Genesis: Procreation and the Politics of Identity (Old Testament Readings)

Combining insights from social and literary theory as well as traditional historical studies, Mark Brett argues that the first book of the Bible can be read as resistance literature. Placing the theological text firmly within its socio-political context, he shows that the editors of Genesis were directly engaged with contemporary issues, especially the nature of an authentic community, and that the book was designed to undermine the ethnocentism of the imperial governors of the Persian period (fifth century BCE). Combining insights from social and literary theory with a firm grasp of traditional historical studies, Brett argues that the Book of Genesis can be read as resistance literature. In Brett's illuminating analysis, stories such as the marriages of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as well as the narratives of Hagar, Dinah and Tamar reveal that the editors of Genesis were directly engaged with contemporary issues -- especially the nature of an authentic community. The book was designed to undermine the ethnocentrism of the imperial governors of the Persian period. BOOK COVER......Page 1 TITLE......Page 4 COPYRIGHT......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 10 INTRODUCTION......Page 12 1 GENESIS 1–11......Page 35 2 GENESIS 12–25......Page 60 3 GENESIS 26–36......Page 97 4 GENESIS 37–50......Page 120 5 WHOSE GENESIS? WHICH ORTHODOXY?......Page 148 NOTES......Page 158 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 166 GENERAL INDEX......Page 174 SCRIPTURE INDEX......Page 177 This book presents a unique approach to Ezra-Nehemiah in the combination of two approaches - the literary and the historical. It challenges commonly held assumptions not from radical theory, but from careful attention to the text itself Mark Brett places the first book of the Bible firmly within its sociopolitical context. He argues that it can be read as resistance literature and that the editors of Genesis^ were directly engaged with contemporary issues. This reader combines theoretical perspectives with historical studies in an accessible way. It draws on the politics of identity and places the theological text within a socio-political context In the context of protracted violence between the European churches of the seventeenth century, there were good reasons for a flight from religious claims to authority (Stout 1981). When the world began, there was earth and water, undifferentiated and lifeless. Content Description #includes Bibliographical References And Index.