I want to list a few of my favorite books on Genesis. I will say probably the best Christian scholar who is writing the most on this topic is John Walton. He has done more than possibly any one else in helping readers understand the ancient cultural context and temple motif in the book of Genesis.
Two other scholars that have written very academic and helpful commentaries are Gordon Wenham and Bruce Waltke. For those who simply desire the scholarly consensus and academic approach to Genesis, these works will suffice. But if people are wanting to look at some of the more hidden and spiritual connections of the book of Genesis, here are some of the works that have given me deeper spiritual insights into the first book of the Bible.
This list will go from the best in descending order:
1. Beginnings: Ancient Christian Readings of the Biblical Creation Narratives. Peter Bouteneff (Baker, 2008). This is my favorite work which gives what the earliest Christian interpreters understood the book of Genesis to be speaking to us today from their Christ centered approach. There more spiritual and cosmic vision of Christ is so richer and deeper than the modern literalistic scientific approach most scholars take today.
2. From Eden to the New Jerusalem. T. Desmond Alexander (Kregal, 208). This gives the best overview of the book of Genesis from a canonical standpoint of the whole Bible. One can especially see biblical parallels and connections of Genesis to the book of Revelation. Highly recommended for seeing the big picture of Scripture.
3. Genesis. Derek Kidner (IVP, 1967). This is a classic older work on the book of Genesis. One of the things Kidner does that is so helpful is to look at the book of Genesis through a different lens and way of seeing things. He breaks the black and white lens of literalism for a multi-colored lens that understands key events and signs in the book of Genesis from a different angle and perspective. An eye-opening read.
4. The Genesis of Perfection. Gary A. Anderson (Westminster John Knox Press, 2001). Anderson takes the reader through Jewish and Christian approaches to the first book of the Bible showing the evolution in early historical thought of Genesis and how the concept of perfection played a key role in understanding the Adam and Eve story.
5. In the Beginning We Misunderstood. John Miller and John Soden (Kregal, 2012). This is a helpful little book challenging many misconceptions and popular misreadings of the book of Genesis.
For people who like to learn in charts, this is a helpful work.
Lastly, I am currently reading Peter Hiett's three volume series on the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. This is probably the best practical and pastoral approach to the book of Genesis I have read so far.
What is your favorite book in helping you understand probably one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible?
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