The Hebrew Bible (Ta'Nakh)

Questions for Study and Discussion

Genesis and Exodus

1) Compare the two creation myths in Genesis.  What could account for the two versions?  Do they tell different stories?

1) Analyze the covenant that God makes with Abram and renews with his descendants (see Genesis 12:2, 7, 15:5, 18-21; 17:2, 4-14 as well as later passages).  What exactly is a covenant, and what is its relevance in the biblical account?

3) The move from the antediluvian world (chs. 1-11) to the postdiluvian world (chs. 12-50) is a move from primeval history to patriarchal history, from a mythical account of the world to an historical account.  Compare the world before and after the flood using these parameters.

4) The first part of Genesis contains the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the Sons of God and the daughters of men, Noah and the Flood, and the Tower of Babel.  What links these stories formally and thematically?  Can you find a common narrative thread?  The second part, on the other hand, recounts the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  What do these stories have in common?  How do they differ from the stories in the first part?

5) In your opinion, what is the function of the genealogical lists?

6) How does the question of morality/ethics come into play in the Hebrew Bible?  Consider the questions of good and evil, human nature and free will.

7) The biblical account contains many troubling aspects for a feminist analysis (such as Eve's role as temptress and the existence of a number of "sister-wife" contracts).  Approach your study of the text from a feminist perspective.  What is the role of women in the Hebrew Bible?  How are women depicted?  Are we in a wholly patriarchal world or not?

8) Faith is a central issue in Exodus.  How does the drama of faith unfold in Exodus?  Give specific examples in which faith is at stake and explain the larger significance of these incidents.