Adam as Israel

Postell contends that the opening chapters of the Bible, when interpreted as a strategic literary introduction to the Torah and to the Tanakh, intentionally foreshadows Israel's failure to keep the Sinai Covenant and their consequent exile from the Promised Land, in order to point the reader to a future work of God. Postell highlights numerous intentional links between the story of Adam and the story of Israel and, in the process, explains numerous otherwise perplexing features of the Eden story. Postell employs a wealth of theologies to support his argument including those of Nicholas of Lyra, John Calvin, Wellhausen, Johannes Coccejus and Matthew Poole; successfully breathing new life into the wealth of exegeses.

"...I would recommend this book for biblical scholars and advanced students interested to explore new avenues for theological interpretation of Genesis..." Igal German, Theological book review, Vol. 24, No 2, 2012 '...Postell's Adam as Israel, filled with rich exegetical insights and engendering many suggestive "rabbit trails" to pursue, is a solid contribution to biblical theology, joining a growing body of scholarship that, through holistic readings, marks a critically minded return to an earlier understanding of the Hebrew and Christian canons. Readers will be impressed afresh concerning the profound significance of the Eden narratives, along with the highly complex literary artistry at play within the Tanak...' L. Michael Morales, Review of Biblical Literature, October 2012. 'Seth Postell puts forward a convincing argument to take seriously the cohesion of the final, canonical form of the Torah and Tanakh, as well as the introductory role that Genesis 1-3 plays within that final form. [...] The writing is very accessible, and would be of use to laypersons as well as academics and students of biblical studies.' Matthew James Hamilton, Reviews in Religion & Theology, Volume 20, Issue 2, March 2013. '...Postell has provided an excellent work that is readable, interesting, and has a handful of fascinating insights that will provide scholars, pastors, and lay-readers alike good material for years to come...' James A. E. Mulroney, The Expository Times, Vol. 124, Number 9, June 2013 '...if the best books are those that spark fresh ways of thinking or reveal yet more vistas for exploration, then Postell's work had definitely hit the mark. His book is full of suggestive intertextual connections in the Hebrew Bible and readers will find a banquet of biblical-theological delicacies.' Samuel Emadi in Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament, vol 2.1, June 2013 '[...] a very compelling and rich interpretation of the opening chapters of Genesis is that will likely prove significant for others who do choose to address the Biblical accounts compatibility with the current scientific research. [...] I find Postell's conclusion on Genesis 1-3's relationship to the Torah incredibly hard to deny. His case was both persuasive and significant. [...] Seth Postell has written an excellent book that deserves a wide reading. I can't recommend it more highly.' Johnny Walker, Freedom in Orthodoxy.blogspot.co.uk "Seth Postell argues that the story of the Bible's first man is an intentional introduction to the Torah and Tanakh, which foreshadows the history of Israel and its rebellion against God, leading to the exile. 'Adam as Israel' looks at Genesis 1-3 in detail, and proposes that there is also an eschatological slant in these chapters." Church Times 30 May 2014

Seth D. Postell, formerly Assistant Professor of Old Testament at the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies (in partnership with Talbot School of Theology), is currently Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Israel College of the Bible in Netanya, Israel.