Collection
Status
Available
Description
During its 2,500-year-life, the book of Genesis has been the keystone to almost every important claim about reality, humanity, and God in Judaism and Christianity. And it continues to play a central role in debates about science, politics, and human rights. With clarity and skill, acclaimed biblical scholar Ronald Hendel provides a panoramic history of this iconic book, exploring its impact on Western religion, philosophy, science, politics, literature, and more.Hendel traces how Genesis has shaped views of reality, and how changing views of reality have shaped interpretations of Genesis.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bke
Ho-hum. More of the same. If you have studies and Bible criticism, then there is nothing new here. If you haven't then this is as good a place to start as any.
LibraryThing member InfoQuest
This book mostly focused on interpretations of a few key stories (especially the creation narratives) throughout the last two millennia or so. Since this is a short book, that only leaves space for brief vignettes and summaries of broader controversies. So for those who are interested in biblical
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studies, there isn't really anything new (which isn't the purpose of this series, anyway). On the whole, it's fascinating all the same, especially as we reach the more or less contemporary era, when Hendel focuses on literary interactions with Genesis from Dickinson, Kafka, and Mahfouz, among others. Show Less
ISBN
9780691140124