Our story begins where all stories should: in the beginning known as pre-history, with the creation of the world and of the first people. Adam and Eve, however, disobeyed God and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and were banished from the garden of Eden. As the family of people spread around the world, so did sin. The stories of Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, and theTower of Babel all offer details of how sin is spread.
God offered the people hope by making a covenant with a faithful man named Abraham. The descendants of Abraham and his wife Sarah - including Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph - are known as the Patriarchs, or the founders of the people. When God asked Jacob to change his name to "Israel," the people became known as the Israelites. Due to a world famine, the Israelites found themselves living in slavery in Egypt. After many years, God called Moses from among the slaves to lead the people in a mass exodus from slavery to freedom. The Israelites wandered through the desert for forty years. During that time, God gave Moses a covenant of friendship and the Law to act as a guide for the people. Finally, the Israelites reached Canaan, the Promised Land.
In Canaan, the people organized themselves, first under military leaders called judges, and then under kings. These leaders were not only responsible for protecting the Israelites, but for making sure they remained faithful to God and to the covenant. A Temple was built to house the ark of the covenant. Unfortunately, both the leaders and the people themselves were often unfaithful. Despite the efforts of many prophets to warn the kings and people, they did not amend their behavior. One result was that the kingdom of Israel became a divided kingdom. Over several centuries, both kingdoms came under attack and eventually both fell. The people were carried off to exile. During this time, the stories of the people's history were collected, organized and written down.
Some years later the exile ended and the people - now known as Jews - came home to rebuild their lives, their homes, and the Temple. Under a variety of foreign rulers, the people waited for the coming of a Messiah, or anointed one, who would usher in a new peace, justice, and prosperity under God's rule.
Note that it was not until Moses led the people through the desert in approximately the twelfth century B.C. that the Hebrews first began to compare, share, and exchange their stories and traditions.
Nearly eight hundred years elapsed between the time of Moses and the time when the final written form of the Old Testament was recorded. Also, note that the pre-history stories have no date attached. These were stories that were written down only after years of re-telling and shaping by the people. This means that some of the first stories of the Bible were actually some of the last to be written down. But it was through these stories of the genesis or beginning that the people grew in understanding of their relationship with God, each other, and the world.