I’d like to start a series of blogs that gives a quick overview of the books of the Bible. Gee, where should I start? Hmm . . . OK, how about Genesis?

Genesis is the first of five books that are called the Pentateuch (the others are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy); they are also referred to as the “Torah,” a reference to the laws and instructions that they contain. Authorship has often been credited to Moses, the Jewish leader responsible for leading his people out of slavery in Egypt. At one time some critics thought the Hebrew alphabet had not been invented before 900 B.C., which meant Moses could not have written the books for the Hebrew people. But recent study now leaves this issue up in the air since some believe there is an early Hebrew alphabet in place around 1500 B.C.

Genesis means “beginnings,” an appropriate name, considering how many “firsts” there are in the book. Chapters 1-11 deal with primeval history of creation, sin, and judgments; chapters 12-50 focus more tightly on patriarchal history of four prominent Jewish ancestors. In the primeval section the author uses narratives and genealogies as building blocks. The patriarchal history tells hero stories—stories built around a person who best represents the conflicts and values of the culture that produced the stories. Genesis is also seen as an epic, much like the Iliad and Odyssey, for  telling of a nation’s destiny.

So many authors, painters, and sculptors have used the elemental stories in Genesis for their inspiration. We are not well-read if we have failed to read these powerful stories.