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4.0 out of 5 stars
A novel theory that deserves more attention, August 17, 2008
This review is from: Historical Genesis: from Adam to Abraham (Paperback)
In this book, Fischer attempts to place the first 11 chapters of Genesis within the historical context of ancient Mesopotamia in such a way as to preserve the doctrine of Scriptural inerrancy while at the same time taking seriously all of the relevant scientific evidence. He does so by making some pretty radical claims--ones which may bother those more committed to the historic confessions of Christianity.
Perhaps the most novel claim of the book is that Adam, although a real historical figure, was not the father of the entire human race. Rather, he was only the first Semite (or, more properly, "Adamite"), the first human to have a covenant relationship with God, and the first federal representative of humanity, whose fall and subsequent guilt have been imputed to the rest of us. Fischer believes that this view of Adam is necessary, given both the biblical evidence that places Adam in a Neolithic context (about 6,000 years ago), and the scientific evidence that traces the origins of modern humans back 50,000 years. I was surprised to learn that the Bible never explicitly affirms that all humans have descended from Adam and Eve, and in fact it may even implicitly deny such a claim (e.g., who was Cain afraid would kill him after he murdered Abel?). But where the Bible is ambiguous, later Christian confessions (especially the Westminster Confession) leave no room for doubt. Even if Fischer's theory is compatible with Scripture, it is clearly incompatible with later Christian teaching. This might not be a problem if you don't believe that creeds and confessions must be infallible.
The book does have its weak points. Firstly, Fischer should have taken more time to explain how the pre-Adamite theory affects the doctrine of original sin. If humans existed before and alongside Adam, how did Adam's fall affect them? The traditional Augustinian interpretation has been that pre-Fall Adam was "posse peccare posse non peccare" (able to sin and not sin) and post-Fall Adam was "non posse non peccare" (unable not to sin), with the rest of humanity (excepting Jesus) inheriting the latter condition from birth. Is such a radical distortion of the human will possible if the pre-Adamite hypothesis is true? My fear is that this theory will lead down a slippery slope to Pelagianism.
The second weak point is Fischer's treatment of the story of the Tower of Babel. He rightly recognizes the difficulty of reading this story as an explanation of the origins of all human languages. There is apparent evidence that multiple languages were spoken throughout the world long before Babel, and perhaps at least two languages (Sumerian and Akkadian) were spoken in the region of Babel itself. However, his own explanation seems equally unconvincing. He tries to argue that the Babel story isn't about language at all, but merely the people's unity with regards to the topic of conversation (tower-building). That seems like too much of a stretch for me, but I will let other readers make up their own minds.
All in all, I thought this was an outstanding book, and it deserves more attention. And even if his theories go against the grain of traditional Christian thinking, Fischer should be commended for his honest attempt to reconcile special revelation (scriptural witness) with general revelation (scientific evidence).
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The science of genesis, May 23, 2008
This review is from: Historical Genesis: from Adam to Abraham (Paperback)
Reviewed by Jen Cardwell for Reader Views (5/08)
Was there a real man named Adam? What is the location of the Garden of Eden? Who is Cain worried will kill him after he kills his brother, if Adam's family are the only people on Earth? How could Noah and his sons have repopulated the earth in the time since the flood? How would they have even gotten all the animals of the world onto their ark? And how would the animals have gotten back to places like Australia and the Americas with time for evolution into different species?
Questions like this are asked over and over by people questioning the Biblical account of Genesis and creation. The stories of Adam, the flood, and the tower of Babel tend to be considered mere allegory, if not dismissed outright as a story cribbed from other, older creation stories. The other option is for a literal, traditionalist interpretation: Adam was the first man, the flood covered the entire world; all post-flood people spoke a single language until that debacle at the tower of Babel.
Richard James Fischer believes there is a fourth, more correct option. In an attempt to reconcile the Biblical record with the historical record, Fischer comes up with an extremely interesting hypothesis: Genesis is literally about southern Mesopotamia. Essentially, Genesis 2-11 is the story not of the world, but of the Jewish people and their origins. This is not to say that he claims that Genesis 1 is not the creation of the universe and the world. He in fact makes no claims at all about Genesis 1; his entire analysis is of Genesis 2-11.
Although I took a number of religious studies classes in college, I am not a Biblical scholar by any means. I have never made an exhaustive study of Genesis in the ancient Hebrew, nor do I know any ancient Hebrew at all, other than the bits Fischer taught me in "Historical Genesis." Neither can I speak with real authority to the veracity of statements about pottery types and flood layers, kings' lists and linguistic similarities between the names Ziusudra and Noah. I can say, however, that I felt that I knew far more about the scientific basis for placing the events of Genesis in Mesopotamia and the cultural implications of many parts of the creation and flood stories.
"Historical Genesis" has a very easy style for a book packed with so much scholarly research. The author and editors wisely chose to impart information under short subheadings in relatively short chapters. This kept the pace moving, and kept me from getting bogged down in nearly incomprehensible (to me) discussions about the differences in pottery in different layers at Eridu.
"Historical Genesis: From Adam to Abraham" would be fantastic for a religious studies or seminary course on Genesis. Readers should have some familiarity both with the story itself as well as with some basic principles of anthropology and linguistics, if not being read in a class, or with some similar type of support system. I would highly recommend "Historical Genesis" for any interested in the accounts in the book of Genesis. Whether you agree with him or not, Fischer's book will make you think.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Biblical Genesis can't be proved - or can it?, March 28, 2008
This review is from: Historical Genesis: from Adam to Abraham (Paperback)
Americans and many others around the globe weigh their faith against science every day as they are exposed to new perceptions, findings, and opinions. Most rely to some extent on religion and beliefs to help determine what is truth and what is just another theory. Historical Genesis: from Adam to Abraham offers devout believers and agnostics alike a view not likely seen before and based solidly upon evidence. Through Scripture, modern science, archaeological discoveries, and ancient historical evidence, author Richard James Fischer maintains the book of beginnings is "historically sound."
"Although we are living in the 21st century, some traditional Bible `truths' being taught from pulpits and in seminaries today are stuck hopelessly in the 17th century," claims the author. In his view, "It is past time to free up our living Bible to be completely relevant to future generations."
Historical Genesis: from Adam to Abraham corrects biblical interpretations that have endured through archaeological, biological, anthropological, and genetic discoveries for centuries. One teaching is the belief that Genesis 2 is about the introduction of Homo sapiens through God's creation of Adam. Evidence within the pages of Historical Genesis clarifies Adam's role to the human species, not as the first mammalian biped with an opposable thumb and a cranial capacity of 1400 - 1500 cubic centimeters, but as the first of the Adamites-Semites-Israelites-Arabs and Jews which God introduced into a populated world. Documentation left behind by the people of the ancient Near East living between 4000 BC and 2000 BC, including what is believed to be "Adam's altar," led to this development. Some of these cuneiform inscriptions parallel biblical passages word for word and phrase for phrase. Beyond Adam, the findings within Historical Genesis establish historical people and events, such as: Noah and the flood, the Tower of Babel incident, and the early life of Abraham.
Some might criticize Historical Genesis based on long taught religious fallacy, popular beliefs, or academic training. Still, the author seems to have written Historical Genesis to encourage others to further explore the biblical conclusions within its pages and find historical truth within the book of Genesis.
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