Hebrew worship is at Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) on the Nile (c. 4000 BC). Genesis 36 lists some of the Horite Hebrew rulers, including Seir the Horite, Zibeon, Esau, Dishan, and Uz. Job was of the Hebrew clan of Uz.

In the symbolism of the early Hebrew the Divine Father-Son were represented by the Sun and the solar arc. HR often was shown riding on the solar boat. Some images show HR as a falcon perched on the mast of the boat.

HR as a falcon perched on the mast of Re’s solar boat.

Among the early Hebrew, the boat of the morning hours was called Mandjet and the boat of the evening hours was called Mesektet. While HR was on the Mesektet, he was in his ram-headed form. HR rose as a lamb and set as a ram, mature in strength. The east represented the past and the west represented the future, as with many indigenous peoples even today.

As Abraham and Isaac ascended Mount Moriah, Isaac asked his father, "Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied that God would provide the sacrifice. The climax of the story is the divine provision of a ram rather than a lamb. It appears that Abraham discovered that God the Father would provide his own Son in the future. Abraham believed that promise and he was declared justified. All are justified on the same basis: belief that God provides the Son for our salvation. (See Matt. 16:15-16; Rom. 10:9-10; Jn, 20:31, 1 Jn 5:13.)

The Mount Moriah event is best understood according to the early Hebrew beliefs concerning the expected Righteous Ruler who would die and overcome death. They expected him to rise on the third day and to lead his people to eternal life. Paul uses this royal procession language in Ephesians 4:8. “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (See also Ps. 68:18; Ps. 7:7.)

Horus is the single figure shown in ancient iconography with the body of a man and the head of a ram. There is an interesting linguistic connection between the words for ram and soul in the ancient Egyptian language. Both are the same word - ba. No wonder the Egyptians did not sacrifice rams! (Consider Gen. 46:32.) Yet on Mount Moriah God provided a ram. The faith of the early Hebrew is rooted in a Messianic Tradition that existed at least 1200 years before Egypt became a political entity.

Related reading: Abraham's Faith Lives in Christianity; The Hebrew were a Caste; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Horite and Sethite Mounds; Righteous Rulers and the Resurrection; What Abraham Discovered on Mount Moriah; Why Nekhen is Anthropologically Significant