Genesis is the first book of the Bible.  It contains many well-known narratives including:

• The 7 days of creation 
• Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden 
• Cain and Abel
• Noah and the flood 
• The tower of Babel
• The ancestors of Israel: Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebecca; Jacob and Rachel
  
• God's covenant with Abraham
  
• Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt

Do history and archeology corroborate these events?  Or are these narratives based on legend, myth, or something else?

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The titles of this 6-lesson course:

• The Pentateuch: An Introduction - The five books of the Pentateuch are foundational not just for the nation of Israel and the history of Judaism but for the history of civilization in the West. Yet they are rarely read and even more rarely understood. This lecture shows why these accounts continue to be intriguing and can in fact be hugely important, even for readers who don’t “believe” them.
• The Creation Stories of Genesis - Many people today – even internationally esteemed scientists – try to reconcile the creation myths of Genesis with the claims of science. This lecture shows why the endeavor is not only futile but also misguided.
• Did Genesis Borrow Its Stories from Other Cultures?  - Among the most surprising and influential findings of modern archaeology are ancient texts produced before the book of Genesis that narrate older forms of many of its stories – especially its accounts of creation and the worldwide flood. How do we explain such works?
• The Patriarchs: History or Legend? - What can we say about these accounts as historical records? If they are more legendary than historical, should they simply be dismissed as unimportant? 
• Moral Lessons in the Stories of the Patriarchs - Most  Christians believe their moral views come from the Bible, with its stress on monogamy, sexual restraint, truthfulness, non-violence, and fairness. But what about the stories of Genesis that describe (promote?) their opposites: polygamy, sexual license, deceit, brutality, and injustice?  
• Who Wrote the Pentateuch? - For most of Jewish and Christian history, Bible readers have assumed that Moses himself wrote the first five books of Scripture, the Pentateuch. Scholars since the nineteenth century, however, have maintained otherwise. How do the stories of the first book, Genesis, help us decide the matter? If Moses did not write them, who did? Were there multiple authors? When did they write? And how would we know?