 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Allison offers a series of interesting connections between the early chapters of Gen and the early chapters of Ex:
1) Israel is "multiplying" (Ex 2:2) in the way that God commanded the human race to multiply (Gen 1:26-28), concluding, with some help from Samaritan texts, that MOses is another Adam.
2) Citing James Ackerman, he notes parallels between Babel and Ex. Constructing storage cities like the men of Babel, Pharaoh is going to fall.
3) He notes that Moses' intervention to save a Hebrew slave is reminiscent of the story of Cain and Abel. Of course, Moses is an anti-Cain, who rescues a stricken brother rather than killing him. And this raises for me the possibility that Moses is "reversing" all the primordial sins of Gen 1-6. He is certainly a reverse Cain, and when he flees he encounters Gentiles and by marrying a believing Gentile he is the reverse of the "sons of God" in Gen 6. I can't see the reversal of Adam in the story at the moment, though.
4) He points out multiple verbal connections between Gen 1 and the account of the plagues, including the numerical link between 10 words of creation and 10 plagues (or, as Pss 78 and 105 have it, 7 plagues that reverse the 7 days of creation). Egypt is systematically decreated.
5) Allison quotes this summary from Ackerman (which is hit and miss, some chaff): "Pharaoh's Babel-like building activity is doomer to fail because bondage crushes the human spirit [PJL: NOT because Yahweh crushes the wicked??!]. Moses in the ark is, like Noah, the presence of life for mankind because he will point the way to freedom. His intention to prevent one Hebrew brother from smiting another is an attempt to overcome the hostility between brothers which had existed since Cain killed Abel."
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 at 03:49 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
