The Fall Reconsidered

The sin narratives of Genesis 3 and 4 have been scrutinized by biblical interpreters throughout the centuries. Some exegetical traditions have separated the story of Cain-Abel from the preceding Edenic narrative, thus undermining the unity of the Primeval History. The book synthesizes the sin narratives of Adam-Eve and Cain-Abel and examines a wide range of premodern biblical interpretations attesting to their literary and theological unity. This study makes a case for reading these primordial narratives as one familial saga that conveys to the reader the origins of human defiance against God.