Humanity As City-Builders: Observations On Human Work From Hebrews’ Interpretation Of Genesis 1-11 by Casey Croy

Humanity As City-Builders: Observations On Human Work From

Hebrews’ Interpretation Of Genesis 1-11

CASEY CROY

Casey Croy is a PhD candidate in biblical theology at The Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary; he holds degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary and The Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland

Abstract: Hebrews 11:10 claims that Abraham “was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (ESV). The Genesis narrative, however, seems devoid of any indication that Abraham was looking for a city, leading some modern interpreters to conclude that the author of Hebrews was allegorizing the Genesis narrative. On the contrary, reading Genesis 1–11 (the preceding context of the Abraham narrative) from the perspective of the author of Hebrews reveals
details which indicate that he is making a valid inference from the text of Genesis. Specifically, the text of Genesis presents the city of Babel (Gen 11) as the antithesis of God’s original plan for human flourishing. The author of Hebrews’s reading of the Genesis narrative reveals his theological perspective on God’s original purpose for humanity, which has several implications for how Christians should reconsider the divide often assumed between sacred and secular work.

Key Words: Hebrews 11, Genesis 1–11, Babel, work, city, Eden