Genesis As Dialogue A Literary, Historical, and Theological Commentary [Hardcover]

Recent years have seen a remarkable surge in interest in the book of Genesis - the first book of the Hebrew Bible, and a foundational text of Western culture. In this new commentary, Thomas Brodie offers a complete and accessible overview of Genesis from literary, theological, and historical standpoints. Brodie's work is organized around three main ideas. The first is that the primary subject of Genesis is human existence; the second is that Genesis' basic organizational unity is binary, or diptych. Brodie argues that the entire book is composed of diptychs - accounts which, like some paintings, consist of two parts or panels. Finally, Brodie contends that many of Genesis' sources still exist, and can be identified and verified.

Brodie is to be recommended for thsi study, which so clearly testifies to his academic and religious life. His vast erudtion on every page, and the numerous headings, tables, outlines, lists, and summaries make the book useful to readers who might otherwise flounder in so ambitious a project. The book offers wonderful observations on every page, and one can appreciate its many insights without necessarily accepting its macro-claim. --The Catholic Biblical Quarterly