Genesis Ideology

Genesis Ideology explores the purposes the stories in the book of Genesis, which served as ethic building blocks within ancient Israelite culture. Aaron exposes the ideological agenda of the biblical authors as well as their literary sensibilities. In their hands, older literary works were adapted and imbued with modernized meanings to serve the social and religious needs of their audience. Working with contemporary biblical scholarship and literary theory, Aaron has written this volume for a general readership. He offers an introduction to the academic study of Hebrew Bible; discusses approaches to translation and genre, as well as theories of the Pentateuch's composition. He then leads the reader through close readings of select passages in Genesis, touching upon themes as varied as immortality and burial rites, struggles over ethics, identity, exile, and the value of kinship. The power of the book of Genesis, argues Aaron, lies in its authors' conviction that a literature can create the basis for solidarity even in the face of hostile historical circumstances. An appreciation for that literary power is at the core of each of this book's chapters.