Questions and issues to think about as you read:
1. Reread the first first three chapters of Genesis, and the flood narrative as analyzed in Two Versions of the Flood. Based on these readings, how convincing do you find the Documentary Hypothesis? Can you see two flood stories carefully woven together? Two distinct narratives of creation? Keep your eyes open for other (less dramatic) doublets as you read ch. 26-50.
2. What kind of person is Jacob? Would you trust this man? Why?
3. What roles do cunning and trickery play in the stories in ch. 25-35? Who tricks whom? How do they do it? What is the role of God in these stories?
4. The story of Joseph (ch. 37, 39-50) is longer and more coherent than the earlier stories in Genesis. Like his ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph is clearly God's chosen instrument. How would you characterize his relationship with God? Is it the same as that of his ancestors, or is it different?
5. If you were to draw a chart of Joseph's life, what would it look like?
6. Why does Joseph test his brothers? Is he punishing them, or does he have some other purpose?
7. What meaning does Joseph derive from the extraordinary events of his life?