These are the generations: Identity, promise, and the toledot formula

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منو

" These are the generations: Identity, promise, and the toledot formula "
Matthew A. Thomas T. J. Schneider

Document Type	:	Latin Dissertation
Language of Document	:	English
Record Number	:	55159
Doc. No	:	TL25113
Call number	:	‭3223808‬
Main Entry	:	Matthew A. Thomas
Title & Author	:	These are the generations: Identity, promise, and the toledot formula\ Matthew A. Thomas
College	:	The Claremont Graduate University
Date	:	2006
Degree	:	Ph.D.
student score	:	2006
Page No	:	221
Abstract	:	This study examines the surface structure of the Pentateuch in the Hebrew Bible. Using a combination of form-critical and linguistic methods the dissertation 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. Three mechanisms shape the way in which this shift in focus is accomplished: variations in the syntax of the toledot formula that distinguish main and secondary sections, the use of genealogies to preserve the family lines of secondary characters and their families, and the impact of divine promises on the ways in which narrowing can and cannot occur. Each of these three factors is examined in turn in chapters 3-5. In observing the variations of syntax in the toledot formula, the most significant factor is whether the formula begins with the conjunction waw or not. Those that do not begin with waw function as major headings while those that do are secondary headings. Next, we find that genealogies function differently depending on their form. Linear genealogies move the story from one main character to another, while segmented genealogies function to preserve secondary family lines. Divine promises enter the picture in shaping the mechanism by which the focus of the story narrows. At three key points the toledot series is altered by divine promises: after the flood, with Abraham, and at Sinai. 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.
Subject	:	Philosophy, religion and theology; Language, literature and linguistics; Covenant; Genealogy; Genesis (Book of); Identity; Old Testament; Promise; Toledot; Bible; Religion; Linguistics; 0290:Linguistics; 0321:Bible; 0318:Religion
Added Entry	:	T. J. Schneider
Added Entry	:	The Claremont Graduate University