Genealogies and spiritualities in Genesis 4:17-22, 4:25-26, 5:1-32

Abstract

The three genealogies in Genesis 4:17-22, 4:25-26 en 5:1-32 show different intentions: the first wants (amongst other purposes) to give an aetiology of the trades; the second wants to stress the importance of a new beginning; the third wants to relate Adam to Noah. Each of these approaches to genealogy has a different intent; each wants to indicate a different aspect of God's care. Each thus evidences an own (though not unrelated) configuration of faith experienced, that is, a different spirituality. Lombaard Genealogies and spiritualities (Davies 1996:145-182). 2 The diversity of the expressions of faith in Yahweh in ancient Israel finds expression within the Old Testament to the extent that, once recognised, it cannot be ignored. Another interesting development of late in theological scholarship in general, is the strong rise in interest in the discipline of Spirituality. This is demonstrated, for instance, by the founding of two new academic societies for the study of spirituality during this year: in Africa, SPIRASA (the Spirituality Association of South Africa), 3 and in Europe (the European Association for the Study of Spirituality). In both cases, the Dutch Psalm scholar, Kees Waaijman, who has been working in the field of spirituality for some four decades (cf. particularly Waaijman 2000), has been instrumental in setting up these societies. This growth in interest in spirituality 4 may provide us with yet another avenue, alongside proposals such as those by Albertz and Davies, with which to analyse the faith of ancient Israel, as reflected in the Hebrew Bible. To be sure, the tone set by Albertz and Davies and others-despite differences in where they set the bar for accepting material as historically useful-should in my opinion be adhered to: that a fundamentally historical approach is the key to studying the spiritualities we encounter in the Bible. The concern that an approach which takes spirituality as its express point of departure may gloss over exegetical and historical minutiae, is not unfounded (cf. Lombaard 2003:439-440; Brueggemann 2002:59; Houlden 1983:48). 5 However, I remain con-2 Neither of these is unique in the points they make: Albertz acknowledges as much in the opening paragraph of his Vorwort, and Davies takes his terminology from a number of authors he refers to in his footnotes. 3 See www.otnet.net/Home/to_the_point.html (January 30, 2004). 4 Spirituality may be described as, in essence, the ways in which faith finds expression in human thought and action. Spirituality and faith are thus not synonymous: pisteological orientation is, for these purposes, accepted as the given, with the subject matter of spirituality being the cognitive, emotional, behavioral and other results springing forth in certain particular ways, both conditioned and creative, from this existential orientation. For fuller descriptions of the concept of spiri