Primeval Saints: Studies in the Patriarchs of Genesis

James Jordan reveals the fascinating weave of lives that bind together the heroes and villains of Genesis. Progressively, these lives image and reverse one another in an ascending narrative of action, a narrative all too commonly broken apart and missed.

These heroes of the city of God—Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and others—come to flesh and blood in ways that undo our normal assumptions. In stark contrast to the selfish heroism of pagan literature, the heroism of Genesis triumphs by breaking all the standard rules. Jordan inverts so many of the traditional negative judgments against these patriarchs' alleged weaknesses and "sins" of deception, struggle, and tyranny that they stand forth as heroes rather than scoundrels.

And yet this book is not just about the heroes of Genesis. Throughout, Jordan draws a picture of how Christian culture should be imagined and lived in our own day, from creativity and work to tyranny and freedom. You will never be able to read Genesis the same way again.