Genesis

Definition and Meaning

The Korean name for Genesis, Changsegi (創世記), means "a record of the first making of the world." Genesis is the first book of the Old Testament and the first book of the Pentateuch. In the Hebrew Bible it is called Bereshit ("In the beginning"), after its opening word. The Greek translation known as the Septuagint called it Genesis ("origin"), and the English name derives from this. The first verse reads, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1); in Korea it is commonly read in the New Korean Revised Version.

Biblical and Historical Background

The book falls into two major parts.

• Chapters 1–11: The primeval history, which deals with the beginnings of humanity as a whole. It includes the accounts of creation, the fall of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's Flood, and the Tower of Babel.
• Chapters 12–50: The patriarchal history, which tells the stories of Israel's ancestors. It proceeds through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and God's covenant with Abraham forms its central theme.

The text repeatedly uses the formula "These are the generations of..." to divide its sections. The teaching that humanity was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and the verse stating that Abraham was counted righteous by faith (Genesis 15:6) have had a major influence on later Christian theology.

Views differ on the question of authorship. Jewish and Christian tradition has held Moses to be the author. In the modern period, historical-critical scholarship has proposed theories such as the Documentary Hypothesis, which holds that multiple sources were edited together over a long period of time.

Practice in the Korean Church

Genesis is a very familiar book in the Korean church. When believers begin reading through the Bible at the start of the year, they usually begin with Genesis. Sunday school lessons also frequently cover Noah's ark, the story of Joseph, and similar accounts.

Interpretation varies by denomination and seminary. Conservative Presbyterian denominations and seminaries generally hold to Mosaic authorship. By contrast, some groups, such as those associated with the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), have embraced historical-critical research. Whether to read the creation account as six literal days or in some other way is debated across denominational lines (see Creation and Evolution).

Genesis 15:6 is frequently cited together with Romans 4 in explaining justification. The account of Abraham giving a tenth to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20) is cited as support in the tithing debate.