Book Review: The Epic of Eden

In a world where Old Testament introductory textbooks are overly academic and boring, Sandra Richter has breathed fresh air.  The Epic of Eden is an exciting look at the Old Testament that focuses more on redemption history and biblical theology than on extra-biblical sources to provide information on the history of God’s redemption in the Old Testament.

Though not your ordinary intro to the Old Testament, this is not a book to be glossed over.  I thrououghly enjoyed Richter’s writing and her attention to scholarship was magnificent.  In her own words, the purpose of the book is:

To provide structure.  Metaphorically speaking, to pick up the clothes off the floor, get some hangers, a pole, and some hooks, and help you build a closet of your very own [to organize your understanding of the Old Testament].  You already have many (possibly most) of the facts you need; I am going to give you a place to hang them…

Most importanly, Richter presents the Old Testament from a distinctly Christian perspective.  The Old Testament is not a history or a myth written in a vaccuum.  Instead, it is the word of God written with Christ as its ultimate fulfillment.  Richter draws parallels between the Old Testament and the New Testament and closes her book with the book of Revelation.  Why?  Because Revelation takes us back to to where we began, Eden.  Alone, the Old Testament is unfulfilled and incomplete.  Only in the book of Revelation is the Epic of Eden complete. 

This is a great book for an OT intro class, but it is also a great book for any Christian who wants to be reminded of the care with which God wrote the Old Testament to find its fulfillment in Christ.  Richter and I disagree in some areas theologically, but I enjoyed this book (and who has ever been able to say that about an OT introduction) and was challenged and blessed by a deeper and richer understanding of the Old Testament.  I heartily reccommend it.