Introduction to Genesis
Every story has a beginning; and this story, the greatest story ever
told, begins in the beginning—the beginning of time, when the earth was
dark and without form, when God first turned on the lights and created
everything. The Book of Genesis records this story and shows that God
not only creates but also provides and nurtures. Despite humanity’s
tendency to reject God, God endeavors to be in community with us.The Book of Genesis takes us from Adam and Eve, with their sin and banishment from the Garden of Eden, to Cain and Abel, to Noah and the great flood. It tells us the stories of Abraham; Isaac; and Jacob, whom God renames Israel. We learn about Joseph, one of Israel’s twelve sons, who is sold to Egyptian traders by his brothers, only to become an Egyptian government official. His family moves with him to Egypt; but over the course of a few hundred years, the Israelites become enslaved there. The next book, the Book of Exodus, opens during the Israelite captivity.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are referred to as the Mosaic Books, or the Books of Moses. We do not know for sure who authored Genesis. It is commonly thought that Moses wrote it. While he was leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and establishing their legal and justice systems, Moses could have collected and compiled these stories (up until then passed through the generations by word of mouth) into a single, written work.
Learn More:
> Introduction to the Old Testament
> Introduction to the Law
