How to Read Genesis

by Tremper Longman, III

Overview

Preaching Magazine's Year's Best Book for Preachers

Creation in six days

Woman from the side of man

"Sons of god" taking "daughters of men"

A massive disaster and an animal rescue boat of biblical proportions

Abraham, Sarah, Hagar and the ongoing saga of a dysfunctional family

These are just a few of the episodes that Genesis conjures up. But we miss the point if we focus on what seems strange to us. And we distort the message if we demand that this book answer questions that are strange to it. To read Genesis intelligently, we must consider the questions, the literature and the times in which Genesis was written.

In How to Read Genesis Tremper Longman III provides a welcome guide to reading and studying, understanding and savoring this panorama of beginnings—of both the world and of Israel. And importantly for Christian readers, we gain insight into how Genesis points to Christ and can be read in light of the gospel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780877849438
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	05/12/2005
Series:	How to Read Series
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He is also visiting professor of Old Testament at Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and adjunct of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He lectures regularly at Regent College in Vancouver and the Canadian Theological Seminary in Calgary.Longman is the author or coauthor of over twenty books, including How to Read Genesis, How to Read the Psalms, How to Read Proverbs, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation, Old Testament Essentials and coeditor of A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. He and Dan Allender have coauthored Bold Love, Cry of the Soul, Intimate Allies, The Intimate Mystery and the Intimate Marriage Bible studies.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface

Part 1: Reading Genesis with a Strategy
1. Understanding the Book of "Beginnings"

Part II: Reading Genesis as Literature
2. Who Wrote Genesis?
3. The Shape of the Book of Genesis

Part III: Reading Genesis in Its Own World
4. Myth or History? Genesis and the Enuma Elish
5. Noah and Utnapishtim: Whose Flood Story Should We Trust?
6. Abraham and Nuzi: Patriarchal Customs in Their Cultural Context

Part IV: Reading Genesis as God's Story
7. The Primeval History: Genesis 1—11
8. The Patriarchal Narratives: Genesis 12—36
9. The Joseph Story: Genesis 37—50

Part V: Reading Genesis as Christians
10. The Christological Difference

Appendix: Commentaries on the Book of Genesis
Notes
Names Index
Subject Index
Scripture Index

Editorial Reviews

Longman does a good job of addressing critical arguments about author and date in an accessible way . . . Longman deserves praise for giving laymen the tools to engage the Bible more thoughtfully.

Modern Reformation

In a mere 175 pages, Longman considers the issues surrounding the reading of Genesis in an easily accessible manner. . . .good reading for any layman seeking to know more about this most pivotal text of the Bible.

January 23 Mutsugoro

. . .is written in a way that allows any minister or teacher of the Word as well as any educated layperson to enter the world of contemporary Old Testament scholarship.

Daniel R. Hyde

This book helped me think through some cirtical issues in new ways and helped me understand that many of the questions we want Genesis to answer aren't what the book is trying to address. More importantly, I felt that it gave me a handle on what Genesis was trying to communicate both to the original readers and me.

The Book Blog

Longman sheds fresh light on overly familiar stories in an interesting and readable manner. He presents competing theological understandings of Genesis fairly (in my opinion). Most importantly, he leads the reader into actually reading Genesis, after reading about it.

Dolores Klinsky Walker

. . .is written in a way that allows any minister or teacher of the Word as well as any educated layperson to enter the world of contemporary Old Testament scholarship.

--Daniel R. Hyde, Calvin Theological Journal, April 2008

This book helped me think through some cirtical issues in new ways and helped me understand that many of the questions we want Genesis to answer aren't what the book is trying to address. More importantly, I felt that it gave me a handle on what Genesis was trying to communicate both to the original readers and me.

--The Book Blog, (dtsbookcenter.wordpress.com), October 6, 2008

In a mere 175 pages, Longman considers the issues surrounding the reading of Genesis in an easily accessible manner. . . .good reading for any layman seeking to know more about this most pivotal text of the Bible.

--Mutsugoro, January 23, 2008

Longman does a good job of addressing critical arguments about author and date in an accessible way . . . Longman deserves praise for giving laymen the tools to engage the Bible more thoughtfully.

--Modern Reformation, March/April 2006

Longman sheds fresh light on overly familiar stories in an interesting and readable manner. He presents competing theological understandings of Genesis fairly (in my opinion). Most importantly, he leads the reader into actually reading Genesis, after reading about it.

--Dolores Klinsky Walker, Pioneer United Methodist Church, Walla Walla, WA, National Church Library Association, April 11, 2007, http: //nclareviews.pbwiki.com/Biblical%20Studies

From the Publisher

"In this accessible introduction to Genesis, Longman provides a workshop in hermeneutics, helping Christian readers hone their historical, literary, and theological skills in order to appropriate the message of this ancient book for contemporary contexts. This work emerges from a distinguished career of honestly grappling with biblical texts and provides a starting point for those seeking guidance in how to read Scripture."

Mark J. Boda

"Tremper Longman knows what the questions are that people ask and what the questions are they need to ask about Genesis. He is skilled at providing answers that make sense and that take people forward in their understanding of this vital but argued about and often misunderstood part of the Scriptures. He is good at making complicated questions as intelligible as they can be, and he takes scholarly questions seriously without losing track of the reason why people are reading the Scriptures. Further, he is good at providing answers to questions in a way that encourages readers to do their own reading and thinking. It's therefore excellent that he has brought out this new edition of his valuable introduction, which takes into account key scholarly works of the last twenty years. A whole new generation of readers can profit from it!"

John Goldingay