Theology - Research Paper Example

The more specific part of the bible that deals with historys first-ever power struggle can be found in Chapter 27. This is where the story gets interesting. In said chapter, the verses that gave in detail what actually happened are verses 1 to 45. With the connivance of his mother, Jacob fooled his father into giving him his blessings as a firstborn when he is not (although they are twins, Esau came out of the womb first and is considered the elder). No wonder that Jacobs story is often given the subtitle of “Jacob the Deceiver.

” The story begins when Isaac was already very old and he feels he might die anytime. So before he goes, he summoned his elder son Esau to give him his blessings. In ancient Hebrews, getting the blessing is very important as the firstborn gets more land, cattle, cash and servants than the younger siblings. He is also supposed to received the promises God made to Isaacs father, Abraham. Mother Rebekah heard what was planned and maneuvered to have Jacob blessed instead by taking advantage of Isaacs failing eyesight.

One lesson is that parents should not play favorites with their children as this will cause rifts and rivalries. The first dozen books of the Old Testament begin with the story of Creation and first humans as contained in the early chapters of Genesis. The remainder of Genesis covers four generations spanning from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob and finally to Jacobs twelve sons. The four books that follow it are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy mostly deal with Moses and his travails. Up till the Age of Enlightenment (around the eighteenth century), this continuous narrative framework was considered historical and therefore largely accurate and what the Bible says is true in every detail (Coogan 22).

New developments and discoveries in science, astronomy, biology, geology and discoveries of ancient texts from the Near