Genesis

Prior to reading Genesis, the first book of the bible, I thought I would recognize the story – and boy was I wrong. There is no known author to this book, it has to be a mythical person inspired by God, and some predict that Moses wrote it. It is important to note that no single man lived through all of the on-goings in Genesis and wrote them down, because the family lineage, starting with Adam and Eve, goes on for hundreds and hundreds of years. The contents have to be based off of some kind of oral or written tradition. It is set in ancient Mesopotamia, which could be identified in the present day as the Middle East, as well as Egypt.

This book is important to read because it explains the possible origins for many things in life. For example, Eve is the one who ate the forbidden fruit, and now women for the rest of eternity will now experience pain while having children. Women have one more rib than men because during creation, God first made a man, Adam, then made a woman out of his rib, Eve. Also, God created different languages and separated us onto different nations to prevent all of the evil that was beginning to infect mankind. Lastly, we have rainbows because God created one as a promise to Noah to never send another great flood. Genesis, being part of the Holy Bible, was the first to preach the idea of Monotheism and that there is only one God. Before this time, religion was based on multiple human-like gods. This idea is shown in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was written in the 12^th century B.C. and The Holy Bible wasn’t written until the 6^th century B.C. This was the first introduction of one, almighty God.

I was shocked to read all of the lying, deceit, judgment, and even murder found in Genesis. That’s something that they leave out in Sunday school. I knew that Noah made an arch and saved one of every species, but I did not know that this masterful plan was because God had planned a 40 day deluge to essential kill everyone because they were all evil. However, he is the one who created them so it is quite contradicting. Family is a powerful and obvious theme in Genesis, exemplified by entire chapters dedicated to strict description of a family tree. Despite the intense importance, this is also where we witness the most betrayal, such as Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing from their fathers – when it is actually supposed to go to the eldest son.

All in all, Temple University requires their student to read at least this part of the bible because it is knowledge that any person should have, and especially a college graduate. Beyond explaining origins for many aspects of our day-to-day lives, Genesis is referenced in political debates, and references are made which flood many fields such as art and writing. Lastly, The Holy Bible is the most widely sold book in the entire world, showing its impression beyond our city, our state, our country, and for those who believe – our physical being.