Reading Genesis
- Downloads：2014
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2024-03-12 09:23:21
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Marilynne Robinson
- ISBN：B0C2MWPZTV
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Andrew
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I have never read a book on Genesis like this before。 Marilynne Robinson is a master at her craft。 She is more than just a master fiction writer which can be seen in this work。 The impression I get when sitting with 'Reading Genesis" is that a mature wordsmith has sat with Genesis for a long time and had deeply penetrating insights into God's purpose for gifting us the book of Genesis。Marilynne Robinson walks us through the whole book of Genesis summarizing and highlighting significant takeaways I have never read a book on Genesis like this before。 Marilynne Robinson is a master at her craft。 She is more than just a master fiction writer which can be seen in this work。 The impression I get when sitting with 'Reading Genesis" is that a mature wordsmith has sat with Genesis for a long time and had deeply penetrating insights into God's purpose for gifting us the book of Genesis。Marilynne Robinson walks us through the whole book of Genesis summarizing and highlighting significant takeaways we might miss studying Genesis alone。 It would be nice if this became the first entry in a series。 The new or adolescent believer would be served well getting this book。 。。。more
justthebooksMarianKreads
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“His love endures us forever”My favorite quote that the narrator said in this book！Thanks to netgalley for the approval of this audiobook！ It shows a perspective of the biblical story of genesis in the Bible。 Thank you again to Netgalley for approving this audiobook！
Kirsten
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https://www。nytimes。com/2024/03/06/bo。。。 https://www。nytimes。com/2024/03/06/bo。。。 。。。more
Cindy
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This book has forever changed the way I'll read Genesis。 I took many， many notes on Robinson's ideas and there is too much to go into here， so I'll just mention two of her major themes。First， I guess Robinson is tired of hearing intellectuals dismiss Genesis as nothing more than a rehash of the myths of the Hebrews' neighboring civilizations。 So， she focuses on the differences and what those tells us about God。 OK - the Epic of Gilgamesh also has a flood story， but how is the Bible's account dif This book has forever changed the way I'll read Genesis。 I took many， many notes on Robinson's ideas and there is too much to go into here， so I'll just mention two of her major themes。First， I guess Robinson is tired of hearing intellectuals dismiss Genesis as nothing more than a rehash of the myths of the Hebrews' neighboring civilizations。 So， she focuses on the differences and what those tells us about God。 OK - the Epic of Gilgamesh also has a flood story， but how is the Bible's account different？ What does it tell us about God's concern for humans and the disasters we face？ Other stories receive a similar treatment。Then， Robinson really tackles the idea of the God of the Hebrew Bible being vengeful。 She shows how the Genesis stories show over and over that God is forgiving and how beautiful it is when humans forgive each other。 God also fails to punish and curse humans in many situations where it would seem He would be completely justified in doing so。I've read and loved Marilynne Robinson's novels but I have to say this was even better。 。。。more
Rae
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Reading Genesis is a short but mighty commentary on the stories in the Biblical book， by the well-known and beloved Pulitzer-Prize-winning author， Marilynne Robinson。Robinson begins by comparing the multiple Babylonian gods， who were capricious and duplicitous in their dealings with mankind， with the Hebrew God， who shows mercy and grace and forgiveness and kindness and compassion in regards to his Creation。 She acknowledges that Biblical writers most likely borrowed from these earlier Babylonia Reading Genesis is a short but mighty commentary on the stories in the Biblical book， by the well-known and beloved Pulitzer-Prize-winning author， Marilynne Robinson。Robinson begins by comparing the multiple Babylonian gods， who were capricious and duplicitous in their dealings with mankind， with the Hebrew God， who shows mercy and grace and forgiveness and kindness and compassion in regards to his Creation。 She acknowledges that Biblical writers most likely borrowed from these earlier Babylonian sources and stories， but she is able to articulate and maintain her own beliefs while allowing for this appropriation。 Robinson's perceptive conclusions are that the Hebrew deity is mysteriously able to maintain a covenant and family relationship with its Creation， whether or not the characters in Genesis are seen as completely honorable or not。 This Hebrew God is somehow capable of allowing mankind to act with free will outside of the "law" and yet still honor agreements and give blessings that extend into the future。 Perhaps the most impactful ideas for me were her thoughts regarding history and how this God uses any human decisions， good or bad， to bring about the continuation of his covenant in ways that then become what we call history。The audience for these quite erudite musings will be those who already have some familiarity with the Bible and/or theology。 I consider myself fairly familiar with Biblical theology， but I still struggled at times to fully understand Robinson's ideas。 I have not read Robinson's non-fiction before， although I do own a collection of her essays。 I will now be moving that book up to the forefront of my reading。 I highly recommend Reading Genesis to those who are interested in religion and Biblical studies， or to those who simply enjoy reading Marilynne Robinson。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher， Farrar， Straus and Giroux， for early access to a digital copy in return for an honest review。#netgalley #readinggenesis #farrarstrausandgiroux 。。。more
Stephanie
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I choose to read this book as the author is hailed as one of the greatest writers and thinkers of our time。 I was also interested in this book as I have not read Genesis in about 20 years and with the political issues happening these days in the Middle East that are making claims based on covenants from this time period 。 I listened to the audiobook — and the narrator did an excellent job ！ I would have preferred for the Genesis book to be read first before the analysis and background informatio I choose to read this book as the author is hailed as one of the greatest writers and thinkers of our time。 I was also interested in this book as I have not read Genesis in about 20 years and with the political issues happening these days in the Middle East that are making claims based on covenants from this time period 。 I listened to the audiobook — and the narrator did an excellent job ！ I would have preferred for the Genesis book to be read first before the analysis and background information— as I hadn’t read the book in a while。 The writing is excellent， though the discussion of topics tend to jump around and are not linear which made me have to re-listen to some sections but overall it is a great review of Genesis — exploring themes ， comparisons with other cultures stories and doesn’t shy away from controversy。 This book was good for me to see the background historically to how we have gotten to todays situation and how the scriptures have in some ways been manipulated over the last 6000 years or more from the original intention。 This is defiantly for the history-seeker or regular person seeking to understand the where we came from to reach our current political climate。 Thank-you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC。 This is my honest review。 。。。more
Jessica
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This feels a bit like an instance of "everybody loved it but me，" but， as far as I'm concerned， Marilynne Robinson's Reading Genesis was a total miss。 I found it pretentious and dismissive of scholarship in ways that left me with a strong sense of confirmation bias。 So， if you already align ideologically with Robinson's erudite Calvinism， you will no doubt feel smug and intelligent when you read this book。 If that's you， then great。 Honestly， I'd be more than pleased to see the right readers get This feels a bit like an instance of "everybody loved it but me，" but， as far as I'm concerned， Marilynne Robinson's Reading Genesis was a total miss。 I found it pretentious and dismissive of scholarship in ways that left me with a strong sense of confirmation bias。 So， if you already align ideologically with Robinson's erudite Calvinism， you will no doubt feel smug and intelligent when you read this book。 If that's you， then great。 Honestly， I'd be more than pleased to see the right readers get connected to this book。 If you're a critical reader who has picked up this title as part of an investigation of scripture， you might be disappointed。 You might even end up outraged。 Reading Genesis essentially preaches to the choir， begins with a conclusion， and attempts to fortify deeply held beliefs with sophisticated prose rather than evidence。 What's more， it never really says anything new， instead re-presenting close readings and established interpretations with needlessly elevated vocabulary。 In a nutshell: this book was the wrong book for me， but I can see why it might be the right book for others。[I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review。 All poor opinions are my own。] 。。。more
Laura Housley
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My most anticipated book of 2024
Matthew Keating
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I'm not religious but I have an interest in theology。 This book is a great primer for someone like myself who isn't intimately familiar with Genesis。 I also suspect this would be rewarding for readers who are more familiar than I am but looking for some kind of explication。 The digital advance copy that I read did not include the actual biblical text alongside Robinson's commentary， which made following the 'plotline' （for lack of a better word） sometimes confusing， because she doesn't seem to a I'm not religious but I have an interest in theology。 This book is a great primer for someone like myself who isn't intimately familiar with Genesis。 I also suspect this would be rewarding for readers who are more familiar than I am but looking for some kind of explication。 The digital advance copy that I read did not include the actual biblical text alongside Robinson's commentary， which made following the 'plotline' （for lack of a better word） sometimes confusing， because she doesn't seem to always move linearly（？）。 FSG's website claims the book will include the full King James version of Genesis， so I imagine readers of physical copies will have an easier time with this than I did。 The biggest takeaways for me were Robinson's insistence on the point that through Genesis， vengeance， when expected， is not taken， and her note that these stories are unusually focused on the lives and follies of individual humans （the text's inclusion of so many domestic squabbles， and so many terrible decisions on the part of its ostensible heroes， is， as Robinson says， remarkable）。 A really enjoyable read。 。。。more
Alexander Pyles
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This will be one of the most important works on Christianity in years to come。 It is already the most compelling book I've read on the topic in the last 15 years if not longer。 Robinson's attention， deep reading of scripture， and the scope of the perspective of the Divine are invaluable to the believer and skeptic alike。 This will be one of the most important works on Christianity in years to come。 It is already the most compelling book I've read on the topic in the last 15 years if not longer。 Robinson's attention， deep reading of scripture， and the scope of the perspective of the Divine are invaluable to the believer and skeptic alike。 。。。more
Ruthie
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Marilynne Robinson's Reading Genesis is a brilliant， insightful book。 The writing is so good， I lingered over passages。 As soon as I finished it， I started reading it again， finding more to ponder。 For example， Robinson compares the Babylonian creation and flood myths with the similar Biblical stories， identifying crucial differences in the character， purpose， and efficacy of the Biblical god and humans。 She focuses on historical context， on meaning and metaphysics， on realities that aren't nece Marilynne Robinson's Reading Genesis is a brilliant， insightful book。 The writing is so good， I lingered over passages。 As soon as I finished it， I started reading it again， finding more to ponder。 For example， Robinson compares the Babylonian creation and flood myths with the similar Biblical stories， identifying crucial differences in the character， purpose， and efficacy of the Biblical god and humans。 She focuses on historical context， on meaning and metaphysics， on realities that aren't necessarily literal。 Her reflections on Abraham， Issac， and Jacob have added depth and newness to these familiar stories。The one thing the book lacks （the reason I've rated it 4 instead of 5） is a tightly developed thematic structure。 It's an extended， occasionally discursive， essay。 that lacks the focus and the pauses for reflection that chapter divisions would give it。 。。。more
Nancy
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In Genesis the recurring sin is grievous harm to one’s brother。Reading Genesis by Marilynne RobinsonI have loved Marilynne Robinson’s novels and have read Gilead three times （twice for book clubs）。 When my husband was in seminary–fifty years ago–I audited a half dozen classes in theology and Biblical studies。 I thought I was up to tackling Reading Genesis。I remember co-teaching a Sunday evening bible study for junior high teens。 I remember my husband explaining that the Bible is full of imperfec In Genesis the recurring sin is grievous harm to one’s brother。Reading Genesis by Marilynne RobinsonI have loved Marilynne Robinson’s novels and have read Gilead three times （twice for book clubs）。 When my husband was in seminary–fifty years ago–I audited a half dozen classes in theology and Biblical studies。 I thought I was up to tackling Reading Genesis。I remember co-teaching a Sunday evening bible study for junior high teens。 I remember my husband explaining that the Bible is full of imperfect people who do bad things but are used by God for the good。 And I found this message in Robinson’s exploration。Robinson argues that the Judeo-Christian tradition was remarkably different from the Babylonian and Egyptian。 And she shows that the messages of the stories in Genesis shows a providential history of mercy instead of justice， of using the bad for the good， and demonstrating that the humanity is failable and yet God can use them for righteousness。 The covenant， she states， “is not contingent upon human virtue，” for God can work through fallible beings。 Thank goodness， because the people in Genesis are certainly not virtuous。Robinson calls it the “economics of grace，” God forgiving our debts。 Even when we don’t forgive our debtors， although it is what we are called to do， along with doing justice and loving mercy。The Book of Genesis is framed by two stories of remarkable forgiveness， of Cain by the Lord， and of his ten brothers by Joseph。from Reading Genesis by Marilynne RobinsonThis is not an easy book to read。 Its message is not for everyone。 Robinson prefers the term providential history to predetermination but her Calvinist faith is central to her exploration。 It is a book that needs studying and discussion to fully integrate its message。Thanks to the publisher for a free book。 。。。more
Scott Ward
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Robinson clearly provides the thesis that， while some of the Genesis stories parallel other ancient texts， the motifs in the stories show a clear difference， particularly with the Babylonian narratives。 Genesis， and the rest of the Hebrew and Greek Judeo-Christian scriptures， describe a God who loves， protects and serves his people， his creations。 They were not “born” out of a divine contest or war with other gods but of his free will and therefore an object of his affection。 His disappointment Robinson clearly provides the thesis that， while some of the Genesis stories parallel other ancient texts， the motifs in the stories show a clear difference， particularly with the Babylonian narratives。 Genesis， and the rest of the Hebrew and Greek Judeo-Christian scriptures， describe a God who loves， protects and serves his people， his creations。 They were not “born” out of a divine contest or war with other gods but of his free will and therefore an object of his affection。 His disappointment is expressed when they don’t treat each other well， when they don’t live up to his standards。 The other main difference is how people are viewed between the other mythologies and the Hebrew text。 They are viewed as servants and objects of the gods’ capriciousness。 Moses’ text reveals that people are created and deemed ‘good’ and therefore worthy。 But this is not a humanistic reading of the scripture; the author points out that our understanding and confusion of the dynamics of these stories is because we forget the foundation laid in the Creation story（ies） that allows for God to show mercy and love， even to Cain who killed his own brother。 [The author shares that a non-Western student who exclaimed， “What god would not punish a person who killed his brother？”]Since these texts were written post-exodus from Egypt， it’s interesting that most of the comparison was not to Egyptian creation myths or divine stories。 Certainly Abram/Abraham’s experience with YHWH was different from his Babylonian counterparts， but Moses （and any other post-Exodus scribes） would have been more familiar with the Egyptian mythologies， unless we think Moses became indoctrinated in the Canaanite lore while living in Midian。 So I believe this question is unanswered by this volume， yet this book will certainly provide fodder for many， many discussions about what the Genesis stories mean to a person’s faith and their understanding of who YHWH’s character and our nature in relationship to him。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an early copy。 。。。more
Clement
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Rarely has theological prose been as beautifully poetic and lyrical as in Marilynne Robinson's Reading Genesis。 Robinson's mastery of the English language， when applied to theological inquiry， makes for a beautiful and deeply enjoyable read。 Even if one were to disagree with some of her conclusions， as many conservative evangelicals likely will， Robinson's commitment to awe， allowing and embracing the mystery of a God that can be known and yet remains beyond mankind's understanding and grasp， ma Rarely has theological prose been as beautifully poetic and lyrical as in Marilynne Robinson's Reading Genesis。 Robinson's mastery of the English language， when applied to theological inquiry， makes for a beautiful and deeply enjoyable read。 Even if one were to disagree with some of her conclusions， as many conservative evangelicals likely will， Robinson's commitment to awe， allowing and embracing the mystery of a God that can be known and yet remains beyond mankind's understanding and grasp， makes Reading Genesis deeply worthwhile。 Her conviction that there is a goodness found in God， and that He is better than we think， surpassing human understanding and， frequently even disturbing our sense of justice， makes Reading Genesis convicting and essential。 。。。more
Ilya
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