Who Told You That You Were Naked
“Who Told You That You Were Naked?: A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden” by William E. Combs is book that approaches the question of what sin is and how it was introduced into the world by examining the wording of the passages in Genesis along with comparisons from other scripture. The author begins with a detailed account of what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Combs makes some solid arguments by examining the linguistics of how the story was written. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on how the punishments God handed out to Adam and Eve were actually for their benefit. It is certainly a new take on this passage that appears to be original. This narrative continues into the children of Adam and Eve by detailing the relationship they had with each other leading to the death of Abel, Cain’s brother.
Unfortunately, the author started to lose me in chapter five. Combs began to bring the current population into the equation here. The goal was to explain how we are impacted by the original sin. The author went on to discuss how Jesus was the answer to this problem. There was nothing scripturally or logically out of place, but I realized at this point that the analysis was pretty well done from what the title advertised. This would have seemed like a potentially logical ending, but there was still half a book to read. The next several chapters continued on this theme, sometimes with a disconnect from the garden and more like a Sunday sermon of turning toward Jesus. The most confusing chapter was about the resting of God as I didn’t see how it fit in with the theme.
The last chapters were more of a summary of the original information, wrapping it up with how redemption can be found in Jesus. I wasn’t as thrilled with the ending. However, I feel the author made some really good points and was able to save some of the previous chapters by fitting them into the puzzle.
Overall, the author had definitely done a lot of research. A big praise that I can give Combs is how the research about translations of words can differ and can change the original meaning. Many authors accept the translation they have in front of them and don’t bother to check into these things. The author also made theological sense in describing the way sin enters with us when we are born that I have never heard before, how the original sin impacted the human race, and how Jesus’ birth was impacted by original sin. I give the author a lot of praise for the logical and unique arguments. Combs also had some interesting personal stories to share in his work. While the reading in the middle is a little jarring from the topic, I do feel it offers needed information at times, though it could have done a better job sticking to the topic. That said, it is not bad information or a bad read. I did enjoy the book and the writing style of the author, so I would probably read another book.
I would rate this book a 4 out of 5. I recommend the book to anyone interested in Bible study, particularly with a love of easy-to-understand theology and an interest in digging deeper into the meanings of scripture.
