Understanding Genesis: The World of the Bible in the Light of History

This book does an excellent job at explaining historical and other bases of Genesis. I found the writing very approachable and practical. Compared with pure philosophy books, like "Guide for the Perplexed," this is a light read (which I mean in a good sense).

This book deals with interpretation of some of the stories in Genesis (creation, flood, tower etc). Sarna explains that these accounts were written particularly to show the superiority of Yahweh to pagan religions and not as much to simply narrate how these things happened historically. The author writes from a relatively conservative standpoint here but does not assume LITERAL interpretation of many parts of genesis - rather he sees them as being written in ways that pagan polytheists of 5000 years ago would understand and appreciate. Highly recommended for any Jew/Christian interested in the REAL interpretation of Genesis.

Sarna puts Genesis in its historical context, showing details that would have made many stories from Genesis more comprehensible to Bible-era readers. For example, today's readers may be a bit baffled by Abraham's occasional attempts to pass off Sarah as his sister. But Sarna explains that in the ancient Mideast women had the status of a "sister-wife", superior to other wives. Similarly, Sarna clarifies the Tower of Babel story, explaining how the Torah makes fun of paganism. Reading Sarna won't necessarily change your mind about large theological questions; believers will remain believers after reading him, and unbelievers will remain unbelievers. But Sarna gives background that makes the Torah come to life a bit more.

This book takes an exegetical approach to Genesis as a work created by writers who saw far beyond their contemporary culture to create an enduring statement about a singular God, his greatest creation (the human being) and the moral and ethical demands that God places upon us. He compares Genesis to other great creation myths, and shows two primary things; 1) that a the monotheistic belief places God above and beyond all of nature, which is radically different from other contemporaneous polytheistic religions, and 2) that there is an order, logic and morality in the world that people must follow in order to not be estranged from God and ultimately themselves and society. Law, justice, mercy, charity are values expressed in a book which was written at a time when these were radical ideas. The author's mastery of history and religion are forged into an engaging, powerful exposition of the profound meaning of Genesis and it's seminal importance in the history of human thought.

This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to flush out their understanding of Genesis in a historical light. Although the book gets a little dry and over-specialized toward the end, overall it is extremely engaging, and useful as a sort of manual for Genesis. By reading Genesis, then reading Sarna's historical facts, and then re-reading Genesis, an entire world is opened up. This book is not for anyone who takes the Bible literally, atheist or no. In presenting his historical facts, Sarna also provides a valuable commentary on the themes in Genesis. It is important to remember, however, in reading this book that Genesis is a gem with an infinite number of facets. Understanding Genesis reveals a few of them. Give it a try, but never forget that history is only a small part of the Genesis story.