Genesis, the Movie

Robert Farrar Capon's "Genesis: The Movie" comes to us as oxygen just in the nick of time, before stuffy, self-righteous religion asphyxiates us all. Although reading this book challenges us - together we study scripture as scholars and serious students of God's Word - we get to do it in the slightly indulgent, yummy atmosphere of watching a movie, making us feel included and in on the action. This is Robert's effective way of sticking to his vast subject without losing our interest, as he delivers a perfect balance of drama, intellectual intrigue and comic relief - like a great film.I have read many of Robert's books over the years, and have therefore arrived at an unshakeable understanding of Grace: We are forgiven. I'm happy to report that Genesis never falls off the fulcrum of Grace upon which all of our thoughts, desires and prayers are poised. But it goes deeper: Robert's fearless, cosmic take on the Holy Trinity, enhanced by selected readings of Augustine, Aquinas and other prophets of our modern times, wreaks havoc on the rules and formulas we dispassionately believe we must live by. He pulls our dull, preconceived ideas about God, creation, sin, history and faith right off our shelves in his gently convincing makeover of our philosophies, and brilliantly replaces them with elegant, unsentimental visions of divinity, creation and truth that make us forget why we held on to anything else - or how we thought we could have commented on a movie we'd barely even seen. The end result is a jaw-dropping achievement: frame by tightly-edited frame, image after image, Robert Capon helps us see God's unfathomable love for us - and we can't take our eyes off the page. The experience of reading "Genesis: The Movie" will delight and heal you no matter what shape you're in when you come to the theater...and will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Robert Capon's "Genesis: the movie" is a typically unconventional Capon ride. What makes the book most interesting (and this is true of his work generally)is that for all of its "unconventionality," it is born of a deep and foundational theological orthodoxy; I can't think of the last time I read a new book that worked so extensively with Augustine! Even the sections that might make some self-proclaimed orthodox readers shudder (and here I would highlight his idea of God's "ecology of good and evil")are rooted in a wrestling with the deep traditions of Jewish and Christian biblical interpretation. Besides, I know of few theological writers who have so much fun doing theology, and that has to be worth a great deal in a discipline that can easily become dry and dusty.

Wow is all I have to say. What an incredible concept, reading the Bible as if you were watching a movie. Robert Capon uses this imagery throughout his entire book on Genesis. He lets us view the scenes through the Director's (the Holy Spirit's) eyes. The Father is the Producer of Trinity Films and the Word is the Star of the film. What an excellent image for the understanding of the mystery of the Trinity. I have read almost all of his books and I find that this one is different from all the others. Readers will be thoroughly satisfied with this his latest and I think most magnificent work. Bravo, Robert!

I had the happy opportunity in the early Fall, to be able to sit down and chat with Father Capon for several wonderful hours. Having read at that time, about half of his theological works, I was well versed in Capon's theology and prepared to hear more of what I had come to expect and admire. To my delight and surprise the good Padre regaled me and my best friend John, with much of what is the foundational stuff of Genesis the Movie. The book had not been published at that time, and we had the joy of hearing from the horse's mouth as it were (sorry Father Capon), the germ and kernel of the masterpiece he had just recently finished. In fact, we had the opportunity to hear him read from that manuscript, and also to read for ourselves the brilliant, mind bending work. This book is Robert's magnum opus! It is a product of prodigious genius, based not only on the brilliance of the author, but also on the minds (and hearts) of Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas. Capon wraps the book (on the first three chapters of Genesis), around two ancient works of Augustine which deal with that subject matter. He also leans heavily on Aquinas' offerings on the same, and draws from a host of other writers, theologians, preachers and poets from the time of the church Fathers (and Mothers) right up to the 21st Century. But lest the reader feel daunted by these literary heavyweights, don't despair. You'll also find the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, James Earl Jones, and a few other folks (I won't give away where you'll find them or what they're doing, but they're there, and it's great fun!). I have the feeling that if Robert watched the Simpsons, Homer might show up there as well. The most stirring part of Capon's intellect is his love of scripture, and the love he arouses for the Divine Intellect that inspired it. Robert loves the Bible, and his unparalleled mental concordance takes the reader to every nook and cranny of its marvelous story. A primary point of the book is one's approach to scripture. Falling under neither the conservative or liberal label, Robert presents a slant on reading and studying the Bible that will thoroughly rattle the cages of many in both camps. But it is a marvelous approach that frees the reader of Holy Writ to experience exactly what the Divine author had in mind when it was written. Speaking of cage rattling....this book will unsettle any well worn, tattered theological shibboleths anyone brings to the party. It is Capon at his best, in-your-face, pushing every button, humorously, passionately and inspiringly!Capon is a lover of words, as is God, who is the Word incarnate. He brings new light on the ancient Light that was in the beginning and brings light to everyone in the world. Robert uses words like a gem cutter, taking that which is beautiful in and of itself, and turning it into something more beautiful and compelling. He uses language (English, Latin, Hebrew and Greek to name a few) to point the read

If you are already a Capon fan, this book will galvanize your enthusiasm for this brillliant writer. He has taken on the task of the beginning scenes of Creation and put us into the garden with Adam and Eve. It reads like a super high speed train ride with incredible stops along the way to introduce us to Augustine and what he had to say about these first three chapters of Genesis. The poetry and warm interludes remind us of Capon's unique tone of voice in his other works. His treatment of the ecology of good and evil is especially thought-provoking. A modern classic for all times.