John J. Davis,
Paradise to Prison
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Review:
- An excellent evangelical commentary...popular enough for most readers to
understand and yet informative enough to be helpful to scholars." -Eldon
Woodcock, Alliance Witness
Excerpt:
No other piece of ancient Near
Eastern literature that has survived the ravages of time compares favorably
with the book of Genesis. Its theological perspectives and historical profiles
of early man are unique. It is important not because it is oldother
collections antedate it by many years-but because it completely transcends the
primitive mythology of the ancient world. Reading and studying Genesis are not
burdensome tasks. Its themes are varied and its personal portraits
unparalleled. It immediately tackles on of man's most basic questions: What is
the origin of all things? Its answer is as credible as it is captivating. From
the origin of man the writer shifts attention to the fall of man and the human
dilemma. The problem of evil is rarely discussed in such a manner by other
ancient writers. From this point the writer concentrates on the spiritual,
moral, and practical consequences of sin. Great catastrophes, such as the flood
and the confusion of tongues at Babel, demonstrate God's response to human
rebellion. Where in the annals of history can we find more imaginative and
frank portraits than those of Abraham and his descendants? Abraham's moments of
great triumph and ecstasy are not reported to the exclusion of his hours of
humility and disgrace; this balanced description is quite distinct from the
idealism of ancient Near Eastern historiography. The detailed descriptions of
Abraham's failures, therefore, constitute a remarkable proof for the
inspiration of this book. The sensitive reader cannot help but be struck by
this book's great contrasting emphases: on one hand majestic, cosmological
truth; on the other hand personal, intimate, and individualistic narratives of
a man, a wife, and their family. While theological abstractions are common,
they do not exclude personal warmth and historical objectivity. There are also
great contrasts between personalities; the most significant is between God and
Satan, and based on this contrast is the one between good and evil and their
practical effects. The book of Genesis, therefore, is of utmost value to the
scientist, the historian, and the theologian: to the scientist for its
cosmology, to the historian for its early history of Israel, and to the
theologian for its basic philosophical implications. But one must approach the
book properly; only then can one hope to understand it, not to mention the rest
of the Bible and Jesus Himself . Jesus told his hostile contemporaries that
"had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if
ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:46,47)
Table of Contents:
- Tables of Transliteration
- Foreward
- Preface
- Chapter 1 - Introduction to Genesis
- Chapter 2 - The Origin of the Universe (1:1-5)
- Chapter 3 - Days or Ages? (1:5)
- Chapter 4 - When Life Began (1:6-26)
- Chapter 5 - The First Man (1:26-2:25)
- Chapter 6 - Temptation and Fall (3:1-24)
- Chapter 7 - The Beginning of Civilization (4, 5)
- Chapter 8 - The Degeneration of Man (6:1-13)
- Chapter 9 - The Great Flood (6:14-9:29)
- Chapter 10 - The Earth's Population (10, 11)
- Chapter 11 - The Journeys of Abraham (12-14)
- Chapter 12 - Covenant Renewal (15-17)
- Chapter 13 - The Destruction of Sodom (18, 19)
- Chapter 14 - Life and Death (20-23)
- Chapter 15 - The Last Days of Abraham (24-27)
- Chapter 16 - The Adventures of Jacob (28-36)
- Chapter 17 - From a Pit to a Palace (37-45)
- Chapter 18 - The Last Days of Jacob (46-50)
- Bibliography
- Indexes
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