The Tower of Babel

Ambition and Division

Background

Genesis Chapters 1-10 Origin of people and earth Human nature

Temptation Sibling rivalry Task fulfillment

Genesis Chapter 11 Etiological

Language barriers Division following a shared origin

Reversal

Dividing and scattering Vs. Create and unify

Chaos out of order Chiasm-inverted

symmetry Shift

Abraham and Sarah Focus on one

family/chosen people

Ray Bradbury includes a Biblical reference in Fahrenheit 451. On page 38 of the novel, Beatty says to an old woman, "None of those books agree with each other. You've been locked up here for years with a regular damned Tower of Babel. Snap out of it!" just before she commits suicide by burning with the books she loves (Bradbury, 1991, p. 38).

Journal Entry

What examples of “crime and punishment” exist in Genesis chapters 1-11?

Reflect on how these examples directly or indirectly characterize people in the stories.

What patterns emerge? As we continue Genesis, what actions/characteristics can you expect in the people?