Beyond Genesis; Understanding the Nephilim Narrative from Mesopotamian Sources - Mark Chavalas - September 1st 2023 - Friday Night Lecture

The first verses in Genesis 6 appear to be a brief and truncated prelude to the Flood narrative. Because of its brevity, there have been varying interpretations of the nature of the 'sons of god and the daughters of men' mentioned in this perplexing narrative. Interestingly, the passage is expanded upon in the New Testament (2 Peter and Jude), and especially in the extra-biblical book of I Enoch, which is quoted by Jude. However, we now have numerous documents from Mesopotamia that provide an interesting context to better understand this difficult narrative and to help us understand how it is a significant introduction to the Flood narrative.

Mark W. Chavalas is Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he has taught for over thirty years. He and his wife Kimberlee are the parents of six adult children and three grandchildren. Among his publications are the co-edited, Mesopotamia and the Bible (with K.L. Younger Jr.) and the co-authored IVP Bible Background Commentary (with J. Walton and V. Matthews).