Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11

by C. John Collins

What does it mean to be a good reader of Genesis 1-11? What does it mean to take these ancient stories seriously and how does that relate to taking them literally? Can we even take any of this material seriously? Reading Genesis Well answers these questions and more, promoting a responsible conversation about how science and biblical faith relate by developing a rigorous approach to interpreting the Bible, especially those texts that come into play in science and faith discussions. This unique approach connects the ancient writings of Genesis 1-11 with modern science in an honest and informed way. Old Testament scholar C. John Collins appropriates literary and linguistic insights from C. S. Lewis and builds on them using ideas from modern linguistics, such as lexical semantics, discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics. This study helps readers to evaluate to what extent it is proper to say that the Bible writers held a "primitive" picture of the world, and what function their portrayal of the world and its contents had in shaping the community.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Nonfiction, Religion, Old Testament

336 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2018

About the author

C. JOHN COLLINS (PhD, University of Liverpool) is professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St Louis. With degrees from MIT and Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary, he pursues such research interests as Hebrew and Greek grammar, science and faith, and biblical theology. He is the author of The God of Miracles.

Reviews

[Demetrius Rogers]

A few takeaways for life and ministry.
1. Watch for phenomenological language.
2. Follow what the author is trying to do.
3. The biblical author is painting a picture not opening a window.

Watch for phenomenological language.

The basic premise of this work is that the Bible in general, and the pre-Abrahamic history (Genesis 1-11) in particular uses phenomenological language, in other words, language that is spoken in terms of how things appear or can be conceptualized. So, are we constrained to believe in a literal 6-day creation or a world-wide flood? Collins doesn't think so. Much of his work is spent debunking the need to take the Bible too literally.

Follow what the author is trying to do.

Collins employs Speech Act theory to show how biblical authors were much more interested in accomplishing literary goals than simply trying to depict scientifically factual, historically neutral, or straightforward narrative. The type of language Collins says the Bible uses is "exalted prose," which I would describe him meaning a poetic way of saying things. And in order to be good Bible readers, we must cooperate with the author's intent. Collins thinks "trustworthy" is a better descriptor of what we find in the Bible than scientifically true. Therefore, we must put ourselves in the shoes of the original scientifically uneducated audience in order to fully conceptualize what is being communicated.

However, this is where I get a bit troubled with this audience critical approach. It seems speculative. How are we to recover the Sitz im Leben? Especially if the route to it is extrabiblical. Isn't that another form historical criticism? If what Collins proposes regarding audience criticism can be substantiated from Scripture, then I can see this being a worthy endeavor. I would like to give Collins' work on anachronisms in chapter 6 a closer to reading to be sure (138-153).

The biblical author is painting a picture not opening a window.

Some people view history as a window into the past. That is what Collins calls an antiquarian view of history. However, Collins says, that is not what the biblical authors are doing in the Bible. The authors are doing what he calls rhetorical history. He is using history as a means to affect certain goals in the minds and hearts of his readers. So, what sits primarily in the mind of the biblical author is his audience and the goals he is trying to accomplish. Anachronism is a term to describe this literary device of taking the history of yesterday and infusing with the purposes of today. This is a helpful thing to keep in mind for bible readers. The author should really be seen as an artist that depicts history to affect a certain mood. He may not get the rendering exact, but that is not his goal. He’s emphasizing this and omitting that in order to make his point. Therefore, we need to pay attention to the author/artist’s situation to really appreciate authorial intent. There is a difference between text (author) and event (history). As cooperative readers we are to take our cues from the author and not necessarily from the history he narrates.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book is a master class in OT hermeneutics. The second half applies that framework to an interpretation of the first eleven books of the Bible. What does it mean to be a cooperative reader of the Bible? What does it mean to read a text in the way in which its first readers were intended to read it? What is the text, and what is the text NOT, attempting to communicate? Or, more pointedly--why do we insist on reading these chapters, especially 1 and 2, as a science text? Was that Moses' intention?

Everyone needs to read this portion. You might not agree with every way in which Collins applies this framework (I certainly did not), but it is intellectually rigorous and spiritually responsible. Probably the best shortish presentation out there of reading the Bible as literature, something we all need to learn better how to do. Like I said, there will be disagreements with what a responsible reading of the text implies (for instance, does it require that Adam and Eve were the first and only humans on earth at the time of their conception? the author is far more open to a negatory answer than I am. But at least we can respect how he arrive at his answer). Despite any disagreements, Collins has something to teach us about how to read Scripture well.

[Joshua Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal read. Collins tracks the history of interpretation regarding Genesis 1-11, showed how the 20th century in particular led to a hyper-literal interpretation that basically became a litmus test for biblical faithfulness in some circles (a stance not present throughout most of church history), offers his own framework for how to interpret the Bible and Genesis 1-11, then applies that framework to the text. This book is a mix of rigorous and intellectually honest hermetics, a dash of C.S. Lewis, a high view of Scripture, all topped off with a healthy dose of common sense.
It’s a bit academic, and there were lots of sentences I had to read slowly to comprehend, but most things worth reading are like that I guess. This book won’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’ll be a go-to recommendation for me on how to interpret Genesis from now on.

[Martin Augestad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meget nyttig bok som alle som interesserer seg for å forstå skapelsesberetningen bør lese. Forfatteren bruker flere kapitler på å forklare hvordan språk fungerer og hvordan man skal forstå det. Deretter analyserer han 1.Mos 1-11. Hopper ikke ukritisk til konklusjoner, men heller ikke en bok som bare snakker rundt grøten. Begrunner sine standpunkter godt. Akademisk bok som ikke er lettlest, men fortsatt stor nytteverdi.

[Bible Gateway · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it mean to be a good reader of Genesis 1-11? What does it mean to take these ancient stories seriously and how does that relate to taking them literally? Can we even take any of this material seriously? How can we have a responsible conversation regarding science and biblical faith?

Bible Gateway interviewed C. John Collins about his book, Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11 (Zondervan, 2018). Read the interview here: https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/201...

[Austin Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought it would help me fall back to sleep last night, but I ended up finishing it from seminary (maybe I felt guilty if I fell asleep reading my professor’s book?)

Really helpful work to read Genesis (and the rest of scripture) well (see what I did there?). Not sure I agree with every conclusion/implication, but definitely thought provoking. Something to chew on

[Colin Michaelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read highly academic books, but this one was a great exception to make. And, suprisingly, most of it was within my grasp which is a testament to the clarity of C. John Collins' writing.

As Kevin Vanhoozer says, "throughout the process of reading there is interpretation". What goes into that, using many disciplines, is explained well in this book. In fact, for almost half the book, we do not even get to the subject of how to read Genesis. The scaffolding that Collins erects is comprehensive and very helpful. Most of us not invlved in this field have an embarrassingly simplistic understanding. But, I have learned from reading this book to consider genre, style, register, contemporary other literature, anachronism and more. And I now understand the terms "locution" and "illocution" and how important they are in interpretation.

This book was so helpful to me. And I recommend it for anyone who has an interest in interpretation generally, in the Bible specifically, and, even more narrowly, has wrestled with how we read and understand the beginning of Genesis.

In short, the first few chapters of Genesis is a narrative, that connects well with the narrative in the rest of Genesis, the Pentateuch, and is part of a bigger narrative that is ultimately a redemption story for all mankind. And, if you are wondering how we should think about science and theology, or where the history described fits, or who the people in the story really are, and so many more questions, then read the book. You really should.

[Emily Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collins provides a helpful middle ground between the views of a highly literal interpretation and a highly figurative interpretation. He argues that the Genesis 1-11 account is a poetic telling of actual events. Yet his main goal is to help the reader become a better student of the Word. He draws from C. S. Lewis for his interpretive approach and argues for a “critical use of a disciplined imagination (32). Collins realizes that it takes critical and intuitive work on the readers part to understand the purpose of Genesis 1-11. But he gives the reader a plethora of literary tools to aid in the process. He also addresses the role of specific scientific issues in relation to Genesis. These issues are not very interesting to me however in this season so I do not have much to say about them. In a future season I will definitely refer back to this book to gain insight on them. Overall, this is a convincing book. I grew up being taught a “literalistic” creationist stance, so this book has provided a broader scope and some better answers for me.

[Matthew Colvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sound, orthodox, judicious, fair, mature, workmanlike, teacherly...and ultimately disappointing. Longer review coming later for the Davenant Institute’s Ad Fontes.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Reminded me of some things I learned in Hermeneutics. Brought everything together helpfully. I recommend this to students of Genesis

[Hunter Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Collins offers a helpful framework and correctives for reading Genesis 1-11. He doesn't really get into the length of the creation days, evolution, or a global flood. Rather, he provides the 21st century reader the literary tools necessary for evaluating an ancient book. He argues that the 21st century reader is unable to approach the "hot topic" questions without addressing the literary questions first. He is quite right!

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the other books that Collins has written, so I was keen to get into this latest one - and I wasn't disappointed. I must admit I didn't read the synopsis all that closely prior to purchase, rather I was eager to get into his latest work - thus I was taken by surprise the significant role that C.S. Lewis takes in this book - and not the Lewis of Narnia nor of Mere Christianity, rather the Scholarly Lewis of Medieval and English Literature. Collins takes Lewis' approach to Literature and applies it to a responsible hermeneutical approach to Scripture - and in particular to the first 11 chapters of Genesis.

I did find the book a little slow going to begin with as the first 4 chapters is setting the ground-work for the approach that Collins is proposing - but once he starts applying his approach, then this is the Collins I have enjoyed in his other works. I do like his approach to History, Poetry and Science when it comes to Scripture - and whilst I need to still give it much thought, I think he is on the right track. As someone who is both an Engineer and a noted Hebrew scholar, Collins has good experience in many fields, and that does come across.

I especially appreciated his argument against making a person's stand on Origins being purely two dimensions - as in where do you fit on the Scale between Atheistic Evolution through to Young Earth Creationist. As he points out Aristotle was a Naturalist who argued against macro evolution, and that trying to place Lewis, Tolkien, Chesterton, etc on this linear scale doesn't work either. Rather that their are more dimensions - and he notes correctly that it is similar with our politics (and I would argue our theology).

Anyway, I enjoyed this book and have much to think about - what more can you ask for :)

[Derek DeMars · Rating 5 out of 5]

C. John Collins is an immensely helpful voice among the massive crowd of people commenting on the relationship between Genesis and modern science. As an expert in biblical Hebrew, ancient Near Eastern backgrounds, and linguistics, he is able to guide readers reliably through the thicket of interpretive questions.

In Reading Genesis Well, Collins draws from linguistics, literary-rhetorical criticism, and (most enjoyably) the common-sense insights of C. S. Lewis on how to read literature well, and constructs a reading of Genesis 1-11 that is particularly sensitive to how these puzzling texts were designed to communicate truth to their intended audience(s). The result is a refreshingly-nuanced approach to the biblical origin story -- an approach that allows room for diversity of opinion with regard to scientific theories, remains faithful to the truth of the text without dismissing it wholesale as myth, and interacts with how other ancient interpreters understood and applied these passages.

The first half of the book is a rather technical discussion of the interpretive methods and theories that Collins then employs in the second half of the book to develop his interpretive reading of Genesis 1-11. This first part makes for rather dense reading that will challenge lay readers, but it is nonetheless worth working through since the methods Collins introduces are indispensable for a responsible reading of Scripture. There were quite a few pages I had to read slowly, particularly when he was delving into the finer points of rhetorical criticism and speech-act theory, but the examples he gave of how these tools open up the meaning of difficult Scripture passages were effective and well-chosen. This section would make Reading Genesis Well a very useful text for a college or seminary class on introductory hermeneutics.

If one wishes, they could skip to the second half of the book and just enjoy Collins' exposition of the text of Genesis 1-11, which is overall very helpful. He does a great job of showing where other interpreters have been too hasty in seeing Genesis as mostly a copy of other ancient Near Eastern origin myths, while still also showing where there are probable points of contact. What's even more useful is Collins' argument for why even these ancient Mesopotamian "myths" likely had some roots in history, in what their audiences considered to be historical persons and events, even if the stories were embellished with symbolism to make rhetorical and religious points.

Another strength is Collins' discussion of how Genesis was designed to function in its literary context as the first book of the Pentateuch. He makes the case that the Pentateuch was originally meant to serve as Israel's constitution, a charter that was to shape their worldview and identity as a nation. One implication of this function would be that Genesis 1-11 provides the foundation for how the nation was to view their own origins, their relationship to the wider world around them, the intentions of their Creator God for that wider world, and thus their mission in the world. As a worldview-building story, therefore, Genesis 1-11 would have been designed to communicate actual, objective truths about the world to its Israelite audience, and to communicate those truths on that audience's level, in a way they could appreciate and apply.

This is where Collins' overall approach is most helpful. He steers a course between two bad extremes: on the one hand, treating Genesis as all myth with no real history behind it; on the other, treating it as a purely "scientific" history (by modern standards) with no rhetorical symbolism or poetic imagery. Collins shows how a great number of interpreters have gone astray by trying to stress a "literal" approach that is, in fact, too wooden and that overlooks the conventions of ancient communication. Even what looks like a straightforward prose narrative can still involve heightened speech and symbolism, considering this is how the ancients told their histories. But that doesn't mean an ancient Israelite reader would have "just known" that these stories were myths made up to illustrate theological truths. It is history, but by ancient standards, not modern.

Reading Genesis Well is an excellent resource both as a primer on doing hermeneutics well and as a valuable interpretive resource for understanding and teaching the early chapters of Genesis. It is a dense read, and the first half is very much on the technical side, but if you're interested in diving deeper into the subject, and especially if you're looking to have an informed perspective on how the interpretation of Genesis 1-11 relates to scientific theories about primeval history and origins, then you can't afford to pass up Collins' contributions to the discussion.

[Conner Hampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

the purpose of this book was to lay out for the reader a reading strategy of Genesis 1-11 through in-depth studies of theories in its linguistics, literary sense, and rhetoric. This was achieved by Collins well through spending the first quarter of the book laying the groundwork for why the study of linguistics and rhetoric specifically are crucial for understanding a given text. These first few chapters provided a close look into how linguistics have been judged and evaluated throughout history, which allowed Collins to pinpoint the applicable worth of C.S. Lewis’ study on the subject. This stated purpose would expand in the following chapters as Collins fixated more on other ANE origin accounts and the similarities and dissimilarities between them and Genesis, which proved how the God found in the Bible is the true Creator and Sustainer of everything.
Another purpose of this book that is not explicitly stated but hinted at throughout the text is providing a proper rendering of Genesis 1-11 as the protohistory of God’s people through connecting the salvific and transformative purposes of Christ found in the gospels to the account of the first human couple. Although Collins does not address how creation and the work of Christ are intertwined, it is clear that he sought to show how God is Sovereign and there is hope to be found in that creation is fundamentally good but has been stained by human rebellion and what is promised in Scripture will indeed happen. An example of this apologetic approach to understanding Genesis 1-11 is when Collins addressed the Fall of Humanity and confirmed its factuality, “Genesis certainly portrays the fall as an event (or complex of events) that changed the human condition from its initial blessedness.” Through in-depth, exegetical work, Collins not only confirms the validity of Genesis compared to the other ancient origin accounts but also apologetically defends the Christian faith as the true way to forgiveness and proper understanding.
Reading Genesis Well has great value for both scholars and laypeople for Collins wrote concisely and adequately so that there are no large sections where the reader is lost or unsure of what is being talked about. The book is laid out to allow the reader to jump around to specific areas of concern without having to search tirelessly for unanswered questions. However, this does bring its fair share of difficulties, mostly the structure of information does not correlate clearly with the material presented in said sections. This is due to continual referencing to previous sections and future sections that can bring confusion to the reader which may distract them from the present material being shared.

[Robert Hasler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary book for serious students of the Bible. Collins introduces his readers to what he calls a "critically intuitive" or "rhetorical-theological" hermeneutic. Drawing from insights in speech-act theory and the critical work of C.S. Lewis, Collins invites Christians to reevaluate the "literalist" biblical interpretation that is so popular among conservative evangelicals. Indeed, as Collins ably demonstrates, "literalism" is a good example of horseshoe theory-among its proponents are conservative evangelicals as well as liberal critics. The only difference is that the former assert the truthfulness of the Bible's claims while the latter reject literalist readings as obviously untrue.

Collins provides an alternative which may be summarized simply as "take the Bible on its own terms." It includes acknowledging the context and purpose behind particular texts while also recognizing the relationship each "little story" in the Bible has to its "Big Story," the common motif of redemption running from Genesis to Revelation.

Collins then applies his methodology to Genesis 1-11. As he demonstrates, the text may not have much to offer for the questions we so often bring to it today. What does Genesis 1-11 say about evolution? The age of the planet? Was the great deluge a local or global flood? Such questions are worthy of study, and no doubt we can infer great truths pertinent to these discussions from the text, but these are not the primary concerns of the text's author. Instead, Genesis 1-11 presents a world picture, one we are invited to cooperate with, in order to inculcate a worldview: that God created the heavens and the earth as the place for humanity to live out their calling in obedience to him; that man's sin has broken the idilic paradigm; and that God has committed himself to the renewal and restoration of all things and all people. For the ancient Israelites receiving this story, it would have informed their understanding of who they were (God's special vehicle for bringing redemption) and their mission (to be a nation of priests for bringing blessing to the nations of the earth).

With profound insight, Collins affirms a humble posture to the biblical text as a revelation of God, from God, for the people of God. Thus, it is to be received as it is and never scorned for what it is not.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a challenging read for me; it may be less so for a seminary student or those with a seminary background. Nevertheless, I was able to follow the author's argument. He basically takes his cue from C. S. Lewis in his approach to interpreting Genesis 1-11 in particular and the Bible as a whole. That approach involves understanding the genre, the author's intention, and the original audience's interaction with the material. In addition to using literary criticism, Dr. Collins advocates using principles from rhetorical and linguistic analyses.
In application, this speaks to the various approaches to finding scientific explanations (or errors) in the book of Genesis. Understanding the account in its historical and literary context combined with a appreciation for its role in correcting and shaping the worldview of its audience, tends to reduce our expectation to find answers to questions that the original audience would not be asking. So with Genesis 1-11, we should expect to find more answers to the who, what, and why questions, and less to the how or when questions. What answers we do get are more likely to come from a phenomenal perspective (eg. the sun rising) than an analytical one (eg. geocentric vs. heliocentric). So if underlying processes are hidden, it is not a result of ignorance but irrelevance. Therefore, our interpretation needs to focus more on what is in keeping with the worldview that the author is promoting than in what serves the secondary debates in our day.

[Vincent Derr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a scholarly approach that made me reread sentences several times. I like to imagine myself as a pretty smart guy, but it is humbling to engage with scholars. The first four chapters were set up for his methodology for interpreting Genesis. These chapters were slow going, but necessary. After the set-up I got see how Collins reads Genesis. I must say his reading does make a good bit of sense. As the book got to its conclusion I found that despite it's thorough reasoning I was left with unanswered questions. Perhaps the answers were more squishy that I was wanting. I find that I was wanting to get more into the implications of Collins' reading of Genesis 1-11 on later NT texts and on some other theological concepts. This approach to Genesis is still new to me and while I find it refreshing I find that perhaps I'm still clumsy in its application and/or I'm still asking the wrong questions. Overall a very good but scholarly book that treats Scripture with a great deal of respect.

4.5

[Jason Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Collins, Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, offers the reader a conservative approach to "reading Genesis well," while avoiding the pitfalls of wooden literalism that so often besets evangelicals seeking to uphold biblical inerrancy over and against those who would dismiss the early chapters of the Bible as ancient hoohah.

Collins draws heavily from CS Lewis' method of approaching the Scriptures, and ultimately concludes that Genesis 1, in particular, should be read as "exalted prose narrative," which he spends a few chapters defending.

Using this approach, Collins deals with creation, the fall, the flood, and the dispersion, interacting with the biblical authors, near east creation myths, Greek philosophy, and modern critics throughout.

I found the entire book to be helpful, but especially his treatment of the Fall of Man.

Recommended.

[Will Cunningham-Batt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this so much more! Collins is a great scholar and I enjoyed so many of his observations in this book, which is really a hermeneutics textbook, applied to Genesis 1-11. His description of Genesis as Israel's "constitution" is great, his robust unpacking of linguistics and speech-act theory is solid and his desire to read Genesis 1-11 literally, but not literalistically, is very insightful. But at nearly 300 pages, it is also a rambling reading experience, bogged down by too much Greek philosophy and ancient history, meaning that the rewards reaped from his framework for actually understanding Genesis felt a bit meagre.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good and helpful book, but it warrants some caveats. You should know that this is a very technical and academic work, and that its more about historic hermeneutics and linguistics than it is theology per se— though it definitely offers useful thoughts about viewing Genesis 1-11 as a kind of identity statement for God’s covenant people. Highly recommended if you want something quite technical; for something a little more pastoral or focused on mythology, I recommend the recent Marilynne Robinson book.

[Brad Hough · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 // I’m only reviewing the first few chapters, which I read for a class (also taught by Collins). These chapters are really just about reading the Bible well (and, more broadly, all writing). Collins lays out his arguments clearly and helpfully, and he is persuasive in his critiques of interpretive methods that divorce the text from the line drawn between author, shared world, and original audience. I will most definitely be returning to read the rest of the book.

[Lara Ryd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid analysis of the debate surrounding Genesis 1-11 and a compelling case for reading those chapters not as a scientific treatise but as an origin story that identifies Yahweh as the one true God and creator of the world. Collins does not give you his opinion on evolution—rather, his aim is to equip his reader with a set of literary and linguistic tools for discerning the nature of the claims being made in Genesis.

[Ben Torno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good and has great analysis of the failures of Genesis interpretation across all theological aisles. It gets a bit technical at times. Collins writes exactly like he talks, and while I appreciate how careful he is not to mischaracterize anyone, he often over-qualifies and over-nuances which ends up obscuring his main argument. Will need to re-read it eventually.

[Andy Huette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technical, but helpful.

[Wayne Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful. I loved every page.

[Matthew Nisly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars because of the unusual depth of insight, thoroughness, and respect with which the author addresses this thorny issue.

[David J. Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking the Bible seriously is not perfectly synonymous with taking it literally, and knowing what the author is doing, what genre you are in, and how the section of sacred texts fits in with the rest of the story will help you know the difference.

More people should probably read this.

[Spencer R · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my full review at Spoiled Milks (Oct 7, 2022).

There really is a lot I could say about this book. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected as Collins ably demonstrated how language, literary forms, the difference between “literal”, “historical,” “poetic,” and his distinction between “truthful” and “trustworthy” (just to name a few). The Bible is trustworthy and it is accurate in everything that it teaches. It is our job to understand what it is teaching. I hope many will read and consider the points Collins draws here to see if they make sense with what the Bible teaches. I do think many of them work, and I am thankful to have come across Collins’ work. He has opened my eyes to greater depths of meaning in Genesis 1–11, and I am lookin forward to reading (and reviewing) his commentary on Genesis 1–4.
Highly recommended.

I received this book free from Zondervan Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own.