the main Central Park Church of Christ page. centralparkchurchofchrist.org

Genesis Study Index Page

Bible Study, Genesis, "The Five W's"

Produced by TheMediaDesk, ©2025
Posted on CCPC's website 2025

The genesis of Genesis, through the lens of the 5 Ws:
            Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

      This essay is in preparation for a long term, in depth, exhaustive, perhaps exhausting, study of the first book of the Bible. More on that in the 'How' section.

      But first, we'll look at 'Why' anybody would do this to that. And then come back to 'Why' later.
      Everybody already knows the stories from Genesis, right? Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, all iconic Biblical figures. The story of Cain and Able has been fodder for innumerable sermons. Even the Tower of Babel is so well known that the name is now attached to a home language learning course.
      Well, we'll see what we see by looking at what the Hebrew says, what the cultural circumstances were, and perhaps a bit of other mythology that goes back to The Beginning (and we will explain why that isn't a pun), and then perhaps we'll realize that "everybody DOESN'T know the stories from Genesis".

WHO
      There are several "who"s there. Who is it about, who wrote it, and who was it for?
      The one that asks who it is about is simple: There's only two main players in the first quarter or so of the book: GOD, and Humanity. Then the focus narrows down considerably until we are reading about the day to day travels and doings of one person after chapter eleven.

      Who wrote it?
      This one is unanswerable. And is the first time we run straight into the wall where somebody has spray painted huge letters that say "everybody knows Genesis".
      TRADITION says.... a very Old Tradition says: "Moses wrote all five books of the Torah", of which Genesis is the lead.
      Let's look at that.
      Of course, as Moses had direct Divine Assistance, yes, he very well could have written the ancient history, or at least dictated it. After all, he had plenty of time while they were wandering around the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia, right? As to when he was on that road trip and maybe did all that dictation, we'll come back to in a moment.
      There is no textual evidence in Genesis, that Moses wrote that book. Although in Exodus 17 the Lord commands Moses to write as a memorial, and then in 24 he writes down the Law. So at least those parts were probably written by him. But, as we will see, the later parts of the drama that directly involve Moshe are written in the third person, see Deuteronomy 1, verses 1 - 5 for example. Which means it is well possible that Torah began its run as separate sections, history and genealogy by another author, and the Law of Moses, written by Moses himself.
      Another question is: what language would have been Moses' native tongue to have written in? We'll come back to that when we look at him, and what his name means, during the study.
      There is another clue in Joshua, in a section we'll look at in a minute, that suggests that Moses did write at least part of it, or, again, dictated them, as the phrasing in 8 : 32 leaves some room for Joshua to have been the scribe. In any case, it doesn't matter. The books are ancient, and the stories they relate are even older, two facts that are beyond dispute even by the most dry mouthed academic researcher.
      And, an 'oh, by the way': The Hebrew words for the act of "writing" (kitbu, and related forms) are not used in Genesis.

      The "who is it for" question is the simplest: The Jews. Genealogy is everything to the Jews. And Genesis, and indeed the entire Torah, devotes a lot of ink to establishing bloodlines to and through Abram/Abraham, and a handful of others to establish the peoples around what became Israel.
      By extension, it is also for us, and, really, everybody with a "grandparent" listed in the book as it outlines the beginning of the backbone of Western Civilization.

WHAT
      We'll begin at the Beginning, which is what "Bere'sit" means in Hebrew. It's the first word of the book, "In the beginning".
      The original text, was one block of Hebrew script on a scroll. Readable fragments and larger sections of Genesis were found in the Dead Sea cache of scrolls.
      The book is now fifty chapters and its end folds neatly into the beginning of Exodus, with more genealogy, which underscores how "The Pentateuch", also known as the "Five Fifths of Moses", is, in reality, one book.
      As was stated, we have no idea what the original language of the book was, as even Ancient (Sinai) Hebrew did not exist during the period the book covers although it developed during the period covered by the later Books of Moses. It is unlikely it was written in Egyptian hieroglyphs due to the nature of that language, but it is possible, to later be translated into either the Sinai form of Hebrew, or the later Phoenician Hebrew (the form King David sang in) once they were settled in the Promised Land, which later became the Babylonian Hebrew of the later books of the OT. But we will come back to that in the study.
      We'll also discuss the two creation myths in the early chapters as we go, but those lead to the idea that the book was an oral history that was later codified as Israel became a nation and needed its history, and its linage, stabilized.

SECTION FOOTNOTE: The "Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses" are pseudographical works that are most certainly no older than the early to mid 1800s, and were unknown outside of north-central Europe for some time, and were NOT found in either the Dead Sea cache (from the time of Christ) or with the Nag Hammadi trove of Gnostic books (compiled about 400 AD), nor are they contained in the Ethiopian canon, which is the oldest Christian church in the world. They were presented as "lost works of Hebrew magic" and circulated as a hidden part of the Kabbalah. Which they were not. Far from being "lost and secret" they are now available as paperbacks through several 'big box / discount' retailers. However, you can see them at the Library of Congress, and the Sacred-Texts.com links below for more information, for free.

WHEN
      Again, we have no idea. We'll toss around the date of the beginning of the story later, but even if it was 'lights on' in 4004 BC, Genesis itself covers events a range of well over a thousand years. Let's take a couple of the dates that have been offered for the life of Moses. Bishop Usher of "4004 BC" fame came up with 1572 BC for his birthday, which is one of the earliest dates considered by serious academics, some other ideas put Moses arriving on the scene in around 1200 AD. That's a over a three hundred year window for the headline star in the events of the Exodus.
      However, we do have a record in a later book, Namely Joshua, that some sort of written record of the Law and other aspects found in those five books were already in existence. Let's look at Joshua 8

"30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses ...."
more available at link below
      The passage goes on to specify the things found in those books, and from the terms used, it is obvious they were familiar with at least that part of them.
      There are other passages in the OT that record when the "Book of the Law" was read, and it always refers to the same sort of text, so the content of the documents had been preserved from ancient days, although it is unlikely that the original papyrus / vellum / whatever, survived that passage of time intact.
      Now, did that "Book of the Law" include the History and Genealogies in Genesis, or was it just The Law? We don't know.

WHERE
      We just discussed Joshua 8. Which was written after Moses had exited the scene. The passage proves that there was some written documentation of at least part of what is called The Pentateuch at that time. So it is reasonable to assume that it had come into existence before Joshua took over.
      That means that at least some written records existed, perhaps including some of their 'travels', and, for Jews, that All Important Genealogy.
      In Exodus the command to "kathab" (write) came at Rephidim, shortly after the miracle of "water from the rock". One of the spots that is seriously proposed as where this happened is at that spectacular giant "split rock" in the Saudi desert. See links below for more. Is That rock The rock? We don't know, so much time has passed that even the most ancient names for places are new compared to the subject.
      Also, there are those dry mouthed academics that will claim that the Jews would NEVER have gone into Saudi Arabia at all, and all of this happened on the smaller peninsula just to the northwest, of course that is more for modern political reasons than anything grounded in ancient reality, but there you have it.

WHY
      Several questions there, we'll take them in some sort of order.
      The question as to why Genesis was written has already been answered in two words: "Jewish Genealogy". The next one is part of that, and includes the word "history". Remember, The LAW doesn't come until the sequel.
      The next question is one we've also already answered as well. Why study it? Everybody knows the story of the Fall and the Flood and why Abraham lied to the Pharaoh and all that. Right?
      Well, as we just saw in this introduction: maybe we do, and maybe we don't.
      And lastly, "why go this deep into it?", can be answered with: "why not? Who else is going to do it?" and... "it might be fun."

HOW
      We'll do it as we've done with Revelation and the Minor Prophets and the Time between the Testaments. Instead of just reading the text, we're going to cover the big ideas and overall themes. And we'll question a few items in the text that may make some people uncomfortable (these will be clearly labeled as "questions you shouldn't ask your Sunday School Teacher"), but we are presenting those questions them from the position of A Believer, and attempting to come to an understanding of the matter, as a believer.
      And while we're at it we'll go into sometimes manic detail on parts of it, dragging in references from here and there, wading through Hebrew verb tenses and Sumerian Legends and even Jewish Mythology from the Zohar that has leaked into mainstream thought and even into the New Testament Church. There'll be paintings from the Sistine Chapel and recordings of old songs.... and that's just the first two chapters.

      One thing we WILL NOT DO is what so many of the commentaries we've seen during the preparation period for this work have done. And we are going to illustrate their absurdity by taking it an absurd step further:

"Genesis one sixteen states that the 'lesser light' that 'rules the night' is made of green cheese. And then in seventeen He sets them to rule over the day and night."
      No, for us to make any statement about the dairy content of the moon the Hebrew word "chalab" would have to be used in the verse. That word includes milk products, such as cheese curds, and is seen this way in a couple of places in 1 Samuel 17 and elsewhere in the OT. It is NOT used to describe any of the heavenly features in first couple of chapters of Genesis, and isn't used at all in Genesis until chapter 18 where it refers to whole milk.
      Yes, we will look at things that were mis-translated in various editions, most famously, perhaps, being the KJV, but there's others as well. Sometimes they missed the nuance of the word trying to make the English text readable, other times they simply got it wrong. And in at least one place, they seem to have been trying to put a positive spin on what was, in reality, a negative event.
      And, yes. We understand that in doing this, and in asking questions that some Sunday School Teachers think you should NOT ask (see link below), and digging through aspects of the Genesis account that most people never think about... that some readers will get upset with us. Which we are remarkably OK with. (after all, it hasn't been all that long since the Desk was called a heretic by some, and even worse by others. note for your own future reference: to upset the Desk, call it something that it isn't!)

      Again, we're not going for "readability" like the translators of the NIV and other editions have done, we're digging for meaning. Then we'll try to read it.

          Sound like fun?

"It is the Spirit of God, which in the Beginning filled the earth and brooded over the waters, which the world cannot grasp without the gracious interposition of the Holy Spirit and instruction from those who know it, which also the whole world desires for its virtue, and which cannot be prized enough. For it reaches to the planets, raises the clouds, drives away mists, gives its light to all things, turns everything into Sun and Moon, bestows all health and abundance of treasure, cleanses the leper, brightens the eyes, banishes sorrow, heals the sick, reveals all hidden treasures, and, generally, cures all diseases. Through this spirit have the philosophers invented the Seven Liberal Arts, and thereby gained their riches."
- Paracelsus (1493? - 1541) source linked below.
References and Links:

English / Hebrew: Interlinear Bible: Genesis https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1.htm

An even older English Edition than the King James: the Geneva Bible https://archive.org/details/TheGenevaBible1560 downloadable
Also see: http://www.genevabible.org/geneva.html

The 1611 King James https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Genesis-Chapter-1_Original-1611-KJV/

Moses: "The Biblical Prophet and Lawgiver Known as Moshe" https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/73398/jewish/Moses.htm

"The sixth and seventh books of Moses ... the wonderful magical and spirit arts of Moses and Aaron" Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/11000761/
- AND -
The Sixth Book of Moses https://sacred-texts.com/grim/moses6/m600.htm The Seventh Book of Moses https://sacred-texts.com/grim/moses7/index.htm

A Digital Library of the Dead Sea Scrolls https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/?locale=en_US

The Nag Hammadi Library http://gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The canon of the Ethiopic Bible https://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/canonical/books.html

https://livingpassages.com/rephidim-split-rock-horeb-saudi-arabia/

Split Rock of Horeb in Saudi Arabia https://visitmountsinaiarabia.com/tour-places/the-rock-at-rephidim-and-jehovah-nissi/

From the BBC: Bait Ball Feast - Nature's Great Events https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quwebVjAEJA

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/kabbalah-an-overview#Zohar

As mentioned:
The Revelation Study http://centralparkchurchofchrist.org/revstudy/revintro.htm
And the Minor Prophets http://centralparkchurchofchrist.org/minorprophets/minorindex.htm

The Paracelsus quote is in "The Book Concerning The Tincture Of The Philosophers"https://sacred-texts.com/alc/paracel2.htm
the footnote to chapter 3

"Questions you are NOT supposed to ask your Sunday School Teacher" https://themediadesk.com/newfiles7/sundayschool1.htm
a two part essay, with a follow up of other questions and Objections to the first article!

Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

http://centralparkchurchofchrist.org

With the assistance and cooperation of The Media Desk.