REL 340: "Creation in Genesis and the Ancient Near East"

MWF 12:30-1:30

Con 2:30-3:20

Course Description

This course examines the accounts of creation in Genesis and in other ancient Near Eastern literature. Primary texts and iconography will provide the basis for studying the role of creation in the religious life and political systems of Israel and other Near Eastern societies. This study of creation will provide a window through which to better understand Genesis as a whole as well as large portions of the Hebrew Scriptures. Students will pursue independent intersts related to these topics and this research will culminate in a final paper. Prerequisite: An Area B course or permission of instructor. Fall semester, even years. Writing Credit.

[ Goals and Objectives | Textbooks | Books on Reserve | Evaluation | September | October | November | December ]

 

Professor:

Dr. Andy Vaughn

Office: OM 105C

Office telephone: x7475

Home telephone: 625-2797 (before 9PM)

Email: avaughn@gustavus.edu

Office hours: MWF 10:30-11:30; MW 1:30-2:30; AND by appointment

Required Texts:

Clifford, Richard J., Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East and in the Bible. CBQ Monograph Series 26. Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association, 1994.

Hess, Richard A. and David T. Tsumura, I Studied Inscriptions From Before the Flood: Ancient Near Eastern, Literary, and Linguistic Approaches to Genesis 1-11. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1994.

von Rad, Gerhard. Genesis, A Commentary. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1973.

Highly Recommended Book

Meeks, Wayne, ed. The Harper Collins Study Bible (if you already own another NRSV translation, you may use this version; however, you are required to use the NRSV translation in order that we will all have the same text).

Books on Reserve in library:

Commentaries

• Brueggemann, Walter, Genesis
• Driver, S. R. The Book of Genesis
• Gunkel, Hermann, Genesis
• Hamilton, Victor, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17
• Luther, Martin, Luther's commentary on Genesis
• Sarna, Nahum M., The JPS Torah Commentary: The Traditional Hebrew Text With the New JPS Translation
• Skinner, John, A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis
• Speiser, E. A., Genesis. Introd., translation, and notes
• Westermann, Claus, Genesis 1-11 : A Commentary
• Westermann, Claus, Genesis 12-36: A Commentary

General Studies, Monographs, and Collection of Essays

• Anderson, Bernhard W., From Creation to New Creation: Old Testament Perspectives
• Barr, James, The Garden of Eden and the Hope of Immortality
• Batto, Bernard Frank, Slaying the Dragon : Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition
• Bonhoeffer, Deitrich, Creation and fall; a theological interpretation of Genesis 1-3.
• Clifford, Richard J., Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East and In The Bible
• Coote, Robert B. and David Robert Ord, In The beginning : Creation and the Priestly History
• Sarna, Nahum M., Understanding Genesis
• Westermann, Claus, The Genesis Account of Creation

Texts and Translations

• Dalley, Stephanie, Myths from Mesopotamia : Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others
• Matthews, Victor, and Don Benjamin, Old Testament Parallels (on reserve for CUR 140 "Biblical Tradition")
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Bible Dictionaries in the Reference Section of the Library

• A Dictionary of the Bible, by W. R. F. Browing (REFERENCE BS 440.B73 1996)
• Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation, ed. by J. H. Hayes (REFERENCE BS 500.D5 1999)
• Dictionary of the Bible, by J. Hastings (REFERENCE BS 440.H5 1963)
• Mercher Dictionary of the Bible, ed. by W. E. Mills (REFERENCE BS 440.M429 1990)
• The Harper-Collins Bible Dicionary, ed. by P. J. Achtemeier (REFERENCE BS 440.H235 1996)
• Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. by Botterweck and Ringgren (REFERENCE BS 440.B5713)
• The Westminter Dictionary of the Bible, by J. D. Davis (REFERENCE BS 440.D3 1944)

Articles (photocopies on reserve or in collections in the reference section):

• Clifford Geertz, "Religion as a Cultural System," Chapter 4 in The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays by Clifford Geertz (New York: Basic Books, 1973), pp. 88-125 (on reserve)
• Robert Oden, "Myth and Mythology: Mythology," in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 4, pp. 946-956 (REFERENCE BS440 .A54 1992)
• Robert Oden, "Myth and Mythology: Myth in the OT," in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 4, pp. 956-960 (REFERENCE BS440 .A54 1992)

 

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Anticipated Method of Evaluation:

• class participation: 10%
• short, descriptive essays: 25%
• brief essay exams and exegesis papers (take-home): 25%
• final paper (14-20pp.): 40%

Short, descriptive essays (25% of the course grade):

Many of the writing assignments during the beginning of the semester will be very short (1-3 pages). Most of these assignments will serve the goals of 1) helping all of us identify and reflect on the critical issues that are being presented in the assigned readings, and 2) help the student hone his or her writing skills (especially the ablility to provide support for a coherent and focused thesis statement from primary resources. In this process, the student will sumarize the arguments that are being made, but the written response will also move beyond summary into a critical analysis of what the author is saying. The grades will be more heavily weighted on the essays turned in later in the course, and the student may "drop" the 2 lowest grades. The first few short essays will use the following format:

• what is the author saying (what is the main point[s] of the author)
• Why does the author make this argument? (What is the evidence given in the assigned reading for this argument?). This is the stage where the student must incorporate reasons from the assigned readings with primary resources. For example, if the author is making argument that there are two literary sources in the first 3 chapters of Genesis because there is a difference in the style of the various chapter, the student must both identify the stated reason from the assigned reading and also give some examples from the primary sources (in this case, examples from the biblical text of Genesis 1-3). One key here is to give representative examples so that the essay is brief and not overly wordy. The other key is to identify what the important parts of the argument are and show that you understand them through the examples given.
• What do you (the reader) think about the argument being made? How do you evaluate or respond to the argument?
• Why do you come to this conclusion. Again, this is the place where you need to give reasons from both the assigned reading and from the primary sources. In addition, this is also the place where it is appropriate (and helpful) to include presuppositional reasons why you respond to a particular argument in a negative or positive manner. For example, it is important that we all identify our presuppositions for reading the biblical narratives, so it may be very appropriate to state in this section that although you find the arguments for multiple sources in Genesis to be rational, you are opposed to the idea because your faith to this point has presupposed that Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch. Beware that this section should not be a "cop-out," but rather an opportunity to explore your own presuppositions and how they may change.

ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READINGS

Sep. 06 (W): Course description and introductory lecture

• go over syllabus
• Lecture: "What Does it Mean to Study "Creation" in the Old Testament?

08 (F): History of Research on Creation in The Old Testament

• Read Richard Hess, "One Hundred Fifty Years of Comparative Studies on Genesis 1-11: An Overview," in I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 3-26.
• Read Richard Clifford, "The Concept of Creation," in Creation Accounts textbook, pp. 1-10.
• Read Gen 1-3
• Write a one-page essay that describes one critical issue that you identify in the reading assigned for today. Use the format described in the syllabus for short, descriptive essays.

11 (M): Worshop: What is exegesis and what are some of the tools?

• read "exegesis" in the Anchor Bible Dictionary (REFERENCE BS440 .A54 1992)
• reread Gen 1:1-2:4a
• read von Rad, Genesis, pp. 45-67,
• bring a list of 8 important words that you found in reading Gen 1:1-2:4a
• look up 3 of these words in the Bible dictionaries listed above and make a photocopy of the entry for the 3 words that you choose; bring the photocopies to class

13 (W): The Priestly Account of Creation

• read "Male and Female He Created Them," by Phyllis Bird in I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 329-361. Note: this is a scholarly article that uses Hebrew in transliteration. It will thus be difficult and it's long, but do not get too caught up with trying to understand the Hebrew. You will want to skim some of the more detailed sections as it's a long article. Also, all Hebrew words are presented with translations and in latin script, so just try to get the overall sense of the argument. This article will give you good experience in reading scholarly works, and we can go over questions in class.
• read "The Earth in Genesis 1," by David Toshio Tsumura in I Studied Inscription textbook, pp. 310-328. Similar to the Bird article, this article is difficult. However, skip the transliterations of the Akkadian and Ugartic texts and read the translations. I will go over important words in class before you read the article, and we can go over other questions after you read the article.
• read The Enuma Elish Stories, OTP, 9-18; and Dalley, Myths, pp. 228-277
• Read the Hymn to Ptah, OTP, 3-5

15 (F): "'Myth' and Creation in the Old Testament"

• read Robert Oden, "Myth and Mythology: Mythology," in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 4, pp. 946-956 (REFERENCE BS440 .A54 1992)
• read Robert Oden, "Myth and Mythology: Myth in the OT," in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 4, pp. 956-960 (REFERENCE BS440 .A54 1992)
• read handout from class, B. Batto, "Introduction" in Slaying the Dragon: Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition (Louisville: Westminister / John Knox Press, 1992). You are encouraged to purchase this book through a bookcloseouts.com or a similar discount publisher. I did not require the book with the BookMark because you can get it cheaper on the web. It will be useful for your final papers, and it is also on reserve.
• Write a one to two-page essay that defines "myth" using assigned readings for today. Use the format described in the syllabus for short, descriptive essays.

18 (M): The J Account of Creation in Genesis 2-3: a focus on the biblical narrative

• read Genesis 2-3
• outline Genesis 2
• read von Rad, pp. 73-102.
• make a list of the important words or themes that you find in the text, and we'll divide the words in class for Wednesday's assignment.

20 (W): The J Account of Creation in Genesis 2-3: a focus on the biblical narrative

• look up the words or ideas that you were assigned Monday in class in the Bible dictionaries listed above and make a photocopy of the entry for the 3 words that you choose; bring the photocopies to class. Also, look up the words in a concordance using the Strong's numbers and bring a photocopy of those findings to class.
• read "Genesis 2:4b-3:24: A Synchronic Approach," by Jerome T. Walsh in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 362-382. Make notes on his major points, and bring these notes to class.
• read "Genesis 2-3: The Theme of Intimacy and Alienation," by Alan Jon Hauser in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 383-398. Write a one-page essay that summarizes Hauser's main point and your reaction to it. Use the format described in the syllabus for short, descriptive essays.

22 (F): Developing an exegesis paper: a workship on methods and tools

• develop a focused thesis statement for a brief exegetical paper (preferably 3 pages but no more than 4 pages)
• read relevant portions of at least 3 commentaries on reserve for information related to your topic. Use the Westermann commentary plus at least any 2 other commentaries. Make photocopies of information that you find especially helpful.
• prepare word studies or look up themes in the dictionaries used above for information that you find helpful for your thesis.
• type your focused thesis statement and make copies for everyone in the class. Along with your thesis statement, include a typed handout a list of data listed above that you plan to use as you write a short paper to prove your thesis.
• We will go over how to use web-based search engines in class.

 

25 (M): Sumerian Creation Texts

• read Clifford, Creation Accounts, pp. 13-53. Make a list of how creation takes place in the different texts-- bring specific examples to class
• work on your exegesis paper

27 (W): Lecture on Genesis 2-3 (and catch-up of various themes)

• no homework assignment-- work on your exegetical paper

29 (F): Short exegetical paper due and introductory lecture on Gilgamesh, Atrahasis, and Enuma Elish

• short exgetical paper due at the beginning of the class hour. The paper (typed in 12 point with normal one-inch margins) should be about 3-4 pages but no more than 5 pages.
• no other assignments-- the professor introduce the above epics and myths to facilitate the discussion next week.

Oct. 01 (Su): Dinner at Professor's house in Mankato

• no formal assignment, but think about final paper topics and we will discuss them either during or after dinner. Have at least an idea of what you are thinking about for your final paper.

Oct. 02 (M): Sumerian Creation Texts

• read "Eridu, Dunnu, and Babel: A Study in Comparative Mythology," by Patrick D. Miller, in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 143-168. Make notes and bring them to class.
• read "The Eridu Genesis," by Thorkild Jacobsen in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 383-398. Write a two-page essay that summarizes Jacobsen's main point(s) and your reaction to it (them). Use the format described in the syllabus for short, descriptive essays.

03 (W): Nobel Conference

05 (F): Gilgamesh

• read Gilgamesh in OTP, pp. 19-30; and Dalley, Myths, pp. 39-153.
• read, T. Jacobsen, "Second Millennium Metaphors. 'And Death the Journey's End': The Gilgamesh Epic." Chapter 7 in Treasures of Darkness (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1976), pp. 195-219.
• make a list of ways that you see Gilgamesh parallel being used in Genesis 2-9

09 (M): Atrahasis and Enuma Elish

• read, "A New Babylonian 'Genesis' Story," by A. R. Millard, in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 114-128.
• read, Clifford, Creation Accounts, pp. 54-98
• reread Atrahasis and the Enuma Elish in Dalley, Myths

10 (Tu): Lecture by Ann Killebrew on Archaeology and Politics in Israel (this is not required, but it is an interesting lecture on a related subject

11 (W): The themes of J in Genesis 2-9

• reread J portions of Genesis 2-9 and focus especially on the J portion in Genesis 6-9 (the J portions are as follows: 2:4b-4:26; 6:1-8; 7:1-5, 7, 10, 12, 16b, 17b, 22, 23a, 23c; 8:2b, 3a, 6-12, 13b, 20-22; 9:18-27)
• think about what message the J text is presenting and how the creation parallels that we have studied can be seen in the J narrative (for the time being, try to focus just on the J narrative)
• read von Rad, Genesis, pp. 113-124, paying special attention to the function of the J narrative
• make a list of ways that you see the J narratives in Genesis chapter 2-9 paralleling Atrahasis, Enuma Elish, Adapa, and the other creation texts that we have studied. It would be helpful to note whether you think any of the Sumerian parallels can be found in the J narrative, and if so whether the Eridu tradition or the Nippur tradition is most evident. (Note: you may want to look at Batto, Slaying the Dragon (on reserve), chapter 2, for his treatment of these connections)
• Our discussion in class will focus on the ways in which the J narrative is presenting a creation account (including the flood story) that is similar yet unique from the Mesopotamian traditions. We will want to focus on Batto's understanding of mythopoeism or "myth-making"-- that is, we want to focus on how the J writer is taking old myths or mythical traditions and reworking them into a new narrative. As you think about J's account as unique, think about how it functions within the 10th century as propaganda for the united monarchy under Solomon. That is, how are the adaptations and changes to the Mesopotamian creation myths helpful for the Judean monarchy under Solomon?

13 (F):The J and P flood storys

• reread the P portions of Genesis 1-9 (the P portions are as follows: 1-2:4a; 5:1-32; 6:9-22; 7:11, 13-16a, 17a, 18-21, 24; 8:1-2a, 3b-5, 14-19; 9:1-17, 28-29)
• think about what message the P text is presenting and how the creation parallels that we have studied can be seen in the J narrative (for the time being, try to focus just on the P narrative)
• read von Rad, Genesis, pp. 125-130
• make a list of ways that you see tbe P narratives in Genesis chapter 1-9 paralleling Atrahasis, Enuma Elish, Adapa, and the other creation texts that we have studied. It would be helpful to note whether you think any of the Sumerian parallels can be found in the P narrative, and if so whether the Eridu tradition or the Nippur tradition is most evident. (Note: you may want to look at Batto, Slaying the Dragon (on reserve), chapter 3, for his treatment of these connections)
• Our discussion in class will focus on the ways in which the P narrative is presenting a creation account (including the flood story) that is similar yet unique from the Mesopotamian traditions. We will want to focus on Batto's understanding of mythopoeism or "myth-making"-- that is, we want to focus on how the P writer is taking old myths or mythical traditions and reworking them into a new narrative. As you think about P's account as unique, think about how it functions within the exilic period as propaganda. That is, how are the adaptations and changes to the Mesopotamian creation myths helpful for the Judean exiles in Babylon?

16 (M): recap: summary of the course so far in preparation for the take-home exam

• read "Genesis and Ancient Near Eastern Stories of Creation and Flood: An Introduction," by David Toshio Tsumura in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 27-57.
• read "The Origins of Civilization According to Biblical and Cuneiform Texts," by G. Castellino in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 75-95.
• read "A New Look at the Babylonian Background of Genesis," by W. G. Lambert in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 96-113.

18 (W): take-home essay exam due at the beginning of class

20 (F): Reading Break: no class

23 (M): Reading Break: no class

25 (W): The Tower of Babel Story (Gen 11:1-9)

• read "'The Babel of Tongues': A Sumerian Version," by Samuel Noah Kramer in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 278-282.
• read Genesis 11:1-9
• glance over Gilgamesh and make note of any parallels with the Tower of Babel story

27 (F): Examination of the J narratives in Genesis 12-24

• read Genesis chapters 12-24; focus on the J texts (see handout)
• read von Rad, 152-163
• look for ways in which Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Lot, and other figures in the story try to establish themselves without trusting in God/ Yahweh; look at what happens in the narrative after these instances
• look for ways in which Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Lot, and other figures in the story trust completely in God; look at what happens in the narratives immediately after these instances

30 (M): Ugaritic and Phonecian accounts of creation

• exegesis paper due (3-4 pages; no more than 5 pages) at the beginning of class; students may pick any passage from Gen 6-9 or Gen 11:1-9
• no other assignment today; professor will lecture on Ugaritic and Phonecian account of creation

Nov. 01 (W): The Redacted, Final Form of Genesis 1-11

• read "Theme in Genesis 1-11," by D. J. A. Clines in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 285-309.
• read "From Analysis to Synthesis: The Interpretation of Genesis 1-11," by Bernhard W. Anderson, in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 416-435.
• reread Genesis 1-11 and think about how the story changes when J and P are placed next to each other

03 (F): The Genealogies in the P narratives of Genesis

• read "King Lists of the Old Babylonian Period and Biblical Genealogies," by Abraham Malamat in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 183-199.
• read "The Old Testament Genealogies in Recent Research," in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 200-223.
• read the P portions of Genesis 1-24 (see handout)

06 (M): Examination of the E narratives in Gen 12-24

• read, von Rad, ____
• read the E narratives in Gen 12-24
• Think about how these narratives are different from the J narratives in this same set of chapters. Look at both thematic differences and differences in the length of the narratives and the style
• What themes are similar with themes that we found in the J narratives?

08 (W): The Jacob Cycle

• read Genesis 25:19 through Genesis chapter 35
• read von Rad, Genesis, pp. 282-287; 329-335
• make note of how the story is different in J, E, and P (see handout for a list of the texts)

10 (F): The Joseph Cycle

• read Genesis 37-50 (you may skip Genesis 49)
• look at the lists for the J and E texts in these chapters; how has the number of texts associated with E changed from the earlier part of Genesis that we have studied?
• read von Rad, pp. 348-368; 428-433

13 (M): catch-up day and review for take-home essay

• think about ways in which the final form of Genesis can function as a story of creation that extends into the Ancestral Narratives

15 (W): take-home exam essay due today (no class)

• take-home exam due by 2:30 to my secretary, Linda Elvee, (Old Main, 3rd floor)
• no class today-- work on paper proposals after you hand in your take-home exam

17 (F): no class- work on your paper proposals

20 (M): no class- work on your paper proposals

22 (W): submit paper proposal (at least a thesis statement, outline, and bibliography) and go over bibliography with professor (required individual meetings from 10:30-3:00)

• 10:30:________________
• 10:50:________________
• 11:10:________________
• 11:30:________________
• 12:30:________________
• 12:50:________________
• 1:10:_________________
• 1:30:_________________
• 1:50:_________________

24 (F): Thanksgiving Break

27 (M): Putting it all together: the J narratives as "national myth" in Genesis

• Read "The 'Tower of Babel' as a Clue to the Redactional Structuring of the Primeval History (Genesis 1:1 - 11:9)," by Jack M. Sasson, in the I Studied Inscriptions textbook, pp. 448-457.
• Read "The Yahwist's Primeval Myth," by B. Batto (Chapter 2, pp. 41-72, in Slaying the Dragon: Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition; a book on reserve).
• Write a two-page essay that summarizes Batto's main point(s) and your reaction to it (them). Use the format described in the syllabus for short, descriptive essays.

29 (W): Putting it all together: the P narratives as "national myth" in Genesis

• Read "The Priestly Revision of the Creation Myth," by B. Batto (Chapter 3, pp. 73-101), in Slaying the Dragon: Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition; a book on reserve).
• Write a two-page essay that summarizes Batto's main point(s) and your reaction to it (them). Use the format described in the syllabus for short, descriptive essays. This assignment will be "optional" (it will be an option for those who need to improve their grade on these essays).

Dec. 01 (F): Putting it all together: the transformation of the final form of Genesis by the combination of sources

• assignments TBD.

 

04 (M): student presentations and responses (preliminary / abbreviated draft of paper due with your presentation)

06 (W): student presentations and responses (preliminary / abbreviated draft of paper due with your presentation)

08 (F): student presentations and responses (preliminary / abbreviated draft of paper due with your presentation)

11 (M): History and Myth: a comparison of different ways of reading the OT and doing OT theology

13 (W): make-up day

 

Exam period: Final Paper (40%)

• time and date set by the registrar: the date and time is Friday, Dec. 15th. at 1:00PM
• turn paper in at the professor's office (Old Main 105C)