Try finding a copy of St. John Chrysostom’s commentary on Genesis. I believe the Catholic University of America Press has published a two or three volume translation of it. The translation was highly praised by Presbytera Dr. Eugenia Constantinou, a Scripture professor at the University of San Diego (?), on her show “Search the Scriptures” on Ancient Faith Radio. Also see if you can find Origen’s “Hexameron” (spelling?), as well as St. John of Damascus “Treatise on the Orthodox Faith” (I believe is the title). These titles and authors should give you a sufficient idea of how the East and Orient have gone about interpreting Genesis in the past. Patristic interpretations, of course, are not the final say and we ought to leave sufficient room for current Biblical scholarship. To this end might I recommend the commentary on Genesis from the “Berit Olam” series published by Liturgical Press. I believe Fr. Seraphim Rose also had a commentary on Genesis that is available from St. Herman of Alaska Press. For a spectacular commentary on the first three or four chapters of Genesis, particularly the creation of man and woman, see the first section of John Paul II’s “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” (a.k.a. the Theology of the Body). Dr. Scott Hahn has a number of works that might also be of help. The first chapter or so of his book “A Father Who Keeps His Promises” are a wonderful explanation of the covenantal structure of creation. The follow chapter or two deal with the other covenants in the book of Genesis, from Noah to Abraham and ending with Joseph (even though there was no covenant there). I would presume that his book “Kinship by Covenant” also deals in large part with Genesis. You might also be interested with the new commentary on Genesis edited by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch published by Ignatius Press. Finally you could see the Navarre Bible Series’ commentary on Genesis. I’m not particularly a fan of the Navarre Bible because they tend to be overly eisegetical (reading modern theological and dogmatic positions back into Scripture) for my taste. But at least it’s a nice comparison.
ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip
