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Foreword by Peter Machinist Hermann Gunkel's groundbreaking Schöpfung und Chaos, originally published in German in 1895, is here translated in its entirety into English for the first time. Even though available only in German, this work by Gunkel has had a profound influence on modern biblical scholarship. Discovering a number of parallels between the biblical creation accounts and a Babylonian creation account, the Enuma Elish, Gunkel argues that ancient Babylonian traditions shaped the Hebrew people's perceptions both of God's creative activity at the beginning of time and of God's re-creative activity at the end of time. Including illuminating introductory pieces by eminent scholar Peter Machinist and by translator K. William Whitney, Gunkel's Creation and Chaos will appeal to serious students and scholars in the area of biblical studies.
'Creation versus Chaos' is at one and the same time a significantly original argument, a popular articulation of the best scholarship of its time, and a remarkably lucid pedagogical vehicle.... Anderson takes up crucial and perennial problems in a fresh, concise, and illuminating way. from the Foreword by Walter Brueggemann
"I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things." Isaiah 45:7 When God created the world, he brought perfect order out of what was "without form and void." But with human rebellion against God leading to God's curse, disorder was introduced into creation—disorder that we still see all around us today. Tracing the chaos to cosmos theme from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, pastor-scholar Sidney Greidanus reveals how God is restoring his creation through Jesus Christ, who has already begun to shine light into the darkness and will one day return to bring peace, order, and restoration once and for all. With discussion questions at the end of each chapter and a fourteen-session reading plan, this book is ideal for small groups as well as individual study.
Hermann Gunkel was a scholar in the generation of the origins of Assyriology, the spectacular discovery by George Smith of fragments of the “Chaldean Genesis,” and the Babel-Bibel debate. Gunkel’s thesis, inspired by materials supplied to him by the Assyriologist Heinrich Zimmern, was to take the Chaoskampf motif of Revelation as an event that would not only occur at the end of the world but had already happened at the beginning, before Creation. In other words, in this theory, one imagines God in Genesis 1 as first having battled Rahab, Leviathan, and Yam (the forces of Chaos) in a grand battle, and only then beginning to create. The problem with Gunkel’s theory is that it did not simply identify common elements in the mythologies of the ancient Near East but imposed upon them a structure dictating the relationships between the elements, a structure that was based on inadequate knowledge and a forced interpretation of his sources. On the other hand, one is not entitled to insist that there was no cultural conversation among peoples who spent the better part of several millennia trading with, fighting, and conquering one another. Creation and Chaos attempts to address some of these issues. The contributions are organized into five sections that address various aspects of the issues raised by Gunekl’s theories.
Full-Color, New Edition with Foreword by Dr. Danny Faulkner
Dorothy Sayers, author of the Peter Wimsey mystery novels, shows why every Christian needs a creed to live by. Sayers writes about the Faith with wit, charm, and humor.
Random Designer proclaims a new vision of God s creation. Written using simplified language and illustrations for working professionals, pastors, teachers, students and general audiences, Random Designer establishes a whole new creation paradigm. It describes how the forces of randomness and chaos, which play central roles in our physical existence, are actually creative. The Creator simply taps these apparently random physical processes to accomplish his higher goal the creation of human beings capable of consciously perceiving and acknowledging him. With this new awareness, we, as his ultimate creation, are free to explore the limits of our physical and spiritual potential. For the first time, we can freely consider what it means to be made in the Creator s image, to sense and acknowledge His presence and to experience a close meaningful relationship with Him. If you have ever been told that to be a Christian you must choose between science OR faith; evolution OR creation; Biology OR the Bible, the message of Random Designer is that this is simply untrue: God is in them all. Thus Random Designer invites believers and non-believers to reconsider the question of God. Random Designer takes a more positive and constructive approach. Introducing a concept called random design, Random Designer explains many basic principles of life, then uses these insights to reveal how science and biology - including evolution are fully compatible with belief in God. The essence of Random Design is elegantly simple: No Limits! From the formation of the heavens to the development and nurture of life itself, all possibilities are automatically assembled and tested. Thus, in the most unexpected and extraordinary ways, random design endows all creation with boundless life-giving potential. The ultimate result is nothing less than spectacular - Us! For ages, Christians have huddled in fear behind scientifically indefensible concepts of creation, like 6-day creationism and now intelligent design, quaking in the thought that science might somehow have the power to disprove God s existence. Random Designer helps show that this is not true. Science has no such power! On the other hand, God is not limited to literal interpretations of scripture, nor will He remain confined to rigid, man-made religious doctrines. His creation and revelation are ongoing. People must never be required to deny the realities of God s living world in order to be accepted into the community of Christian faith. The truth is that the science-religion conflict is but a man-made myth: There is no conflict in the mind of God. Faith and intellect really can go hand in hand: They need never be at war. If the ultimate goals of Christian apologetics are to seek out truth and to credibly keep God in the equation of life, Random Designer accomplishes this goal. By building credible bridges between science and faith, it establishes a safe harbor a place where one can freely explore and embrace the wonders of God s creation revealed by science while at the same time holding fast to faith and belief in God. Reflecting the highest intelligence, Random Designer creates a scientifically accurate conceptual framework where science is free, but just as importantly, God s place is permanently secure! Random design seems like a paradox a contradiction of terms. But random does not mean unimportant or without design. A message of hope, purpose, and peace resonates from the apparent randomness! In fact, it has always been this way. In the midst of the most profound mysteries and apparent paradoxes, there one encounters the miraculous. Random Designer is a relationship quest - the story of an eternal Creator who harnesses the apparent random forces of nature for an exquisite and divine purpose to draw mankind to Himself. Join the journey to discover the true Random Designer - God. The adventure begins with a single step of faith!"
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn's article on evolution and creation in The New York Times launched an international controversy. Critics charged him with biblical literalism and 'creationism'. In this book, Cardinal Schönborn responds to his critics by tackling the hard questions with a carefully reasoned "theology of creation". Can we still speak intelligently of the world as 'creation' and affirm the existence of the Creator, or is God a 'delusion'? How should an informed believer read Genesis? If God exists, why is there so much injustice and suffering? Are human beings a part of nature or elevated above it? What is man's destiny? Is everything a matter of chance or can we discern purpose in human existence? In his treatment of evolution, Cardinal Schönborn distinguishes the biological theory from 'evolutionism', the ideology that tries to reduce all of reality to mindless, meaningless processes. He argues that science and a rationally grounded faith are not at odds and that what many people represent as 'science' is really a set of philosophical positions that will not withstand critical scrutiny. Chance or Purpose? directly raises the philosophical and theological issues many scientists today overlook or ignore. The result is a vigorous, frank dialogue that acknowledges the respective insights of the philosopher, the theologian and the scientist, but which calls on them to listen and to learn from each another.
Many today find the Old Testament a closed book. The cultural issues seem insurmountable and we are easily baffled by that which seems obscure. Furthermore, without knowledge of the ancient culture we can easily impose our own culture on the text, potentially distorting it. This series invites you to enter the Old Testament with a company of guides, experts that will give new insights into these cherished writings. Features include • Over 2000 photographs, drawings, maps, diagrams and charts provide a visual feast that breathes fresh life into the text. • Passage-by-passage commentary presents archaeological findings, historical explanations, geographic insights, notes on manners and customs, and more. • Analysis into the literature of the ancient Near East will open your eyes to new depths of understanding both familiar and unfamiliar passages. • Written by an international team of 30 specialists, all top scholars in background studies.