Toward a Poetics of Genesis 1-11: Reading Genesis 4:17-22 in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context

298 Pages·2013·5.23 MB·English

by  Daniel DeWitt Lowery

Toward a Poetics
of Genesis 1–11
Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplements
Editor
Richard S. Hess, Denver Seminary
Associate Editor
Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary
Advisory Board
Leslie C. Allen I. Howard Marshall
Fuller Theological Seminary University of Aberdeen
Donald A. Carson Elmer A. Martens
Trinity Evangelical Divinity Mennonite Brethren Biblical
School Seminary
Donald A. Hagner Bruce K. Waltke
Fuller Theological Seminary Knox Theological Seminary
Karen H. Jobes Edwin M. Yamauchi
Wheaton College Miami University
1. Bridging the Gap: Ritual and Ritual Texts in the Bible, by Gerald A. Klingbeil
2. War in the Bible and Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century, edited by
Richard S. Hess and Elmer A. Martens
3. Critical Issues in Early Israelite History, edited by Richard S. Hess,
Gerald A. Klingbeil, and Paul J. Ray Jr.
4. Poetic Imagination in Proverbs: Variant Repetitions and the Nature of Poetry,
by Knut Martin Heim
5. Divine Sabbath Work, by Michael H. Burer
6. The Iron Age I Structure on Mt. Ebal: Excavation and Interpretation,
by Ralph K. Hawkins
7. Toward a Poetics of Genesis 1–11: Reading Genesis 4:17–22 in Its Near Eastern
Context, by Daniel DeWitt Lowery
Toward a Poetics
of Genesis 1–11
Reading Genesis 4:17–22 in Its
Near Eastern Context
Daniel DeWitt Lowery
Winona Lake, Indiana
Eisenbrauns
2013
© Copyright 2013 Eisenbrauns
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
www.eisenbrauns.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lowery, Daniel DeWitt.
Toward a poetics of Genesis 1–11 : reading Genesis 4:17–22 in its
Near Eastern context / by Daniel DeWitt Lowery.
pages cm.
(Bulletin for biblical research supplements ; 7)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-57506-816-9 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T. Genesis IV, 17–24—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
I. Title.
BS1235.52.L69 2013
222′.1106—dc23
2013001282
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1984. ♾™
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Abbreviations .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
1. Introduction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Orientation 3
The Issue 4
The Parameters 8
Conclusion 10
2. Matters of Method .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Text’s Ancient Cognitive Environment 12
The Genre(s) of the Text 13
Text Conventions: Historiography and Mythography 35
Conclusion 71
3. The Text of Genesis 4:17–22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Critical Translation of Genesis 4:17–22 73
Literary Context 74
Literary Genre 77
Literary Analysis 87
Conclusion 113
4. Ancient Near Eastern Context .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Mesopotamian Literature 123
Conclusion 226
Excursus: The Spell of Nudimmud 227
5. Toward a Poetics of Protohistory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Historical Traditions 231
Historical Concerns 233
Historical Arrangement 235
Conclusion 237
6. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Review of Goals 238
Summary of Conclusions 238
Areas for Future Study 240
Conclusion 240
Bibliography .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Index of Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Index of Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
v

Preface
The objective of this study is to understand more accurately ancient Near
Eastern language and claims about origins, specifically as found in Gen 1–11
of the Hebrew Bible. I will set forth a method that could be applied to any
part of these chapters, but I will focus on a short passage as a test case, Gen
4:17–22, which I understand to represent the Hebrew tradition explaining
how the world came to be civilized. Though this is not universally agreed,
this passage does seem to serve a function within the larger narrative of Gen
1–11 similar to other ancient Near Eastern traditions of civilized beginnings.
Moreover, it occupies a place in the overarching “narrative of beginnings”
(also called the “protohistory” or “primeval history”) akin to what we find
elsewhere throughout the ancient world. For the sake of time and space,
Mesopotamia will be the primary focus, and other cultures with significant
contributions will be left for later study.
From a comparative standpoint, I seek to demonstrate that much of the
language of Gen 1–11, at least in its nature and scope, was similar in many
ways to its Mesopotamian counterparts. This is because the two cultures
shared, broadly speaking, a common cognitive environment. The ancient
Near Eastern mind thought and communicated about the past differently,
and this study should illustrate this in some detail. More explicitly, this is
an attempt to examine the nature of the language and the terms of the text
to ascertain what truths are being communicated and also to demonstrate
more clearly how these truths are being communicated. At its most basic,
this is a study of the genre and generic claims of protohistory as found in
Gen 1–11, with Gen 4:17–22 as a test case.
Preparing this book for publication has been quite an adventure for me,
and I would like to extend thanks to a number of people for their help along
the way. It began as a doctoral dissertation under the primary supervision
of Gordon Wenham, completed in 2010. The dissertation was a labor of too
many people’s time, attention, and care for them not also to share in the
joy of seeing it become a book. In that regard, special thanks are in order
for my secondary supervisor, Alan Millard, and also for Gordon Johnston,
John Hilber, David Wyrtzen, and Harold Hoehner, some presently, some
formerly of Dallas Theological Seminary. Each was a source of wisdom, en-
couragement, and motivation in his own way as I toiled away on the disser-
tation. More than a few years removed from the process, I am still deeply
grateful for all of their participation in the process.
That being said, this is no longer simply a dissertation gathering dust
on my bookshelf. The publication process started when I received John
vii
viii Preface
Walton’s Genesis 1 As Ancient Cosmology (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns,
2011) in the mail and began reading it. In no more than a few pages, I broke
out into a terrified cold sweat familiar to many young scholars as they won-
der whether their dissertations can indeed be published (but also whether
their windows of opportunity have already closed). Walton’s book quickly
reminded me that the academic conversation of the early chapters of Gen-
esis was still quite lively, and that perhaps my dissertation actually had some
things to say in this conversation. The sweats came from not knowing how
to convince a publisher of this. I took my sob story to my father, Dave Low-
ery, who immediately suggested I e-mail Walton to ask for advice. I did, and
John was exceedingly gracious, offering to read it and advise accordingly. To
my delight, he passed along his recommendation to Rick Hess for publica-
tion in the Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplement series.
To even more of my delight, Rick agreed. Working with him in this pro-
cess of turning a dissertation into a book has been wonderful. I am grateful
for his thorough and knowledgeable editing, as well as his prompt and en-
couraging interaction during this time. And above all, I am grateful for his
willingness to gaze through the fog of a dissertation and see the possibility
of a book that was worth publishing, and for his patience and wisdom in
helping to bring this book about. Thanks are also certainly in order to Amy
Becker, my editor at Eisenbrauns, who has been a delight to work with, not
to mention an incredible help!
If I’ve read it once I’ve read it a thousand times—but never understood
it fully until now—please do not hold any of those who have helped me
responsible for the shortcomings of this book! The errors are my own, and
should not in any way reflect the input that so many so graciously provided.
This could not have been done without their help but should not be held
against them at all!
A lot has changed since writing the dissertation’s “Dedication and Ac-
knowledgments” section, most of which I could never have imagined in my
most creative of moments. I am deeply grateful to Lakeview Community
Church, in Cedar Hill, TX. (Join us on Sundays!) Thank you for providing
a place for me to work when it seemed like there was not going to be one
anywhere. I love being your pastor, and I am quite excited about what the
future holds for us here. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of my
family and for making us feel so loved and appreciated.
Finally, this preface would be incomplete without mentioning my sweet
and growing family: Lauren, Edie, and now Joel. You are a source of unimag-
inable delight and blessing, and I am so thankful for the chance to grow to-
gether, to learn together, to laugh and cry together—to share life with you. I
have indeed tasted and seen that the Lord is good. We have been blessed as
we have taken refuge in him (Ps 34:8).
Abbreviations
General
A tablet in the collections of the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
Abr. Philo, De Abrahamo
Ag. Ap. Josephus, Against Apion
Akk. Akkadian
AKL Assyrian King List
Alleg. Interp. 2 Philo, Legum Allegoriae 2
ANE ancient Near East
Ant. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities
AO tablets in the collections of the Musée du Louvre
Aram. Aramaic
Ash. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
ASW Adapa and the South Wind
C3 Cairo Pentateuch Codex
Creation Philo, De Opificio Mundi
ED Early Dynastic Period (Sumerian)
Gen. Rab. Genesis Rabbah
GHD Genealogy of the Hammurabi Dynasty
Heb. Hebrew
K Kuyunjik, tablet signature at the British Museum, London
Ki. tablet siglum in the British Museum
Life Josephus, The Life
LKL Lagaš King List
LXX Septuagint
m. Ed. mishnah Eduyyot
m. Qidd. mishnah Qiddushin
MT Masoretic Text
Neof. Targum Neofti
Onq. Targum Onqelos
PE Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica
Post. Philo, De posteritate Caini
Ps.-J.  Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
PT Pyramid Text
ptcp. participle
QG 1 Philo, Questions and Answers on Genesis 1
ULKS Uruk List of Kings and Sages (tablet W 20030, plate 7)
SKL Sumerian King List
Sum. Sumerian
Syr. Syriac version of the Old Testament
Targ(s). Targum(s)
V Venice edition, Second Rabbinic Bible, 1524–1525
Vulg. Vulgate
W. field numbers of tablets excavated at Warka
W-B tablet in the Weld-Blundell Collection
YBC tablet siglum, Yale Babylonian Collection
ix