Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/34

 The Book of Genesis

16

The Divisions of Genesis

The Book

in its present literary form and book of the Bible, a natural and effective introduction to the Pentateuch and, in a way, to the One central theme gives it distinct unity of entire Bible. thought and purpose. This central theme is God's selection of Israel to be the witness and messenger of His truth and His law unto all the peoples of the earth, and His testing and preparation of Israel for this arduous and sacred In its treatment in the book this central theme is task. resolved into four natural and logical concepts, (a) God and mankind, (b) God and Israel, (c) God's purification and preparation of Israel for His service, and (d) God's providence. The book itself may be divided correspondingly into four groups or cycles of stories, (a) chapters I-XI, stories

of Genesis

the

in its position as

is,

first

about mankind in general,

(b)

chapters

XII-XXV,

18,

the

Abraham, (c) chapters XXV, 19-XXXVI, the story of Jacob, and (d) chapters XXXVII-L, the story of Joseph. story of

Detailed consideration of these groups of stories establishes the relation and contribution of each to the central theme of

the book.

The

hrst

interesting tales.

group of

collection

They

stories,

of

chapters I-XI, contains a very

ancient

give the answers to

tions of life, as conceived tions of our early ancestors.

Israelite

some of

myths and

folk-

the primitive ques-

by the vivid and naive imaginaGenesis I and II, for example,

answer that most fundamental question of all, how did the world come into existence and life actually begin? Genesis II and HI form a collection of folk-tales, carefully worked together, which answer in ])rimitivc manner such (juestions of

existence as

why

the serpent, unlike

all

other animals,

livelihood,

why man must labor painfully for his why, unlike the animals, man wears clothes, and

why

comes

crawls upon his belly, there

into

man's

life

a love

for another being.