A Book Review of “The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One,” by Gregg Davidson and Kenneth J. Turner

Two years ago, I wrote a book review of Gregg Davidson’s Friend of Science, Friend of Faith. Well, technically, it wasn’t quite 730 days ago—that review was posted January 10^th 2020, so that would be 723 days ago, or (if you really like to go by weeks) 103 weeks ago. And since whenever we are talking about the topic of Genesis 1, it’s always good to leave a special 7 days/1 week in there somewhere!

Indeed, Genesis 1 is the topic of Davidson’s new book that he co-authored with Kenneth J. Turner, entitled, The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One. To get right to the point, this small 186-page book is the kind of thing I’d like to see more of regarding the various debates related to “creation/evolution” and the proper interpretation of Genesis 1-11. Ever since the publication of my book, The Heresy of Ham, I have been somewhat involved in those debates, both here on my blog and also in various online forums. And, although I have occasionally talked about the scientific arguments to evolutionary theory, most of my focus has been on the proper interpretation and understanding of Genesis 1-11 within its own original historical and literary contexts. My area of expertise is Biblical Studies, not the natural sciences, and it has always been my conviction that the question of interpretation of Genesis 1-11 is an entirely different issue than the scientific questions of evolution or the age of the universe.

Or to put it a different way, those scientific questions are completely irrelevant to properly understanding Genesis 1-11. Too often, though, modern Western American Christianity (not to mention the overall Western culture) is a child of Enlightenment thinking, and there seems to be this knee-jerk reaction when it comes to Genesis 1-11 that the only way for it to be trustworthy and true is for it to be scientifically and historically proven in some way, as if science is the sole arbiter of whether or not something in the Bible is true. I came to my conclusion that Genesis 1-11 is a subversive version of ancient Near Eastern mythological literature that articulates the fundamental worldview of ancient Israel and sets the stage for a valuing and appreciation of God’s involvement in human history—and that involvement begins with the story of Abraham in Genesis 12.

Simply put, Genesis 1-11 is inspired mythological literature that tells the truth about the one true God, His creation, and human beings. It’s not doing science and it’s not doing history, and that is okay.

Now About the Book
Having said all that, let me say up front that the thing I appreciate most about The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One is that it doesn’t try to rope Genesis 1 into the larger “creation/evolution debate.” In that regard, it isn’t about that scientific debate at all. If I can put it this way, it is a wonderful introduction to understanding and appreciating the many biblical themes that are found, not only in Genesis 1, but that also run throughout the entire Bible. In that regard, I suppose we can say the title of the book is actually a bit of false advertising, because it really isn’t about just the “manifold beauty of Genesis One”! It’s about so much more.

I’ve often likened both the Old and New Testaments to foreign countries. If you want to get a handle on the Old Testament, for example, you need to have a good “travel guide” and map so you can “explore” that country. You need something that gives you a general lay of the land and points out a few landmarks that will give you your bearings so can travel and do some discovering of your own. In its own way, The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One does just that.

The book is laid out in seven chapters, which the authors characterize as seven layers. The main point that is conveyed is that there is a whole lot more stuff going on in Genesis 1 than you realize. Not only that, but the stuff going on in Genesis 1 (that most people don’t realize!) is intimately tied to numerous larger themes that run throughout the entire Bible. Unfortunately, since Genesis 1-11 (not just Genesis 1) is so often shoe-horned into scientific and historical arguments regarding the age of the earth, evolution, or the historicity of Adam and Eve—things, I would argue, that Genesis 1-11 isn’t actually addressing—that they miss the actual things that are there. Consequently, they miss those fundamental themes laid out in the early chapters of Genesis that serve to tie the entire biblical story together.

That is why this book is so important. It simply refuses to engage in the common scientific/historical debates associated with Genesis 1 and simply strives to understand it on its own terms. Simply put, it treats it as inspired literature and engages with it at that level. Regardless of your opinion regarding the questions of evolution, the age of the earth, or the historicity of Adam and Eve, this book encourages you to appreciate Genesis 1 on a literary level that expresses key biblical themes that will impact and revolutionize your understanding, not only of Genesis 1, but of so many other things within the entire biblical story.

The Lay Out of the Book
Having said that, I want to provide just a brief sketch of what Davidson and Turner cover in each of their “7 layers.” First, in the introductory chapter, they articulate their approach to Genesis 1 and touch upon that fundamental question, “How should we go about reading and interpreting Genesis 1?” Simply put, we have to read it in light of its original setting and culture. They also touch upon the topic of inerrancy when it comes to the task of interpretation. Again, simply put, “inerrancy” should not be taken to mean that the Bible is “scientifically accurate” in everything. Rather, it should mean that the Bible is “without error” in the theological truth it is conveying within the given context and genre in which any give passage is inspired.

Then, in the chapter entitled, A Model Approach: What can be learned from a genealogy?, they touch upon—you guessed it—genealogies, both those found in Genesis 1-11, as well as those found in Matthew and Luke. To the point, they argue that the primary function of biblical genealogies is not to provide some kind of ancient form of Ancestry.com. In fact, they often are concerned with other things, and we risk missing a whole lot of inspired revelatory meaning if we automatically assume they are ancient forms of Ancestry.com.

Layer 1 is entitled Song, and it focuses on understanding Genesis 1 like a song. Specifically, the chapter talks about the way Genesis 1 is patterned and the recurring poetic elements found within the chapter.

Layer 2 is entitled Analogy, and it focuses on the various ways Genesis 1 expresses ideas like the goodness of work, the goodness in bringing order from disorder, the celebration of creativity in work, and the true meaning of Sabbath rest.

Layer 3 is entitled Polemic, and it focuses on how Genesis 1 serves as an attack on the other worldviews and cultures of the ancient Near East. The various points made in this chapter are too many to list, but the most obvious ones are (a) there is one God, not many gods, (b) creation is good and not an accident, and (c) human beings have intrinsic worth.

Layer 4 is entitled Covenant, and it focuses on, you guessed it, the theme of covenant. It touches upon not only what an ancient covenant was, but also the importance of the Abrahamic covenant, and how it ties directly back to God’s covenant with His entire creation.

Layer 5 is entitled Temple, and it focuses on the incredibly rich temple imagery found in Genesis 1 and how it impacts so much else, from the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, to the construction of the later Temple of YHWH in Jerusalem, and eventually to its implications in the New Testament as well. Simply put, all of that later “Temple imagery” has is roots in understanding how Genesis 1 presents God’s creation as a whole, and specifically Eden as well.

Layer 6 is entitled Calendar, and it focuses on how Genesis 1 actually serves as a “festival calendar narrative” that impacts how we understand the later flood narrative, Exodus narrative, and the ancient Jewish calendar and festivals as a whole. I appreciated this chapter the most of all, simply because it is something I had never fully contemplated or reflected upon.

 Layer 7 is entitled Land, and it focuses on the importance of the concept of land throughout the Bible. Specifically, it touches upon the numerous thematic connections between Eden, the Israelites’ encounter with YHWH at Mount Sinai, the Promised Land, and eventually the New Creation and New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation.

It should also be said that at the end of each chapter, Davidson and Turner address possible objections some might have to what they presented, as well as a list of questions they invite the reader to ponder to further their understanding of they presented in the chapter.

All in all, The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One is a great book for familiarizing yourself with some key biblical themes that are rooted in Genesis 1 and that run all throughout the biblical story. If you want to learn about the “creation/evolution debate,” this isn’t the book for you. There are already plenty of books that deal with that issue. This book’s focus is on something else, namely appreciating some of the key biblical themes in Genesis 1 that impact our understanding of God and the Bible as a whole.