Genesis, A Royal Epic. Loren R. Fisher

scene, and the birth of the twins is very much like the birth of Esau and Jacob. Yes, once again the elder will serve the younger. Now we have more questions: Why did the scribes need this Judah cycle? Why did they only use part of it?

In order to address these questions, it is important to think about David’s situation when he became king. In 2 Sam 2:4 we read, “The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.” David ruled Judah in Hebron seven years and six months. During this time his royal scribes probably produced the document that we have called, “These are the Stories of Judah.” This document would have contained stories about Perez, and it would have given us the line of David plus a story about the death and burial of Judah (probably at the cave near Hebron that was purchased by Abraham).42 It would have been used by David to prove that he was the legitimate king of Judah. Since we do not have all of this document, we are forced to use the book of Ruth to complete the Story of Judah (Ruth 4:13–22 and also note Gen 46:12). In Ruth 4:18 we have another title, “These are the Stories of Perez,” so we can suppose that they did have even more materials.

      Later the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, and they made him king over Israel. When David became king over both states, he moved to Jerusalem, and “he ruled over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years” (2 Sam 5:5). At this point the royal scribes had to integrate the stories of the two states and especially the stories of Joseph (from Israel) and Judah. David’s scribes were very talented and they included a lot of very important things. They stressed the importance of Joseph, but they also made Judah very important in the main part of the Joseph story. These scribes also put in the Stories of Judah (Genesis 38) that pointed to David. So all of this material was put into its present form at the time of the Davidic monarchy. It was a royal document, and it not only made David the legitimate heir, but it helped to unify both Israel and Judah.

      It is clear that Genesis 38 is very important for David’s kingdom. The scribes had to include this material. Perhaps they thought that in a narrative concerning Joseph where Judah is also a main character, the readers should know more about Judah and the line of David. It still bothers me that they put it where they did, as it interrupts the Joseph story. However the inclusion of the Judah material was necessary, and at least they did it with political taste; they did not give too much of the Judah story, and they were not hostile as scribes were in later materials. Note Ps 78:67–68:

      He [God] rejected the clan of Joseph;

      the tribe of Ephraim he did not choose.

      He chose the tribe of Judah,

      Mount Zion, which he loved.

      The royal scribes did not want to cause problems; they wanted to unite these states and show their world that the story points to David.

      Burial, Blessing, and Birth

      In the above discussion on the structure of these cycles, we were looking on the surface of these narratives and noting similar beginnings and conclusions. But within these similar elements, it is very interesting that there is a very real cycle of burial, blessing, and birth that keeps on turning. I say, “very real,” because it appears that a storyteller could start at any point on this circle. The blessing can come first, then birth and burial, and it goes on for another round or two. First, I want to look at a story from Ugarit as an example of this cycle.

      The Epic of Aqhat

This story begins with Danel43 participating in a seven-day ritual. This ritual has usually been described as a “rite of incubation.” T. H. Gaster says, “The suppliant lodges for a few days in the precincts of the sanctuary in order to entreat the god and obtain the divine oracle in a dream or by some other manner.”44 However, I think that today we can be more specific; it is possible that this is a funeral ritual. The ritual is for seven days; Danel gives food and drink to the gods, which could be Danel’s departed ancestors; the god Baal makes Danel’s request for a son known to the god El. El blesses Danel so that he can have a perfect son. Danel’s son, Aqhat, is born, and he is a fine son. But, later in the story, the goddess Anat has Aqhat killed. Now, Danel must find Aqhat’s “fat and bone,” because there has to be a proper burial. Danel does find Aqhat’s “fat and bone,” and so the cycle begins again. In this case, Aqhat must be buried “in the grave of the gods of the netherworld,” i.e., the departed fathers and kings who are also called the rephaim. There are some Rephaim texts (UT 121–124) that show how these rephaim were invited to the funeral by Danel. They come first to the threshing floor and then to the palace. They come for the food and drink, but they also come to bless. We do not have all of the story, but I think that Danel is not only blessed again, but he also has another son. The cycle turns again.

      Abraham

      With the story of Aqhat in mind, we turn back to Genesis. The cycle that deals with Abraham is contained in Gen 11:27—25:11 (“These are the stories of Terah”). At the beginning of this material, we learn about the death of Abraham’s father, Terah. Since it is not mentioned, we are left to assume that indeed there was a burial. We have the post-funeral blessing in Gen 12:1–3. In this story we have to wait a long time for the next element or the birth story. In chapter 21, we have the story of the birth of Isaac. Sarah, with the help of Yahweh, produces a son for Abraham to help him in his old age, and more importantly to be his heir. In Gen 21:12, we catch a glimpse of how the heir (and his heirs) will “call forth” to Abraham at his grave. As the cycle turns, there should be another burial. Genesis 23 tells us about the burial of Sarah. In the Genesis cycles (as discussed above), the last three sections of each cycle deal with 1) death and burial, 2) another word concerning the heirs, and 3) another death and burial. Following the burial of Sarah, the second section from the end (Gen 24:1—25:6) mentions how Yahweh has blessed Abraham in every way, how Abraham arranged for the “right” wife for Isaac, and gives us some information concerning Abraham’s other children. The last section of the Abraham material is about his death. By this time, it should not surprise us to read in Gen 25:9 that “Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him . . .” And the expected note in v. 11 reads, “It was after the death of Abraham that Elohim blessed Isaac, his son.”

      Jacob

The cycle that deals with Jacob is contained in Gen 25:19—35:29 (These are the stories of Isaac). Isaac has the “right” wife. He has already been blessed after the burial of his father (Gen 25:11), so that an heir will be in the picture. Therefore, the first element in this cycle is the birth of Jacob and Esau with the epic notation that “the older shall serve the younger.” As we have noted in these epic cycles, the younger son always rules (and so it was with David). All of these cycles have their own individual ways of arriving at a similar end. In the Jacob material, Jacob obtains his father’s blessing before his father’s death, and he takes an epic journey in order to get away from Esau but also for the purpose of obtaining his rightful wife. This part of the story is very much like the story of Keret from Ugarit who also must go on such a journey to get his rightful wife.45 Jacob gets his wives and finally his children are born. In Gen 35:16–21, we have the death and burial of Rachel. “Jacob set up a sacred pillar on her grave” (v. 20a). Next there is a list of Jacob’s heirs, and finally there is the death and burial of Isaac (Gen 35:27–29). Esau and Jacob buried Isaac.

      Joseph

The Joseph material is contained in Gen 37:2—50:26 (These are the stories of Jacob). Here the heirs are already born, so the first thing to establish is that the younger will rule the elders. In fact, Joseph is really not the youngest, but he is next to the youngest and Jacob’s favorite. In 37:2–36, the fact that Joseph will rule is driven home again and again even though at the end of the chapter one wonders, how will this be? But Joseph is very successful. In chapter 48, Joseph and his sons are blessed, and within these blessings we are able to discern that the real blessing and the continuation of that blessing will come from God and the fathers, who will bless them as they call forth the names of the fathers at the tomb. They