Creation, Uncreation, Recreation: A Discursive Commentary on Genesis 1–11

by Joseph Blenkinsopp

Joseph Blenkinsopp provides a new commentary on Genesis 1-11, the so-called 'Primeval History' in which the account of creation is given.

Blenkinsopp works with the conviction that, from a biblical point of view, creation cannot be restricted to a single event, nor to two versions of an event (as depicted in Genesis 1-3) but, rather, must take in the whole period of creation arranged in the creation - uncreation - recreation (as can be derived from Genesis 1-11).

Through the course of the commentary, presented in continuous discussion rather than in a rigid verse-by-verse form, Blenkinsopp takes into account pre-modern interpretations of the texts, especially in the Jewish interpretative tradition, as well as modern, historical-critical interpretations. Blenkinsopp works from the perspective of acknowledging the text's literary integrity as an 'authored' work, rather than focusing simply on the its background in various sources (whilst of course paying due attention to those sources). This enables Blenkinsopp's engaging discussion to focus upon the literary and theological artistry of the material at hand.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, Old Testament

232 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2011

Reviews

[Erik Champenois · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Creation, Un-creation, Re-creation" is a commentary on Genesis 1-11 that both contextualizes these chapters in their cultural and historical setting and reviews later elaborations and developments of these stories by Jewish and early Christian writers. While acknowledging that these chapters combine different source material, Blenkinsopp focuses on treating these chapters as part of an integrated story rather than focusing on the differences and the seams.

I found Blenkinsopp's treatment particularly illuminating with regards to the themes of good and evil in the created world as well as the themes of creation, un-creation, and re-creation. As Blenkinsopp notes, Genesis breaks with Mesopotamian tradition in declaring the goodness of the creation, but this goodness begs the question of how things wrong went and why evil entered the world. The story of Adam and Eve then shows this evil as an inherent possibility in the moral freedom of creation, with the story of Abel and Cain showing evil erupting more directly into the world through the killing of Abel. (I also found it interesting that Genesis exhibits an anti-urban bias through Cain building the first city and through the story of the tower of Babylon). The Flood story then shows the consequences of this evil as God decides to un-create what he had initially deemed good - and to then re-create the world anew. Here, Blenkinsopp shows just how deliberately the Flood echoes the Creation narrative in its language, intentionally signaling the death and rebirth of creation.

This book made me want to read up on Mesopotamian literature, including Enuma Elish, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Atrahasis. It is very clear that Genesis draws on wider regional traditions, while critiquing and breaking with them at key points, developing its own tradition in turn. "Creation, Un-creation, Re-creation" is recommended for anyone seeking to better understand the setting and purposes of Genesis 1-11 as the foundation chapters of the Pentateuch and the Hebrew Bible.

[Samuel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I didn't agree with every interpretation and/or proposal, I thought this vividly written and carefully thought-out treatment of the Hebrew Bible's preface was compelling. It's already begun to affect both my academic and devotional writing on religion as I puzzle through the questions of chaos and God's place in the world. NB: Blenkinsopp relies extensively on the language of scholarship, so readers accustomed to devotional approaches to the Bible may find this a little disorienting.