AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF GENESIS
The name of the Book:
In Hebrew, it is called ‘Pi-Rashet’, which is the first Hebrew word in the Book, meaning, “In the beginning”. As to calling it “Genesis”, this is according to the Septuagint Version, meaning (Origin) or (Beginning of things).
Its author:
The prophet Moses; assumed to have written it in Median, as he was shepherding the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law; but more probably he wrote it after he received the two tablets of the Law. He learned how to write by the Egyptians, through whom he got all their wisdom. Anyhow, He, who taught the disciples languages, on the day of the Pentecost, is surely able to teach Moses how to write.
Its goal and features:
1- The topic of creation has preoccupied the old world, with all its religions, philosophies, and popular cultures, and carried a mixtures of legends and myths. Moses committed himself, in explaining creation, to record every thing in a sort of simplicity that can be understood even by the illiterate, distancing himself from the old myths. It is worth mentioning, that he did not present a Theology pertaining to creation ‘A Ktisiology’, but he talked to us about creation as a way to comprehend the salvation work of God. The divine inspiration did not intend to present theologies and philosophies pertaining to creation, but to introduce us to the Creator, who cares to renew creation after its corruption. And as said by a certain scholar: [In Israel, the special Theology pertaining to creation, ‘Ktisiology’, is considered a secondary science, that depend on the Theology pertaining to salvation, ‘Soteriology’.
St. Dedymus, the blind, in his interpretation of the Book of Genesis, believes that the divine goal of speaking of creation, is to correct the false concepts that infiltrated to Israel, concerning this topic, from the Egyptian pagan worships. St. Basil confirms that the goal of the Church is not to study the nature of creatures, namely the hard philosophical and mental studies, but going down into their depths and benefits.; and that Moses wrote in a simple way to confirm some of the facts that were disrupted by atheist philosophers; He confirmed that the world is not a product of chance, but the work of a capable Creator; and that it is not co-eternal with God, and does not share His everlasting, but has a beginning and an end.
2- This Book proclaimed an important concept that touches our relationship with God Man, in God’s eyes, is not a mere creature, amid millions of other earthly and heavenly creatures, but a unique being who carries the earthly features in the body, and the heavenly in the sprit. He has his special consideration in God’s eyes. God granted him the free will by which he differ from other earthly creatures. The earth, with all its might, and the stars, with all their greatness, run according to physical laws put for them; the animals behave according to a physical instinct, but man is a free being, who has the option to chose his way, and to behave according to his discretion.
That is why, God created man a master over earth, having authority over everything on and beneath it; in the sea or in air ... even in space! He granted him His image and likeness, and set him as His own ambassador. God’s view of us and His pride in us, is demonstrated in his yearning to refer Himself to us, when we are qualified for that; calling Himself the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob ... He wishes to be a special God to every one of His children.
3- This Book showed God’s exalted fatherhood to man; He did not create him a captive, as claimed by some contemporary philosophies; nor set him in humility, controlling him according to His discretion, but He set him as a beloved son, for whose sake He created the world; prepared for him the eternal glories, to lift him up to where God, his Father is, in order to have fellowship in His glories, and to enjoy exalted fatherhood. I was said, that someone, on his deathbed, joyfully smiled while addressing God: ‘Did you create the world for my sake, or was it me who created it? Now, I can say that You are capable of fulfilling and caring for me!
This is what the goal of the Book of Genesis, to present us with God, the Creator of the material world and the Founder of the spiritual one. In His compassionate fatherhood, He created for my sake the material earth and the heaven, to set me forth to His ultimate coming, in order to enjoy the new earth and heaven, according to an eternal angelic level
4- Some believe that this is the most important of the Holy Bible books; laying the foundation for every proclamation; opening the door for us to comprehend sound theological concepts: introducing us to God and His relationship, and His divine commandment and its work in our life. It talked to us about the human family in the Lord, and how He set forth from the creation of man, to build a holy family, a tribe, and then the people of God. He revealed to us the concept of marriage and family life; and told us about our relationship with the body and the physical world. He exposed the devil, and revealed his deadly plans, and his yearning for the preachment of man. Finally, this Book lays the foundation for the history of salvation and prophecy, etc.
5- God, in His love for man, presented him with His secrets -- as far as he can bear – not for the sake of mere intellectual knowledge, but to enter with him into an eternal friendship; like a friend who opens His heart to his fellow, to enter with him from day to day, into new levels of friendship. For instance, when God tells us about His divine titles, it is to let us get to know Him through these titles, and to enjoy His work with and in us. We do not find in this Book, theoretical philosophical writings, hard principles, or literal laws; But we meet God as a friend: We meet Him walking in the garden (of paradise) in the cool of the day, to encounter the fallen man; and in the field, we see Him debating with Cain, the murderer; and in the rebellion of Babylon, we find Him coming down to see what man was doing; and in the heat of the day, to receive with His angels, the hospitality of Abraham; and along the way, we see Him encountering Jacob in a wrestling session, to abolish his self pride.
6- As sin corrupted the eyes of man, and deprived him of the ability to encounter his Almighty friend, this Book presented us with the way to worship God; of two interconnected segments:
the sacrifice, for the sake of reconciliation, and the sound behavior, in order to carry in us the
features of God. Thus this Book taught us the concept of worship, as a secret of reconciliation
with God, through the sacrifice, and through life with him in an integral fellowship of practical
love.
7- We can say that the whole Scripture came to reveal what this Book contained of God’s talk
with the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed
and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:
15).The Holy Bible is proclaiming the bitter struggle between the devil and man, that ends up in
man’s victory through the sacrifice of the Lord Christ (the woman’s seed); although some
would perish, becoming like a heel going down to dust, to get bruised and even devoured by the
serpent.
8- In its presentation of the Patriarchs, the Book did not tell give us bare stories of their lives,
but God’s dealings with them, revealing that every move of their lives, and every action,
however of no apparent importance, represents a part of God’s salvation plan....;
namely, that God utilizes His children, in all their actions, as instruments of righteousness, that
work for His Kingdom in their personal and their congregation life. But the Book confirmed
two aspects: that God is working in His children, but not without them; Thus Abraham would
not have stayed as Abraham, with all what he represented, as the father of fathers, without
Abraham Himself. God dignifies and sanctifies human freedom, and deals with us on a level of
friendship -- as though between equals --, not with solid machines that He automatically moves.
The second aspect is throwing the light on varied and marvelous heroisms, as those of
Abraham, of Jacob, and of Sarah..., but it did not overlook their human weaknesses.
9- This Book began by talking of the work of God as a Creator, creating life out of
nothingness, but ends with Joseph in his shrouds in Egypt (Gen. 50: 29). The life that God set,
was corrupted by man’s evil, as he got himself (the living man) into the shrouds of darkness and
uncleanness, to be buried in Egypt. It is significant that this Book ends with the burial in Egypt, in
particular, known for the pyramids, the sphinx, and the art of mummification, still an object of
scientific interest...; as though man, whatever great are his art and great works and
achievements, cannot get away from the shrouds. He gets buried in Egypt, until the Savior
Messiah comes to it on a thin cloud, to raise him up from the shrouds, and to free him from the
darkness of the tomb.
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10- The prophet Moses, wrote this Book , in a historical style, to present us with the truth,
simply and clearly, away from the fictions and myths that were then filling the world.
Prophecies in the Book of Genesis:
The Book of Genesis presents us with the beginning of the prophecies concerning the coming of
the Lord Christ as a Savior of the world. God promised man, directly after his fall, that the seed
of the woman will bruise (crush) the head of the serpent (Gen. 3: 15). He did not say: the seed
of man, as the Lord Christ came incarnated in the womb of the Virgin St. Mary, with no
interference of man; He who crushed the head of the serpent of the old, namely, Satan the Devil
(Revelation 20: 2; Romans 6: 20; 1 John 3: 8)
He did not leave that promise general, but said in particular that it will be realized by a seed of
Abraham: “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 22: 18; Acts 2:
25; Galatians 3: 16); and Jacob confirmed that He is to come from the tribe of Judah, saying:
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen 49: 10; Matthew 2:
26; Luke 1: 32, 33).
Symbols in the Book of Genesis:
If the Lord Christ as the Savior of the world is the center of the Holy Bible with its two
Testaments, this Book presented us with much about the Savior, not only through direct
prophecies, but also through several symbols, that we shall talk about in some detail in due
course, the most important of which are:
1- The tree of life in the middle of paradise (Gen 3: 22), refers to the Lord Christ, who
proclaims His Kingdom within the heart, as a tree of life in the middle of paradise, that delights
the heart of the Father, as it delights our hearts. He is the tree that gives life to the whole world.
2- Worship following the fall began by offering bloody sacrifices, as a reference to the blood of
the Lord Christ, being the unique sacrifice, through whom our worship is received, as smell of
pleasure and object of satisfaction.
3- The ark of Noah and the great flood As a symbol of the Lord Christ, the Grantor of renewal
to the world, not through the water of the flood, but through that of Baptism. As to the wooden
ark, it is the cross that embraced the believers and kept them from punishment (1 Peter 2: 20,
21).
4- The offering of Melchizedek (Genesis 14: 18-20), as a symbol of the sacrifice of the Lord
Christ in the New Testament, through the bread and wine, transformed into His body and
blood, granting sanctification (Hebrew 8: 5-8).
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5- Isaac’s submission to his father Abraham, carrying the wood for the burnt offering, offering
himself even unto death (Genesis 22), proclaims the submission of the incarnated Son to His
Father, carrying the wooden cross ((Philippians 2: 8).
6- Realizing marriages at the waters of wells, as for example choosing Rebecca and Rachel, is
a reference of choosing the Church as a bride for the Lord Christ through the water of Baptism.
7- The ladder seen by Jacob set up between earth and heaven (Genesis 28: 12), and the angels
ascending and descending on it, refers to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through which the
reconciliation between heaven and earth is realized (2 Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 2: 16;
Colossians 1: 20, 21); The ascending angels are the Holy Church lifted up by Him to the bosom
of His Father; while those descending, are the Jews who rejected Him, to go down to the abyss
through their denial of the cross.
8- The life of Joseph came rich in symbols of the Lord Christ in many respects, of which are the
following:
a- Joseph was the son beloved by his father, as was the Lord Christ, the only-begotten son,
subject of pleasure to His Father.
b- His father gave him a tonic of many colors; refers to the Father giving His Son a Church of
many races.
c-Joseph descending to see if all is well with his brothers, refers to the descent of the divine
Word to us, as His brothers.
d- Casting Joseph in the pit and selling him, symbolize the decent of the Lord Christ to Hades,
and to Judas’ betrayal of Him.
e- His fall into servitude for no sin on his part, other than his brothers’ hate, proclaims how the
Lord Christ became a slave for our sake.
f- Leaving his garments in the hands of the Egyptian woman, refers to the Lord Christ leaving
His shrouds in the tomb; as death could not get hold of Him or deny Him the resurrection that is
in Him.
g- Joseph’s encounter in his prison, of the king’s butler who was aquatinted, and the baker who
was executed, refer to resurrection and death of the Lord Jesus Christ h- Saving his brothers’
life refers to the glorified Lord Christ, Savior of humanity, and Grantor of its life.
The Book of Genesis and the Holy Bible:
The Book of Genesis as the first Book in the Holy Bible, is considered as the living entry to the
understanding of the Word of God; giving us the broad lines that were revealed and realized in
the Books to follow. In the Book of Genesis, as God proclaims His love of man through
creation, He keeps on talking of His love through the renewal of creation, until the new earth
and the new heaven appear in the Book of Revelation.
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In the Book of Genesis, there was the invitation to Abraham for his children to inherit the
Kingdom of heaven; While in the New Testament, the Kingdom appeared proclaimed in the
children of Abraham ... So that we can say with St. Augustine: [In the New Testament alone,
the New Testament is concealed in the Old].
In the Book of Genesis we discover the Person of the Lord Christ as the Savior, proclaimed
through clear prophecies and numerous symbols. The Lord Christ stays as the main issue of the
Books, to see Him “ Himself, yesterday, today, an till eternity”; who came to save the sinners,
and to promise His ultimate coming to embrace us to His glory as a sanctified bride for Him.