Genesis class by Professor Song Min-won, author of "Time in Hebrew"
“This book is a precious gift for all who explore the forest of Genesis!”
Recommended by Kim Ki-seok, Kim Jin-hyeok, Min Kyung-gu, and Jeon Won-hee

This book takes a fresh look at Genesis from a 'vertical reading' to a 'horizontal reading.'
It follows the intertwined and conflicting stories between humans and between humans and creation, and delicately captures God's heart and will revealed within them.
Through this new reading, the narratives of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's flood, the Tower of Babel, and the patriarchs become not just events of the past, but mirrors that reflect ourselves today.

The act of reading is a comprehensive art.
Simply opening a book and reading it does not mean that the words will automatically enter your eyes and brain and be understood.
If the text is absorbed mechanically, each reader will understand the content in the same way.
But in reality, everyone understands it differently.
Why is that? Because reading is a "conversation."
Conversation is an act that goes through quite complex stages.
It is an intellectual, social, and relational act.
Just as the outcome changes if even one variable among the many intertwined factors changes, the same book tells a different story depending on the reader's conditions and circumstances.
--- p.10 From “Introduction”

How should we read the Bible? This question isn't simply a question of hermeneutical methodology. It also asks where we should look when confronted with God's Word, and what our attitude and perspective should be.
This book calls the mainstream method of interpreting the Bible so far “vertical reading,” and the newly proposed method of interpreting the Bible “horizontal reading.”
The terms vertical and horizontal are not strictly academic terms, nor are they concepts established in existing theological discourse.
This is a figurative language chosen to more intuitively visualize the direction of interpretation that this book seeks to show to its readers.
--- p.14 From “Introduction”

'Vertical reading' or 'vertical biblical interpretation' focuses on the relationship between God and humanity.
It is called 'vertical' because it focuses on the relationship between God in heaven and humans on earth.
An important theological topic from this perspective is whether or not people have 'kept' God's command from above.
The human desire and pride to ascend to heaven and attack God to become a god are defined as 'sin.'
Here, ‘humility’ and ‘obedience’ are the virtues required of humans.
It's a familiar topic we all know well.
This is also the mainstream way the Bible has been read for the past two thousand years.
On the other hand, 'horizontal reading' focuses more on human-to-human relationships.
It further focuses on the relationship between humans and the created world.
Rather than simply whether humans obeyed God's commands, God is interested in how we live on this earth, what kind of relationships He asks us to have with one another, and what responsibilities and roles we are given in our relationships with other creatures.
--- From p.16-17 "Introduction"

In this book, we will question the biblical text and our traditional interpretations from beginning to end.
This question will likely lead to many other questions and concerns.
There is something more important in the process than determining what is correct and what is the correct interpretation.
It's about learning how to ask good questions.
I hope that through vertical and horizontal reading, the biblical text will become more three-dimensional.
If readers gain a perspective and framework for reading and understanding the Bible through their own eyes, rather than relying on others' model answers, this book will have already fulfilled its purpose.

--- From "Introduction" on p.19-20