Genesis 1 - 11

A few months ago, I posted that the literal interpretation of Gen 1 – 11 did not transpire.

The question is, what is the implication of this for our theology? It’s a complex question. Does it mean the whole theology is wrong? All made up? Does it mean the Torah is indeed Divinely inspired but not Divinely written, and the author genuinely made an error? Does it imply that God can err? There are many possibilities. Of course, I personally, favor the view that says “it’s all made up.”

Some have attempted to sidestep the whole question by arguing that the original intent of the author was that these events were metaphorical. I have 3 problems with this view.


1, There’s no reason to assume Gen 1 – 11 is mythology. If one assumes it is mythology, than why don’t we think the whole Torah (including maamad Har Sinai) is mythology, what’s the difference?

2. A priori, there’s no reason to assume that there should be a correlation between the verifiable portions of the Torah and those that are mythology. In other words, isn’t it convenient, that precisely those chapters that can be tested scientifically are assumed to be those that are a mushul and those that can’t ever be confirmed or disproved are those that are assumed to be factual?

3. Very simply, the chapters just don’t sound like they are anything but literal. Below, I’ve listed 8 textual reasons why I assume these chapters were not meant metaphorically. By metaphorically, I mean have no basis in reality at all. One might suggest instead that these stories have some basis in reality, but not all the details are correct (e.g. local flood). In that case, some of these arguments would apply and some would not. However, in that case, other arguments would refute that view.

a. The chain of lineage from Adam to Moshe is unbroken in the text. If some of these people existed and some didn’t, you have a situation of a fiction character begetting a real one, a feat worthy of Cervantes, not a Divine book

b. The lineage articulated in Genesis is repeated in Chronicles as part of a very technical family tree giving the yichus of King David. It would be highly odd for such a lineage to be employed in such a fashion if it was fictional.

c. Read Genesis 5 and similar chapters in Gen 1 - 11. They are dense with technical details and are worthy of a town ledger, or an accounting firm, not mythology.

d. Much of the mythology revolves around explaining observed facts in our world. The origin of species is one example. Another is the diversity of nations and language explained by the palagah. It’s pretty obvious that the purpose of those chapters is to explain this diversity. Actually, the Torah says this numerous times explicitly. How does a story explain an observed phenomenon if the story is not factual? If anything, these stories are the least likely in the Torah to be nonfactual (in the mind of the author) because the author seems to be attempting to explain real world observed phenomenon

e. Many of the players in the stories are ancestors of specific nations and there’s a clear attempt to explain the lineage of those nations. For example, read Gen 10:6. And then see 10:20

This is clearly an attempt to give the origin of the Egyptian people. How does that work in a fictional story? And yet, when you do the math, the person the Bible calls “Mitzraim” lived after Egyptian civilization arose.

f. Gen 1 – 11 is literarily part of the same unit that defines much of the rest of the Torah. For example, the “Toldos” literary feature is found a few times in Gen 1 – 11 and also in the rest of Genesis. The theme of “Pru Urvu” begins and Genesis 1, but continues afterwards even into the latter books of the Pentateuch. If the book is one unified whole, it’s weird to say that part is mythology and part is real – unless you are comfortable saying the Exodus didn’t happen either.

g. The factual stories (like the Exodus) are alongside the fictional mythologies (like Gen 1 – 11) with no discernable difference.

h. One of the problems with Gen 1 – 11 is the very long ages. But, the ages don’t normalize till after the book of Joshua. Consider the following lifespans:

Avraham – 175
Yishmael - 137
Yitzchak – 180
Yaakov – 147
Levi – 137
Kehas – 133
Moshe – 120
Aaron – 123
Yehoshua – 110

So, basically, everyone lives to be over 100. Note, this is after Gen 1 – 11 is over. Are we really expected to believe that these events are factual? If not, and they are metaphorical, does that mean the rest of the Exodus is also a metaphor? Is it just the ages that are metaphorical, stuck in amongst fact? If anything, one would expect the ages precisely to be the non metaphorical elements. They seem dry and statistical.