Leon Kass is a secular (as in not-religious) Jewish medical doctor from Chicago. (He taught at U. Chicago for many years in the humanities.) His book, The Beginning of Wisdom, is a careful literary reflection about this first book of the Bible. Drawing on what Kass has to say (and aware that your classmates will read and respond to what you write!) please say a few words about how the narrative about Noah furthers the concerns present in the account of the first sin in Genesis 3. He doesn’t make the connection explicitly, but it is common knowledge that the so-called “primeval history” of Genesis 1-11 contains a series of narratives that are all variations on a theme.
Due to the ambiguity of the text and masterful use of cryptic verse, Kass explores the origin of the Flood, asking us to consider that the trouble is rooted in the desire of possession, fame, glory, and immortality, desires Noah does not succumb to. He is not tainted with the glory of immortality. Noah, unlike his predecessors, accepts mortality as part of the human condition and as the first man to be born after Adam dies has no direct contact with him, possess no knowledge of the Garden of Eden, and therefore no knowledge of immortality. The wickedness God wishes to wipe out stems from man not being bounded by the limitation of time, allowing them to wreck havoc on the world with no consequences. Having no direct genealogy to Adam, Noah is free from the knowledge of good and evil and is chosen by God to be saved from the wiping of human existence.
The first sin in Genesis 3, the possession of knowledge of good and evil is paralleled to the world succeeding the flood in the tower of Babel. Although it is a symbol of safety and protection from future floods, it is essentially an attempt of mankind to control and understand the divine, bringing Earth closer to Heaven. As Kass notices, the tower expresses the “human conquest of necessity […] and independence,” a claim very much supported by the text itself. Genesis 11:4 tells us that the people of Babel wished to “make a name” for themselves, satisfying their longing for fame and glory, the very two virtues that causes the Flood in the first place. In this way, not much as changed in the human condition when comparing the need for fame and glory before and after the Flood. The people of Babel act in direct disobedience to God’s command, drawing a parallel between the first sin in Genesis 3 and the building of the city. The command to “be fruitful and multiply” was not followed, as the people of Babel wished to build a city of uniform language and truth of their own making, in clear opposition to God’s command to sprawl across the whole world He had made for them. Clearly, the life the inhabitants of Babel have envisioned for themselves does not align with the life God has planned, as he chooses to “scatter” them all over the world and put an end to the city and to the rebellion. Similar to the sin in the Garden of Eden, the desire to possess a knowledge of the world that is in clear opposition to God’s will, is a sin that will corrupt the world time and time again. Across Genesis 1-11, one central theme rings true in every narrative: the human condition and desire to possess autonomy and supreme judgment is to go against the will of God and the world He has created.
Foundations of Theology 
Theresa, you did an amazing job emphasizing the theme of Genesis 1-11. I thought your last statement was the most well-crafted of the response. While I fully agree that humanity’s desire for knowledge goes against God’s will, I have to disagree with the statement, “Having no direct genealogy to Adam, Noah is free from the knowledge of good and evil and is chosen by God to be saved from the wiping of human existence.” Although Noah was never in direct contact with Adam or Eve, he is still tainted by original sin and the knowledge of good and evil. I think the reason God picked Noah to begin the world anew was because in spite of being a human who has flaws, Noah remained obedient and loyal to God. This does not mean Noah does not have the same knowledge as his predecessors, however.
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I like the point made about the lack of knowledge of immortality being what saved Noah. It relates back to the knowledge of good and evil being what endangered Adam and Eve. The question of why a lack of time limitations is what made man turn to evil is an interesting one, and I think answered by actually the amount of time that passes from Adam’s departure from the Garden. In making a name for themselves, are the people of Babel wishing to assign themselves an identity, as naming is used in the first origin story? The angle that creating the tower was bad because it went against the instruction to spread across the Earth is a new one to me, but I think a correct interpretation. The theme of desire vs obedience wonderfully summed up in your concluding sentence.
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You clearly show that the key problem of the human condition is the desire to be like G-d, leading to continuous disobedience to G-d’s will. There is one part of your last statement I would like to discuss more. You say humanity’s desire “is to go against the will of G-d”. If we look towards the Tower of Babel story, G-d says that if the humans build the tower, “‘then nothing that they may propose to do will be out of their reach'” (Genesis 11:6). Just as you said, the tower is an attempt for humanity to be like G-d. However, G-d’s statements seems to have a worrisome tone. He seems to be concerned that humanity will be like Him, possibly challenging His power. We see this again when He casts out the first humans from Eden because “man has become like one of us” (Genesis 3:22). Now, G-d is obviously attempting to act in a way that helps humans fulfill their role in creation. However, are His actions in these instances done out of fear that humans may challenge Him, just as deities in other mythologies do, or because humanity’s desire to be like G-d is counterproductive to their role?
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Theresa, I like your point about how the wickedness God wishes to wipe out stems from man not being bounded by the limitation of time. Also, I like how you pointed out that Noah is the first human to accept his morality. One question I have is when you say that Noah is free from the knowledge of good and evil, because all though he is in god’s grace, he still possesses the knowledge of good and evil.
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Theresa, I like how you connected the different chapters of Genesis together in under one central theme. One thing that is unique about your analysis is the word autonomous, which you use to describe how humans desire to be God-like in that they do not rely on God or anyone for survival, which also ties into the desire for independence and glory. I agree with the addition of this element in your post. One thing I am curious about is how Noah is free from the knowledge of good and evil just by not being related to Adam.
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