In recent years the nature of the Genesis narrative has sparked much debate among Christians. The book Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither? (Zondervan, 2015), in the Counterpoints book series, introduces three predominant interpretive genres and their implications for biblical understanding. In point/counterpoint arguments, each contributor identifies and defends his position on the genre of Genesis 1-11, addressing why it is appropriate to the text, and contributes examples of its application to a variety of passages.

The contributors and views are:

• James K. Hoffmeier: Theological History. Dr. Hoffmeier (PhD, University of Toronto) is professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern archaeology at Trinity International University Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of Ancient Israel in Sinai and Israel in Egypt, and co-author of Faith, Tradition and History.
• Gordon J. Wenham: Proto-History. Dr. Wenham (PhD, University of London) is tutor in Old Testament at Trinity College, Bristol, England, and professor emeritus of Old Testament at the University of Gloucestershire. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Story as Torah and commentaries on Genesis, Leviticus, and Numbers.
• Kenton K. Sparks: Ancient Historiography. Dr. Sparks (Ph.D., University of North Carolina) is professor of biblical studies and vice president for enrollment management at Eastern University. He is the author of several books, including Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible, God’s Word in Human Words, and Sacred Word, Broken Word.

Charles Halton (PhD, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) is assistant professor in theology at Houston Baptist University. He has contributed to the The IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets and Reading Akkadian Prayers and Hymns: An Introduction. He is the co-author of The First Female Authors: An Anthology of Women’s Writing in Mesopotamia. He virtually resides at charleshalton.com and his physical residence is in Louisville, Kentucky.

In the reader-friendly Counterpoints format, this book helps you reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed conclusions in this much-debated topic.

In the following book excerpt, general editor and Old Testament scholar Dr. Halton explains the importance of genre. He provides historical insight and helpful summaries of each position:

We are thousands of years removed from the origins of the book of Genesis. We live in a world that has sent people to the moon and back, that uses magnets to map the inside of human bodies; we work and sleep in climate controlled buildings, travel in air-conditioned cars, fly in pressurized planes, and send text messages through pieces of metal and glass small enough to slip into the pockets of our pants. The world of Genesis was dusty and barely literate. The people of its time were preoccupied with satiating hunger and securing physical safety. They consulted shamans for toothaches, thought that the gods spoke through birth defects and markings on sheep livers, and they defecated into ditches. Reading Genesis is like traveling from downtown Dublin to rural Angola. The contexts of author and reader could hardly be more different.

To be sure, we don’t share the cultural context of the authors of Genesis but we do hold in common the experience of being human—joy at childbirth and mourning at death. We relish a good story just as much as they did. We have unfulfilled dreams, we take pride in accomplishment, and we experience interpersonal strife, just like they did. At the same time as there are vast differences between us, we share with the biblical writers some of life’s most fundamental elements. How much of this shared experience translates into our understanding of the literary genres that they used? How big are the gaps in our knowledge?

Is Genesis 1-11 similar to the genres of our culture? If so, what genre is it? Is it factual history, fictional fable, or somewhere in between? And how does its overall genre affect our interpretation of individual passages? After two thousand years of study, these questions remain a matter of debate. This book is intended to reflect this debate as well as to help individuals and congregations have a more informed and focused discussion on the topic. The book itself will not arrive at any particular conclusion, although each author advocates for the position that he believes is most beneficial.

The contributors—James Hoffmeier, Gordon Wenham, and Kenton Sparks—were asked to respond to four elements with their essays:

1. identify the genre of Genesis 1-11
2. explain why this is the genre of Genesis 1-11
3. explore the implications of this genre designation for biblical interpretation
4. apply their approach to the interpretation of three specific passages: the story of the Nephilim (6:1-4), Noah and the ark (6:9-9:26), and the Tower of Babel (11:1-9).

In his essay, “Genesis 1-11 as History and Theology,” James Hoffmeier argues that the Genesis narrative relates historical facts; real events that happened in space and time. Hoffmeier points to features within Genesis, such as geographical clues and literary elements, that signaled to ancient readers that these stories were to be understood as historical.

Gordon Wenham agrees with this to a point. In his essay, “Genesis 1-11 as Protohistory,” Wenham sees an undercurrent of history beneath the Genesis account but he likens it to viewing an abstract painting; the picture is there but the details are fuzzy. Wenham believes that Genesis is protohistory, a form of writing that has links to the past but interprets history for the sake of the present.

Kenton Sparks explains that the authors of Genesis wrote in typically ancient ways which did not intend to produce history as we know it. In his essay, “Genesis 1-11 as Ancient Historiography,” Sparks argues that many of the events recounted in Genesis did not happen as the narrative states. Each author was also asked to provide a brief response to the other.

While the dialog may get spirited at times, its purpose is to expose the strengths and weaknesses of each position. In the spirit of Galileo, all of the contributors agree that competent interpretation of Scripture requires sensitivity to genre. They disagree, however, over the precise nature of the genre of Genesis 1-11 and its implications.

To a large extent, competent reading involves getting to know ourselves as much as it does understanding an author. Christopher Wall observes, “Though reading is a close collaboration between a reader and text, it can only start when you notice the difference between what you see and what you want to see.” We hope that this conversation helps our readers more deeply understand themselves and the expectations—what you want to see—that they bring as they assume a certain genre for Genesis 1-11. As Calvin said, “Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God,” and so it is with Scripture. Unless we know what we want from the Bible, we cannot begin to understand its authors.

The above excerpt is from Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither? Copyright © 2015 by Charles Halton, James K. Hoffmeier, Gordon J. Wenham, Kenton L. Sparks, Zondervan. www.Zondervan.com. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Taken from pp. 19-21.