Since the Beginning Interpreting Genesis 1 and 2 Through the Ages

An international team of experts guides readers through interpretations of the Genesis creation stories throughout history, inviting them to consider perspectives from the earliest times to the present. "Greenwood's volume provides students with a highly useful resource for studying both the background and the afterlife of the first two chapters of Genesis. The volume ably demonstrates that 'literal' readings are hardly ever univocal." -- William P. Brown, Columbia Theological Seminary "The creation narratives found in the first chapters of Genesis have been foundational for Judaism and Christianity, and indeed for Western culture more broadly, for millennia. This volume gathers together excellent studies by leading scholars who offer insight into how Judaism and Christianity have drawn nourishment from these texts and, in so doing, show us how they can continue to stimulate our lives and faith." -- Fr. John Behr, St. Vladimir's Seminary " Since the Beginning offers a kaleidoscopic array of interpretations of Genesis 1-2. The contributors provide a symphonic experience as they guide readers through an exploration of the creation narrative within the canonical context and the Ancient Near Eastern context, from the premodern era to the present. The rich variety makes this volume a useful resource for both classes and personal study." -- Laura Suzanne Lieber, Center for Jewish Studies, Duke University; director of the Duke-UNC Center for Late Ancient Studies "As the relationship between science and the Bible is under constant discussion, many think that a long-standing consensus in church history is being challenged. In this book, however, readers discover that this perceived consensus is actually a controversy that has stretched throughout the history of interpretation.…