Lost World of Adam & Eve, The (Walton, with Wright): Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate / January 01, 2015

Requires Accordance 10.4 or above.

For centuries the story of Adam and Eve has resonated richly through the corridors of art, literature, and theology. But for most moderns, taking it at face value is incongruous. And even for many thinking Christians today who want to take seriously the authority of Scripture, insisting on a “literal” understanding of Genesis 2–3 looks painfully like a “tear here” strip between faith and science.

How can Christians of good faith move forward? Who were the historical Adam and Eve? What if we’ve been reading Genesis—and its claims regarding material origins—wrong? In what cultural context was this couple, this garden, this tree, this serpent portrayed?

Following his groundbreaking Lost World of Genesis One, John Walton explores the ancient Near Eastern context of Genesis 2–3, creating space for a faithful reading of Scripture along with full engagement with science for a new way forward in the human origins debate. As a bonus, an illuminating excursus by N. T. Wright places Adam in the implied narrative of Paul’s theology.

The Lost World of Adam and Eve will be required reading for anyone seeking to understand this foundational text historically and theologically, and wondering how to view it alongside contemporary understandings of human origins.

About the Series:
There are some historical or biblical issues that are inherently controversial—which is why they remain issues of debate. The books in the Lost World Series follow the pattern set by Bible scholar John H. Walton as they bring a fresh, close reading of the Hebrew text to an accessible discussion of the topic at hand.

Addressed through propositions that move the reader through a logical sequence of the principal points of discussion, these volumes are informed by knowledge of the ancient Near Eastern literature and cognitive environment, and undergirded by a consistently applied hermeneutic. Authors seek to find God’s authoritative message in the text represented in the communication as understood by the human source (speaker or writer) and his audience—working out the principle that the Bible is written for us, but not to us.

The intention with the Lost World Series is not to offer the single “correct” interpretation of the given text. These books seek, instead, to provide an interpretation based on a conviction that the Bible is the Word of God—Scripture that speaks truly. The goal is not to convert the reader to the author’s conclusions, or even to persuade the reader to adopt their way of thinking. Instead, this series seeks to bring information to the reader’s attention that has helped the authors as they have struggled with the passages.