Review of Killing Abel
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Zolex Paula Avina
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Review of Killing Abel
[Following is a volunteer review of "Killing Abel" by Michael Tieman.]
The story of creation and the first humans is one of the most fundamental aspects of religious knowledge, especially for Christians. Michael Tieman's Killing Abel expands on the Bible to present an imaginative account of events in the first millennium. The book, as an adaptation of Genesis, discusses the lives of biblical characters such as Adam, Eve, Abel, Cain, Eva, and Noah, among many others. Contrary to the title, Killing Abel refers to more than just the events surrounding the first murder in the Bible. The book does not introduce any new perspective to the story, which it only presents in the same manner as the Bible.
Killing Abel begins with a narrative of how God created humans and the circumstances around the first sin, disobedience. It adds extra dialogue between the serpent and the woman about how Lucifer persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. As the book progresses, we learn how Adam and Eve handled the events in their lives, including pregnancy and parenting, after being banished from the Garden of Eden. These events were crucial because they had no precedents to follow. The book also describes how the first couple repeatedly hoped for a son. We also learn that the female sex of the first ten children was chosen on purpose by the Godhead and the angels.
Generally, the book depicts the relationship between the first humans and the Godhead, their loving father. The book attempts to justify the actions of the Godhead in punishing the children for disobeying him, despite his love. The book also explains why the Godhead was disappointed in humans. This disappointment made him choose to wipe them off the face of the earth, except for Noah and his family. Additionally, Tieman introduces certain new concepts, such as the Square of Adam, the Circle of Enoch, and the idea that God and his children influence each other. The Square and Circle are metaphors for good and evil that influenced the Godhead's decision.
One of the aspects of the book that I love very much is its alignment with actual events as narrated in the Bible. While the book is an adaptation, it does not attempt to remove any truths from the Bible, choosing instead to add perspective and fill some gaps in knowledge. It is also evident in the text that the author did his research well. He included Biblical citations to identify the sources of some conversations and narrations. The book also answers many questions in the Christian mind about some happenings in the Bible and their justifications. I believe that the author's desire to clarify the actions of the Godhead and the first humans was a major inspiration for starting the edited
However, I feel Tieman made the book unnecessarily long by emphasizing a few conversations or narratives that are not fundamental to the story. I also fear that some Christians may not find the book very enjoyable, especially if they are not flexible about the scriptures. The book, however, is a work of fiction, and the author reserves the right to include his logical imagination as long as he does not falsify the Biblical texts.
Despite the above, I remain favorably disposed towards the book and therefore rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the author's ability to weave his imagination into the Biblical narrative without altering anything in the original text. The book also provided perfectly logical answers to some questions I had about God's actions toward the early humans. To top it off, I believe the book was exceptionally edited.
Therefore, I recommend this book to every Christian, young and old, who still has gaps in knowledge about the nature of the first humans. The book will be interesting for people who try to understand how Adam and Eve coped with their novel responsibilities and the reason for God's actions towards them. Killing Abel is also a must-read for philosophers of religion.
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Killing Abel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
The story of creation and the first humans is one of the most fundamental aspects of religious knowledge, especially for Christians. Michael Tieman's Killing Abel expands on the Bible to present an imaginative account of events in the first millennium. The book, as an adaptation of Genesis, discusses the lives of biblical characters such as Adam, Eve, Abel, Cain, Eva, and Noah, among many others. Contrary to the title, Killing Abel refers to more than just the events surrounding the first murder in the Bible. The book does not introduce any new perspective to the story, which it only presents in the same manner as the Bible.
Killing Abel begins with a narrative of how God created humans and the circumstances around the first sin, disobedience. It adds extra dialogue between the serpent and the woman about how Lucifer persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. As the book progresses, we learn how Adam and Eve handled the events in their lives, including pregnancy and parenting, after being banished from the Garden of Eden. These events were crucial because they had no precedents to follow. The book also describes how the first couple repeatedly hoped for a son. We also learn that the female sex of the first ten children was chosen on purpose by the Godhead and the angels.
Generally, the book depicts the relationship between the first humans and the Godhead, their loving father. The book attempts to justify the actions of the Godhead in punishing the children for disobeying him, despite his love. The book also explains why the Godhead was disappointed in humans. This disappointment made him choose to wipe them off the face of the earth, except for Noah and his family. Additionally, Tieman introduces certain new concepts, such as the Square of Adam, the Circle of Enoch, and the idea that God and his children influence each other. The Square and Circle are metaphors for good and evil that influenced the Godhead's decision.
One of the aspects of the book that I love very much is its alignment with actual events as narrated in the Bible. While the book is an adaptation, it does not attempt to remove any truths from the Bible, choosing instead to add perspective and fill some gaps in knowledge. It is also evident in the text that the author did his research well. He included Biblical citations to identify the sources of some conversations and narrations. The book also answers many questions in the Christian mind about some happenings in the Bible and their justifications. I believe that the author's desire to clarify the actions of the Godhead and the first humans was a major inspiration for starting the edited
However, I feel Tieman made the book unnecessarily long by emphasizing a few conversations or narratives that are not fundamental to the story. I also fear that some Christians may not find the book very enjoyable, especially if they are not flexible about the scriptures. The book, however, is a work of fiction, and the author reserves the right to include his logical imagination as long as he does not falsify the Biblical texts.
Despite the above, I remain favorably disposed towards the book and therefore rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the author's ability to weave his imagination into the Biblical narrative without altering anything in the original text. The book also provided perfectly logical answers to some questions I had about God's actions toward the early humans. To top it off, I believe the book was exceptionally edited.
Therefore, I recommend this book to every Christian, young and old, who still has gaps in knowledge about the nature of the first humans. The book will be interesting for people who try to understand how Adam and Eve coped with their novel responsibilities and the reason for God's actions towards them. Killing Abel is also a must-read for philosophers of religion.
******
Killing Abel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Latest Review: The MECE Muse by Christie Lindor
