Does your knowledge of the Old Testament feel like a grab bag of people, books, events and ideas? How many times have you resolved to really understand the OT? To finally make sense of it? Perhaps you are suffering from what Sandra Richter calls the "dysfunctional closet syndrome." If so, she has a solution. Like a home-organizing expert, she comes in and helps you straighten up your cluttered closet. Gives you hangers for facts. A timeline to put them on. And handy containers for the clutter on the floor. Plus she fills out your wardrobe of knowledge with exciting new facts and new perspectives. The whole thing is put in usable order--a history of God's redeeming grace. A story that runs from the Eden of the Garden to the garden of the New Jerusalem. Whether you are a frustrated do-it-yourselfer or a beginning student enrolled in a course, this book will organize your understanding of the Old Testament and renew your enthusiasm for studying the Bible as a whole.
"Here is a text that will instruct its readers, no matter what level of expertise they bring to it. The author converses with her contemporary lay reader in a winsome manner, knowing well the cultural chasm that exists for many Western readers of the OT. At the same time, her years as both graducate student and professor are evident in her selection and presentation of key themes that introduce the OT. Both the text and the endnotes are goldmines of historical and theological observations and resources."
Elaine A. Phillips, Bulletin for Biblical Research, 19.3, 2009
"Second only to my visiting Israel is The Epic of Eden in bringing the words of the Bible to life for me, at least as regards our watered-down understanding of the immensely important Biblical and historical concepts of covenant and redemption. . . . For anyone who needs to clean their Old Testament closet, The Epic of Eden is a wonderful organizational tool."
Peter M. Lopez, Beauty of the Bible (beautyofthebible.com), January 10, 2009
"The Old Testament tells of God's creation and the redemption of his people. Granted, it is a story that climaxes in the New Testament, but the New Testament cannot be understood apart from the Old. Christians have neglected the study of the Old Testament because (if we are honest) we find it confusing and distant from Jesus Christ, the center of our faith. Sandra Richter's The Epic of Eden helps the reader discover the riches and passion of the Old Testament story. This book will not only expand your knowledge, it will deepen your spiritual life."
Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
