Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 32:1 (Oct 2021)
Article: Book Review: Origins: "The Ancient Impact And Modern Implications Of Genesis 1–11" By Paul Copan And Douglas Jacoby
Author: Dustin Burlet

Conspectus 32:1 (October 2021) p. 214

Book Review: Origins: The Ancient Impact And Modern Implications Of Genesis 1–11 By Paul Copan And Douglas Jacoby

Dustin Burlet

Copan, Paul, and Douglas Jacoby. 2019. Origins: The Ancient Impact and Modern Implications of Genesis 1–11. Nashville: Morgan James. xvi + 248 pp. ISBN: 978–1-68350–950–9. Kindle: Approx. R135 ($9.19); Paperback: Approx. R194 ($13.89).

The controversies surrounding the book of Genesis have lasted for millennia and show no signs of abating anytime soon. Incontrovertibly, few exegetical matters require as much circumspection and pastoral sensitivity as dealing with those things that concern science, creation, and the Bible (history, literature, and theology), particularly concerning the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Given the challenging and often sensitive nature of these topics and the wide diversity of opinions that exist in the Church at large, how does Origins: The Ancient Impact and Modern Implications of Genesis 1–11, by Paul Copan and Douglas Jacoby, help to contribute positively to this all-important subject?

Prior to offering a full-scale review, a brief overview of the volume, as a whole, is in order. Origins consists of fifteen chapters and is divided into four main parts of roughly equal length: (1) Orientation, (2) Creation: Chaos to Cosmos, (3) Cycles: Eden to Deluge, and (4) Cleansings: Deluge to Babel. Aside from the “orientation” section (which is four chapters in length and mostly deals with the structure of Genesis, ancient sources, and the gods and goddess of the ancient Near East), each of the other main units seeks to expose the meaning of the first eleven chapters of Genesis in its original (ancient Near East) context. Many chapters end with a brief “recap” section. With respect to this point, the authors state, “here the principal biblical truths of the text will be listed, followed by points of contact with pagan culture and mythology, connections with the NT, and then application” (64, italics original). Four appendices (ancient cosmology, the geocentric universe, Genesis genealogies, and God’s two books), a postscript (a caution to teachers), and a six-page bibliography round out the volume. Unfortunately, there are no indices.

From a pedagogical perspective, Origins is easy to read with ample white space, copious headings, wide margins, and an attractive writing style that is pitched “just right” for the non-initiated. For example, in discussing the contrasts/comparisons of Noah’s Flood with other ancient Near East epics (such as Gilgamesh and Atrahasis) the authors re-tell the story of “Goldilocks and the Four Bears” where the prota...