Genesis: In the Beginning

Jill Hicks-Keeton, Religious Studies Program
Alan Levenson, Department of History

The book of Genesis has provided literary and theological resources for Jews and Christians as they seek to make sense of the world in which they live. The narratives of creation, the Garden of Eden, the Matriarchs and Patriarchs, and Joseph’s exploits in Egypt have been interpreted through time to explain the nature of humanity, gender hierarchies, kinship ethics, and the relationships among the three religious traditions. This Presidential Dream Course challenges students to encounter numerous, often unfamiliar, ways of interpreting Genesis, paying attention to voices of ancient biblical interpreters and of modern scholars.

Our course features internationally renowned speakers, male and female, Christian and Jewish, mid-career and senior scholars. The class follows five key Genesis narratives (Creation, the Garden of Eden, Abraham & Sarah, Matriarchs and Patriarchs, and Joseph) and traces the variety of ways that each has been interpreted. We will be using our guest experts to amplify specific issues raised by the instructors, who study Second Temple Judaism/early Christianity (Jill Hicks-Keeton) and the Bible in Jewish culture (Alan Levenson). We have arranged the following line-up of guest speakers: Dr. Ronald Hendel (UC Berkeley) will discuss the role of Genesis in its Ancient Near Eastern context; Dr. Anathea Portier-Young will address the rape of Dinah (Gen. 34) from a feminist perspective; Dr. Jon Levenson (Harvard Divinity School) will treat Abraham in the three Western traditions; Dr. Mark Nanos analyses Paul’s reading of the Hebrew scriptures and Dr. Christine Hayes (Yale University) concludes with “What is Divine about Divine Law?

Students will re-read Genesis with fresh eyes as they engage alternative interpretations, ancient and modern. They will become familiar with culture-specific modes of reading, learn the vocabulary of biblical interpretation, and enhance their understanding of how religious traditions differ on key passages, terms, and theologies. A secondary goal will be to sharpen students’ abilities to engage in close reading of the Bible -- a difficult text! Finally, we aspire to make students more aware of their own religious traditions and better able to dialogue with others.

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The Department of History and the Religious Studies Program present a public lecture series in conjunction with the Presidential Dream Course. Presentations are free and open to the public. For information or accommodation to events on the basis of disability, contact Katy Hall at (405) 325-6508 or katyhall@ou.edu.