Beginnings: Ancient Christian Readings of the Biblical Creation NarrativesWhat are we missing when we look at the creation narratives of Genesis only or primarily through the lens of modern discourse about science and religion? Theologian Peter Bouteneff explores how first-millennium Christian understandings of creation can inform current thought in the church and in the public square. He reaches back into the earliest centuries of our era to recover the meanings that early Jewish and Christian writers found in the stories of the six days of creation and of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Readers will find that their forbears in the faith saw in the Genesis narrative not simply an account of origins but also a rich teaching about the righteousness of God, the saving mission of Christ, and the destiny of the human creature. |
Contents
1 | |
Paul and the New Testament | 33 |
The SecondCentury Apologists | 55 |
The World of Origen and the Origin | 89 |
The Cappadocians | 121 |
Concluding Observations | 169 |
Genesis 13 and Genesis 515 | 185 |
List of Abbreviations | 199 |
Modern Author Index | 223 |
235 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Adam and Eve Adam’s allegorical authors Autol Basil Basil of Caesarea beginning Biblical Exegesis century christological church cites commentary concept context Corinthians created creation narratives creature death divine image early Christian earth evil exegetical fathers flesh garden genealogy Genesis 1–3 Genesis 2:7 gospel Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa Gregory’s heaven Hebrew Hexaemeron historical Holy Spirit homilies human person idea immortal incarnate interpretation Irenaeus Irenaeus of Lyons Irenaeus’s Jesus Christ Jewish Jews Judaism Justin literal Logos Lord male meaning Melito mortal Moses myth nature NRSV Opif Oration Origen paradise narrative passage patristic Paul Paul’s Pauline Philo Philocalia prophets question reading recapitulation reference resurrection Romans rule of faith salvation says Scripture sense Septuagint serpent siſtev soul speaking story teaching Tertullian texts theological Theophilus things tion transgression translation treatise tree typology understanding waters woman words writers ʾadam ἄνθρωπος καὶ