Beginnings – Ancient Christian Readings of the Biblical Creation Narratives

"This superb study of early Christian interpretations of Genesis 1-3 fills a major gap in the literature. . . . Bouteneff's book is not only an introduction but contains many insights of interest to specialists. . . . The descriptive material in this book is an end in itself, worth reading repeatedly and pondering."--Verna E. F. Harrison, Church Historyundefined undefined undefined Recently renewed debates concerning creation and evolution make contemporary Christians wonder how their forebears in the faith understood the Genesis creation narratives. Were the stories of the six days and of the garden read historically, or did they have some other function? This volume from Peter Bouteneff brings needed attention to early Christian understandings of those key biblical texts.undefined After introductory chapters on the narratives and their reception in early Judaism and in the New Testament (especially in Paul's letters), Bouteneff focuses on the church fathers. He considers how the narratives of Genesis 1-3 were read as foundational, authoritative texts during the formative centuries when the Greek fathers were laying the framework of Christian theology. Chapters are devoted to writers of the second century (the apologists, from Justin to Irenaeus), the third century (mainly Origen but also the Latin writer Tertullian), and the fourth century (Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, and especially the three Cappadocian fathers). Bouteneff finds that from Paul onward, the primary interest in Adam was as a prefiguration of Christ. The six days of creation bespeak God's ordered creation of the world through Christ, and early Christian readings of Genesis reflect Christ-centered understandings of providence and time.undefined undefined Bouteneff's engaging and informative study makes the Greek fathers' thought accessible to biblical interpreters and theologians as well as pastors, students, and all who are interested in the early church and its use of the Bible."

Table of Contents:
And There Was Evening: A Preface The Authors under Review The Questions We Pose A Word about Language 1. And There was Morning: An Introduction The Text and Its Journey Silence and Irruption: First References to Genesis 1-3 2. At the Birth of Christian Reflection: Paul and the New Testament Paul in Context Paul and Scripture Paul and the Paradise Narrative: Sin and Death Paul and the Paradise Narrative: Gender and Marriage Paul and the Evangelists Postscript: The Pastoral Epistles Conclusions 3. Recapitulation: The Second-Century Apologists The Scriptures of the People Justin Martyr Melito of Sardis Theophilus of Antioch Irenaeus of Lyons Conclusions 4. Senses of Scripture: The World of Origen and the Origin of the World Tertullian Origen Conclusions 5. Paradise, Whatever That May Mean: The Cappadocians and Their Origen Cyril of Jerusalem Athanasius of Alexandria Enshrining Origen: The Philocalia Basil of Caesarea Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa Conclusions 6. These Are the Generations: Concluding Observations Scripture and Exegesis The Hexaemeron Paradise Allegory, Type, and History The One Thing Needful Appendix: Genesis 1-3 and 5:1-5 Indexes

About the Author :
Peter C. Bouteneff (DPhil, University of Oxford) is associate professor of theology at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York. He is the author of Sweeter Than Honey: Orthodox Thinking on Dogma and Truth and coauthor of Beyond the East-West Divide: The WCC and "the Orthodox Problem."