Acknowledgements
Preface
Abbreviations
I. Introduction: From Wonder to Wisdom
II. Revolution and Evolution: Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds to
Creation
III. The Cosmic Temple: Cosmogony According to Genesis 1:1-2:4a
IV. The Ground of Being: The Drama of Dirt in Genesis 2:4b-3:24
V. Behemoth and the Beagle: Creation According to Job 38-41
VI. The Passion of the Creator: The Manifold Nature of Nature in
Psalm 104
VII. Wisdom's World: Cosmos as Playhouse in Proverbs 8:22-31
VIII. The Dying Cosmos: Qoheleth's Misanthropic Principle
IX. The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Emergence of New Creation in
Isaiah
X. The God Allusion: Creation as Consciousness-Raiser
Bibliography
Index
William P. Brown is Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary and the author of several books and numerous articles on the Bible and its interpretation.
"What a pleasure to read a book this calm and commanding in place
of the usual hysterics about faith and science. It ends with the
only call that makes sense in this moment from either source of
human wisdom: a call for self-restraint, self-mastery, before we
overwhelm the world of beauty and meaning into which we were
born."
--Bill McKibben, author of Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New
Planet
"Fresh, generative work at the interface of faith and science
requires a scholar of uncommon erudition and acute interpretive
sensibility, who can boldly make connections and remain resilient
in the face of demanding data. Bill Brown is precisely that
interpreter, who here provides what will be a defining benchmark in
our ongoing work in "faith and science." Readers will be dazzled by
his range and depth of discernment. This book is an inviting
challenge to
people of faith and practitioners of science - to all who find the
interface a source of wonder beyond curiosity."
--Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus, Columbia Theological
Seminary
"Brown's book is the most creative book on creation that I've ever
read."
--Nancey Murphy, Professor of Christian Philosophy, Fuller
Theological Seminary
"Seldom does one encounter a Biblical scholar of the Hebrew texts
as well versed as Brown in evolutionary biology and ecological
science. Seldom does a scholar probe so imaginatively the deep
sense of wonder in both science and religion, whether in Job's
Behemoth or on Darwin's Beagle. Never are the two better joined in
concern that Homo sapiens, 'the dirty groundling made to image
God,' celebrate and save life on wild Earth."
--Holmes Rolston, III, Professor of Philosophy and University
Distinguished Professor, Colorado State University
"Brown's study of the seven creation texts of the Old Testament
presents exquisite biblical interpretation that destabilizes narrow
assumptions about biblical creation. What makes the work unique is
its deep engagement with contemporary biology and ecological
science. The result is a book that calls forth praise, an ethic of
responsibility and, of course, wonder."
--Christian Century
"Brown's book is magisterial in its scope, beautifully written, and
accessible to both sides in the science and religion debates."
--Englewood Review of Books
"...we would have to judge Brown's reflective work a
success."---John H. Walton, Wheaton College
"Brown writes poetically, poignantly, and powerfully."--Mark E.
Biddle
"William P. Browns book is one such effort and a good one at
that."--James M. Childs, Trinity Lutheran Seminary
"Brown is an engaging writer and thinker whose insights are both
substantive and accessible. This is an important and timely book
for biblical scholars, theologians, pastors, and educated lay
people who want a reliable guide into how to think about a mutually
respectful relationship between ancient Scripture and modern
science. Brown's study of OT creation resources will provide a
crucial resource as Christians seek new ways to tell the old story
for a
21st-century world."--Interpretation
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