Rethinking Genesis (Paperback)

by Garrett Duane (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Christian Focus (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857925769
• ISBN-13: 978-1857925760
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #815,711 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The death-knell of the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis, December 19, 2003

By	I. Gould (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This study on the origins of the book of Genesis boldly opposes prevalent critical perspectives and presents an alternative theory that is both carefully documented and comprehensive in scope, describing all aspects of the transmission, assembly and structuring of Genesis. In this book, Garrett argues for the exodus-related setting of Genesis and a Mosaic redaction of historical sources, resulting in what he calls "Urgenesis" which was slightly expanded by later redactors. In proposing this hypothesis, Garrett methodically exposes the inadequacies of the Documentary Hypothesis and its spawn throughout the book and devotes an entire section to an evaluation of the same before presenting his own theory. The outcome of the work is a convincing refutation of the critical approach to the Pentateuch (and Genesis in particular), a nuanced affirmation of the traditional understanding of Mosaic authorship and the book's antiquity, and a realistic assessment of the structure and composition of Genesis that honestly and seriously considers the appearance of varying sources throughout the book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Answers to Vital Questions about the Composition of Genesis, June 16, 2009

By	Jeremy Royal Howard - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Evangelical theologians rightly rejected the dictation theory of biblical inspiration a long time ago. God's inspiration of the biblical authors was not a matter of his arresting their mind and will, such that they became robots who scratched out words dictated to them by God. Luke's prologue to his Gospel (1:1-4) clearly expresses the human role in the composition of the third gospel, for instance. And yet evangelicals also affirm the reality of God's role in biblical composition (see 1 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20-21). What shapes up, on balance, is a view of inspiration that recognizes the interplay between human and divine roles in the composition of Scripture. Biblical authors like Luke often did research (consulting oral sources, eyewitnesses, and even other writen documents) during the writing process, and all the while God was provident over this and ensured that the final product was truthful and that all words therein where fully his own. Hence we have God's Word written by humans in human words.

While this view of biblical inspiration is predominant among evangelicals and stoutly upholds the inerrancy of Scripture, it does raise an important but badly neglected question: if God did not dictate Scripture to the biblical authors, how did Moses, writing somewhere around 1400 BC, accurately write about people, events, and conversations that happened many long years before he was even born? Keep in mind that the book of Genesis narrates up to the time of Joseph's death, an event that took place centuries before Moses' birth. And of course the earlier events in Genesis preceded Moses' lifetime by even longer stretches of time. How on earth did Moses know any of these things? What roles did divine inspiration and mundane sources of information play? Was Moses just passing on legends and dawn-of-earth myths his people had inherited through the ages?

If you wonder about such things, as I think you should if you wish to have a defensible faith, I suggest you read Duane Garrett's fine book, Rethinking Genesis. I won't tell you his proposed answers. You'll have to discover them yourself. But know in advance that they are thoughtful, faith-affirming, realistic even if speculative, and courageous.

Jeremy Royal Howard
www.jeremyroyalhoward.com

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendously Helpful, June 8, 2008

By	Brent Hobbs (Severn, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a pastor, this book was immensely helpful in my own study of the Old Testament. In my reading of OT commentaries, it has often been difficult to know the difference between baby and bath water when it comes to critical studies. I knew that Moses did not sit down and write the entire Pentateuch in exactly the form we have it now from memory, but I also knew JEDP was reaching (and more confusing than helpful when it comes to understanding the text).

Garrett exposes the traditional critical views as bankrupt and presents a reasonable hypothesis for how Genesis came to be in the form we now have it. In addition, he also presents an excellent framework for understanding the book as literature.

Garrett comes to the text from a conservative perspective and his respect for the text is evident. The first few chapters, where he critiques the traditional critical viewpoints, had me laughing out loud in places. The clear headed reasoning presented in this work is a breath of fresh air in Old Testament studies.