Genesis

The magnificent beginning of the Bible tells the story of the creation of the universe through the cataclysmic flood.  These stories have been told and retold for thousands of years.  Today the challenge is understanding the way those timeless tales speak to our modern understanding of history and science. The rest of Genesis is the “history” of those who came to understand one God.  Abraham, his faith and struggle, is the story of everyone.  Although these tales are thought to have originated as folklore and then recorded and edited for centuries, they speak to our hearts today. Abraham’s descendants’ adventures in the land we know as the Middle East and trials in Egypt inform us regarding the beliefs of our Jewish neighbors. These stories were part of Jesus’ childhood as they are today part of ours. Pursue this study to understand more about the way these stories were recorded and included in scripture and to explore your own faith journey and access to the Bible.

Meet Our Professors

Prof. Joel Baden, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale Divinity School, is a specialist in the Pentateuch, Biblical Hebrew, and disability theory in biblical studies. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and books on individual pentateuchal texts, critical methodology, and Biblical Hebrew. Future projects include commentaries on Deuteronomy and Exodus. He holds degrees in Judaic Studies (BA, Yale), Semitic Languages (MA, University of Chicago), and Hebrew Bible (PhD, Harvard).

John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School, is a native of Ireland and was a professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Chicago from 1991 until his arrival at YDS in 2000. He previously taught at the University of Notre Dame. He has published widely on the subjects of apocalypticism, wisdom, Hellenistic Judaism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has participated in the editing of the Dead Sea Scrolls and is general editor of the Yale Anchor Bible series. He holds degrees from University College Dublin (BA, MA, and an honorary D.Litt.) and Harvard University (PhD).


Genesis Videos