How to Read Genesis

Front Cover
InterVarsity Press, Aug 20, 2009 - Religion - 192 pages
  • Honored in 2006 as a "Year's Best Book for Preachers" by Preaching magazine.
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.
 

Contents

Acknowledgments
9
Preface
13
READING GENESIS WITH A STRATEGY
17
Understanding the Book of Beginnings
19
READING GENESIS AS LITERATURE
41
Who Wrote Genesis?
43
The Shape of the Book of Genesis
59
READING GENESIS IN ITS OWN WORLD
69
The Primeval History Genesis 111
101
The Patriarchal Narratives Genesis 1236
126
The Joseph Story Genesis 3750
149
READING GENESIS AS CHRISTIANS
163
The Christological Difference
165
Commentaries on the Book of Genesis
177
Notes
181
Names Index
188

Myth or History? Genesis and the Enuma Elish
71
Noah and Utnapishtim Whose Flood Story Should We Trust?
81
Abraham and Nuzi Patriarchal Customs in Their Cultural Context
88
READING GENESIS AS GODS STORY
99
Subject Index
189
Scripture Index
190
Copyright

Other editions - View all

How to Read Genesis
Tremper Longman III
Limited preview - 2009
How to Read Genesis
Tremper Longman III
No preview available - 2005

Common terms and phrases

Abraham Adam ancient ancient Near Eastern appears beginning Bible biblical blessing book of Genesis brothers called chapter Christ clear comes concerning connection context covenant created creation customs death descendants described divine earth Egypt Esau fact father final flood genealogy give God's gods Hebrew human idea important intention interpretation Isaac Israel issues Jacob Jesus Joseph king known land language later light literary literature lives meaning Moses narrative narrator nature Nuzi Old Testament original particular passage past patriarchs Pentateuch Perhaps period person position present Press principles promise question readers recognize reference relationship scholars serpent shows significance similarities sons sources speak story tells theological things tion tradition turn understand whole woman writing written

References to this book

Genesis
James McKeown
Limited preview - 2008

About the author (2009)

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.

Bibliographic information

TitleHow to Read Genesis
How to Read Series
AuthorTremper Longman III
PublisherInterVarsity Press, 2009
ISBN0830875603, 9780830875603
Length192 pages
Subjects ›  ›  › 

Religion / Biblical Criticism & Interpretation / Old Testament
Religion / Biblical Studies / Exegesis & Hermeneutics
Religion / Biblical Studies / Old Testament / General
  
Export CitationBiBTeX EndNote RefMan