Review by Isaac Obeng Ebu -- Who Told You That You Were ...
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Isaac Obeng Ebu
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- Latest Review: "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs
Review by Isaac Obeng Ebu -- Who Told You That You Were ...
[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Who Told You That You Were Naked? Is a re-evaluation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by Pastor William E. Combs. Combs’ primary argument is that humanity has long construed not only “The Fall” incorrectly, but also a large portion of the biblical message. To correct this, he contends that Christians must be willing to cast away the illusion that ‘sin’ is a list of infractions and embrace what it truly is: inherited knowledge, passed down from Adam and Eve, which allows us to recognise and analyse good and evil.
Like many Christians, the author, Combs who is a retired Presbyterian minister came to understand sin, salvation, and faith through the New Testament. With this book, he focuses on these concepts as introduced in the Old Testament and the Garden of Eden episode so as to “delve into the events through which sin and death entered the world.” Combs begins by considering the joys of Eden, the circumstances that forced Adam and Eve out of it, and the results of leaving Eden, including the murder of Abel by Cain. He explores the nature of faith, the difference between faith and works, challenges to faith, and what it truly means to follow Christ.
However, lacking perfect wisdom, that all-encompassing understanding that God possesses, we fail repeatedly to interpret this knowledge. Knowing without wholly comprehending has led to a skewed perception, which we can never hope to dispose of on our own. Only through faith, trusting that God comprehends this dichotomy of good and evil in a way that we may never fully grasp, can we hope to obtain fulfilment and righteousness.
The early chapters give the impression that the book just another study devotional, but further reading reveals it to be much more. The book is a personal testimony, doctoral thesis, theological analysis, and, yes, devotional all in one. Furthermore, the book scrutinises what happened in the Garden of Eden to better clarify the concepts of sin and redemption. He also considers the true nature of sin, which he argues should be seen as relational, not as something that lies in wait to trip us up; for example, it wasn’t lurking Satan but Cain’s “perception of his relationship with his brother” that drove him to murder. Adam and Eve’s shame for their nakedness didn’t derive from disobedience, a common interpretation. What the apple truly disclosed, according to the author, was an inner conviction of not measuring up, especially to God. Combs cautions readers to remember difficulties of translation but doesn’t otherwise historicize Eden or interpret it metaphorically as some writers have done (for example, by seeing it as a story of the agricultural revolution, which introduced social inequality).
The first noticeable aspect is the writing. The author is clearly a veteran wordsmith, who has meticulously edited and revised his book. The writing is rich and evocative, implications are clear, and even the syntax is pleasing. In addition, the author often digs into the original Hebrew and Greek of the source texts, which offers a purer, more accurate picture while providing substantial weight to his claims.
Only two issues deserve attention as potential problems, one rather minor and the other a clear defect that the author should definitely address. The first is the author’s tendency to speculate. He makes some assumptions about the biblical text that are pure supposition. Some of his theories are intriguing, but they still have little in the way of evidence to recommend them beyond conjecture. The major issue is the author’s disregard for an important line of his analysis.
This implies, if not summarily states, that Adam was with Eve during her temptation by the serpent. The author ignores/overlooks this moment, which should play a huge part in his analysis. He not only fails to address this crucial information, he constructs an alternate version in which Adam is elsewhere threshing wheat. It’s an omission that weakens the strength of many important points in his thesis.
What I like most about this book is that it is an excellent book that hits the nail on the head. Because, ultimately, the author is correct: faith is not just the key tenant of Christianity, it’s the sole factor. It’s all that truly matters. With faith, all else falls into place. Without it, all the charity, all the goodness, all the knowledge, all the church attendance in the world does not suffice. Overall, Who Told You That You Were Naked? is a worthy read full of life mixed with comprehensive research. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I can recommend this book to anyone, especially to Christians who are in search for deep biblical study, as well as a much-needed message for believers struggling with prevalent religious legalism. would like to have a deeper understanding of the word of God.
This is my first book that I have reviewed on this forum and I must admit, I could not have chosen a better book to be my first book for a review.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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Who Told You That You Were Naked? Is a re-evaluation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by Pastor William E. Combs. Combs’ primary argument is that humanity has long construed not only “The Fall” incorrectly, but also a large portion of the biblical message. To correct this, he contends that Christians must be willing to cast away the illusion that ‘sin’ is a list of infractions and embrace what it truly is: inherited knowledge, passed down from Adam and Eve, which allows us to recognise and analyse good and evil.
Like many Christians, the author, Combs who is a retired Presbyterian minister came to understand sin, salvation, and faith through the New Testament. With this book, he focuses on these concepts as introduced in the Old Testament and the Garden of Eden episode so as to “delve into the events through which sin and death entered the world.” Combs begins by considering the joys of Eden, the circumstances that forced Adam and Eve out of it, and the results of leaving Eden, including the murder of Abel by Cain. He explores the nature of faith, the difference between faith and works, challenges to faith, and what it truly means to follow Christ.
However, lacking perfect wisdom, that all-encompassing understanding that God possesses, we fail repeatedly to interpret this knowledge. Knowing without wholly comprehending has led to a skewed perception, which we can never hope to dispose of on our own. Only through faith, trusting that God comprehends this dichotomy of good and evil in a way that we may never fully grasp, can we hope to obtain fulfilment and righteousness.
The early chapters give the impression that the book just another study devotional, but further reading reveals it to be much more. The book is a personal testimony, doctoral thesis, theological analysis, and, yes, devotional all in one. Furthermore, the book scrutinises what happened in the Garden of Eden to better clarify the concepts of sin and redemption. He also considers the true nature of sin, which he argues should be seen as relational, not as something that lies in wait to trip us up; for example, it wasn’t lurking Satan but Cain’s “perception of his relationship with his brother” that drove him to murder. Adam and Eve’s shame for their nakedness didn’t derive from disobedience, a common interpretation. What the apple truly disclosed, according to the author, was an inner conviction of not measuring up, especially to God. Combs cautions readers to remember difficulties of translation but doesn’t otherwise historicize Eden or interpret it metaphorically as some writers have done (for example, by seeing it as a story of the agricultural revolution, which introduced social inequality).
The first noticeable aspect is the writing. The author is clearly a veteran wordsmith, who has meticulously edited and revised his book. The writing is rich and evocative, implications are clear, and even the syntax is pleasing. In addition, the author often digs into the original Hebrew and Greek of the source texts, which offers a purer, more accurate picture while providing substantial weight to his claims.
Only two issues deserve attention as potential problems, one rather minor and the other a clear defect that the author should definitely address. The first is the author’s tendency to speculate. He makes some assumptions about the biblical text that are pure supposition. Some of his theories are intriguing, but they still have little in the way of evidence to recommend them beyond conjecture. The major issue is the author’s disregard for an important line of his analysis.
This implies, if not summarily states, that Adam was with Eve during her temptation by the serpent. The author ignores/overlooks this moment, which should play a huge part in his analysis. He not only fails to address this crucial information, he constructs an alternate version in which Adam is elsewhere threshing wheat. It’s an omission that weakens the strength of many important points in his thesis.
What I like most about this book is that it is an excellent book that hits the nail on the head. Because, ultimately, the author is correct: faith is not just the key tenant of Christianity, it’s the sole factor. It’s all that truly matters. With faith, all else falls into place. Without it, all the charity, all the goodness, all the knowledge, all the church attendance in the world does not suffice. Overall, Who Told You That You Were Naked? is a worthy read full of life mixed with comprehensive research. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I can recommend this book to anyone, especially to Christians who are in search for deep biblical study, as well as a much-needed message for believers struggling with prevalent religious legalism. would like to have a deeper understanding of the word of God.
This is my first book that I have reviewed on this forum and I must admit, I could not have chosen a better book to be my first book for a review.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs
