Genesis is the first of five books of the Torah called the Pentateuch.
The J tradition relates the Yahwistic faith of the desert with its drive toward monotheism. J takes over Babylonian myths and adapts them to Yahwism. J relates back into primeval history to show Israel's ancestors' origins in humankind. J is the originating genius of Genesis as a whole-but J is not the author of the final book. The E tradition presents the northern Israel viewpoint as distinct from the southern-dominated J tradition.