The problem lies in trying to force ancient authors into contemporary boxes, as Andrew J. Brown shows in this thought-provoking volume. Covering Philo, Basil, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, and more, Brown carefully interprets great thinkers' readings of Genesis 1 in their intellectual contexts. He then assesses how these authors have been subject to cherry-picking and misappropriation in the trenches of the modern creation debate.

By studying the intellectual history of the church in this way--to revisit rather than recruit the ancients--we can enrich our own biblical interpretation. Irenic and magisterial, Brown's guide will interest both scholars of historical theology and anyone invested in the creation debate.