The good book of human nature : an evolutionary reading of the Bible / Carel van Schaik and Kai Michel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schaik, Carel van, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Bible--Psychology.

Psychology.

Bible--Philosophy.

Philosophy.

Bible and anthropology.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

vi, 472 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, a member of Perseus Books Group, [2016]

Summary:

"In The Good Book of Human Nature, evolutionary anthropologist Carel van Schaik and historian Kai Michel advance a new view of Homo sapiens' cultural evolution. The Bible, they argue, was written to make sense of the single greatest change in history: the transition from egalitarian hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies. Religion arose as a strategy to cope with the unprecedented levels of epidemic disease, violence, inequality, and injustice that confronted us when we abandoned the bush--and which still confront us today,"--Amazon.com.

Contents:

Part I: Genesis: When Life Became Difficult

1 Adam and Eve: The Real Fall of Man

2 Cain and Abel: The Birth of Violence

3 Sons of Man, Sons of God: Dubious Relatives

4 The Flood: God's Wrath

5 The Tower of Babel: Death Traps

6 Patriarchs and Matriaarchs: Family Feud

Part II: Moses And The Exodus: Becoming The One And Only

7 Moses: God's Will Becomes Law

8 Yaweh: The God with Two Lives

9 The Murmuring People: Our Clamoring First Nature

10 The Torah's Legacy: the Lesson of Exodus

Part III: Kings And Prophets: Morality Made Divine

11 Judges and Kings: God Gives You Strength

12 The Prophets: God's Word from the Mouths of Men

13 How Can a Good God Be So Bad? On Heavenly Morality

Part IV: Psalms And Co.: The Other God Of The Bible

14 The Psalms: My God

15 Job: How God Got Himself into a Devil of a Mess

16 Daniel: The Discovery of the Afterlife

Part V: The New Testament: Salvation

17 Jesus of Nazareth: God Becomes Human

18 When Jesus Stayed in Heaven: The Birth of Christianity

19 The Book of Nature: God's Second Bible.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780465074709

0465074707

OCLC:

920018268