is being traced genealogically, and this seed, whether Seth, Noah or Abram, is crucial for the salvation of the human race. M. D. Johnson has argued that there are a variety of purposes for linear genealogies, including the political legitimation of the last descendant on the list. But here it is clear that these texts fit another purpose, that is, to exhibit “a sense of movement within history toward a divine goal.”14 This is made explicit in the narrative of the text. The previous thousands of