Includes bibliographical references and indexes

Introduction
What is happening in literary communication?
Types of language and biblical interpretation
Good-faith communication: what does it mean to speak truly?
What do we have in Genesis 1-11? part 1: context
What do we have in Genesis 1-11? part 2: function
Genesis 1-11: a rhetorical-theological reading
What other readers have seen in Genesis 1-11
Genesis 1-11: world picture and worldview
The place for conflict: divine action in Genesis 1-11
Genesis 1-11: a humane moral vision for Israel and the world

What does it mean to be a good reader of Genesis 1-11? What does it mean to take these ancient stories seriously and how does that relate to taking them literally? Can we even take any of this material seriously? Reading Genesis Well answers these questions and more, promoting a responsible conversation about how science and biblical faith relate by developing a rigorous approach to interpreting the Bible, especially those texts that come into play in science and faith discussions. This unique approach connects the ancient writings of Genesis 1-11 with modern science in an honest and informed way. Old Testament scholar C. John Collins appropriates literary and linguistic insights from C.S. Lewis and builds on them using ideas from modern linguistics, such as lexical semantics, discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics. This study helps readers to evaluate to what extent it is proper to say that the Bible writers held a "primitive" picture of the world, and what function their portrayal of the world and its contents had in shaping the community. --