Creation and Fall Temptation: Two Biblical Studies

I purchased this in conjunction with the JPS Commentary on Genesis (which I love by the way) in order to do a Bible study on Creation. We wanted to compare an exigetical study with a theological study. The Bonhoeffer book was chosen for the theological study. My class was interested in going deeper and Bonhoeffer certainly does that! It breaks the creation story down verse by verse. For me, it may be a tad too deep. I wish I had a commentary for the study! Some of it is just a little too cerebral for me. Initially, I was quite daunted by the book. However, as I've read and reread (and reread) it has given me some new insights and it has stirred much discussion in our class so I'm glad I bought it.

This little book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a gem. Repeated reading is required, of course. Like all of Bonhoeffer's works, remarkable insights are offered on all aspects of the creation, but it is his discourse on temptation that is particularly splendid. Most Christians distinguish the spiritual from the natural, but it is here that we learn to recognize the moral as a separate aspect of behavior. Loved this volume!

The intensity of this man and his beliefs and unshakable convictions and belief in Christ and HIS CHRISTIANITY, gives this man PROFOUND insights into Scripture, a goodly number of which were not before understood by me. His writings are ALWAYS "in season" so to speak. The sincerity of his convictions and the manner in which he expounds upon them are so undeniably POWERFUL and COMPELLINGLY revealed to this reader. I am truly and completely AWED by this man and all for which he had unreserved courage and discipline to expounddespite unimaginable obstacles before hin, not least of which was his own death. I will forever re-read his works; at 80 years of age, I don't know how many times that will be but I simply cannot forego the deep inspiration and joy with which his words and example be to me.Jim G.

Couldn’t figure out why I was missing material, until I reached the end of the book and figured out there were supposed to be two more sections. Disappointing, but I won’t return it because I’ve already marked it up.

Nowadays people generally know Dietrich Bonhoeffer--if they know him at all--as the Lutheran pastor who died in a Nazi concentration camp for his role in the July 20, 1944 plot against Hitler.But Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as having been some kind of a saint during the Second World War, was a wonderful theologian, and this book contains two of his best works, studies of the biblical book of Genesis which explore what it means to be made in God's image and yet be limited--what is the difference between being "like" God, as the serpent promises, and being made in the image of God, as the Bible asserts we are?What is the role of our limits in bringing grace, and how does limitlessness, man (and woman) storming Heaven, underlie sin?This great book with its two small studies brings the reader in contact with Bonhoeffer's mind and spirit, the qualities that illuminated his studies and his practical action both.

A MUST for Christians who are interested gain better insight in the Lord's Prayer's "lead us not into temptation"

Bonhoeffer reads like Plato philosophy. Part of this is due it being translated from German, and part is because he's indeed waxing very deeply philosophical about Genesis. It's fairly amazing he can discuss such a small passage for 144 pages, and at times it feels like he's going in circles repeating himself.His ideas, though, are intriguing. He reads alot into each sentence individually, and then how it fits into the whole. He finds inconsistencies, and then explains them away. I'm not a religious person, but I feel the book gave me a better ability to understand Biblical literature at a deeper level.

Great Book!!! One of the Very Best!!!Amazon Books are Great!!!!

Some of the ideas in this book are great, and particularly helpful for those wanting to navigate a middle way between myth and truth in the creation account of the Bible. However, Bonhoeffer is not always the easiest author to read in German, and this translation makes the text possibly even harder to understand as it stays close to the German constructions. Sometimes I needed to back-translate into German to make sense of some passages. So it looses one, possibly two stars, as I would recommend looking for a better translation, perhaps with commentary.