The Old Testament and Christian Spirituality - International Voices in ...
The Old Testament and Christian Spirituality - International Voices in ...
The Old Testament and Christian Spirituality - International Voices in ...
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96 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Testament</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Christian</strong> <strong>Spirituality</strong><br />
(“man”) on Adam (“man”), 48 <strong>and</strong> is <strong>in</strong>dicated by the <strong>in</strong>itiation of<br />
the cult, which <strong>in</strong>dicates a positive human-div<strong>in</strong>e relationship. On<br />
a gr<strong>and</strong>er scale, Von Rad’s famous theological construct 49 of<br />
Genesis as a history of the growth of s<strong>in</strong> 50 offers us another<br />
perspective for <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g this genealogy. For here we have an<br />
<strong>in</strong>stance of a new beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g (a concept which is, of course, of<br />
central importance with<strong>in</strong> the <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Testament</strong> <strong>and</strong>, broader, to<br />
<strong>Christian</strong> theology). With Seth no victim of the curse of Ca<strong>in</strong> (Gen<br />
4:11–12), with prayer to Yahweh orig<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the very next<br />
generation after Seth, 51 <strong>and</strong> because there is further offspr<strong>in</strong>g (=<br />
bless<strong>in</strong>g), the overrid<strong>in</strong>g theme characteris<strong>in</strong>g this genealogy may<br />
be formulated as: “harmony restored,” or more theologically<br />
formulated: “grace.”<br />
Although this genealogy is usually ascribed to J, Vermeylen<br />
makes an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g case for a deuteronomistic—that is, <strong>in</strong><br />
essence, a theological—redaction of 4:17–24 <strong>and</strong> 4:25–26 +<br />
5:28b–29 (thus, the latter two taken together, with 5:28b–29<br />
relocated from its present position to follow on 4:24–26 directly). 52<br />
This redaction stresses God’s justice <strong>in</strong> reject<strong>in</strong>g exilic Israel for<br />
their Ca<strong>in</strong>-like deeds, yet <strong>in</strong>cludes beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g anew via Seth. 53<br />
48<br />
See Sasson, “A Genealogical ‘Convention’ <strong>in</strong> Biblical Chronography?” 175;<br />
Vermeylen, “La Descendance de Caïn et le Descendance d’Abel,” 187.<br />
49<br />
Cf. also, with some differences, D. J. A. Cl<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>The</strong> <strong>The</strong>me of the Pentateuch<br />
(JSOT Suppl. 10. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1978).<br />
50<br />
Referred to also by Wilson, Genealogy <strong>and</strong> History <strong>in</strong> the Biblical World,<br />
155; <strong>and</strong> N. A. Bailey, “Some Literary <strong>and</strong> Grammatical Aspects of<br />
Genealogies,” <strong>in</strong> Biblical Hebrew <strong>and</strong> Discourse L<strong>in</strong>guistics (ed. R. D. Bergen;<br />
Dallas: Summer Institute of L<strong>in</strong>guistics, 1994), 269.<br />
51<br />
Wilson, Genealogy <strong>and</strong> History <strong>in</strong> the Biblical World, 155–56.<br />
52<br />
See Vermeylen, “La Descendance de Caïn et le Descendance d’Abel,” 188–<br />
91.<br />
53<br />
This attractive possibility (see below) would call for greater nuance <strong>in</strong> remarks<br />
such as those by Johnson (<strong>in</strong> <strong>The</strong> Purpose of the Biblical Genealogies, 3) on D<br />
<strong>and</strong> genealogy.