Genesis Marks the Spot

Carey Griffel
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Raiding the ivory tower of biblical theology without ransacking our faith.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    The Bible as an Oral-Written Book - Episode 167

    Last week we talked about why oral tradition can be trustworthy. This week we widen the lens: a lot of what we assume about “oral tradition” also applies to written tradition, because in the ancient world writing and orality weren’t sealed-off categories. We walk through Jan Vansina’s Oral Tradition as History to sort out key distinctions (oral history vs. oral tradition, “news” vs. interpretation, genres, and why stories inevitably get shaped in transmission). Then we connect the dots with David M. Carr’s Writing on the Tablet of the Heart, which argues that many ancient texts were written as memory aids for performance — more like a musical score than a modern book meant for silent, cold reading and reference. If we take that seriously, it changes how we think about: why multiple textual traditions exist (including what we see reflected in the NT and preserved at Qumran), why scribal education mattered so much, and why the formation and stabilization of Scripture is a process — not a threat. Resources mentioned Jan Vansina, Oral Tradition as History David M. Carr, Writing on the Tablet of the Heart: Origins of Scripture and Literature Key ideas you’ll hear Oral history (within living memory) vs. oral tradition (passed between generations) “News” becomes interpretation, and memory fills gaps Genre and worldview shape meaning (and outsiders can misread both) The “floating gap”: why communities often remember origins + the near past most strongly Ancient “literacy” as oral-written mastery (memorize + perform + reproduce) On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan  Chapters (00:00:00) - What is “history”?(00:02:47) - Oral and written tradition similarities(00:04:00) - Two key books: Vansina + Carr(00:08:28) - Vansina: memory, meaning, and why tradition exists(00:10:22) - Oral history vs oral tradition(00:11:50) - News vs interpretation vs fiction(00:17:42) - Categories of oral tradition(00:24:53) - The “floating gap”(00:31:30) - How traditions stabilize, self-correct, or drift(00:35:09) - Insider/outsider meaning; genre is culture-bound(00:41:03) - What is worldview?(00:46:25) - Carr: a new model of scribal writing(00:49:03) - Literacy: memorize + perform + reproduce(00:54:09) - Israel, canon, exile, and why this isn’t a threat(01:02:57) - Diffusion of ideas isn’t “borrowing” or sinister polemic

    1h 6m

  2. 13 FEB

    Not a Telephone Game: Oral Tradition and Memory - Episode 166

    We sometimes assume that written = reliable and oral = fragile — like oral tradition is basically a centuries-long telephone game. But that’s not how real oral cultures work, and it’s not even how human memory works. In this episode, we ask: can communal memory be reliable evidence? And the answer — with some important guardrails — is yes. In this episode, we talk about: Why “oral tradition” isn’t random campfire improvisation — it’s socially supervised, identity-shaped knowledge How memory actually works (hint: it’s not a video recorder) Why retrieval strengthens memory more than mere repetition — and why oral cultures do retrieval “as a way of life” Ritual and liturgy as “memory technology” (stability through public, repeated performance) How compression, lists, genealogies, and repeated patterns help traditions stay stable The Wiseman tablet hypothesis — and why most scholars today aren’t convinced A practical rule of thumb: don’t dismiss oral tradition by default — ask what stabilizers are present Questions to help you “weigh the evidence”: Is this identity-defining material, or entertainment? Is it performed publicly and repeated over time? Are there authorized contexts (rituals, festivals, communal recitation)? Are there custodians of the story?  Do you see cues, patterns, scaffolding, lists, genealogies? Next time: if oral tradition can count as evidence, how do traditions shift — and how do we evaluate them carefully without becoming cynical? On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan  Chapters (00:00:00) - Written vs oral tradition(00:03:31) - Evidence, certainty, and avoiding “anything goes”(00:07:58) - Two extremes: “telephone game” vs “history textbook”(00:11:38) - Genesis structure: tablet hypothesis / ancestor epic cycles(00:14:10) - Wiseman and why scholars don’t buy it now(00:19:35) - Oral transmission: not campfire improv(00:21:48) - Memory is reconstructive: meaning > verbatim detail(00:27:16) - Retrieval practice + ritual as “memory technology”(00:32:56) - Cues, scaffolding, and designed memory environments(00:37:51) - Identity stories and public “quality control”(00:41:10) - Compression, chunking, and why “boring parts” stabilize tradition(00:49:15) - Drift, correction, and why communities fracture(00:56:11) - The spectrum of oral + written(01:04:17) - NT-shaped reading traditions and inherited lenses(01:07:08) - Rule of thumb + “ask what stabilizers are present”

    1h 11m

  3. 6 FEB

    Were the Nephilim Superheroes? - Episode 165

    Were the Nephilim basically superheroes? Genesis 6 gives us “mighty men,” “heroes,” and “men of renown” language—but the flood narrative isn’t inviting admiration. Instead, this episode reframes that “superhero” instinct as something darker: a counterfeit immortality project built on power, fame, and self-made identity. From there, we follow the Bible’s “name” thread: men of the name → let us make a name for ourselves (Babel) → I will make your name great (Abram). Babel and Abraham become interpretive keys for Genesis 6—showing how “making a name” can function like self-salvation, while a God-given “name” becomes covenant gift and vocation. Finally, we connect name-language to worship: who authorizes your identity, and who secures your future? That trajectory culminates in the New Testament, where God bestows the decisive Name on Jesus—the “name above every name.” In this episode Why “superhero” is a misleading frame for the Nephilim “Men of renown” vs. “men of the name”: reputation, memory, authority, legacy Babel and Abram as interpretive keys for Genesis 6 Gibbor (“mighty one”) across Scripture (warrior, elite, even heavenly beings) Guardrails for reading reception history (including 1 Enoch) without turning speculation into exegesis Bearing God’s name (with a nod to Carmen Imes) Scripture mentioned Genesis 6:4; Genesis 11; Genesis 12; Deuteronomy 25:5–10; Ruth 4; 2 Samuel 18:18; Psalms 33:16; Isaiah 3; Psalm 103:20; Isaiah 5:22; Psalm 52:1; Numbers 6:22–27; Deuteronomy 28:10; Jeremiah 14:9; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9–11; Matthew 1:21; John 17:6. Resources mentioned Episodes 140–141 on John H. Walton’s dissertation Michael S. Heiser’s blog and Reversing Hermon On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan  Chapters (00:00:00) - Were the Nephilim superheroes?(00:03:20) - The “name” thread: immortality, remembrance, legacy(00:08:46) - Genesis 6:4: “men of renown / men of name”(00:15:23) - Biblical examples of name-perpetuation (Deut 25; Ruth 4; Absalom)(00:21:49) - Gibbor: mighty ones, warriors, and etc.(00:29:21) - Babel vs. Abraham: making a name vs. receiving a name(00:40:03) - Bearing God’s Name(00:45:12) - Reception history + guardrails(00:52:24) - The Name given to Jesus

    1h 2m

  4. 30 JAN

    Blotting Out: From Flood to Forgiveness - Episode 164

    This week we’re back in the Flood narrative—but we zoom out to follow one biblical metaphor across the whole storyline: “blotting out.” This is a frame-semantics-heavy episode where we build what I’m calling the erasure frame and track how the meaning shifts depending on what is erased and where it’s erased from. In this episode Why “blotting out” isn’t a single idea—the object + the medium control the meaning. The five frame elements I use to map each passage: agent, object, medium, resultant state, moral logic. “Blotting out” in the Flood: erasure as judgment (and possibly purification). A concrete “prototype” scene: Numbers 5 (curses written, washed off, and ingested)—erasure as judicial cleansing. Erasing a place (Jerusalem “wiped like a dish”) and what that could imply beyond simple demolition. Erasing a name (legacy/standing)—more than physical death: social memory and generational continuity. Erasing from a book/record (Exodus 32): what it might mean to be “blotted out,” and why that doesn’t automatically equal annihilation. The major turn: erasing sins instead of erasing sinners—blotting out as forgiveness and covenant restoration. The far horizon: wiping away tears—erasure as comfort, healing, and new-creation restoration. Contrast frame: remembering in Scripture isn’t “God recalling facts”—it’s covenant action (deliverance, preservation, inclusion). Scripture and passages referenced Genesis 6–8; Numbers 5; 2 Kings 21:13; Deuteronomy 29:20; Exodus 32:32–33; Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 44:22; Isaiah 25:8; Jeremiah 31:34; Luke 23:42–43; Leviticus 2:2; Numbers 10:10; Joshua 4:6–7; Exodus 12. Notes Don’t forget to check out the earlier discussion on "blotting out" in Episode 077  Study guide notes: I’ll be building a companion resource to go with this “deep frame semantics” episode (check back later!) On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan  Chapters (00:00:00) - Frame semantics without worksheets(00:07:29) - “Blotting out” & “cut off”: not automatically a death sentence(00:11:19) - Introducing the Erasure Frame: object + medium control meaning(00:13:10) - 5 frame elements: agent, object, medium, result, moral logic(00:15:11) - Genesis 6: erasing life from the land(00:16:04) - Numbers 5 prototype: written curses blotted out(00:21:23) - 2 Kings 21: blotting out a place(00:24:55) - Deuteronomy 29: blotting out a name(00:28:12) - Exodus 32: blotting out from God’s scroll(00:33:44) - Substitution: the golden calf(00:36:14) - Isaiah 43/44: sins blotted out(00:40:14) - Wiping away tears: comfort, healing, restoration(00:48:23) - Contrast frame: “remembering” as covenant action(00:52:32) - Book of Life + resurrection?(00:54:19) - Memorial rituals: remembering as embodied in worship

    1h 4m

  5. 23 JAN

    Genesis 6 Without 1 Enoch: Worship and the World of Violence - Episode 163

    In Genesis 6, how do we get from “sons of God and daughters of men” to a world “filled with violence”—without leaning on 1 Enoch as the primary interpretive lens? In this episode, Carey builds an intra-biblical case that follows Scripture’s own narrative logic: the issue isn’t “giant genetics” or DNA speculation, but a tangled moral ecology where worship disorder, sexual boundary-crossing, oppression/injustice, and bloodshed belong to the same web of corruption. We also trace how the prophets (especially Ezekiel) routinely pair idolatry and violence in the same indictment, helping us see how Scripture itself connects vertical worship and horizontal ethics. What you’ll find in this episode: Why an intra-biblical approach can still land on a supernatural reading of “sons of God,” without importing later Second Temple details as the controlling frame. Why the “through line” to the flood is not genetics, even though procreation is in the story. The recurring biblical “package deal”: false worship ↔ injustice/oppression ↔ violence/bloodshed ↔ sexual immorality, all functioning as covenant pollution. Why “blotting out” signals removal/unmaking, not just retribution—and why creation itself is portrayed as impacted by human corruption. Salvation and deliverance aren’t in human systems or self-repair, but in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). Scripture & passages referenced (highlights) Genesis 6; Ezekiel 8–9; Ezekiel 22; Leviticus 18; Numbers 35; Deuteronomy 9, 18, 29; Habakkuk 2; Numbers 25; Psalm 82; Acts 4:12. On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan Chapters (00:00:00) - Genesis 6 without extra-biblical “control”(00:02:21) - The through-line to flood violence (it’s not “DNA”)(00:06:05) - Formation/deformation: how false worship distorts the image(00:10:07) - Ancient “institutional worship”: you couldn’t just opt out(00:15:19) - Patterns, not systems(00:17:34) - Ezekiel 8: temple abominations and violence(00:20:23) - Back to Genesis 6: Not letting humanity off the hook(00:27:54) - Genesis 6:7: “blot out” vs “destroy”(00:32:08) - Genesis 6:11–12: “corrupt” + “filled with violence” as a moral ecology(00:36:53) - Land pollution texts: Leviticus 18, Numbers 35, Deuteronomy(00:45:01) - Ezekiel’s flood-logic: worship disorder produces societal violence(00:50:43) - Pulling it together: spiritual + human causality, layered not competing(01:00:08) - Psalm 82 and justice: why “justice talk” still sits inside worship realities(01:01:35) - Acts 4:12: salvation and deliverance in Christ alone

    1h 7m

  6. 16 JAN

    Between Glory and Ashes 6: End-Times Fire - Episode 162

    In the finale of the Fire series, Carey traces eschatological fire across Scripture—not as a single “hellfire” image, but as a matrix of scenes where fire unveils, judges, purifies, and ultimately makes creation fit for God’s presence. We start with Daniel 7, where fire is judicial theophany: God’s flaming throne, the opened books, and the public verdict against beastly dominion. Then Zephaniah 3 reframes fire as the jealous flame of covenant holiness—wrath that consumes and then leads to purified speech and unified worship among the nations. From there, 2 Peter 3 expands the horizon to the whole cosmos: fire that exposes and dissolves the old order on the way to new heavens and a new earth. Finally, Revelation 20–22 places the lake of fire and the “second death” beside the arrival of New Jerusalem, with death itself thrown down and the nations healed. Carey also explains why faithful Christians land in different places on final judgment—Eternal Conscious Torment, Conditional Immortality (Annihilation), and Universal Reconciliation—and argues we can’t shortcut the debate without first mapping what each text is doing with “fire.” Download the 40+ page study guide (link in the episode notes) for passage lists, questions to take into your own study, and a framework for reading these texts carefully. In this episode Five questions for reading end-times “fire” texts Daniel 7: fire as courtroom unveiling + verdict Zephaniah 3: jealous fire, nations gathered, purified lips, “one shoulder” worship 2 Peter 3: cosmic fire, exposure, holiness now, new creation Revelation 20–22: lake of fire, second death, death defeated, healing for the nations Why Christians “join” or “split” apocalyptic images differently (Heiser’s framing) Companion episode: Episode 55 (on Gehenna / Sheol / related “hell” imagery). STUDY GUIDE for this week's episode!: Study Guide: Fire Imagery, Judgment, and New Creation in Scripture   On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan  Chapters (00:00:00) - Study guide mention + 3 major afterlife views(00:04:09) - Core question: Day of the Lord, hell fire, and why views differ(00:06:25) - Five interpretive questions for “end-times fire” texts(00:07:42) - Daniel 7: courtroom fire as judicial theophany(00:10:56) - Holy ones / Divine Council angle(00:15:06) - Retribution and restoration in Daniel 7(00:18:00) - Zephaniah 3: jealous fire + wrath(00:27:08) - “Seek Yahweh”: from retribution to restoration(00:31:03) - 2 Peter 3: cosmic fire and holiness now(00:37:26) - Revelation 20: lake of fire, final judgment(00:44:03) - Revelation 21: restoration promises(00:50:15) - Worship, oppression, deception: who bears responsibility?(00:53:59) - Summary: Day-of-the-Lord fire = unveiling God’s reign(00:55:25) - ECT / CI / UR: Matthew 25 + Mark 9(00:59:07) - Heiser “joiner vs splitter”: interpretive moves for eschatological imagery(01:03:28) - What each view “privileges”

    1h 8m

  7. 9 JAN

    Between Glory and Ashes 5: Distributed Fire - Episode 161

    In this episode, Carey connects the “fire series” to a bigger question: what does it mean for God’s holy presence to be “distributed” through the Church—and even into the world—often in spite of us? From Genesis to Pentecost to Paul’s “corporate temple” language, we explore how God’s glory spreads through a holy people, and why the refiner’s fire is not just about individual sin—but about community formation, church worldliness, and shared discipleship. In this episode, you’ll hear about: Glory filling the earth as a creation purpose (Genesis 1; Habakkuk 2:14) Pentecost as Sinai-going-public: Spirit fire, covenant presence, and commissioning Why the Church isn’t a bunch of private temples: one Spirit, one holy dwelling Refiner’s fire as compatibility with holiness: exposure + purging, not mere “punishment” Malachi 3 and the “prosperity gospel” misunderstanding: corporate justice and care for the poor “Milk vs. solid food” as a formation diagnosis, not only an education level Why the “marketplace of ideas” is never neutral: it forms desires, attention, identity, and instincts Practical implications: treat community life as sacred space, pursue unity, justice, integrity—without moral superiority Scriptures referenced Genesis 1:26–28; Habakkuk 2:14; Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 3; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:9–10; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Malachi 3; Hebrews 5:11–14 (and additional allusions to Acts 17; Jeremiah 29; “salt and light”). On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan  Chapters (00:00:00) - The Big Question: God’s Holy Fire “Distributed”(00:02:29) - Beyond Individualism: Identity, Community, and Tribalism(00:10:17) - Refiner’s Fire as Communal Formation(00:12:48) - The Church Was Always the Point: Setting the Biblical Arc(00:14:55) - Pentecost as Sinai Going Public(00:17:01) - One Spirit, One Temple: The Corporate Dwelling(00:22:46) - What Gets Burned Up: Fire Reveals and Purges(00:29:45) - What Fire Exposes: Idols, Factions, Falsehood, Straw(00:34:55) - Present Refining vs “The Day”: Vindication and Judgment(00:38:32) - Milk vs Meat: A Formation Diagnosis (Not Just “Education”)(00:47:37) - No Neutral Space: Formation in the Marketplace of Ideas

    1h 2m

  8. 2 JAN

    Atonement in Genesis: A Torah-to-Genesis Map - Episode 160

    Where do we actually see atonement in Genesis—before the Levitical system even exists? In this episode, Carey uses frame semantics to map the Hebrew “atonement” word-group (kipper and its conceptual neighborhood) across the Torah, then searches Genesis for both the explicit word and strong conceptual rhymes. Along the way, we challenge the assumption that “atonement” means penal forgiveness. Instead, we explore atonement as functional repair—keeping God’s dwelling space fit for his presence—and the wider matrix that includes cleansing, washing, reparations, and relational restoration. Key moves in the episode: A quick framework for “atonement” in Torah: problem → agent → means → wording → result. Why Genesis can legitimately be read with Levitical concepts in mind (without forcing later theology backward). Genesis “touchpoints,” including: Noah’s ark “covering” with pitch (Genesis 6:14) and why “cover” here signals protection, not hiding. Jacob “appeasing” Esau with gifts (Genesis 32:20) as the first clear use of atonement language—relational, non-blood, non-judicial. How a “relational repair” lens changes what we notice across Genesis narratives. Join the conversation: Carey first worked through this as a livestream inside the On This Rock biblical theology community—and an upcoming study will deep-dive atonement themes using Lamb of the Free. On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/   Website: genesismarksthespot.com    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot    Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/   Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan  Chapters (00:00:00) - Atonement as functional repair (holiness/purity ≠ courtroom)(00:04:55) - Framing “atonement” (kipper) with frame semantics(00:07:25) - The atonement “cast”: agents, actions, and Exodus 32(00:11:18) - Bloodguilt & land pollution (Numbers 35)(00:14:56) - Process + results: means, directionality, cleansing/forgiveness(00:20:55) - How to spot atonement frames in Genesis (method questions)(00:30:24) - Atonement, forgiveness, righteousness, and “restoring shalom”(00:31:54) - Genesis 1-2: in the beginning was atonement?(00:35:24) - Genesis 3: garments of skin (mercy/covering, not penal)(00:39:21) - Adam / blood wordplay + challenging our default assumptions(00:41:10) - Genesis 4: Cain & Abel (blood cries out; no expected “penal” outcome)(00:43:41) - Genesis 6: “cover the ark with pitch” (kapar/covering as protection)(00:46:23) - Genesis 8: post-flood offering (not appeasing judgment)(00:48:03) - Genesis 15 and 18: covenant blood logic + Abraham’s intercession(00:49:51) - Genesis 22: binding of Isaac (covenant track vs purification track)(00:52:57) - Genesis 27 → 32: substitution dynamics, then actual “appease/atonement”(00:56:45) - Joseph story: gifts/ransom language → reconciliation(01:00:07) - Guardrails: anchor in the text

    1h 5m
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Raiding the ivory tower of biblical theology without ransacking our faith.

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  • Creator
    Carey Griffel
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    168
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    Genesis Marks the Spot

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