Category:Genesis

Gen"e*sis, n. Etym: [L., from Gr. genus birth, race. See Gender.]

1. The act of producing, or giving birth or origin to anything; the process or mode of originating; production; formation; origination. The origin and genesis of poor Sterling's club. Carlyle.

2. The first book of the Old Testament; -- so called by the Greek translators, from its containing the history of the creation of the world and of the human race.

3. (Geom.)

Defn: Same as Generation.

- ---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Genesis - The five books of Moses were collectively called the Pentateuch, a word of Greek origin meaning "the five-fold book." The Jews called them the Torah, i.e., "the law." It is probable that the division of the Torah into five books proceeded from the Greek translators of the Old Testament. The names by which these several books are generally known are Greek. The first book of the Pentateuch (q.v.) is called by the Jews Bereshith, i.e., "in the beginning", because this is the first word of the book. It is generally known among Christians by the name of Genesis, i.e., "creation" or "generation," being the name given to it in the LXX. as designating its character, because it gives an account of the origin of all things. It contains, according to the usual computation, the history of about two thousand three hundred and sixty-nine years. Genesis is divided into two principal parts. The first part (Genesis 1 - 11) gives a general history of mankind down to the time of the Dispersion. The second part presents the early history of Israel down to the death and burial of Joseph (Genesis 12 - 50). There are five principal persons brought in succession under our notice in this book, and around these persons the history of the successive periods is grouped, viz., Adam (Genesis 1 - 3), Noah (Genesis 4 - 9), Abraham (Genesis 10 - 25:18), Isaac (Genesis 25:19 - 35:29), and Jacob (Genesis 36 - 50). In this book we have several prophecies concerning Christ (Genesis 3:15; Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 28:14; Genesis 49:10). The author of this book was Moses. Under divine guidance he may indeed have been led to make use of materials already existing in primeval documents, or even of traditions in a trustworthy form that had come down to his time, purifying them from all that was unworthy; but the hand of Moses is clearly seen throughout in its composition. Exodus 13:16