The Trial of Innocence: Adam, Eve, and the Yahwist

The Adam and Eve narrative in Genesis 2?3 has gripped not only biblical scholars, but also theologians, artists, philosophers, and almost everyone else. In this engaging study, a master of biblical interpretation provides a close reading of the Yahwist story. As in his other works, LaCocque makes wise use of the Pseudepigrapha and rabbinic interpretations, as well as the full range of modern interpretations. Every reader will be engaged by his insights.

"This book by LaCocque is an important contribution to the numberous studies on the story of paradise. . . . The reading of this book is enriching. The range of material on which L. draws is remarkable. . . . LaCocque's book is original in approach and rich in insights. I highly recommend it to scholars and students alike."
--Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"André LaCocque brings a distinctive style of imagination, interpretation, and articulation to his growing corpus of valuable exposition. Here he probes the thickest text of biblical faith. He goes 'back' to common cultural myths, but then shows how Israel has claimed generic myths for its own peculiar lived experience. And then he goes 'forward' to show how the voiced experience of Israel is paradigmatic for all human reality. Along the way he connects with the demanding interpretive tradition that includes Kierkegaard, Ernest Becker, and Ernst Bloch plus the richness of rabbinic work. The outcome is a compelling invitation to think again, afresh, about texts that have too long been settled in conventional, reductionist ways. LaCocque models the courage needed for reading and demanded by the texts."
--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary

André LaCocque is Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Chicago Theological Seminary. He is the author of 'The Feminine Unconventional' and 'Romance, She Wrote,' and the coauthor (with Paul Ricoeur) of 'Thinking Biblically: Exegetical and Hermeneutical Studies.'