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Anthony Meredith, Beginnings: Ancient Christian Readings of the Biblical Creation Narratives. By Peter C. Bouteneff., The Journal of Theological Studies, Volume 61, Issue 1, April 2010, Pages 327–328, https://doi.org/10.1093/jts/flq019
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Extract
In the space of six chapters, including an introduction and conclusion, this learned and far-reaching book explores not only the way in which the early church treated Genesis 1 and 2 but, more centrally, what precise sense, if any, it gave to the words ‘human’ and ‘Adam’. Almost the entire emphasis of the book is on Greek writers, beginning with Philo and St Paul in chapter 2 and ending, shortly before the close of the fourth century, with the Cappadocian Fathers in chapter 5. With the exception of Tertullian, Bouteneff hardly, if at all, deals with the Latin Fathers and avoids, above all, St Augustine, despite the fact that he wrote a lengthy commentary on the literal meaning of Genesis. Like other Orthodox writers, Bouteneff is uneasy with the Western doctrine of original sin and prefers the more benign approach of Irenaeus in chapter 12 of his Demonstration. Chapter 4, dealing with the senses of Scripture, is particularly helpful, above all in its treatment of the difference between typology and allegory, though failing to mention the tendency of Origen to treat the historical meaning of even the New Testament allegorically. Bouteneff does not judge between the varied interpretations he offers but he does point out, very helpfully, the lack of coherence among the writers whose work he explores.
