What do you think?
Rate this book
Origins: The Ancient Impact and Modern Implications of Genesis 1-11
“An excellent . . . introduction to the challenges and benefits of reading Genesis 1-11 as a genuinely ancient (specifically ancient Near Eastern) text.” —Iain Provon, author of Seriously Dangerous ReligionOrigins turns much of what Christians learned in Sunday School on its head in a revealing comparison of the Genesis narrative to the competing pagan narrative of the day. Relatively few Bible readers are familiar with the world of the ancient Near East, centered in Mesopotamia and its most prominent city, Babylon. The culture, literature, religions, geography, etc. of the early biblical period dramatically influenced what was written and why and without an understanding of these elements, the purposes, meanings, and structure of the text are easily misread by modern readers and reduces the primeval narrative to a collection of Sunday School stories. Origins, while acknowledging the agendas of modern readers, remains on track in expounding on the ancient agenda. Paul Copan and Douglas Jacoby address the doubts of those who find stumbling blocks in early Genesis, facing the tough questions head on and providing biblical solution to many of the “problem passages.” Origins surprises and amazes all seekers, new believers, and veterans of Scripture alike as it devastates the polytheistic, pagan assumptions and proclaims the true God.“A fine addition to the ever-increasing library of books concerning Genesis . . . One also hopes that this volume might be leveraged as an apologetics tool to help those looking for theistic viewpoints on Creation.” —Dustin Burlet, Conspectus“This book can be a helpful apologetic and alternative view for those in the church who have only heard a literal approach to Genesis 1-11 and are looking for something different.” —Renew.org
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2018
About the author
Paul Copan
94 books177 followersPaul Copan is a Christian theologian, analytic philosopher, apologist, and author. He is currently a professor at the Palm Beach Atlantic University and holds the endowed Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics.
From 1980-1984, he attended Columbia International University and earned a B.A. degree in biblical studies. Copan attended Trinity International University, where he received his M.A. in philosophy of religion, as well as his M.Div. at Trinity International. Copan received the Prof. C.B. Bjuge Award for a thesis that “evidences creative scholarship in the field of Biblical and Systematic Theology.”
In May 2000, Copan received his Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His dissertation topic was "The Moral Dimensions of Michael Martin’s Atheology: A Critical Assessment."
From 1980-1984, he attended Columbia International University and earned a B.A. degree in biblical studies. Copan attended Trinity International University, where he received his M.A. in philosophy of religion, as well as his M.Div. at Trinity International. Copan received the Prof. C.B. Bjuge Award for a thesis that “evidences creative scholarship in the field of Biblical and Systematic Theology.”
In May 2000, Copan received his Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His dissertation topic was "The Moral Dimensions of Michael Martin’s Atheology: A Critical Assessment."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 14, 2022
I believe Jacoby & Copan are right in their assessment that Genesis 1-11 are better understood in light of ancient near east creation myths and consideration of questions Israelites may have been asking. It was a solid, approachable commentary to those chapters in that sense, and provides a plethora of reference material to investigate. I would go back to this one for various tidbits and to explore some of the suggested reading.
May 4, 2021
I was rather disappointed in this effort. This book is essentially a very basic Bible Study of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis. Yet I don’t really think that this was authors’ intentions. It certainly wasn’t my expectations from reading the description. So I felt somewhat cheated and was overall unimpressed.
If you’re new to the Christian faith, this book might serve as a decent beginner’s study of the aforementioned chapters of Genesis, but even stating that is a stretch. Overall, it seems like the authors are trying too hard to say too much and cram too many thoughts into such a short, rather trivial, book. The subject matter could have used a lot more scholarly research and could have really made a big impact on the 21st century Christian as well as the skeptic. Instead, it comes across as a hodge-podge mishmash and seems as though it was only written over a period of a few weekends.
The initial attraction of this book for me, and I confess what made me want to read it, was the authors insistence that one needn’t take the material in the book of Genesis literally. This seems like a no brainer for many. Most don’t believe the Earth was created in a literal six day period. If it was, how do you account for dinosaurs? I’ve actually heard two ridiculous theories: 1) They never existed. God planted the fossils to test us –and- 2) They did exist, and were actually on Noah’s Ark. Call me crazy, but I just can’t picture a pair of tyrannosaur’s rexes on a floating vessel with lions, tigers and elephants.
The problem is the authors don’t focus enough attention on this aspect. I must again state that had they done so, this could have been a revolutionary piece of work. As a Christian, it saddens me how many people refuse to come to the faith because there are so many dogmatically diehard disciples who REFUSE to accept the possibility that maybe Genesis shouldn’t be taken literally. This being the case, one can’t help but not be surprised when the educated unconverted turn and run away. So had the authors made a convincing argument, it could have at least procured some serious discussions and debates. They don’t even discuss Evolution until one of the appendices of the book. A crying shame. (Hint: They’re argument is evolution is highly probable with God. Without God, not so much.)
Another thing that the authors try to do is compare and contrast the biblical narratives with many of the common myths and pagan tales that were prevalent at the time. This is another excellent avenue that needs more attention. The authors (briefly) show us examples of many similarities between these tales and how they differ from what the Bible tells us in the creation stories. The point the authors make is that much of what is in Genesis isn’t made to tell the reader an actual account, but to rather show the nature of Yahweh (that would be God – ‘I am who I am’) and how his plan for earth and mankind is radically different than what readers at the time were hearing from these ‘other’ stories. Again, one wishes that this would have possibly been the sole focus of the book.
Sadly, no such luck. Although the authors sprinkle these two notions within the pages, they seem more focused on simply educating the reader on the lessons of Genesis and how they relate to mankind in general. Unlike the two notions I discussed, to simply reflect on the book of Genesis really didn’t seem necessary nor earth shattering. In fact, the authors seem compelled to crowd the pages with the actual texts of the eleven chapters. Does one really need this when a free copy of the Bible can easily be found on the internet? It felt like the authors were simply trying to pad the pages. Speaking of padding pages, we also get a lot of irrelevant charts and tables along with ‘recaps and applications’ at the end of each chapter. Again, good for a Bible study workbook, but not needed for (what one wishes was) a scholarly piece.
Maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe a scholarly piece wasn’t the intention of the authors. In fact, many times they’ll address a good point yet quickly shut themselves down by saying that the subject matter is “beyond the scope of this book”. I really wish it wasn’t. I wanted more. I wanted so much more. Had the authors explored the book of Genesis more in depth and elaborated more on how we should read the book, both non-literally and comparing it to popular cultural myths, it would have succeeded. Instead, this comes across as a garbled, thrown together piece that simply doesn’t add value as a whole.
I wish they would try again. It really did sound like they were onto something good. It just never materialized as it should have.
If you’re new to the Christian faith, this book might serve as a decent beginner’s study of the aforementioned chapters of Genesis, but even stating that is a stretch. Overall, it seems like the authors are trying too hard to say too much and cram too many thoughts into such a short, rather trivial, book. The subject matter could have used a lot more scholarly research and could have really made a big impact on the 21st century Christian as well as the skeptic. Instead, it comes across as a hodge-podge mishmash and seems as though it was only written over a period of a few weekends.
The initial attraction of this book for me, and I confess what made me want to read it, was the authors insistence that one needn’t take the material in the book of Genesis literally. This seems like a no brainer for many. Most don’t believe the Earth was created in a literal six day period. If it was, how do you account for dinosaurs? I’ve actually heard two ridiculous theories: 1) They never existed. God planted the fossils to test us –and- 2) They did exist, and were actually on Noah’s Ark. Call me crazy, but I just can’t picture a pair of tyrannosaur’s rexes on a floating vessel with lions, tigers and elephants.
The problem is the authors don’t focus enough attention on this aspect. I must again state that had they done so, this could have been a revolutionary piece of work. As a Christian, it saddens me how many people refuse to come to the faith because there are so many dogmatically diehard disciples who REFUSE to accept the possibility that maybe Genesis shouldn’t be taken literally. This being the case, one can’t help but not be surprised when the educated unconverted turn and run away. So had the authors made a convincing argument, it could have at least procured some serious discussions and debates. They don’t even discuss Evolution until one of the appendices of the book. A crying shame. (Hint: They’re argument is evolution is highly probable with God. Without God, not so much.)
Another thing that the authors try to do is compare and contrast the biblical narratives with many of the common myths and pagan tales that were prevalent at the time. This is another excellent avenue that needs more attention. The authors (briefly) show us examples of many similarities between these tales and how they differ from what the Bible tells us in the creation stories. The point the authors make is that much of what is in Genesis isn’t made to tell the reader an actual account, but to rather show the nature of Yahweh (that would be God – ‘I am who I am’) and how his plan for earth and mankind is radically different than what readers at the time were hearing from these ‘other’ stories. Again, one wishes that this would have possibly been the sole focus of the book.
Sadly, no such luck. Although the authors sprinkle these two notions within the pages, they seem more focused on simply educating the reader on the lessons of Genesis and how they relate to mankind in general. Unlike the two notions I discussed, to simply reflect on the book of Genesis really didn’t seem necessary nor earth shattering. In fact, the authors seem compelled to crowd the pages with the actual texts of the eleven chapters. Does one really need this when a free copy of the Bible can easily be found on the internet? It felt like the authors were simply trying to pad the pages. Speaking of padding pages, we also get a lot of irrelevant charts and tables along with ‘recaps and applications’ at the end of each chapter. Again, good for a Bible study workbook, but not needed for (what one wishes was) a scholarly piece.
Maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe a scholarly piece wasn’t the intention of the authors. In fact, many times they’ll address a good point yet quickly shut themselves down by saying that the subject matter is “beyond the scope of this book”. I really wish it wasn’t. I wanted more. I wanted so much more. Had the authors explored the book of Genesis more in depth and elaborated more on how we should read the book, both non-literally and comparing it to popular cultural myths, it would have succeeded. Instead, this comes across as a garbled, thrown together piece that simply doesn’t add value as a whole.
I wish they would try again. It really did sound like they were onto something good. It just never materialized as it should have.
January 2, 2019
This book promised a lot, and fell quite a bit short - which was a disappointment because I was really looking forward to reading it.
The basic premise is that readers need to allow the ancient context of Genesis 1-11 to provide the framework for interpretation rather than modern ideas. So far, so good. They promise to examine the ancient context and show how Genesis connects to it.
Unfortunately, the authors soon get wildly off track. The very approach to Genesis is highly modern and western in approach. While they repeatedly assert that people may certainly differ on some points, they dogmatically assert opinions on other points with little to no evidence or logical argumentation. The following are a couple of the more egregious examples:
Handling of 6-days of creation debate: The authors dismiss both the “literal” 24-hour day AND the day-age views without even the least interaction with the evening-morning construction and its relation to the ancient context. This is a major flaw that greatly limits the value of the discussion in this section.
Handling of ages in geneaology: Introduces discussion of possible use of sexagesimal numbers - evidence not convincing, and then assumes that this has solved the issues of the ages without explaining why. Goes on to assume the ages cannot be realistic, without any discussion regarding various explanations/counter points. Fails to interact at all with LXX ages when talking about Noahic-Abrahamic overlap in MT. Fails to interact with the literary/mythical relation of Atrahasis/Utnapishtim/Ziusudra to Noah, all of whom are known for immortality/extraordinarily long life - which reinforces the ante-diluvian ages as being unusual to post-diluvian man.
There is no discussion of the possibility of source material and/or source myths behind each of the ancient legends.
The handling of Genesis 10-11 is extremely cursory.
Beyond that, the book failed to deliver any real depth of commentary or new information for a casual Ancient Near East student like myself, and it felt like a misrepresentation of the Ancient Near East that I have been studying for years. I felt like two western scholars were pretending to give a neutral, ancient view of Genesis 1-11 while actually dissecting and allegorizing it in distinctly modern and post-modern ways. The ancients would likely be shocked by the results.
A disappointing disappointment.
The basic premise is that readers need to allow the ancient context of Genesis 1-11 to provide the framework for interpretation rather than modern ideas. So far, so good. They promise to examine the ancient context and show how Genesis connects to it.
Unfortunately, the authors soon get wildly off track. The very approach to Genesis is highly modern and western in approach. While they repeatedly assert that people may certainly differ on some points, they dogmatically assert opinions on other points with little to no evidence or logical argumentation. The following are a couple of the more egregious examples:
Handling of 6-days of creation debate: The authors dismiss both the “literal” 24-hour day AND the day-age views without even the least interaction with the evening-morning construction and its relation to the ancient context. This is a major flaw that greatly limits the value of the discussion in this section.
Handling of ages in geneaology: Introduces discussion of possible use of sexagesimal numbers - evidence not convincing, and then assumes that this has solved the issues of the ages without explaining why. Goes on to assume the ages cannot be realistic, without any discussion regarding various explanations/counter points. Fails to interact at all with LXX ages when talking about Noahic-Abrahamic overlap in MT. Fails to interact with the literary/mythical relation of Atrahasis/Utnapishtim/Ziusudra to Noah, all of whom are known for immortality/extraordinarily long life - which reinforces the ante-diluvian ages as being unusual to post-diluvian man.
There is no discussion of the possibility of source material and/or source myths behind each of the ancient legends.
The handling of Genesis 10-11 is extremely cursory.
Beyond that, the book failed to deliver any real depth of commentary or new information for a casual Ancient Near East student like myself, and it felt like a misrepresentation of the Ancient Near East that I have been studying for years. I felt like two western scholars were pretending to give a neutral, ancient view of Genesis 1-11 while actually dissecting and allegorizing it in distinctly modern and post-modern ways. The ancients would likely be shocked by the results.
A disappointing disappointment.
February 6, 2020
Read for church book club. I was expecting the book to be an argument for a mytho-historical approach to Genesis. Rather, it was more of a mini commentary on how parts of Genesis chapters 1-11 are mirrored in ancient near east creation stories (with some applications at the end of each chapter that seemed somewhat forced). The authors have an obvious viewpoint but did not try to convince you that this is the approach to take. In fact, at the end, they include a short "note to teachers" about not necessarily discussing this view if it would cause Christians to "stumble" (not entirely sure I agree with this). Once I finished the book, I found myself asking, "So, what now? There are some noteworthy similarities and differences between Genesis and creation stories in other cultures at the time, but what does that mean/what is the next step?"
I am very intrigued by the idea of reading and interpreting Genesis in light of other creation stories in ancient near east culture but would appreciate a more thorough investigation of 1) how the mytho-historical genre is defined and 2) whether Genesis meets those criteria. A book like that doesn't exist yet, that I know of, so this was a good introduction but did not answer all of my questions.
I am very intrigued by the idea of reading and interpreting Genesis in light of other creation stories in ancient near east culture but would appreciate a more thorough investigation of 1) how the mytho-historical genre is defined and 2) whether Genesis meets those criteria. A book like that doesn't exist yet, that I know of, so this was a good introduction but did not answer all of my questions.
March 14, 2024
The book is in many ways is a useful survey of historical context for Genesis 1-11, however...
It struggles with much of the following: awkward/cliché writing voice, lack of synthesizing a detailed and clear explanation of precisely how this information interacts with historical or mythical realities, and whether its focus is theological application for the Christian life or something more scholarly.
It pales in comparison to Walton's works (which excel in synthesizing all of this information into cogent, simple propositions) but is a helpful survey when taken with other materials. Wouldn't recommend it as a standalone book.
It struggles with much of the following: awkward/cliché writing voice, lack of synthesizing a detailed and clear explanation of precisely how this information interacts with historical or mythical realities, and whether its focus is theological application for the Christian life or something more scholarly.
It pales in comparison to Walton's works (which excel in synthesizing all of this information into cogent, simple propositions) but is a helpful survey when taken with other materials. Wouldn't recommend it as a standalone book.
August 31, 2020
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone wanting to better understand and explore the Bible’s writings about the beginnings of the world according to Genesis 1-11. The writers are extraordinarily knowledgeable and take the topic to a much more complex and in-depth place than most Christians have probably ever considered or been taught. I appreciate the sentiment that scientific knowledge is not something for Christians to fear, and that an academic exploration of Scripture can broaden and focus our understanding of these ancient writings.
December 16, 2021
Origins, An Explanation?
Copain does a decent job of explaining the meanings behind the stories in the first eleven chapters of Genesis. And interestingly enough he discusses the first eleven chapters against the background of the contemporary pagan beliefs and attitudes. I found his comparison of the various creation myths to be very interesting. But it is a short work and as such he does not permit himself the time or depth necessary to be much more than a superficial effort.
Copain does a decent job of explaining the meanings behind the stories in the first eleven chapters of Genesis. And interestingly enough he discusses the first eleven chapters against the background of the contemporary pagan beliefs and attitudes. I found his comparison of the various creation myths to be very interesting. But it is a short work and as such he does not permit himself the time or depth necessary to be much more than a superficial effort.
May 24, 2022
A very interesting read. Approaches the beginning of Genesis from a literary perspective with an eye on the broad narrative. What was the ancient Jewish author trying to say about who God is and who people are?
While focusing on interpretation as much as anything, this book does engage in apologetics. It does it in the best way however and does not waste anyone's time trying to defend implausible things like young-earth or flood geology.
This is a look at (the start of) Genesis for thinkers; I enjoyed it!
While focusing on interpretation as much as anything, this book does engage in apologetics. It does it in the best way however and does not waste anyone's time trying to defend implausible things like young-earth or flood geology.
This is a look at (the start of) Genesis for thinkers; I enjoyed it!
August 21, 2022
Love how Douglas and Paul approach the topic. They treat opposing opinions fairly, and provide an extensive bibliography for further study on any topic that they approach. A fantastic overview and analysis of genesis 1-11.
December 23, 2019
This book was easily accessible but did not cover the topics in-depth. This would make a good introductory text or Sunday School text for studies in Genesis.
August 21, 2022
I really appreciated the concept of the book--yes, let's reflect on Genesis in its context; yes, let's consider what it means for now in light of what it meant then. It may be that we came to the text with different assumptions than the ancients. Probably it would be helpful for us to humbly unpack our own assumptions, with sympathy toward more ancient (original) understandings, even if we find them foreign.
After reading the first chaper, I felt something akin to intense irritation and set it aside until I worked that out of my system. It turns out I had some assumptions about how such a book should proceed, which differed from how the opening of this book unfolded. When I returned to the book in a more sypathetic mood, I found the content more interesting and illuminating than irritating. By the time I finished the book my intensity had mellowed.
With more sympathy (and hopefully a bit of humility), I think I see why the tone of the opening chapter irritated me, why some of the content continues to intrigue me, and why the book struggles to succeed. It helps to read a book sypathetically.
On Reading Sympathetically
If you read a satire
As simply silly,
You have your fun
But miss the punchline.
If you read in sarcasm
Where it’s not,
You blow a bridge
Instead of crossing it.
If you bridge a text over
Time’s troubled waters,
You may meet a
Friend for life.
Dryads know the satyr’s
Stare is no hyperbole.
Serpent’s slither rings
Round every tree in
The garden but this,
This is no shame—
This wish fulfilled
This—sympathy for
Making fables out of
Myths—makes reality
More divine, more sublime,
Prime like paradise—
But farther east. Like
Echoes Eve once heard.
After reading the first chaper, I felt something akin to intense irritation and set it aside until I worked that out of my system. It turns out I had some assumptions about how such a book should proceed, which differed from how the opening of this book unfolded. When I returned to the book in a more sypathetic mood, I found the content more interesting and illuminating than irritating. By the time I finished the book my intensity had mellowed.
With more sympathy (and hopefully a bit of humility), I think I see why the tone of the opening chapter irritated me, why some of the content continues to intrigue me, and why the book struggles to succeed. It helps to read a book sypathetically.
On Reading Sympathetically
If you read a satire
As simply silly,
You have your fun
But miss the punchline.
If you read in sarcasm
Where it’s not,
You blow a bridge
Instead of crossing it.
If you bridge a text over
Time’s troubled waters,
You may meet a
Friend for life.
Dryads know the satyr’s
Stare is no hyperbole.
Serpent’s slither rings
Round every tree in
The garden but this,
This is no shame—
This wish fulfilled
This—sympathy for
Making fables out of
Myths—makes reality
More divine, more sublime,
Prime like paradise—
But farther east. Like
Echoes Eve once heard.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews