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GENESIS 1–11

Name: GENESIS 1–11
Author: Tim Snider

A WINDOW INTO THE PAST

by Tim Snider ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A passionate but often scientifically questionable study of the book of Genesis.

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A Christian daily devotional centers on the first book of the Bible.

In this 365-day devotional, Snider concentrates on the first 11 chapters of Genesis. He breaks them down into one small bit for each day of the year, with readings also grouped six at a time to be perused over the course of a week. The author includes with these passages his own readings and glosses worked out over the decades he’s been studying and writing about the famous Bible stories, which include the tale of Adam and Eve and the Serpent, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the account of Cain and Abel, Noah’s Flood, and so on. Snider examines each of these chapters line by line and verse by verse in minute detail, exploring single words, obscure terms, and broader narrative themes. Although each day’s reflection begins with its own quote and uncredited artwork, the fact that some of those larger themes develop from one week to the next means that the book should be read in chronological sequence, not by days picked at random. Throughout his calendar, the author is a happy, energetic guide, often pausing to give his Christian readers affirming thoughts about “the manifold wisdom of the Creator God.” Unfortunately, Snider’s enthusiasm often leads him into standard creationist fundamentalism and science that some of his readers may find disconcerting. Putting aside the author’s belief that “sheep with human hearts” are some kind of “human-animal chimera” or that God has ordained that husbands “rule over” their wives, his various pronouncements on science are debatable. “The fossil evidence alone,” he writes, “demonstrates that life exploded into existence on earth, instead of slowly evolving.” “There is no evidence whatsoever,” he asserts, “either from paleontology or genetics that whales or great sea monsters could have developed from land animals.” These creationist beliefs will dilute the book’s heartfelt message for some readers.

A passionate but often scientifically questionable study of the book of Genesis.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 492

Publisher: Manuscript

Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2020

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

by Timothy Paul Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

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A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.

This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is â€œHow We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Albert Camus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1955

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This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.