Questions about the text (click here to return to Genesis page):
These questions are of an introductory nature, and may be used as the basis for classroom discussions, papers, or both.
1. According to Genesis, what happens on each of the days of creation?
2. What is the sequence of creation, according to Genesis? What might this sequence tell us about the culture that generated this account of creation?
3. For what transgressions are Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden?
4. What curses are laid against humans as a consequence of their disobedience?
5. What might Eve's role in these events tell us about the perception of women in the culture that produced this story? Are there other discussions of women in the early chapters of Genesis? Describe and explain these discussions.
6. What explanations of the relationship between God and humans emerge in the first nine chapters of Genesis?
7. What is God's command to Noah? How does Noah respond?
8. How does God punish humans for their corruption at the time of Noah?
9. Compare the account of the flood in Gilgamesh with the account in Genesis. How are they similar? How do they differ?
10. For what reasons do some scholars claim that chapter ten of Genesis bears the traces of an oral tradition?
Questions about the text as evidence of past civilizations:
1. What can the book of Genesis teach us in a general way about the cultures of people living in ancient Mesopotamia or Egypt? What other kinds of sources might we investigate in order to learn more about the civilizations of these regions?
2. How have scholars attempted to explain the similarities between the Genesis stories and stories from other Mesopotamian civilizations? In what ways does the dating of textual artifacts affect these discussions?
3. What are some of the limitations of the Genesis account as historical evidence?
4. When was the book of Genesis first translated into English? By whom? Which versions of Genesis have become standard for different groups of Jews, Christians, and Muslims? For scholars?
5. When and where did Genesis begin to appear as a primary source text in courses on Ancient History? What might this fact teach us about the history of learning about the ancient past in modern times?
6. What other question(s) about the story would you like to ask or answer?