Author Title ISBN All Fields Bible & The Arts Biblical Commentaries Biblical Languages Hebrew Bible / Old Testament History of the Biblical Period Journals Literature of the Bible New Testament SIIBS The Trauma Bible Theology of the Bible Bible Bibliographies Bible in the Modern World Biblical Reception Classic Reprints Critical Commentaries Dictionary of Classical Hebrew Dictionary of Classical Hebrew Revised Earth Bible Commentary Hebrew Bible Monographs Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism New Testament Monographs Pericope Readings: A New Biblical Commentary Recent Research in Biblical Studies Text of the Hebrew Bible The Social World of Biblical Antiquity, First Series The Social World of Biblical Antiquity, Second Series Click here for titles coming soon... Click here to view the latest titles Click here to view the complete catalogue Search Books & Journals About Us For Authors For Customers Contact Us Facebook xi + 140 pp. £25 / $40 / €30 Scholar's Price £50 / $80 / €60 List Price Hardback The Birth, the Curse and the Greening of Earth An Ecological Reading of Genesis 1–11 Norman Habel Few people realize that the first character in the Bible (after the headline sentence of Genesis 1.1) is Earth. What if we read the creation story and the primal myths of Genesis from the perspective of that key character, rather than from the anthropocentric perspective in which our culture has nurtured us? This is the project of Norman Habel’s commentary, resisting the long history in Western culture of devaluing, exploiting, oppressing and endangering the Earth. Earth in Genesis first appears wrapped in the primal waters, like an embryo waiting to be born. On the third day of creation it is actually born and comes into existence with its green vegetation as a habitat for life of all kinds. It is hardly a moment before Earth is damaged by human sin and suffers a divine curse, and then must cry out for justice for the blood of Abel it has been compelled to drink. It is an even greater curse when Earth, together with almost all life on Earth, comes near to total annihilation at the Flood. Has Earth brought this fate upon itself, or is it the innocent victim of human wrongdoing? Genesis has God regretting the threat to Earth and its children that the Flood has brought, and vowing to green Earth again, remove the curse, restore the seasons and make a personal covenant of assurance with Earth and its creatures. The ecological approach of this commentary was first developed in the five-volume multi-authored series, The Earth Bible (2000–2002). In The Earth Bible Commentary, of which this is the first volume, a group of scholars dedicated to the re-valuing of Earth pursue these themes in their commentaries on the books of the Bible. Other volumes in preparation are: Deuteronomy, Ruth, Job, Psalms Book 2, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah 1–39, Joel, Matthew, Luke, Colossians, Revelation. Norman Habel is Professorial Fellow, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia. Series: Earth Bible Commentary, 1 978-1-907534-19-5 hardback Publication November 2011 Contents 1 Introducing The Earth Bible Commentary Series 2 Introducing Genesis 1–11 3 Genesis 1.1–2.4a: The Origin Myth of erets and shemayim 4 Genesis 24b–3.24: The Origin Myth of adamah and adam 5 Genesis 4.1–26: The Myth of adamah, Cain, and Abel 6 Genesis 5.1–6.4: The First Inhabitants of adamah 7 Genesis 6.5–13: Rationales for Destroying adamah and erets 8 Genesis 6.14–8.19: The Catastrophe Myths of adamah and erets 9 Genesis 8.19–9.29: Post-Flood Changes in adamah and erets 10 Genesis 10–11: Erets after the Flood