Book Review

The Lost World of Adam and Eve – book review

~ Richard Goode ~ 2 Comments

John H. Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate. Illinois: IVP Academic, 2015, pp. 256. £12.99. Pbk. ISBN: 978-0-8308-2461-8

A slightly shorter form of this book review first appeared in Reviews in Science and Religion 66 (Nov 2015) 37-44.

Initial caveat

Lost world of adam and eveFirst of all, it is important to recognise that this book has been written for a very specific target audience; conservative evangelicals who are troubled by claims that science contradicts Genesis 2-3. The context is firmly that of the science-creationist debate in the US. For readers outside the States, I would recommend that they read Walton’s impassioned and, at times, touching appeals towards the end (pp.207-208 and 209-210) as this will help to make sense of his rather eccentric emphases and omissions – as well as the idiosyncratic methodology and conclusions. Continue reading →

Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity – Book Review

~ Richard Goode ~ 2 Comments

Do you want to know more about the world in which the Bible was produced… and I mean REALLY know more about it? Then this is going to be a real treat for you!

There are those treasured moments that one might almost believe that a publisher held a meeting to decide how they might produce a book to fit so perfectly with one’s interests that the only conclusion one can draw was that it was designed especially for you. It is almost as if it has been produced specifically for you. This is one of those moments… No it is more than that, because this is not just one book, but a whole multi-volume set of them!

Hendrickson is publishing a multi-part set of the Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity edited by Edwin Yamauchi and Marvin Wilson. Volume I (A-Da) and II (De-H) are already published and volume III (I-N) is due for US release in August (2016) and September in the UK. Continue reading →

Theology, History, and Biblical Interpretation – book recommendation

~ Richard Goode ~ 1 Comment

Earlier this year Carly Crouch (University of Nottingham) wrote an interesting op.ed. piece, Biblical Studies and Theology: A Rapprochement, in which she described the apparent disconnect between biblical studies and theology. I could identify with much of what she wrote. Moreover, for a number of years, I have been aware that theology students taking some of my courses (particularly those focusing on historical-critical approaches) can often feel a little disoriented when trying to connect these two areas of their studies. When biblical studies and theology meet, rather than one seamlessly augmenting the other, it can appear to be more like a car crash! It is not a new problem, but it is a very real problem nonetheless.

Continue reading →