The purpose of this research is to examine the figure of Jacob in the book of Genesis. The plan of the research will be to describe the historical context in which the book was written, the literary features of the book that explain the pattern of ideas contained in it, and the theological elements, themes, and purposes of the book, and then to discuss the importance of these various features of the book with a view toward understanding what lessons can be derived from it.
As the first book of the Bible, Genesis belongs to the Pentateuch, which comprises the Bible's first five books. According to Senior, Genesis was composed around 1000 B.C. and gives an account of events and personalities flourishing from 1850 to 1250 B.C. However, the written record corresponds to a strong and highly consistent oral tradition among the Hebrew generations. As the first book of the Bible, Genesis contains the Hebrew account of the creation of the universe and of human beings. In fact, Genesis contains two creation accounts. The first account describes the creation of the physical universe, culminating in the creation of man as having authority to "fill the earth and subdue it." The second account starts with the creation of the Garden of Eden and includes the injunction against eating of the tree of knowledge.
The creation accounts in Genesis must be presumed to predate by many centuries the narrative of events estimated to take place 1850-1250 B.C. In any case, the main focus of Genesis is on the story of the Hebrew patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The narrative, starting from the line of Noah (descended from Adam's son Seth), and continuing to the life and death of Joseph, suggests that Genesis was written to the Hebrew people to give a coherent account of their origins on earth and of their place in the universe not only among other peoples but also vis-a-vis God. It is important to note that Genesis ends with the death of Joseph ...