The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament

Written by Sandra L Richter

Review written by Bruce Billington (2022)

In an earlier Newsletter, I recommended another book by Sandra Richter titled Stewards of Eden, which gives a wonderful Christian perspective of the environment. As further reading the above book from her was recommended to me.
In order to earn my Theology degree I had to do a lot of intensive study of the Old Testament. I researched some amazing books, but most were intense, deeply theological and not the sort of books most people would, or are called to read. I had to work so hard to extract any big picture view. Yes, I got there in the end but it was hard work. If I could have got this book before doing my Uni studies, it would have helped me so much to understand the Old Testament from a big picture viewpoint, and how it influences and is a foundational part of the New Covenant.
This book is gold. It is the best single book on the Old Testament I have ever read. It is in plain English, incredibly well illustrated and just unfolds the Old Testament in a way that is inspiring, stimulating and exciting. If you want a book that just lights up the Old Testament for you or your family, here it is. It has maps, illustrations and amazing explanations in it. But most of all it is written to give us “the tale of God’s ongoing quest to ransom his creation.” No one could have done it better. Richter’s goal for the book is to teach us that the Old Testament is our story and shines an incredible light into our journey of redemption.
To me, one of the reasons why she has been able to achieve this is because she is a woman. Women read, analyse and extract Scriptures very differently than men and we have done the Body of Christ such a disservice by having male only authors (and preachers) for most theological subjects. I say this seriously – a male could not write this book and bring out what Sandra can and did.
I believe it is essential reading for all those who want to understand and lay hold of the amazing heritage we have as God’s people.
God bless you – happy reading.
You can purchase a copy of this book HERE