Genesis: Fair Beginnings, then Foul

by Daniel Berrigan S.J.

Overview

From the Foreword: "Daniel Berrigan is not an academic Scripture scholar searching for an (always elusive) 'original meaning' of the text. His concern is for the significance of the text to us—in the here and now…[He] has long been known to be a prophet, someone who courageously speaks God's will for our warring world…For Daniel Berrigan, Genesis speaks to our time and our world…" For seven years, Daniel Berrigan pondered the themes, meanings, contradictions, and implications of the Bible's most well-known and well-cherished "Book of Beginnings." In light of the escalating violence, military occupations, and global acts of terrorism that have characterized the beginning of our twenty-first century, Genesis: Fair Beginnings, then Foul yields both sorrowful and hopeful reflections as Berrigan walks his readers through the Scripture, searching for stories of ancestry and origins that can "shed a measure of light on dark days." Bringing together lively midrash, biblical exegesis, and stirring social and political critique, Daniel Berrigan marries the keen eye of a biblical scholar with the heart and words of a poet revealing for today's generations the book of Genesis, in all of its aspects, fair and foul.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742531925
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/08/2005
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.68(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Daniel Berrigan, S.J. is a Jesuit priest who has been deeply involved in the peace movement worldwide. He is a respected social commentator, poet, lecturer, scholar, and author. This is his fourth book for Sheed & Ward, previous titles include: Lamentations: From New York to Kabul and Beyond and Job: And Death No Dominion.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Acknowledgments Chapter 4 Introduction Chapter 5 "In the beginning…" (1: 1-28) Chapter 6 "In the Divine image…" (1: 27- 4: 24) Chapter 7 "God blessed them and named them 'Humankind'…" (4: 25- 9: 6) Chapter 8 "My covenant with you…" (9: 8- 14: 17) Chapter 9 "A priest of the Most High God…" (14:17- 21:22) Chapter 10 "Take your son, your only son, whom you love so much…" (22: 2- 28: 10) Chapter 11 "A stairway, from Earth to Heaven…" (28: 10- 36: 8) Chapter 12 "Joseph dreams of greatness…" (37:1-42: 5) Chapter 13 "I am your brother Joseph" (42: 5- 50:26)

Editorial Reviews

In these awful times of global warming, ozone depletion, rain forest destruction, war and even a willingness to destroy the earth with our nuclear arsenal, Daniel Berrigan takes us back to the beginning of creation and the Creator of Peace. He reopens the oldest story of all and makes it new all over again. Genesis is not just an inspired meditation on the classic scripture tale told with Berrigan’s poetic wisdom and Gospel nonviolence, it is a summons to enter the story, reclaim our faith in the God of peace, defend creation and carry on the holy work of creative, nonviolent love.

John Dear

How is one to categorize a book like this? Is it a biblical commentary? A book of poetry? A critique of today's world? Actually, it is all of the above. Reflecting on the text of Genesis, Daniel Berrigan weaves together biblical insight, social critique, and personal musings. Always attentive to contemporary concerns, he invites us into in the world 'in front of the text,' the meaning derived by the reader. It is there that he works his magic, drawing on other biblical passages and on the thought of writers like Leo Tolstoi, Annie Dillard, Thomas Merton, and Walter Brueggemann to fashion that meaning for today. Among all the themes that he lifts up, he is particularly sensitive to power and control wherever they are found. Though the book is primarily prose, one experiences the urge to read it aloud and slowly, in order to savor the poetic flavor of the words and images. Berrigan has brought this ancient story into the mainstream of today and made it as current as the New York Times.

Dianne Bergant

Over time we have tried to defeat the odd power of the book of Genesis. With Wellhausen we tried source analysis. With Gunkel we tried genre analysis. Then came creedal reading with von Rad and many of us who are his altar boys and girls. But then came Berrigan right into the middle of Genesis! Daniel Berrigan with his inimitable, whimsical poetic gift here turns Genesis back to his proper voice...holy poetry. Berrigan is evidently incapable of writing a prosaic sentence. He imitates his creatorwith his generative word that calls forth linkages and incongruities and opens spaces that bewilder and dazzle and summon the reader. I have not read anything in a very long time that is so breath-taking and compelling as this meditative poetry on Genesis...and with Genesis we get Paul and John, the woman at the well and brother Philip, all stretched thin and magnificent by this holy poetry. One has to be there! One has to read it! And then one will know...and yield...and give thanks...to Daniel Berrigan...and to his Sabbath-making God.

Walter Brueggeman