Page 12 - Genesis: Book of Beginnings and Science Behind it

to Chronicles and Kings, a compilation of documents in the form of a book. It is commonly accepted
that he collected records and compiled them together, guided by God.

Remember, Moses directly talked with God and could have been given much of this information directly
from the One who was there.

Who wrote the Book of Genesis?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vm6QB7jvPQ

3. Compilation of Patriarchal Records

This is a view that Moses compiled and edited earlier written records that had been handed down,
written on tablets of stone or clay from each of the Patriarchs in their day, each in their own lifetime.
Then Moses, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, selected and compiled the book of Genesis. This
school of thought, while not being able to be rigidly proven, is the one that best fits the facts. This
allows Genesis to be broken down into nine subcategories.

1. The generations of the heavens and the earth – Gen. 1:1 - 2:4
2. The book of the generations of Adam – Gen. 2:4b -5:1
3. The generations of Noah – Gen. 5:1b – 6:9
4. The generations of the sons of Noah – Gen. 6:9b – 10:1
5. The generation of Shem – Gen. 10:1b – 11:10
6. The generation of Tarah – Gen. 11:10b – 11:27
7. The generation of Isaac – Gen.11:27b – 25:19
8. The generation of Jacob – Gen. 25:19b – 37:2
9. The generation of the sons of Jacob – Gen. 37:2b – Ex. 1:1

Principles of Interpretation
Many liberal writers on Genesis put forth an allegorical approach to its meaning, especially in the first
eleven chapters. However, most serious Bible scholars reject this and adopt a literal translation. They
understand that Jesus Christ Himself took a literal, interpretive view, and to do otherwise would be seen
as, at worst, correcting and, at best, disagreeing with Jesus.

Context and Background of Genesis
The events recorded in Genesis occurred in an area known as the Fertile Crescent. The book begins with
the creation account and discussion of an area known as the Garden of Eden. Though no one is certain
where this patch of paradise existed, Scripture provides clues when it mentions a river separated into
four heads (Genesis 2:10). Therefore, some suggest the Garden was located near the Persian Gulf’s
head, where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers merged. However, the entire geography of the earth was
cataclysmically altered by the flood of Genesis 6-9 and would’ve made the original location
undetectable. The Garden was destroyed at that time.

From the information in Genesis 2-11, mankind remained in one centralized location, likely close to their
ancestral land, until God called a man named Abraham and his wife out of the “Ur of the Chaldeans”
(modern-day Iraq) and into Canaan (modern-day Syria, Jordan, and Israel). From there, he headed south

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