These are the Generations: Identity, Covenant, and the 'toledot' Formula

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Using a combination of form-critical and linguistic methods, the author seeks to understand the role of the toledot formula, often translated "These are the generations of Name," in shaping the book of Genesis and the Pentateuch as a whole. An examination of the formula uncovers that it functions primarily as a heading to major sections of text and draws the readers' attention to focus on an ever narrower range of characters. By starting from the perspective of the surface structure of the text and addressing questions that investigation raises, the study is able to uncover and resolve a number of tensions within the text, as well as provide insights into a number of other questions surrounding the toledot headings and the organization of the structure of the Pentateuch.

Reviews

Smith's work is well written, informative, and makes a significant contribution to the study of the final form of the Pentateuch. His review of literature and bibliography make the book indispensable to students of narrative function in the Pentateuch. Furthermore, his discussion of the significance of the syntactical differences in the toledot headings and his analysis of the role of covenant in shaping thenarrative are very compelling...this book will prove to be an important step forward for scholarship regarding the Pentateuch's final form. -- Russell Meek, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary * The Expository Times *

Author Bio

Matthew A. Thomas (Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible, Claremont Graduate University) has served as a member of the adjunct faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary and at Azusa Pacific University in California, USA.