Creation and the Patriarchal Histories: Orthodox Christian Reflection on the Book of Genesis

The Book of Genesis is foundational reading for the Christian, concerned as it is with the origins of our race and the beginnings of salvation history. Its opening pages provide the theological suppositions of the entire biblical story: Creation, especially that of man in God's image, the structure of time, man's relationship to God, the entrance of sin into the world, and God's selection of a specific line of revelation that will give structure to history. Early Christian writers such as St. Paul saw no dichotomy between the writings of the Law, of which Genesis is the beginning, and the Gospel. Rather, the Gospel is the key to understanding the Law. In Creation and the Patriarchal Histories, Fr. Reardon shows clearly how the proper understanding of Creation and the Fall informs all of Christian doctrine, and how the narratives of the patriarchs from Noah to Joseph pave the way for the salvation history that continues in Exodus.

"Archpriest Patrick Henry Reardon has given us a new map to find the time-tested answers that are part of the treasury of the rich Tradition of the Orthodox Church. This trenchant commentary is indeed a new gem to be added to the library of those who love Holy Scripture." -Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor, St. Vladimir Seminary, NY

"All too often Genesis is dismissed as 'unscientific' or read as an apologetic tract. Both conclusions miss the point... Only by first approaching Genesis as literature can the theological content of the book be properly discerned, and only then will Genesis' rightful place as the foundational narrative of Chrstian culture and civilization be restored. Any serious student of scripture and culture will benefit from reading this book." -Fr. Hans Jacobse, President, American Orthodox Institute, editor of Orthodoxy Today