The Cambridge Companion to Genesis

Essays explaining diverse methods and reading strategies, providing a dependable guide to understanding the Book of Genesis.

Written by leading authorities representing various disciplines, this volume offers readers with an up-to-date guide to the Book of Genesis. The essays summarize the most pertinent developments since the Enlightenment, and explore the unique contributions the Book of Genesis has made to literature, the history of religions, and theological studies.The Cambridge Companion to Genesis explores the first book of the Bible, the book that serves as the foundation for the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Recognizing its unique position in world history, the history of religions, as well as biblical and theological studies, the volume summarizes key developments in Biblical scholarship since the Enlightenment, while offering an overview of the diverse methods and reading strategies that are currently applied to the reading of Genesis. It also explores questions that, in some cases, have been explored for centuries. Written by an international team of scholars whose essays were specially commissioned, the Companion provides a multi-disciplinary update of all relevant issues related to the interpretation of Genesis. Whether the reader is taking the first step on the path or continuing a research journey, this volume will illuminate the role of Genesis in world religions, theology, philosophy, and critical biblical scholarship.