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In the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis

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Karen Armstrong's "In the Beginning" came to me at the tail end of a two year study of Christianity. I looked at its dustjacket (a reproduction of Adam from the Sistine Chapel) with indifference, and decided to read it only because it was brief. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. For one thing, Armstrong is a lyrical writer -- as a copyeditor, I truly marveled at her sentences for both their clarity and poetry. For another, in this book she does something many clerics and scholars have failed to do: successfully apply meaning to the garbled message of Genesis.

She states her case pretty early on: there is no way to get a coherant understanding of God from reading Genesis. He is utterly contradictory -- creative and all-powerful in one story; vengeful and capricious in the next. This paradox has befuddled many of reader. I, for one, had come to think of Genesis as typical of the flawed meaninglessness of the Bible. But Armstrong has me reconsidering my conclusion. It seems clear, she says, that all the characters in Genesis have to endure afflictions and unfairness. Whether they are favored in God's eyes or not, their lives are difficult. A relationship with God doesn't spare them difficulties -- instead the meaning in their lives is derived in part by making it through their difficulties with their faith intact.

I really enjoyed this book. Just when I had grown tired of a subject, a new author has revived familiar terrain with a fresh perspective. I look forward to reading Armstrong's other books.

This book is a brief running commentary on Genesis (the entire NRSV text of Genesis is included). The main point is that Genesis does not aim so much to explain how the world and the Israelite race began, which is not a very important question from a practical point of view. It aims more to describe why we dont experience God as a tangible first-hand reality. (This _is_ an important practical question: why should a God we never directly experience be relevant to important life decisions?).

The main story of Genesis, according to Armstrong, is one of a God who progressively distances himself from the human race. He walks and talks with Adam, Noah and Abraham, but Jacob only wrestles with him as a stranger in the night, and Joseph never experiences him directly, not even in his famous dreams. Armstrong is careful to point out that no adequate explanation is given for this distancing in Genesis, forcing readers to grapple with the issue on their own. One possible resolution that Armstrong seems to suggest---walking and talking with God may just be unnecessary overhead, he will take care of one as long as one plays by his rules (=Joseph). She does not seem to approve of the standard Catholic explanation of original sin.

Armstrong quickly takes care of fundamentalists by pointing out that there are two different and contradictory creation stories in Genesis, so that the editors who put Genesis together were obviously not fundamentalists. (They believed that both accounts were equally inspired, in which case the inspiration obviously did not refer to the literal truth of the accounts, but to deeper meanings). She also points out briefly that the historical details of Genesis are usually wrong--it is full of anachronisms.

Armstrong does not try however to reconstruct the true history of the events that Genesis describes. She spends most of the book speculating on the psychology of the protagonists (including God) as revealed in the Genesis story. In doing this, she is scathingly critical of nearly everyone. Noah is castigated as a drunkard and child abuser, Abraham as a bad father (because he rejected Ishmael and traumatized Isaac for life by nearly killing him), Isaac as an all-round loser, and Joseph as an arrogant ___. Jacob receives an especially bad press, mainly because of his bad treatment of his senior wife Leah and his cold indifference to his daughter's rape. God is not spared! Armstrong points out, with ruthless logic, that his behavior in Genesis can be judged as incompetent, unfair and even evil.

Bottom-line: while Armstrong's scholarship and logic are as always superb, it is important to remember that she is presenting an openly subjective and speculative analysis, with which the reader is free to agree or disagree. However, no reader can come away from this book without a better understanding of Genesis. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read the Bible, whether as a devout believer (Jew or Christian or Muslim) or as a curious agnostic.

"In the Beginning" takes a modern look at the teachings of the book that starts it all, Genesis. I suspect that the read should be enjoyable to the believers and unbelievers alike. ( believers, excluding fundamentalists who are offended when anyone suggests anything less than orthodox about Yahweh ) In the earlier portions of Armstrong's work, she hits the nail right on the head about why people misinterpret this book. (and all of scripture for that matter) They treat scripture as a "holy encyclopedia" as she put it. They think that every word in Genesis is literal, and that evolutionary biology is gravely mistaken. Karen reminds us that, "The true meaning of scripture can never be wholly comprised in a literal reading of the text, since that text points beyond itself to a reality which cannot adequately be expressed in words and concepts. " (pp. 5) And that, "Our authors are not interested in historical accuracy." (pp. 7) We might regard a 'myth' as an untruth, but in the premodern world it was regarded as a psychological form charting the inner world. Her commentary's main focus is on the nature of religion, and God himself. She looks at it then and now, and brings up the difference in portrayal as given in the book of Genesis and modern Christian theology. She purports to show God as arbitrary, big emphasis on this, and unpredictable. Not only this but that the Genesis authors are inconsistent when writing about God, we can't fully understand the divine. She compares what "faith" was in that day, how a true religious life was lived, and the emphasis of all the great religions, kindness to others. You should try this work if you would like to open up to an alternate perspective on the God of the Israelites, and his intervention in human antiquity.

As a biblical scholar and as an author who has also taken a long look at the book of Genesis (Eric Westra, "A New Beginning", 2000), I am well aware of the complexities and subtle nuances found within the text of Genesis. I was very impressed with Armstrong's firm grasp of the biblical text with all of its complexities, while at the same time never coming across as being pedantic, obtuse, or closed-minded. Armstrong opened my mind to things I had not previously considered. To anyone interested in probing the layers of meaning that can be found beyond a simple reading of Genesis, I highly recommend this book.

Karen Armstrong provides an enlightening introduction into the foundation narratives of the Judeo-Christian tradition. She analyses the complex human relationships in Genesis, depicting the fathers of the faith as multifaceted characters. The author maintains that Genesis is not a moral text, that it deals with separation rather than sin, and claims that the book's message is that integration and wholeness can only be achieved by the individual coming to terms with her/his own nature. The stories of Genesis have a timeless quality because they speak to parts of the spirit that remain hidden to us, yet they exert a compelling fascination. A reading of this book suggests why psychoanalysis began as a predominantly Jewish discipline. Long before modern psychology, the authors of ancient Israel had already started to investigate the unmapped territories of the human heart and mind. They considered the struggle with the emotions and with the past as the theatre of the religious quest. By seeking reconciliation with those who have hurt them in the past and by attempting to resolve inner conflicts, people would attain the harmony and peace that characterises the sacred. Because the authors of Genesis were dealing with such difficult matters, they provided very few exact teachings or simple messages, no clear theology and no shared consensus. Even though Genesis has played such an important role in shaping the Judeo-Christian tradition, the book can often challenge our religious preconceptions and like all human reflections on the divine, it cannot adequately express the often confusing reality to which it directs our focus. Armstrong's work is always thought provoking and this book is no exception. In The Beginning concludes with a helpful bibliography and index.

The brilliant Armstrong begins her book with a description of the well known "wrestle with God". This theme pervades the book and gives the reader some hope, that our own struggles in the search for God are not in vain. She presents through a reexamination of Genesis, that the book is not what it may seem at first reading. Our reading of this first book of the bible is colored by our religious training, and this is a fresh and welcome relook. Definately worth the read. My only criticism is that there is not enough, there could have been more evaluation and footnotes. She closes her book with the first book itself, which transforms before our eyes after reading her thoughts. Highly recommended

In The Beginning is written by the author of The History of God, Karen Armstrong. In The History of God, the author has left us with the indefatigable impression on the depth and width of the her intellectual and rendition power. She has without missing a single bit continued with her immense capabilities in writing In The Beginning. Her objectivity is simple breathtaking, which is almost a novelty in religious authorship.

In The Beginning deals with the first and perhaps most fascination for many, book of the Bible, Genesis. She provides a thorough and a well thought out description of the patriarch's character and personalities and most significantly, of God Himself as presented in Genesis. Any individual with a christianity background, would undoubtedly have a semblance of knowledge of the stories and individuals of the Book of Genesis. Christianity teachings are often absorbed at an early age where trust and naivety are at the forefront of personality traits. And here often lies the spiritual block and impediment of many. Certain interpretations or teachings (based on the convenient of the church or individuals) have been so deeply ingrated that a necessary reinterpretation and different facet of understanding is often impossible.

Karen Armstrong however has managed to transcend these and provided us with almost scientific objectivity in her interpretation and conclusion. Each and every point is based on the written verses in Genesis itself. No religious compunction is felt. The reader is invited to make their own personal interpretation and spiritual discovery.

A revaluation of childhood christianity teaching and belief is often necessary in the adult's spiritual progress in order to obtain a deeper faith in christianity. Such a revaluation is provided in this book and no doubt will be valued by many.

I don't wish to repeat the positive reviews already here. Suffice to say, Armstrong has written a logical analysis of Gensis that will likely offend some fundamentalists, but will ring true to others, from Christians who don't take the Bible literally to agnostics or atheists who just wish to learn a little more.

While I enjoyed this book immensely, readers should be aware that the original meat of the material, excluding the actual text of Genesis, is less than 120 pages -- and these are small pages. If this book was printed in typical hardback dimensions the original content written by Armstrong would likely be no more than 80 pages. I simply wish that Ms. Armstrong had either lengthened her analysis and discussion or had gone on to other books in the Bible. I want a little more bang for my buck if I'm going to buy a book.

What's here is great, there's just so little of it. Buyers should just be aware that they're buying a very short read.

A unique view of the book of Genesis, as seen through the eyes of a very intelligent woman. An insightful analysis of the texts done by an expert. Best thing is my beliefs were the same after reading this book, I was expecting either a praise to religion or the tale of a rebel, but this is a serious, well thought and complete approach, the perspective and the book though, are unforgettable.

Once again, Karen Armstrong makes a complex topic more understandable and readable. If you have ever tried to read Genesis and never got past the chapter, "so-and-so begot so-and-so, who begot so-and-so", then this book is for you. I have never understood what was going on in Genesis until now. It is like having the "Cliff" Notes. Armstrong provides the economic, social and political context in which the text was written. Without this, it is very difficult to understand the meaning of Genesis in a vacuum. The stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, etc., as written in Genesis, are full of sensational stuff like murder, deception, rape, incest, deceit, slavery and other topics more familiar to viewers of Jerry Springer.