The author explains that her goal in writing this book is “to deal a mortal blow to the dysfunctional closet system” (p19)! This intriguing analogy acts as an expression of how most Christians struggle with the vastness and complexity of the Old Testament. The ‘dysfunctional closet’ is something that is “crammed full of clothes slipping from their hangers, accessories dangling from the shelves, shoes piled in disarray on the floor” (p18).

Richter has discovered, from many years of teaching the Bible, that the average Christian’s knowledge of the Old Testament is much the same. Dozens of stories, characters, dates and places lie in a jumble on the biblical floor. The information is all there, but putting it in order and being able to choose ‘what to wear’ is confusing. Usually the door of the Old Testament is firmly shut, with the promise that ‘one day I’ll sort it all out’.

A Book on Two Levels

Here is a book that operates on two levels. For those that need to be shown how to organise the biblical jigsaw puzzle into a coherent picture, Richter takes you by the hand and steadily walks you through the principles and structures you need to know. But for those who already grasp the overall picture and understand most of the material, the author provides lots of extra details which make you feel you are entering into a new dimension of understanding.

Richter achieves both these goals by writing in a fluent and straightforward manner, backing up her work with pictures and diagrams which add further clarity. The layperson or newcomer will find this easy to follow, but the more advanced student will at the same time be continually fed by her depth of knowledge, though the real scholarly information is placed in the well-stocked endnotes. You will feel welcome in her class, whatever your level.

The analogy of a 'dysfunctional closet system' acts as an expression of how most Christians struggle with the vastness and complexity of the Old Testament.

Just Eden?

From the title of the book you might be led to think, as I was at first, that it is mainly about Genesis and the opening of the Old Testament. But the subtitle, ‘A Christian Entry into the Old Testament’, makes its wider scope more apparent. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of the book is spent on ‘beginnings’, including Adam, Noah and Abraham. Richter’s approach to organising the closet is to make sure we understand where these main characters fit within a timeline, together with the key principle of covenant which binds the whole story together.

The remaining three chapters cover Moses and the Tabernacle, David and the Monarchy, and the New Covenant and the Return of the King. This last part is important as it shows the author’s intent is not just to educate us on the Old Testament but to demonstrate how it leads into, and comes to a climax in, the New Testament.

In this sense, the book is all about Eden – how we lost the original one, how God is redeeming the situation, and how humanity’s destiny is to dwell in a restored Eden, called the new heaven and new earth.

Her overall approach is summed up in the opening chapter, namely, to review the Bible as the story of redemption (a term she unpacks carefully, as it is a word we may not otherwise fully understand). We are led to see that as believers in Jesus this is our story too. The author’s hope is that we “will come to know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who delivered the children of Abraham from the slavery of Egypt and has delivered you as well” (p20).

The book is all about Eden – how we lost the original one, how God is redeeming the situation, and how humanity’s destiny is to dwell in a restored Eden, called the new heaven and new earth.

FAQs

There is a section at the end of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ - just two in fact, but important ones. The first concerns the role of the Law of Moses in the Christian life. Richter’s teaching experience has revealed that people always want to know this! She tackles the question humbly, explaining that it is a huge topic and one for which an entirely satisfying answer can remain elusive. She does not attempt to be definitive but deftly steers us through the various points of discussion.

The second FAQ is equally thorny, ‘What about modern-day Israel?’ Once more she skilfully negotiates between the areas of contention and draws sensible conclusions.

The book concludes with a brief glossary and an extensive Scripture index. Overall, a commendable addition to anyone’s library of books on biblical studies and one which may well renew enthusiasm for studying the Bible as a whole.

'The Epic of Eden' (263pp, paperback) is available from Amazon. Also available on Kindle and as an audiobook.