
Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither?
Three Views on the Bible’s Earliest Chapters
The nature of the Genesis narrative has sparked much debate among Christians. This book introduces three predominant interpretive genres and their implications for biblical understanding.
Each contributor identifies their position on the genre or genres of Genesis, chapters 1-11, addresses why their interpretation is respectful of and appropriate to the text, and contributes examples of its application to a variety of passages.
The positions include:
- Theological History(Genesis can be taken seriously as both history and theology) – defended by James K. Hoffmeier.
- Proto-History (the early Genesis narratives consist of a variety of literary genres; which, nonetheless, do not obscure the book's theological teaching) – defended by Gordon J. Wenham.
- Ancient Historiography (an understanding of Genesis that seeks to reconcile the limitations of its human authors with the nature of it being the Word of God) defended by Kenton L. Sparks.
General editor and Old Testament scholar Charles Halton explains the importance of genre and provides historical insight in the introduction and helpful summaries of each position in the conclusion.
In the reader-friendly Counterpoints format, this book helps readers to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed conclusions in this much-debated topic.
Additional Information
- Contributor(s): James K. Hoffmeier, Gordon John Wenham, Kenton Sparks, Charles Halton, Stanley N. Gundry
- About the Contributor(s):
James K. Hoffmeier (PhD, University of Toronto) is professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern archaeology at Trinity International University Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of Ancient Israel in Sinai and Israel in Egypt, and coauthor of Faith, Tradition and History.
Gordon J. Wenham (PhD, University of London) is tutor in Old Testament at Trinity College, Bristol, England, and professor emeritus of Old Testament at the University of Gloucestershire. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Story as Torah and commentaries on Genesis, Leviticus, and Numbers.
Kenton L. Sparks (Ph.D., University of North Carolina) is professor of biblical studies and interim provost at Eastern University. He is author of several books, including Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible, God's Word in Human Words, and Sacred Word, Broken Word.
Charles Halton (PhD, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) is an assistant Professor in Theology at Houston Baptist University. He has contributed to The IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets and Reading Akkadian Prayers and Hymns: An Introduction. He is the co-author of The First Female Authors: An Anthology of Women's Writing in Mesopotamia and he maintains a blog at Awilum.com. He resides in Louisville, Kentucky.
Stanley N. Gundry (PhD, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago) is an author, editor, and theologian with graduate degrees in historical theology. After serving in pastoral ministry, he taught as an adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and as Professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute, where he taught for eleven years. He was a founding board member of Christians for Biblical Equality, serving two terms and later receiving the organization’s Priscilla and Aquila Award along with his wife. He is also a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society. Gundry is the author or coauthor of seven books and has contributed numerous articles to a wide range of publications. Beyond theological circles, he is known for his writings on the restoration of the Studebaker Avanti automobile. He and his wife, Patricia, have four grown children. In recognition of his more than forty years of influence in Christian publishing, he received the ECPA Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
- ISBN-13: 9780310514947
- Publish Date: 05/12/2015
- Publisher: Zondervan Academic
- Series: Counterpoints: Bible and Theology
- Format: Softcover
- Language: English
- Age Range: Adult
- Case Quantity: 88
- Dimensions: 7.96(h) x 5.23(w) x 0.5(d) inches
- Pages: 176

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