Sample Chapter

About

Much controversy surrounds the opening chapters of Genesis. They are front-loaded with all manner of vital topics—such as God's work of creating the world and mankind; what it means to be human; why our present experience is so different from what we find in Genesis 2; how we come to know God and to be sure of his love.

Collins employs a literary-theological method informed by contemporary discourse analysis in order to read passages as coherent wholes. He shows how later biblical and inter-testamental writers have used Genesis 1–4 and reflects on how these chapters shape a Christian worldview today.

Endorsements

“From every standpoint—methodological and theological, structural and syntactical, linguistic and literary, apologetic and worldview—this expository survey is a model of ‘good reading’ of the text. Here you have a landmark treatment of Genesis 1–4 as canonical communication from God, a work of detailed scholarship that no serious student or honest teacher will henceforth be able to ignore.” 

—J. I. Packer

“What does it mean to be human? Why are we here? What’s wrong with us and our world? How can things be made right? And what’s God got to do with the whole business? Collins demonstrates that the opening chapters of Scripture are crucial in answering these worldview questions, and thus essential to a faithful engagement with life in God’s world. He gives us a commentary that is both exegetically exacting and theologically relevant for the modern church.” 

—Michael D. Williams

“Jack Collins is a most promising candidate to provide wise guidance in the interpretation of Genesis 1–4. He brings to the discussion a background in science and text-linguistics, advanced degrees in theology and the languages and literatures of the Bible, and a long-standing involvement with the early chapters of Genesis. The result is a clearly written and insightful treatise on this crucially important part of the Bible.” 

—V. Philips Long

The Author

C. John Collins

C. John Collins (PhD, University of Liverpool) is professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary. He is the author of The God of Miracles and Science and Faith.

More by C. John Collins