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Published by Free Press
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In this vivid new interpretation of Genesis, former Episcopal priest
John R. Coats looks at the ancient text and its characters in a new
light, as stories about people whose day-to-day concerns, triumphs, and
failures are not unlike our own. In fact, understanding the people and
stories of Genesis can help you understand your own life, family, and
colleagues. In the relationships of Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau,
Rachel and Leah, and Joseph and his brothers, for instance, you can see
an all too familiar escalation of the toxic sibling or even workplace
rivalries that tear at the fabric of contemporary life. And in
Abraham's ponderous response to the command to "Go forth," and Noah's
unquestioning commitment to build the ark, you can revisit the question
of your own life's path -- your calling. In Original Sinners, these characters take on stunning
contemporary relevance as they find themselves confronted with
extraordinary situations and circumstances that they'd neither asked
for nor had anything to say about. Using stories from his life as well
as the lives of people he's known, Coats creates a model that can be
used to examine your own life and discover aspects of yourself in the
characters whose lives unfold in these primordial stories. Weaving together biblical scholarship from many traditions with his
own reflections on modern life experiences, Coats explores the
character strengths and weaknesses of the men and women in Genesis (and
of his own character), revealed through their handling of ordinary
matters of life and death as well as in their encounters with the
divine. Was Jacob a heartless grifter or simply clever? Was Eve the original
sinner or an innocent? Was Joseph a self-absorbed brat or a
forward-thinking leader? In Original Sinners, Coats pulls back
the wrappings that have hidden the humanity of biblical figures and
reveals the vibrant drama of these foundational narratives. "Different
clothing, yes, and language, and customs, yet at the human
level," he writes, "they were just as greedy and generous as we are, as
gullible and crafty, as moronic and brilliant, as cowardly and brave.
They are us, their stories, our stories, mirrors in which to see our
best and worst selves." pub date: 2009-11-17 | Hardcover | 9781439102090 |
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