The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve
Steven Greenblatt

A clever and engrossing account of the story of Adam and Eve from its origins in early Judaism (and perhaps other long gone near east traditions) through its codification in the Torah, to its centrality in the thinking of Augustine and John Milton through to the modern developments of evolution and prehistoric paleontology.

This was a fun read with scores of digressions into Babylonian mythology, early church theocratic disputes, the English civil war and more. Greenblatt does a great job of popularizing some heady material while not dumbing it down too far.  Really fascinating and fun from page one to the finish.

 

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