The Theology of the Book of Genesis. By R. W. L. MOBERLY.

Abstract

Moberly’s book is the second in a new series of studies of the theology of Old Testament books. The theology of individual books tends to be handled rather briefly in commentaries or theologies of the Old Testament. This series is designed to break loose from these restrictions and focus on issues of theological interest raised by the text. It begins appropriately with a chapter entitled ‘What is a “Theology of Genesis”?’ For Moberly an Old Testament theology is different from a history of Israelite religion, to which he thinks it has often been reduced. Rather it arises from a study of the canonical text within the context of a rule of faith, that is the set of assumptions that the student of the text brings to the text in an attempt to understand it, then apply or reject it. This rule of faith can be Christian, Jewish, or some other ideology. Thus in discussing the theology of Genesis Moberly tends to start from a modern concern raised by readers of Genesis, e.g. about creation, or violence, or inter-faith dialogue, and then explain what he thinks Genesis is really saying to this issue within the Christian tradition. Moberly’s theology is not an attempt to spell out the kerygma of the whole book in the von Rad paradigm. But because a theology of Genesis always involves interaction between the text and the situation of the interpreter, there can be no final account of that theology, only a provisional one.