The Serpent's Skin: Creation, Knowledge, and Intimacy in the Book

In this new treatment of Genesis, ancient approaches to the text are adapted for a contemporary sensibility in order to arrive at readings that are both surprising and satisfying. The book extends some of the techniques long used by authors writing in the exegetical genre of Midrash, demonstrating how Genesis might have been read and understood by its earliest readers or listeners, thus illuminating the text for modern readers in unexpected ways. This examination also pays close attention to the various kinds of imagery utilized in the narrative to reveal facets of the stories that are often implicit, but that are brought to the foreground by these literary devices. In looking at Genesis as an interconnected whole, this study shows how the central concerns of the book are addressed by the development of themes that surface time and again in the narratives. The readings offered in this book of well-known tales such as the Creation, the Garden of Eden, the Great Flood, and the adventures of the Patriarchs will provide modern readers with a new—and perhaps ancient—perspective on these stories.