Description

Publisher s Description

The first chapters of Genesis are the bedrock of the Jewish and Christian traditions. In these inaugural pages of the canon, we find the creation of the world, the fall of humanity,the promise of redemption and the beginning of salvation history. Interwoven throughout are the unforgettable stories of the ancient biblical patriarchs and matriarchs.

Reformation commentators continued the church s venerable practice of lavishing attention on Genesis, feeling themselves and their era deeply connected to the tragedies and promises, the genealogies and marvels of God s providential creation, governance and judgment. Above all, Reformation-era interpreters found anchor for their teaching, preaching and hope in the promise of Christ running through these chapters of Genesis, from the Garden of Eden to the Tower of Babel.

While following the precedent of patristic and medieval commentaries as well as rabbinic midrash, the Reformers provide insightful and startling fresh readings of familiar passages, inviting readers to see the ancient text with new eyes.

John Thompson has brought together the best of not only monumental thinkers like Luther, Calvin and Melancthon, but also many important figures of the time who are lesser known today. Here we find rich fare—much of it in English for the first time—from a wide array of perspectives: magisterial Reformers like Johannes Brenz, Wolfgang Capito and Peter Martyr Vermigli; radical Protestants like Menno Simons and Pilgrim Marpeck; and reform-minded Catholic thinkers like Desiderius Erasmus and Cardinal Cajetan. Importantantly, Thompson also highlights the significant contribution of female voices to the Reformation chorus, such as Katharina Schütz Zell and Anna Maria van Schurman.