GENESIS

The book of beginnings: The first part describes the creation of the physical university and of man (1–2), and then tells how man’s first sin brought disaster in the form of a universal floor (3–8). Only Noah and his family survived, and from them the whole human race is descended (9–11; see captions on page 9–13). The second part of the book (12–50) contains the story of the earliest ancestors of the people of Israel: the patriarchs Abraham (12–23); see map on page 16), Isaac (24–26), and Jacob (27–36). Included are the narratives of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (19), the sacrifice of Isaac (22), Jacob’s deceiving of his brother Esau (27), and Jacob’s wrestling with the angel (32:22–32). The book concludes with the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who, sold into bondage by his brothers, rose to power in Egypt and later used his power to save them (37–50; see caption on page 42).