Genesis as Torah: Reading Narrative as Legal Instruction

by Brian Neil Peterson

Publisher:

Cascade Books

, 2018

Overview

Should Genesis rightly be identified as law—that is, as torah or legal instruction for Israel? Peterson argues in the affirmative, concluding that Genesis serves a greater function than merely offering a prehistory or backstory for the people of Israel. As the introductory book to the Torah, Genesis must first and foremost be read as legal instruction for Israel. And how exactly is that instruction presented? Peterson posits that many of the Genesis accounts serve as case law. The Genesis narratives depict what a number of key laws in the pentateuchal law codes look like in practice. When Genesis is read through this lens, the rhetorical strategy of the biblical author(s) becomes clear and the purpose for including specific narratives takes on new meaning.

Product Details

• Title: Genesis as Torah: Reading Narrative as Legal Instruction
• Author: Brian Neil Peterson
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Print Publication Date: 2018
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 179
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. Genesis › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Law (Theology) › Bibical teaching; Bible. O.T. Genesis › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9781532635830, 9781532635854, 9781532635847, 1532635834, 1532635850, 1532635842
• Resource ID: LLS:GNSSSLGLNSTRCTN
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-11-27T19:31:10Z

About Brian Neil Peterson

Brian Neil Peterson teaches Old Testament and Hebrew at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. He is the author of The Authors of the Deuteronomistic History: Locating a Tradition in Ancient Israeland John’s Use of Ezekiel: Understanding the Unique Perspective of the Fourth Gospel.