Genesis: The Movie

by Mr Robert Farrar Capon

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2003

Overview

The creation story stands as one of the most famous and familiar in Scripture. But, says best-selling author Robert Farrar Capon, most of us misconstrue it. The reason? We have fallen into the habit of reading Genesis the way we read all of Scripture - as a manual of religious instructions. To break this (bad) habit, Capon here offers a whimsical yet wonderfully fruitful approach - watching the Bible as a historical movie whose director is God. Though Capon does have fun with this concept, he’s very serious about its liberating effects. “When you watch a movie,” he says, “you never ask questions about whether the events depicted actually happened. Instead, you accept the history the director shows you on the screen.” And, as Capon points out, we typically suspend judgment of a film until we’ve seen all of it, letting later scenes inform and enrich earlier ones. That, he says, is exactly how we need to see Genesis - as just the beginning of the whole movie of Scripture.

Using this novel approach in Genesis, the Movie, Capon develops a commentary of theological scope and depth on the first three chapters of Genesis. He gives every verse as it appears in the Hebrew, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate, as well as in the KJV, RSV, and NRSV versions of the Bible. Making extensive use of Augustine’s commentary on Genesis in his Confessions and De Genesi ad Litteram, Capon also shows the interpretive freedom with which the church’s fathers and mothers approached Scripture. This book is as much Capon the charming writer-teacher as it is Capon the scholar, characterized as it is by the conversational, entertaining style for which Capon is so well known. Enriched by Capon’s signature wit, imaginative wisdom, and broad-ranging engagement of saints, poets, and religious thinkers across the centuries, Genesis, the Movie presents a remarkable new look at Scripture that will delight and challenge its many readers.

Key Features

• Develops a commentary of theological scope and depth on the first three chapters of Genesis.
• Gives every verse as it appears in the Hebrew, the Septuagint, the Vulgate, the KJV, RSV, and NRSV.
• Shows the interpretive freedom with which the church’s fathers and mothers approached Scripture.

Contents

• A Chat before We Begin
• The Film in God’s Mind
• ONE The Director
• TWO Flashback
• THREE The Producer and Trinity Films
• FOUR Creation in the Mind of God
• The Film Itself Genesis 1:1–2:3
• FIVE Day One: Genesis 1:1-5 The Heavens, the Earth, the Deep, and the Light
• SIX A Second Day: Genesis 1:6-8 The Firmament
• SEVEN A Third Day: Genesis 1:9-13 The Ecology of Good and Evil: Seas, Dry Land, and Vegetation
• EIGHT A Fourth Day: Genesis 1:14-19 God’s Invention of Time: Sun, Moon, and Stars
• NINE A Fifth Day: Genesis 1:20-23 The Ecology of Life and Death: Sea Creatures, Birds, and Sex
• TEN A Sixth Day: Genesis 1:24-31 The Crowning of the Ecology: Land Animals and the Human Race
• ELEVEN The Seventh Day: Genesis 2:1-3 God’s Eternal Rest
• Intermission
• TWELVE A Conversation with Some History Buffs
• Creation Flourishing on Its Own Ground Genesis 2:4-25
• THIRTEEN A View from the Bridge Genesis 2:4-6
• FOURTEEN The Making of the ’adham in Time and Space Genesis 2:7
• FIFTEEN The Garden, the Tree of Life, and the City Genesis 2:8-9
• SIXTEEN Detour
• SEVENTEEN The River, the Watering of the World, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil Genesis 2:10-17
• EIGHTEEN Scenario for a Short Subject: “Robert and the Day Visitors”
• NINETEEN The Animals, the Priesthood of Adam, and the Man and His Wife as One Flesh Genesis 2:18-25
• The Corruption of God’s Ecology of Good and Evil Genesis 3:1-24
• TWENTY The Beginning of the Misery Genesis 3:1-7
• TWENTY-ONE The Passing of the Buck and the Beginning of God’s Curses Genesis 3:8-15
• TWENTY-TWO On the Other Hand
• TWENTY-THREE The Rest of the Curses: The First Hint of the Good News Genesis 3:16-19
• TWENTY-FOUR The Expulsion: The First Proclamation of the Gospel Genesis 3:20-24

Praise for Genesis, the Movie

Fans of Capon will know what to expect from this study of the first three chapters of Genesis: loving attention to and respect for every single word in the scripture, references to writers ancient and modern, self-deprecating and warm humor, and a willingness to take the Bible on its own terms. . . Warmly recommended to academic libraries and to readers not already acquainted with this lively writer.

—Catholic Library World

You have to read this book. . . It is a vintage Capon: attractive orneriness penned by a lovable rascal. . . The Gospel always seems to bring out the best in Capon’s writing.

—Concordia Journal

Capon evokes a bit of C. S. Lewis.

—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Title: Genesis, the Movie
• Author: Mr Robert Farrar Capon
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9780802863256, 0802863256
• Resource ID: LLS:GENESISTHEMOVIE
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-02-20T17:57:28Z