Since the Beginning: Interpreting Genesis 1 and 2 Through the Ages - Paperback

by Kyle R. Greenwood (Editor)

Few passages in the Hebrew Bible have been subject to more scrutiny than Genesis 1 and 2. In this volume, a diverse international team of experts guides readers through interpretations of the Genesis creation stories throughout history, inviting them to consider perspectives from the earliest times to the present. The book offers an accurate description of how these chapters have been read through the centuries, explaining each interpretive approach in its own terms. Each chapter includes sidebars and suggestions for further reading.

Back Jacket

Greenwood's volume provides students with a highly useful resource for studying both the background and the afterlife of the first two chapters of Genesis. The volume ably demonstrates that 'literal' readings are hardly ever univocal.
--William P. Brown, Columbia Theological Seminary

"The creation narratives found in the first chapters of Genesis have been foundational for Judaism and Christianity, and indeed for Western culture more broadly, for millennia. This volume gathers together excellent studies by leading scholars who offer insight into how Judaism and Christianity have drawn nourishment from these texts and, in so doing, show us how they can continue to stimulate our lives and faith."
--Fr. John Behr, St. Vladimir's Seminary

"Since the Beginning offers a kaleidoscopic array of interpretations of Genesis 1-2. The contributors provide a symphonic experience as they guide readers through an exploration of the creation narrative within the canonical context and the Ancient Near Eastern context, from the premodern era to the present. The rich variety makes this volume a useful resource for both classes and personal study."
--Laura Suzanne Lieber, Center for Jewish Studies, Duke University; director of the Duke-UNC Center for Late Ancient Studies

"As the relationship between science and the Bible is under constant discussion, many think that a long-standing consensus in church history is being challenged. In this book, however, readers discover that this perceived consensus is actually a controversy that has stretched throughout the history of interpretation. Here they discover various voices and interpretations that have characterized the discussion. Such valuable information gives us pause before concluding that Christianity has always been of one mind about these issues. An extremely important volume that elegantly addresses these fundamental questions."
--John H. Walton, Wheaton College

"This contribution to the ever-growing body of literature on the book of Genesis fills a void by providing in one volume a thorough examination of the 'afterlife' of Gen 1-2. It will make us better conversationalists by helping us to listen more attentively to past conversations on these centrally important texts."
--Bill T. Arnold, Asbury Theological Seminary

"Readers are treated to a fascinating, centuries-long discussion of the 'afterlife' of Genesis 1-2, which helps them to discern the difference between what the text itself says and what others have said about the text. A must-read for anyone studying the early chapters of Genesis!"
--Catherine McDowell, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina

Author Biography

Kyle R. Greenwood (PhD, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) has taught at Colorado Christian University and Denver Seminary. He is the author of Scripture and Cosmology: Reading the Bible between the Ancient World and Modern Science.