Adam

Eve

Noah

Ararat

Joseph

Benjamin

Potiphar

Israel/Jacob

Genesis 1: Creation

What did God create on each day?

Genesis 2: Creation

How is this version of the creation story different from the one in chapter 1?

In each version, who was created first, humans or animals? Man or woman?

Which version is more like a poem and which is more like a story?

How is the portrayal of God different in each version?

Genesis 3: The Fall

What did Adam and Eve do that they were forbidden to do?

What happened to them as a result?

What was Eve’s special punishment? Adam’s?

Genesis 6-9: The Flood

Why did God make the flood happen?

Who escaped the flood? Why?

How long did the rain last? How long was the land flooded?

How did Noah know that it was safe to leave the ark?

What did the rainbow represent?

Compare this story to the flood story in Gilgamesh.

Genesis 37, 39-45: Joseph

What did Joseph’s brothers do to him? Why?

How did Joseph end up in prison? How did he get out?

What were Pharaoh’s dreams? How did Joseph interpret them? What happened to him as a result?

Why did Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt?

How did Joseph treat them?

Things to ponder:

What is the attitude towards women represented in these stories?

What is different in these stories from what you thought or were told about them?

What familiar phrases or sayings did you notice? Did you know they were from the Bible?