Genesis Unbound: A Provocative New Look at the Creation Account

Rating:
Summary: Biblically Consistant and Intellectually Satisfying
Review: Dr. Sailhamer is one of the world's foremost Hebrew Scholar's. His scholarship is only surpassed by his devotion to the Biblical text. Dr. Sailhamer is committed both to the authority and the inerrancy of the original manuscripts. His book is an honest, in depth, scholarly study of the Biblical texts of creation geared toward the layman. He views the creation account as a literal, historical account and the days of creation as literal 24 hour days. The essence of Dr. Sailhamer's book is that Genesis 1:1 describes the creation of the universe during an indeterminate amount of time; Genesis 1:2-2:4a describe the preparation of the land (the Garden of Eden/Promised Land) over six literal days. This is NOT a variation on the GAP Theory, nor is it an attempt to twist the Scriptures into compliance with contemporary views of science. It is the attempt of a brilliant and godly man to wrestle with the Scriptures in order to gain a better understanding of the meaning of the text. His interpretation is always based on the Hebrew text, its grammar, syntax and, most important of all, its context. Any honest scholar will admit that no interpretation of the Genesis account is entirely satisfying; all are to a greater or lesser degree problematic. Dr. Sailhamer's work comes closest to providing a satisfying solution, a solution that is consistent with the context of Genesis 1:1-2:4a, as will as the context of the entire book of Genesis, the Pentateuch and the whole of the Scriptures. If you would like a more in depth study of Genesis I would highly recommend Sailhamer's commentary on Genesis in the "Expositor's Bible Commentary" and his book "Pentateuch as Narrative". Sailhamer's works on Genesis and the Pentateuch have replaced Umberto Cassuto's writings as my most valued secondary sources for the study of the Pentateuch.

Rating:
Summary: Biblically Consistant and Intellectually Satisfying
Review: Dr. Sailhamer is one of the world's foremost Hebrew Scholar's. His scholarship is only surpassed by his devotion to the Biblical text. Dr. Sailhamer is committed both to the authority and the inerrancy of the original manuscripts. His book is an honest, in depth, scholarly study of the Biblical texts of creation geared toward the layman. He views the creation account as a literal, historical account and the days of creation as literal 24 hour days. The essence of Dr. Sailhamer's book is that Genesis 1:1 describes the creation of the universe during an indeterminate amount of time; Genesis 1:2-2:4a describe the preparation of the land (the Garden of Eden/Promised Land) over six literal days. This is NOT a variation on the GAP Theory, nor is it an attempt to twist the Scriptures into compliance with contemporary views of science. It is the attempt of a brilliant and godly man to wrestle with the Scriptures in order to gain a better understanding of the meaning of the text. His interpretation is always based on the Hebrew text, its grammar, syntax and, most important of all, its context. Any honest scholar will admit that no interpretation of the Genesis account is entirely satisfying; all are to a greater or lesser degree problematic. Dr. Sailhamer's work comes closest to providing a satisfying solution, a solution that is consistent with the context of Genesis 1:1-2:4a, as will as the context of the entire book of Genesis, the Pentateuch and the whole of the Scriptures. If you would like a more in depth study of Genesis I would highly recommend Sailhamer's commentary on Genesis in the "Expositor's Bible Commentary" and his book "Pentateuch as Narrative". Sailhamer's works on Genesis and the Pentateuch have replaced Umberto Cassuto's writings as my most valued secondary sources for the study of the Pentateuch.

Rating:
Summary: What do the Hebrew language experts have to say?
Review: The Bible uses allegory, figures of speech and other literary devices on occasion. Often this is obvious, but occasionally scholars disagree on whether a passage is literal or symbolic. But is this the case in Genesis 1-11? What do the Hebrew grammarians, lexicographers and linguists have to say? The answer is a resounding "no". There is no way in which the Hebrew text of Genesis 1-11 can mean anything other than what the fresh-faced child, picking it up for the first time without preconceptions, has always seen as obvious.

The following is an extract from a letter written to David C.C. Watson on April 23, 1984, by Professor James Barr, who was at the time Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford. Please note that Professor Barr, consistent with his neo-orthodox views, does not believe that Genesis is literally true, he is just telling us, openly and honestly, what the language means.

Professor Barr said,

"Probably, so far as l know, there is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the writer(s) of Gen. 1-11 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that (a) creation took place in a series of six days which were the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience (b) the figures contained in the Genesis genealogies provided by simple addition a chronology from the beginning of the world up to later stages in the biblical story (c) Noah's flood was understood to be world-wide and extinguish all human and animal life except for those in the ark. Or, to put it negatively, the apologetic arguments which suppose the 'days' of creation to be long eras of time, the figures of years not to be chronological, and the flood to be a merely local Mesopotamian flood, are not taken seriously by any such professors, as far as I know."

There are many theologians (as opposed to Hebrew language experts) who insist on long days, for example. But the above makes it clear that it is hardly likely to be the text itself that leads them to this conclusion. Rather, it is almost certainly the desire to accommodate and harmonize opinions and world views (in this case, the idea of long geological ages) which arise from outside Scripture.

Of course, arising from outside Scripture does not necessarily make anything wrong; but in this case, the clear, unmistakable teaching of the scriptural text is completely incompatible with, even opposed to, the extra-biblical viewpoint we are considering. It is, therefore, completely unacceptable to claim that Scripture may actually be teaching this view!

Faced with such a unanimous consensus of scholarly linguistic opinion (backed by the common sense understanding of countless millions of Christians through the ages), it is no longer intellectually honest to say that the issue of the time and mode of creation (or the related issue of global versus local flood) is in the same category as disagreements over mode of baptism, church government, or prophecy. Disagreements over these latter issues arise from different understandings of Scripture itself, not from seeking to accommodate (or to defuse debate over) a world view that directly opposes a teaching of Scripture which is unanimously declared by experts to be the plain meaning of the text!

I suggest that the only intellectually honest approach for a Christian is either to believe what the writer of Genesis is saying, or reject it as untrue.

To disbelieve it brings the following problems:

1. How can you know which other parts of Scripture are in error as well--that is, how can you reliably know anything at all about Christianity?

2. What about the New Testament evidence that Jesus and the Apostles (including Paul) regarded Genesis 1-11 as inspired Scripture, giving us 'true truth' about historical characters and events?

3. What happens to the very basis of the Gospel - that is, the Fall into sin, death and bloodshed of the whole creation for which the Saviour shed His blood in death (I Corinthians 15:21, 22; Romans 5:12; Romans 8:19-22)? Those who insist that the days could be millions of years often forget that these "millions of years", in the popular view, are represented by layers of fossils which are interpreted not as the results of the biblical Flood, but as creatures having lived (with struggle/pain/bloodshed) and died before anyone called Adam could have appeared.

To put it simply, there were Genesis "days" before man appeared and if you read the days as "ages" (remember that these "ages" are said to be shown by layers containing dead things called fossils) you've just put death and bloodshed before Adam!

If the reader is by now feeling despair, the answer to the dilemma is to look again at the modern world view you may have been trying to harmonize with Scripture. It is not--it cannot by definition be--based on the scientific method (repeatable testing and observation). It is based on faith in the opinions of men who were not there at the beginning, and who are part of a humanity in rebellion against its Maker.

Finally, there is a large amount of scientific evidence consistent with a recent, six-day creation and a global flood. To accept, by faith, the biblical statement "Thy Word is true from the beginning" (Psalm 119:160) is a reasonable position, which reasonable people, including large numbers of highly qualified, intellectually honest scientists, have accepted over the popular, atheistic, philosophical alternative.

For additional information, I recommend visiting the "Answers in Genesis", "Institute for Creation Research" and "True Origin" websites.

Also, I'd recommend picking up a copy of books like, "Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe" by Steve Austin, "The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods" by John Woodmorappe and "The Revised Quote Book" (available from the Answers in Genesis online book store).

Rating:
Summary: Close...but no banana...
Review: The thesis is that *ha-eretz* in Genesis 1 refer to "the promised land," hence the days of creation refer to "palestine" not the the Cosmos. He cites several sages (most notably Rashi and Ibn Ezra) and 17th century biblical scholar John Lightfoot.

He cites a text in Jeremiah, which alludes to the earth becoming "void and without form" etc... This is a "proof text" for Sailhamer's thesis that "ha-eretz" is Israel, however the text refers to Israel and *surrounding* countries.

Personally I think it more likely that "ha eretz" in the mind of the author of Genesis is the fertile crescent, while the desert was (as it is) "void and without form" (tohu wa bohu). In bronze age Palestine, *this* probably *was* the "earth." As knowledge of Geography, interpreters kept making the text more "universalistic." (You see a similar development in Greek Mythology--in the Fifth century B.C. the "ends of the earth" was Sicily, in the First Century is was Spain.)

Nonetheless the book holds many interesting theological insights, especially with regard to the parallels with the tabernacle and it is a substantial contribution. Also recommended are his PENTATEUCH AS NARRATIVE and INTRODUCTION OF OLD TESTAMENT, which are more scholarly works.

Rating:
Summary: What do the Hebrew language experts have to say?
Review: The thesis is that *ha-eretz* in Genesis 1 refer to "the promised land," hence the days of creation refer to "palestine" not the the Cosmos. He cites several sages (most notably Rashi and Ibn Ezra) and 17th century biblical scholar John Lightfoot.

He cites a text in Jeremiah, which alludes to the earth becoming "void and without form" etc... This is a "proof text" for Sailhamer's thesis that "ha-eretz" is Israel, however the text refers to Israel and *surrounding* countries.

Personally I think it more likely that "ha eretz" in the mind of the author of Genesis is the fertile crescent, while the desert was (as it is) "void and without form" (tohu wa bohu). In bronze age Palestine, *this* probably *was* the "earth." As knowledge of Geography, interpreters kept making the text more "universalistic." (You see a similar development in Greek Mythology--in the Fifth century B.C. the "ends of the earth" was Sicily, in the First Century is was Spain.)

Nonetheless the book holds many interesting theological insights, especially with regard to the parallels with the tabernacle and it is a substantial contribution. Also recommended are his PENTATEUCH AS NARRATIVE and INTRODUCTION OF OLD TESTAMENT, which are more scholarly works.

Rating:
Summary: Fresh look at an old story
Review: This book challenged almost everything I have been told or thought about the Genesis account of creation. The author asserts that modern translations, including the King James Version, suffer from cosmological presuppositions that bias our reading of the ancient account. Very compelling.

Rating:
Summary: WELL WORTH READING
Review: this is definitely one of the more memorable theological books i've read. i'm sure sailhamer has gotten some flack for his departure from the "orthodox". basically he suggests that Genesis 1 may be more a descrition of God's prepararion of the promised land rather than simply a literal (if not brief) synopsis of the creation of the universe. whether one believes, hates, or passively accepts the various assumptions of "evolution", one must at least wonder how we (as Christians) are to view scientific facts and theories that conflict with the biblical message (or at least our perceptions thereof). sailhamer's suggestion is not a new one. this can be found as well in earlier work by j lightfoote as well as some older rabbinic writings. anyway, this is a fast read and will be worth the time!