Discovering Genesis: Content, Interpretation, Reception - Softcover

Provan, Marshall Sheppard Professor Of Biblical Studies Iain

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0281070857 ISBN 13: 9780281070855

Publisher: SPCK Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

This introduction to the interpretation of Genesis encourages in-depth study of the text, and genuine grappling with the theological and historical questions raised, by providing a critical assessment of key interpreters and interpretative debates. It draws on a range of methodological approaches (author-, text- and reader-centred), as complementary rather than mutually exclusive ways of understanding the text. It also reflects the growing scholarly attention to the reception history of biblical texts, increasingly viewed as a vital aspect of interpretation rather than an optional extra.

About this title

About the Author

Iain Provan is Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College, Vancouver. He has written numerous articles and several books, including commentaries on Lamentations, 1 and 2 Kings, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. He is also co-author of the widely acclaimed A Biblical History of Israel (WJK 2003). He is an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland and a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge.

Review

 Walter Brueggemann
— Columbia Theological Seminary
“Iain Provan has made a significant contribution to our ongoing interpretation of Genesis. Readers will find this a fresh and suggestive entry into the book of Genesis.”
 
John Walton
— Wheaton College
“A welcome and masterful presentation of how Genesis has been interpreted through the ages. Be prepared to have your mind stimulated by expanded views of hermeneutics and a close reading of the text.”
 
Peter Enns
— Eastern University
“Provan offers his readers a sweeping, succinct, accessible, and sometimes iconoclastic assessment of the history of interpretation of Genesis, a section-by-section rehearsal of its major interpretive challenges, and a deeper understanding of Genesis as theology.”

 Gordon McConville
— University of Gloucestershire
“Iain Provan’s study is set to become an essential text on the great book of Genesis. With enormous scholarly range and communicative skill, he offers an anatomy of biblical interpretation as well as an acute analysis of Genesis itself as both narrative and theology. The result is a remarkable book, which should find a space on all serious students’ shelves.”

 Walter Moberly
— Durham University
“An accessible contemporary reading of Genesis that interacts with past readings and displays both historical and hermeneutical sophistication.”

Daniel Block
— Wheaton College
“This work brings to life the first book of the Hebrew Bible. Provan’s reviews of the treatment of the book’s motifs in the history of interpretation, including the arts, are especially helpful.”

 

Edition details

• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0281070857
• ISBN 13: 9780281070855
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 226