I have read many books and commentaries about Genesis 1, as well as reading and studying and teaching on the actual text countless times. This is the most interesting and thought-provoking book I have read on this foundational passage. The author compares the other ancient creation texts with Genesis 1 and does some historical work to try to understand what the original readers would have been thinking when they read it. And his conclusions are fascinating. His basic argument is that the author is describing the enthronement of God in his temple - the cosmos. It's all a little complicated to explain in a short blog, but a series of quotes should give you a flavour of the argument.
'Genesis 1 can now be seen as a creation account focussing on the cosmos as a temple. It is describing the creation of the cosmic temple with all of its functions and with God dwelling in its midst'. 'The most central truth to the creation account is that the world is a place for God's presence'.
'The point is not that the biblical text therefore supports an old earth, but simply that there is no biblical position on the age of the earth'. 'In this view, science cannot offer an unbiblical view of material origins, because there is no biblical view of material origins aside from the very general idea that whatever happened, whenever it happened, and however it happened, God did it'.
All very controversial to some, eye-opening to others, and helpful to many others. Whether you believe the world was created by God 6000 years ago in six 24-hour days, or that it is billions of years old and life evolved from tiny molecules, even if you are an atheist with a passing interest in matters of faith, you should read this book with an open mind.
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