New insights into the stories of Genesis,
An ‘empathetic, intellectual’ journey of understanding
“When I think of all the harm (the Bible) has done” said Oscar Wilde, “I despair of ever writing anything to equal it.” The great Irish dramatist and wit had a point of course, and he was by no means a foe of organized religion. In fact, he embraced Roman Catholicism at the end of his life, and was always moved by the beauty of the Gospels. But the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures, with all of that war, ethnic cleansing, slaughter and sin? Not always easy to see the joy and grace.
But it is, of course, not quite as simple and linear as all that, and after three years of seminary I can assure you that anybody who tries to understand the biblical text merely from a surface reading is doing neither it nor themselves any justice. It’s one of the reasons Christian conservatives — Catholic as well as evangelical — so often use the scriptures as a weapon in their homophobia and intolerance. Misunderstood and exploited, the Bible can be a problem.
So, after centuries of interpretation and mansions full of books, what can a small work by veteran writer Rick Salutin and his son Gideon offer to us? Actually, and perhaps surprisingly, quite a lot. In this delightful and poignant account of the first part of the Bible, seen through the prism of a father-and-son relationship and conversation, we receive new insights into a selection of some of the juicier elements of what has shaped the western world, whether we like to admit it or not. The Creation, Cain and Abel, the Flood, Abraham, Babel, Sodom — most of Genesis in fact.
The Bible is, as Rick Salutin points out very early, not a single work but a library — it’s what the word means. It’s a collection of writings over centuries, by different people, and includes history, metaphor, poetry, and much else. My own view is that while all of the text is inspired and vital, it’s not divine dictation and, though always important, should not be used as some contemporary guidebook to daily living. It provides answers to many questions but has to be combined with reason, thought, and experience.
This small but feisty volume is inspired by classical Jewish explorations of and commentaries on the Bible, something Salutin senior knows so well from his years in seminary. Ask, inquire, push, provoke, always seek for the greater truth in what is written. That’s what God wants, not some bovine acceptance without dissent. There are also splendid illustrations by Dusan Petricic, and as son Gideon grows and matures, and the questions and answers between dad and son progress, those pictures ride in parallel with the narrative in an utterly disarming and charming partnership.
Peppered throughout the book are a number of compelling comments from both of the authors. “Again is the password of the oral tradition,” “Are bad guys nice to each other,” “The arc of history is long but it bends towards justice,” “Families are like transmission belts for pain,” “You have to have faith, exactly because it isn’t realistic,” and so on.
The book concludes with a leap forward to young Gideon asking, “Now tell me about my name again.” Dad, in a few lines that resonate with me as a father quite invincibly, replies: “It was the hardest thing I ever wrote … You were going to have it for life — and we hadn’t even met. That’s chutzpah.” He then explains to his son about the Biblical Gideon — Gideon the skeptic, Gideon the fighter, Gideon the democrat. Lovely stuff.
This is not textual analysis or in-depth commentary and never claims to be. I or anybody else who has studied the subject could give you a list of such volumes but we’re simply not that cruel. This is something rather different and rather special. An intelligent, empathetic and often moving journey of understanding between two fine minds and two good people, who love each other. And Love, if we understand scripture at all, is what it’s all about. I may be teaching some classes next year, so anybody considering enrolment should pay attention; this book may well be on the reading list.