Sons of the Gods and the Daughters of Men: An Afro-Asiatic Interpretation of Genesis 1-11

Oduyoye, a Nigerian, has done two very important things in this book. First, he has explored the folklore of a vast range of African cultures to find stories which connect to Genesis 1-11. Second, he has probed Hamitic languages for cognates and other linguistic features which connect them to the Hebrew of Genesis 1-11. I know of no other place where such a collection of this data is available. Oduyoye has clearly illustrated that the Primeval Story of Genesis and the foundational stories of African cultures are drawn from a common cultural pool. A particularly impressive example is Oduyoye's observation of the connections between the nomadic Hebrews of the Bible and the nomadic Abore and Bororo tribes of West Africa. By bringing together these two sets of traditions, he reveals the attitudes of Genesis concerning nomadic, agricultural, and urban ways of life. The only serious weakness of the book is that Oduyoye's readings sometimes stop short of a fully developed interpretation of the Genesis texts. Those familiar with Genesis, however, will find their imaginations brought to life and their own readings of these chapters pushed in new directions. Having to take Oduyoye's suggestive insights a step further will more often be a pleasure than a burden.