Below are several books that address various creation themes. Wilkinson traces the motif of creation throughout the Bible, Fretheim explores the relational dimension of creation, and Middleton unpacks the meaning of being created in the image of God.
David Wilkinson
The Message of Creation: Encountering the Lord of the Universe, The Bible Speaks Today Series (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002).
On the book:
Human beings have always faced the question of why anything exists at all. The Bible answers, declaring that God is the creator of all that is--and the re-creator of all that has been bent or broken. Not only is the theme of creation found in the first chapters of Genesis, it runs throughout the Bible. Creation is a master theme of Scripture, a sightline that brings much of biblical revelation into perspective. David Wilkinson traces the theme of creation through the rich tapestry of Scripture, taking soundings of key texts. With the mind of a theologian (whose focus is the Bible) and an eminent astrophysicist (whose subject is the visible universe), he listens to the message of creation and brings it into lively conversation with contemporary concerns. From the story of beginnings to the fulfillment of creation, we explore the hymns, the lessons and the splendor of the Lord of creation.
David Wilkinson tells us about himself:
Before working in Durham as a theologian, I was a scientist and then a Methodist minister in inner city Liverpool. My background is research in theoretical astrophysics, where my PhD was in the study of star formation, the chemical evolution of galaxies and terrestrial mass extinctions such as the event which wiped out the dinosaurs. I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and have published a wide range of papers on these subjects.
After this research I trained for the Methodist ministry, studying theology at Cambridge. I then served in a variety of appointments, including a growing church in Liverpool and as Methodist chaplain at Liverpool University.
I arrived in Durham in 1999 and held a Fellowship in Christian Apologetics at St John's College, and was also Associate Director of the Centre for Christian Communication. I am currently Wesley Research Lecturer in Theology and Science in the Department of Theology and Religion and Principal of St Johns College.
Terence E. Fretheim
Fretheim is Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN Biosketch
On the book:
Fretheim presents here the Old Testament view of the Creator God, the created world, and our role in creation. Beginning with "The Beginning," he demonstrates that creation is open-ended and connected. Then, from every part of the Old Testament, Fretheim explores the fullness and richness of Israel's thought regarding creation: from the dynamic created order to human sin, from judgment and environmental devastation to salvation, redemption, and a new creation.
"Professor Fretheim has written an extraordinary book reflecting his long, prolific, and generative scholarly career. Fretheim has long thought on the matter of creation theology, read and digested everything written on the subject in Old Testament studies, and produced a remarkable, critical statement that balances close exegesis and large theological interpretation. Fretheim has been at the forefront of the 'turn' in Old Testament studies to creation theology; here he provides a summary statement of that turn and then proceeds with rich, textual exposition that is open to important contemporary connection. This is a book that people in the field will treasure. It is, at the same time, a book accessible to more general readers and one that even church theologians cannot afford to ignore. Fretheim has indeed 'written the book' that will be a reference point for a long time to come. Its publication is a most welcome one."
Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary.
"God and World in the Old Testament fulfills an urgent theological need in our time. Fretheim guides us through the wealth of biblical resources as he helps us rethink our understandings of the interrelationships of God, humans, and the world from the ground up. Fretheim weaves his broad and compelling vision of the Old Testament’s 'relational theology of creation' through engaging and well-researched studies of key creation texts throughout the Old Testament, beginning with Genesis and extending through the prophets, wisdom, and the Psalms. Fretheim argues that the complex community of relationships among God, humans, and nonhuman creation in the Old Testament is characterized by a lively and dynamic interplay of varying dependence, independence, and interdependence. This work represents the mature theological reflection of a biblical theologian who has spent a lifetime thinking hard and long about fundamental questions concerning the relationships of God and the world and their contemporary implications. This accessible and substantive study will be enormously helpful and stimulating to theologians, pastors, students, and anyone interested in putting the subtle and rich resources of the Bible in conversation with current issues of science, ecology, prayer, human suffering, ethics, and the nature of God’s interaction with the world. I recommend this book with ardent enthusiasm!"
Dennis T. Olson, Professor of Old Testament Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary
J. Richard Middleton
J. Richard Middleton (PhD, Free University of Amsterdam) is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Robert Wesleyan College, and Associate Professor of Bible and Culture, Northeastern Seminary, Rochester, New York Biosketch
The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1 (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2005). Amazon
Product Description
For two thousand years, Christians have been intrigued by the somewhat enigmatic Imago Dei references in the book of Genesis. Much theological ink has been spilled mulling over the significance and meaning of these words: "Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness . . . " In The Liberating Image, J. Richard Middleton takes on anew the challenge of interpreting the Imago Dei. Reflecting on the potential of the Imago Dei texts for developing an ethics of power rooted in compassion, he relates its significance to the Christian community's distinct calling in an increasingly violent world. The Liberating Image introduces a relevant, scholarly take on an important Christian doctrine. It will appeal to all Christians seeking to better understand what it means to be made in God's image.
From the Publisher
"In an image-saturated culture that 'brands' personal identity in terms of consumer choices while rendering the planet an ecological wasteland, can the ancient biblical notion of humans created in the 'image of God' be good news? In a world of violence in which a 'war on terrorism' is given near-mythological legitimation by means of an us/them ideology that dismisses the 'enemy' as the forces of chaos opposed to the civilizational order of democratic capitalism, does the biblical view of creation offer a counter-ideological alternative? Richard Middleton thinks so. In this wonderfully rich book Middleton deeply respects the text as he attends to its rhetorical, historical, and cultural meaning in such a way that we might hear it speak to us anew. Here is 'theological' interpretation at its very best--an exhaustive and lucid study that will not only change how we think about the imago Dei but perhaps change how we engage in biblical scholarship."--Brian J. Walsh, University of Toronto
"Middleton exhibits a powerful capacity for big issues, a patience with detail, and a sure theological sensibility. His study ranges all the way from comparative historical analysis to contemporary issues of ideology critique. The result is a study of a crucial biblical-theological phrase that is sure to become a benchmark in exegetical-hermeneutical work. Middleton's unwavering theological focus keeps the detail in the service of big issues, and culminates with a wondrous affirmation of a generous God. Such a God stands over against ancient modes of parsimonious violence and, by implication, over against contemporary practitioners of the same parsimonious violence. A most important read!"--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary
"I have long thought that the description of humanity as made in God's image (along with the rest of Genesis 1-3) has been the subject of so much comment over the centuries that we could never get behind all that interpretation to its inherent meaning. Richard Middleton's fascinating book has made me think again."--John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Up-to-date interpretations of the Imago Dei have long been needed. Richard Middleton has accomplished this considerable feat with great learning and sophistication, both by gathering the issues so clearly and accessibly and by providing an important advance in thinking about this theme. He has presented an expert historical and literary analysis, ranging widely across extrabiblical and biblical literature. Even more, Middleton has drawn out significant theological dimensions of the text and demonstrated the ethical implications of his analysis--with a lively engagement of contemporary concerns. Readers will encounter here fresh ways of considering both God and the human beings created in the image of that God."--Terry Fretheim, Luther Seminary
"The Liberating Image is a balanced yet challenging articulation of the Imago Dei in Genesis, its ancient Near Eastern context, and its present-day theological implications. By locating himself in his postmodern context, Middleton brings a refreshing hermeneutical self-consciousness to the scholarly task, which is aimed at providing a substantive and compelling argument without posing as the last word. His analysis of Imago Dei in Genesis in the context of ancient Near Eastern religions leads Middleton to the conclusion that the Israelite theological traditions of Genesis 1-11 are recontextualized in conscious opposition to ideological categories of Mesopotamia. That Israel's story promotes the dignity of all humans, not just of the royal or priestly classes, should have vital ethical implications for today."--Peter Enns, Westminster Theological Seminary
"Richard Middleton has written a comprehensive and deep interpretation of the Imago Dei in the light of its immediate scriptural context as well as in relation to ancient Near Eastern understandings of the image of God and of the human. The value of this work, however, goes beyond those contributions. He has ventured to explore, in conversation with biblical scholars, theologians, and ethicists, some of the ethical and theological issues that arise from Genesis 1 and the human being as created in the image of God. The book is probably the most comprehensive treatment of this topic in the English language and will be an automatic point of reference in the continuing effort to understand the human in the light of scripture."--Patrick D. Miller, Princeton Theological Seminary
Review by W. Sibley Towner, Professor Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, VA
For more on Middleton's theology of creation and re-creation, see his essay, "A New Heaven and a New Earth: The Case for a Holistic Reading of the Biblical Story of Redemption" Journal for Christian Theological Research 11 (2006) 73-97, posted here, courtesy of Luther Seminary. For two lectures by Professor Middleton entitled " The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian Worldview," see the Greenville College Chapel audio files (mp3) for Sept 11 and 13, 2006.
"In the Beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth: Responsible Interpretation of Genesis 1 in Ancient and Contemporary Contexts" is a lecture delivered at the Graduate Christian Fellowship Roundtable, Chesterton House, Cornell University, April 5, 2008.
|
|