Review by nathanielbivan -- Who Told You That You Were N...

[nathanielbivan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden by William E. Combs is a work of nonfiction not likely to be ignored by anyone interested in the narratives surrounding the beginning of mankind.

I have read many Christian books, but none has focused so much on the mystery behind the sudden shame and feeling of nakedness of Adam and Eve after ‘their fall’. A perspective some hold is that, their eyes were suddenly opened after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they realized they were naked. Perhaps a little background will help.

The Bible in the book of Genesis records that God planted a garden in Eden and gave the man (Adam) he created charge over it. Adam was commanded to eat freely from any tree in the garden, except for one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And he was told he would die if he ate from it. He eventually disobeyed after his wife, Eve, ate from the tree and gave him some of the fruit.

This forms the basis of Combs’ reexamination and made me wonder if Adam and Eve indeed rebelled as is held by many, or they were just children longing to become like their father (God), after all, this was the hook the serpent dangled before Eve–that she would become like God.

Now, hold on! If you think this author is just talking about what happened in the garden of Eden, then you are in for a big surprise. He takes us to the times of Cain and Abel, their descendants, and the part I like the most, when he breaks away from history and examines the power of faith using fiction to narrate biblical accounts, I was blown away. In some areas, the book appears to be a scholarly work written by a theologian, and in others, a master storyteller. And there are several stories and testimonies in this work, that sometimes make you begin to think you are reading an anthology.

Combs is a former Presbyterian Minister and writes from a deep Christian understanding, but as far as I am concerned, this book is targeted at anyone interested in knowing why we humans are the way we are today. Could the action of the first two God created have molded us, our thoughts and decisions? Why do we lie, cheat, steal, kill, and experience the emotions of jealousy and envy? Many people do not understand why it is said, Jesus died for the sins of mankind. This author makes this easy to comprehend. He is also daring enough to go against conventional interpretations of the Bible, a good reason to absolutely read (no, study) this work. Theologians, seminary and Bible students, and preachers also are likely to find in it an indispensable read. And the clincher is, there are study questions at the end of each chapter.

For some of these reasons, and for being well-written, properly edited, obviously well- researched, and for its creative storytelling, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. However, I do not agree with a few of the author’s perspectives, for example, that Jesus is a Son of Adam. Jesus was referred to in the Bible as the second Adam, implying that He is not a descendant of Adam and so was without a sinful nature. Still, this is a great contribution to the body of work (around this theme) already out there.

******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like nathanielbivan's review? Post a comment saying so!