Title: Genesis: Finding Our Roots
Author: Ruth Beechick
Major Themes: Genesis, History Curriculum, Bible Studies, Christian Nonfiction, Ancient Times
Synopsis: This indepth study of the first 11 chapters of Genesis pulls in resources and information from many different fields, including archeology and linguistics.
Several years ago, I borrowed a friend’s copy of Genesis: Finding Our Roots. At the time I couldn’t figure out how to work a study of the book into our schedule, but I kept it in the back of my mind. A year ago, I was given the opportunity to try out a history course for a review, and one of the books used was this one! I jumped at the chance. It has taken us a long time to get through it, but I have really appreciated our study of ancient times, based on Ruth Beechick’s book.
Genesis: Finding Our Roots is divided into six units. Each of these units studies a portion of Genesis by a different author—God’s Book of Creation, the Book of Adam, and the Books of Noah, the Sons of Noah, Shem, and Terah. Beechick discusses the evidence for this division of Genesis, and why it makes sense that Moses compiled and edited earlier writings to put his history together. Each unit begins with the text from the particular book being studied, and then there are various activities to do with the text. After that, there is a topic study, in which different topics, related to the content of the book, are discussed. For example, dragons are studied along with God’s Book of Creation, as well as the words create and day, and the origin of the week. This unit also shows how the rest of the Bible ties in with the first chapter of Genesis, talks about basic world views, and describes various myths of creation. After the topic study, there are activities suggested for further study about the era covered in that unit, using other resources and writing or drawing charts to organize information.
We learned a lot from this book. One of my favorite discoveries was when we read Genesis 2 and realized that it was told as an eyewitness report (“there is gold [in the land of Havilah]; and the gold of that land is good). We also really enjoyed learning about the hidden message in the Chinese language—and did you know there is a hidden message in the names of the ten men from Adam to Noah? Oh—and Mrs. Noah’s name is included in an oral history from a tribe in China!
If you are interested in ancient history, this book is a must-read. It is a great resource for studying Genesis, and ancient times as they relate to the Biblical history. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to study this book.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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