Reading Genesis 2 “Literally”:The Adventures of Mud-Man and His `Ezer Kenegdo, Ish-shah

As a follow-up to “Reading Genesis 1 ‘Literally,'” I thought I would write my thoughts on Genesis 2, the second creation account. Scholarship (almost unequivocally) agrees that Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Genesis 2:4b-25 are written by separate authors in completely different times. Generally, Gen. 1:1-2:4a is ascribed to the Priestly author, and Gen. 2:4b-25 is ascribed to the J writer. Regardless, nearly everyone believes that they were written by two different authors.

Genesis 2 is a playful account. The author is a punster, but unfortunately these puns don’t get translated into the English. I’ve tried to use some similar playful wording to help us appreciate the “punniness” of the account. I wish I could draw comic-book style, but, alas, I don’t have that skill. So, I’m doing some more iPad art, and I’m really bad at humans, so be gentle art critics.

Really Bad Bible Interpretation: The Alef Tav Sermon

I’ve been a professor of Old Testament for twenty-one years now, and in my profession you run into some very strange and, often, ridiculous interpretations of the Bible.

Reading Genesis 1 “Literally”

Most people who claim they read Genesis 1 “literally” don’t. They believe that what they believe about Genesis 1 is literal. But they aren’t reading Genesis 1 literally.