caa a22 4500 37892270X CHVBK 20180305123609.0 cr unu---uuuuu 161128e20041001xx s 000 0 ger 10.1515/zatw.2004.116.4.483 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)gruyter-10.1515/zatw.2004.116.4.483 Kawashima Robert S. 1. New York University, Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, 51 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012-1075, USA. Homo Faber in J's Primeval History [Elektronische Daten] [Robert S. Kawashima] In this article, I take up the theme of the >>origins of culture<< in J's Primeval History. On the one hand, I try to clarify further the etiological intent of these stories. On the other hand, I broaden the scope of the interpretation, by placing this theme within J's larger objective: to define the >>human condition<<. Specifically, J portrays the human condition as a struggle with reality as it emerges in Gen 2-3. The initial plenitude of the garden - the abundance of nature, the absence of death, the presence of Yahweh - gives way to want - natural scarcity, human mortality, divine absence. But J's conception of >>human nature<< grants mortals god-like creativity and freedom. Their ingenuity and resourcefulness thus enable them to survive in the midst of an often hostile environment. In the process of compensating for this threefold lack, humans construct their uniquely mortal existence: civilization in response to a cursed nature; fame in response to a foreshortened life; worship in response to a distant God. In this way, humankind comes to define itself as homo faber, >>man the maker<<. © Walter de Gruyter Religion: general nationallicence Christianity nationallicence Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Walter de Gruyter 116/4(2004-10-01), 483-501 0044-2526 116:4<483 2004 116 zatw https://doi.org/10.1515/zatw.2004.116.4.483 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1515/zatw.2004.116.4.483 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Kawashima Robert S. 1. New York University, Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, 51 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012-1075, USA NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Walter de Gruyter 116/4(2004-10-01), 483-501 0044-2526 116:4<483 2004 116 zatw CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0 nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-gruyter