Edwin Firmage, “Genesis 1 and the Priestly Agenda”,
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 82 (1999)
97-114
1. Genesis 1 sets the stage for developing the
idea of holiness in the Pentateuch, especially
in the laws on the clean and unclean (Lev. 1115) and the Holiness Code (Lev. 17-27) based
on the idea of humans created in the image of
God.
2. The laws on the clean and unclean animals are
based on the criteria of what kinds of animal
should be sacrificed to God: cloven hooves
and chewing the cud. All edible animals must
be part of this group.
3. Genesis strangely mention the first type of
food for humans:
Gen 1:29 And God said, "Behold, I have given
you every plant yielding seed which is upon
the face of all the earth, and every tree with
seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.
4. Humans are created in the image of Elohim –
but at this stage they eat like animals.
5. After the great flood, humans are allowed to
eat animals, just like Elohim himself who
consumes sacrificial animals. Humans eat like
God.
6. Humans also shares God’s power to take life –
to kill animal and eat them. But they cannot
eat blood which is life itself.
7. Genesis 1 introduces the idea of holiness –
God sanctifies the seventh day. The only other
things he sanctifies are the priesthood and holy
things in the temple.
8. After the flood God makes a covenant – an
agreement – with all living things. God
restricts his power of killing – he will never
again destroy the world. Both humankind and
animals have to offer their life for killing that
of others. Here lies the image of God (Gen. 9:
3-6). [Note there is no distinction between
clean and unclean animals for food.]
9. Note the progression dietary instructions:
plants as food for humans => all animals (“all
moving thing that lives” can be food except
their blood => only clean animals should be
eaten (Lev. 3-23). [Not noted by Firmage.]
10. The holiness of the seventh day – holiness in
time – is the beginning. God’s call to his
people to be holy is the purpose: Lev. 19:2
"Say to all the congregation of the people of
Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your
God am holy.
Nicolas Wyatt, “Interpreting Creation and Fall story
in Genesis 2 – 3”, ZAW 93 (1981) 10-21.
1. The Tree symbolizes the worship of foreign
gods. [Deut. 12:2 You shall surely destroy all
the places where the nations whom you shall
dispossess served their gods, upon the high
mountains and upon the hills and under every
green tree; cf. Jer. 3:6 The LORD said to me
in the days of King Josi'ah: "Have you seen
what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how
she went up on every high hill and under every
green tree, and there played the harlot?]
2. Adam symbolizes the king. [1 Kgs. 16: 2, 16:1
And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the
son of Hana'ni against Ba'asha, saying, 16:2
"Since I exalted you out of the dust and made
you leader over my people Israel, and you
have walked in the way of Jerobo'am, and
have made my people Israel to sin, provoking
me to anger with their sins, …]
3. Yahweh’s command // the Torah
4. Expulsion from Eden // deposition of Hoshea,
the last king of Israel (the northern kingdom).
5. It also applies to the experience of the exiled
Jews.