Early Christian Readings of Genesis One: Patristic Exegesis and Literal Interpretation

Craig D. Allert (PhD, University of Nottingham) is professor of religious studies at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. He is the author of A High View of Scripture: Biblical Authority and the Formation of the New Testament Canon and Revelation, Truth, Canon, and Interpretation. His areas of expertise include early Christianity, church fathers, development of Christian doctrine, evangelicalism, formation of the New Testament canon, historical theology, and Justin Martyr.

"This book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the unique features of patristic exegesis. Allert provides a judicious and much-needed defense against making the early Fathers conform to various conservative versions of interpreting Scripture. Using the Genesis creation account, the reader is invited to see that the ancients were far more imaginative and biblically minded than we credit them."

"This is a brave and much-needed book. A church that tries to ignore the Fathers of the church deprives itself of a valuable resource. Craig Allert seeks to show how attention to how the Fathers understood Genesis 1 deepens our own understanding of creation. He cuts through a lot of misunderstanding and ignorance of the Fathers enabling us to hear them once more. Professor Allert's proposal is not so much 'Back to the Fathers' as 'Forward with the Fathers.'"

"Navigating the first chapter of Genesis, especially in light of present-day controversies, is tricky business. Craig Allert's presentation of early Christian readings of this text will help readers to understand ancient perspectives and their applicability to present concerns."

"In this book Allert explains the concept of church father and their interpretations of Genesis, discusses the erroneous uses of the Fathers, and directs us to a fuller understanding of them. He treats Basil and Augustine in particular, especially Basil's homilies on Genesis. This book is an excellent antidote to fundamentalist and creationist misreadings of Genesis 1."

"Early Christian Readings of Genesis One is a welcome and needed call for more careful, rigorous use of the church fathers' views on creation. . . . Early Christian Readings of Genesis One helpfully draws attention to the complexity of patristic exegesis of Genesis, and calls us out into deeper waters than most of us have yet waded."