Walter Brueggemann is an Old Testament scholar and theologian of some note. In the early 1980s, he published what has become the standard commentary on Genesis.
In his Genesis commentary, Brueggemann writes: "The first eleven chapters of Genesis are among the most important in Scripture. They are among the best known (in a stereotyped way). And they are frequently the most misunderstood. Misunderstandings of substance likely occur because the style and character of the literature is misunderstood. A faithful understanding of these materials requires that interpreters be clear about the nature of the material presented and the relationship it has to the remainder of Scripture."
Brueggemann goes on to assert that Genesis 1-11, known as the primeval history among biblical scholars, is neither history nor myth. It is proclamation. The writers, most likely two -- one writing as early as the 10th century BCE, the J source, and the other writing during the 6th century BCE Babylonian exile, the P source -- are proclaiming God's decisive dealing with God's creation.
[Note: J = the first Latin letter of Yahweh/Jehovah, which is the preferred name for God of this source; P = stands for the priestly source because of its very formal, well educated style of writing and emphasis on matters related to cultic observances and worship. BCE = Before Common or Christian Era.]
Happy reading.
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