Epic of Eden: Book Review

Moriah Shafer

OTS 5110.TCE-FA2024: OT Introduction & Interpretation I: Pentateuch & Former Prophets

24 November 2024
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Content Engagement:

Sarah Richter’s book, The Epic of Eden, proposes an argument for an historical-cultural

reading of Scripture in light of God’s redemptive plan for humanity. Ignorance of the ancient

context in which the Old Testament was written often results in confusion or discouragement

among its readers. Richter’s hope, therefore, is that this basic framework for reading Scripture

will bring it to life for those who have neglected to glean from the richness of the Old

Testament’s pages. She accomplishes this purpose by providing a clear and simple way to

understand and organize the content found in a context so far removed from the one experienced

today.

The author uses the first half of the book to develop the lens through which the Bible is to

be read and understood by its contemporary audience. By explaining a few key historical,

cultural, or geographical elements found in the time of Scripture’s writing, she opens the door for

modern-day readers to access the depth with which Old Testament readers would have

experienced these inspired words from God. Her explanation of the patriarchal reality in which

Scripture was penned sheds light on the weight of marriage, childbearing, and being connected to

a household, or “bêtʾāb”, that could protect and support a woman in that time. This alone creates

a better understanding for readers as they interact with the differences of Scripture’s patrilocal

society compared to the individualistic one found in western culture today. Not only this, but it

gives exponential purpose to the term “redemption,” which is a concept familiar, yet often

misunderstood or underappreciated, to many modern minds.

Furthermore, Richter explains the key tools for understanding the ancient practice and

importance of covenants in the Ancient Near-Eastern context. By giving her readers a detailed

look at what a covenant requires and the implications for the two parties involved, Richter
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effectively deepens her readers’ understanding of the lengths to which God has gone to bring

redemption to His lost creation. The second half of the book traces each covenant from Adam to

David, explaining the key elements of each as they reveal God’s heart for bringing humans back

into relationship with Him. This tangible breakdown provides a core component to

understanding the way God relates to His people in both the Old and New Testaments, bringing

new life and deeper meaning to the entirety of Scripture.

Theological Engagement:

This book outlines God’s method of using covenants for man’s redemption, presenting

God’s five covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David as the metanarrative

skeleton upon which the rest of the Old Testament expounds and is fleshed out. This is a helpful

lens through which to read Scripture because it provides a clear framework for understanding

where the variety of stories fit in and how each unique theme is contributing to the metanarrative

of God’s redemptive plan. By grasping the broader strokes being painted across the Old

Testament, readers can more readily recognize the main purpose or theme being traced through

individual books and passages and how those fit into the picture as a whole.

Richter presents a strong view for Abraham’s descendants exclusively referring to those

who come to Yahweh by faith. When describing the “already, not yet” theology of the Kingdom

of God, she states, “With the new covenant the people of God are no longer defined as the

biological offspring of Abraham but as anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord and endures

to the end” (p. 220). Furthermore, she argues that the promise of the land to Abraham and his

descendants goes beyond physical territory and refers not to “that hilly patch of real estate on the

eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea,” but to the New Jerusalem in God’s New Heaven and
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New Earth world (p. 233). In short, she presents national Israel to be God’s promised people only

in light of the Old Testament covenants, not under the present New Covenant time.

The author’s argument is well-reasoned and has clear biblical grounds; however, because

of the force with which she makes her argument, little room is left for those with other

theological leanings towards Israel’s eschatelogical role. Many believers who champion God’s

beautiful redemptive plan through the metanarrative of Scripture hold to some combination of

physical blessings for national Israelites and the spiritual and physical blessings promised to all

believers, Jew and Gentile alike. While Richter provided her readers with tangible insights to see

the Old Testament come alive, she would have done well to communicate that other

metanarrative hermeneutics exist as legitimate ways to glorify God in the reading and

expounding of Scripture.

Technical Engagement:

Richter employs a conversational style of writing in this book, effectively drawing

readers into the personal, relational way in which she reads Scripture. The insights she provides

on the ancient culture, customs, and landscapes of Old Testament contexts brings new life to

both confusing and overly familiar stories. Her writing style reflects the joy and depth with

which she is able to interact with Scripture because of the historical-cultural knowledge she

expounds upon in these pages. In interacting with her work, readers are drawn to the vibrancy

with which she speaks of Scripture and the intimately personal Author it reveals.

By structuring her chapters to first develop the context within which Scripture is to be

understood, Richter compels her readers to believe in the importance and value of learning how

to organize Scripture into an understandable framework. She then follows with the argument for
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structuring the Bible around the five main covenants and breaks down each one in the sequence

of covenants between God and His people. By doing so, she effectively equips readers with a

clearer understanding of God’s metanarrative plan and its unfolding in the pages of Scripture. As

readers follow Richter’s steps to “organize their closet” of Old Testament hermeneutics, they will

find God’s Word speaking more clearly of His great love for mankind and the immense

redemptive effort He has put forth to draw them back to Himself.

I, Moriah Shafer, have read 100% of this book.

Works Cited

Richter, Sandra L. 2008. The Epic of Eden : A Christian Entry into the Old Testament. Downers

Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic.