The early chapters of Genesis have been a pivotal base for Christian doctrine since the earliest days of the church. Many core doctrines find their point of origin in Genesis 1–3, including the doctrine of God, Christology, anthropology, the theology of creation/nature and the environment, the theology of work, of family, of history and of the scientific endeavour. This pivotal role puts the onus on the interpreter to undertake credible exegesis of this part of the biblical text.

This unit seeks not only to understand these texts and the issues they raise, then, but to be interpretively self-aware while doing so. The student will learn to self-check his or her biblical interpretation in the act itself, with the help of enhanced hermeneutical theory and a growing appreciation of the impact of interpretive approaches on this text and the issues it addresses. In a word we will interpret:

1. The process of interpretation itself

2. The core text in view, and

3. The key outcomes of the contemporary study of Genesis 1–3