Today we continue with part 4 of a 6-part audio-slide series by Denis Lamoureux on biblical genealogies.
Before we begin, however, I need to say how much I hate Denis at this very moment, seeing that he sent me a rather gloating email concerning the Canadian hockey team’s unexpected–some might even say questionable–win over the American team in the Olympics.
Would that we had heeded Dave Barry’s advice of several years ago to declare war on Canada for toilet smuggling. If only. We would not be in this mess.
Where was I? Oh yes. Genealogies.
In this episode Denis takes on the significance of the genealogies of the Patriarchs. Here, too, we find symmetrical and stylistic numbers, and another helpful reminder not to read these genealogies through modern 
eyes. He does note, though, that the reigns of the Israelite and Judahite kings are not stylistic and symmetrical, but realistic and historical.
Although Denis does not discuss it, this syncs well with the notion, widely held, that with the monarchic period, we are more in the realm of history than legend or myth–though that is not to say the monarchic accounts aren’t also stylized to reflect theological and political agendas, but that is a topic for another day.
The audio-slide show can be accessed here and the accompanying handout here.
Lamoureux (though Canadian) holds three earned doctoral degrees (dentistry, theology, and biology) and is associate professor of science and religion at St. Joseph’s College in the University of Alberta (full bio here). He is the author of I Love Jesus & I Accept Evolution (see first of the audio slide series on this book here) which is a great introduction to his view of origins called “evolutionary creation.”
