***WEDNESDAYS FROM 7-8PM VIA ZOOM BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 3rd***
Email holyfamilysantafe@gmail.com to register and receive the Zoom link
BIBLICAL SCHOLARS: Primordial History in the Book of Genesis — the story continues
Last spring Biblical Scholars began the study of the primoridal history in Genesis chapters 1 through 3. In these chapters God orders heaven, earth, and everything that fills them. God’s carefully articulated plan transforms primordial chaos into a good world, filled with life and crowned by humans, who represent God’s image on earth. The creation functions as a “blessing machine” delivering the good things of life to God’s creatures.
But this paradise of innocence does not persist. What was a story of trust and obedience becomes an account of crime and punishment as humans grasp for knowledge rather than trust. They become estranged from God and from their previous innocence.
In our study this semester, we continue the story with the primordial parents cast out of the garden. This is not a simple story of human disobedience and divine displeasure. It is rather a story about the struggle God has in responding to the facts of human life. The human creatures, in or out of the garden, still must finally reckon with God's terms. If the garden itself was a place of primordial unity, the banishment from the garden is the ultimate religious alienation.
On Wednesday September 3 at 7:00 p.m. we pick up the story in Chapter 4 and continue through the fall. Everyone is welcome to join us! If you missed the prior session, a summary of chapters 1 through 3 will be provided. No prior background in biblical studies is required.
Our instructor for these sessions will be the Reverend Dr. Kenneth Kochbeck.
What can you expect from this course:
The course will be conducted virtually over Zoom video.
Each session will be one hour long, beginning and ending with prayer.
The study guide will be distributed to the registered students before the first session.
There will not be any homework because we will read the passages from Genesis and the study guide together in the class sessions.
The course is scheduled to begin on September 3, and we will continue weekly until we have completed the study guide.
While it is not strictly necessary to attend every session, the introductory sessions are foundational, and students should make every effort to be present for the first session.
Our Instructor: The Reverend Dr. Kenneth Kochbeck holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from Washington University and Masters and Doctoral degrees from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Following a parish ministry, he has been active for the last 35 years in the teaching of the Bible and Christian theological topics in church and seminar settings, across denominations, including serving as adjunct faculty at Eden Theological Seminary. He is deeply committed to the teaching ministry as fundamental to the proclamation of the gospel.
In 1970 he married Olivia Ilagan, who is a music theorist, pianist, and artist. She was born in the Philippine Islands and grew up in St. Louis. She holds a B.M. in Music Education and a M.S. in Counselor Education, and an M.M. Music Theory. The Kochbecks have been married for 54 years and have one son, David. In 2017 they retired to Santa Fe, NM.