Episode Summaries
Episode 1 - In God’s Image
Summary
What does it mean to be made “in God’s image”? And what do the two creation accounts in Genesis suggest about the roles of the sexes?Participants: Theologians Walter Brueggemann, John S. Kselman, Burton L. Visotzky, and Renita J. Weems; educator Roberta Hestenes; visual artist Hugh O’Donnell; and scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg.
Episode 2 - Temptation
SUMMARY
Where does evil come from? And what’s wrong with desiring a fruit that looks beautiful, tastes delicious, and confers wisdom—other than the fact that God forbids it?Participants: Biochemist Leon R. Kass; writer Stephen Mitchell; theologians Elaine H. Pagels, Jean-Pierre M. Ruiz, Marianne Meye Thompson, and Robin Darling Young; and psychotherapist Naomi H. Rosenblatt.
Episode 3 - The First Murder
Summary
The tale of brother killing brother features jealousy, revenge, forgiveness, justice, and mercy in the complex relationships among victim, perpetrator, and judge.Participants: Novelists John Barth, Rebecca Goldstein, Mary Gordon, Charles Johnson, Oscar Hijuelos, and Faye Kellerman and theologian Burton L. Visotzky.
Episode 4 - Apocalypse
Summary
Profoundly disappointed in his creation, God destroys it and starts over with Noah and his family. What does the story reveal about the character of God—and of the survivors?Participants: Theologians Karen Armstrong, Alexander A. Di Lella, Samuel D. Proctor, and Burton L. Visotzky; journalist Byron E. Calame; psychologist Carol Gilligan; and poet Blu Greenberg.
Episode 5 - Call and Promise
Summary
When God chooses Abraham to found a dynasty, how does Abraham react? What does divine sanction mean, both for the chosen and for the “non-chosen”?Participants: Scholar Robert Alter; law professor Azizah Y. al-Hibri; novelist Bharati Mukherjee; community activist Eugene Rivers III; theologians Lewis B. Smedes and Burton L. Visotzky; and playwright-composer Elizabeth Swados.
Episode 6 - A Family Affair
Summary
Seeking a descendant, Abraham takes Hagar as a wife, who conceives Ishmael—engendering jealousy, division, and pain for everyone involved.Participants: Scholar Robert Alter; law professor Azizah Y. al-Hibri; novelist Bharati Mukherjee; community activist Eugene Rivers III; theologians Lewis B. Smedes and Burton L. Visotzky; and playwright-composer Elizabeth Swados.
Episode 7 - The Test
Summary
God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac raises profoundly disturbing questions. What kind of God would make such a demand? And what kind of parent would consider obeying it?Participants: Theologians Dianne Bergant, Norman J. Cohen, Francisco O. García-Treto, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Phyllis Trible, and Burton L. Visotzky and journalist P.K. McCary.
Episode 8 - Blessed Deception
Summary
By engineering Isaac’s blessing on Jacob, does Rebecca become the heroine of the story, or simply a schemer? And what of Esau, her passed-over son?Participants: Biochemist Leon R. Kass; writer Stephen Mitchell; theologians Elaine H. Pagels, Jean-Pierre M. Ruiz, Marianne Meye Thompson, and Robin Darling Young; and psychotherapist Naomi H. Rosenblatt.
Episode 9 - God Wrestling
Summary
Apparently headed for his final comeuppance, the fugitive Jacob meets God in a dream and ultimately finds himself.Participants: Theologians Walter Brueggemann, John S. Kselman, Burton L. Visotzky, and Renita J. Weems; educator Roberta Hestenes; visual artist Hugh O’Donnell; and scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg.
Episode 10 - Exile
Summary
Gifted, talented, and handsome, Joseph survives slavery and exile by his wits. But his response to the advances made by his captor’s wife raises troubling questions.Participants: Theologians Dianne Bergant, Norman J. Cohen, Francisco O. García-Treto, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Phyllis Trible, and Burton L. Visotzky and journalist P.K. McCary.
