I noticed this morning that the Targuman has a couple posts up concerning literary criticism of Genesis 1 (including a nod in my direction, for which I’m always grateful). Chris may have been reading over some other recent blog posts, because he reiterates James McGrath’s recent question regarding the origin of the gods (how’s that for source criticism?). His post also bears on the much discussed The Lost World of Genesis One, in which John Walton emphasizes the primarily functional orientation of Genesis’ cosmogony, rather than its material creation. Thanks for the enlightening discussion, Chris.
By the by, I found Rendsburg’s book on his Rutgers page, where he has dozens of his publications available online.
Daniel O. McClellan 
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
Thanks Dan. I actually have not been reading anyone’s blogs lately, other than when a friend emails me a link, so I was not aware of McGrath’s post. I will look into that some more.
Rendsburg was a great professor (still is, I am sure) and I was amused upon listening to his audio version of his Genesis class just how much I had retained. I regularly use many of the same observations and comments in my own teaching of Genesis.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Thanks for the comment, Chris. So much for source criticism, I guess.
Dr. Rendsburg came to visit us at BYU a couple years ago and we had a wonderful time. I imagine he’s a great teacher, and I wish I had the opportunity to take a class or two from him, but I don’t imagine I’ll be anywhere near Rutgers in the foreseeable future.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Dan – It is actually a good lesson in source criticism really. It is possible, for example, that McGrath and I both read similar works and have taken similar approaches as a result without ever having read one another’s work.
By the way, thanks for the elevation to messiahood. 🙂
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Hey, how about that! My daughter has learned to crawl recently, so far less of my attention is available to proof my posts as I go.
I guess all that’s left is to posit a hypothetical source for both of your positions. I can give it chapter and verse numbers and everything. Of course, being the Targuman, we have no idea where you’re coming from.
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:48 am
[…] my some-what rambling study of the opening chapters of Genesis I want to begin by thanking Daniel McClellan and John Hobbins for noting and commenting on this series. As I noted on John’s blog, this […]