DOUBLE PORTION HIDDEN MANNA THE GARDEN

A brief explication of themes running through the biblical story of Genesis.

Nase’s slim nonfiction debut has an initially confusing title (which seems like three titles in one), but it quickly settles in to a steady, passionate, and scripturally literate exploration of key biblical tales and themes, beginning with the story of Adam and Chavah (the Hebrew name for Eve). The author is fascinated by the implications of Chavah’s creation—her fashioning from the body of Adam—and how it parallels certain things that Nase has come to believe about all humans: that “all people from every country, creed, color, religion, and nationality were beautifully and wonderfully made by our heavenly father.” This fascination leads the author down interpretative paths that will be familiar to readers of traditional Christian theology, as when she notes that Adam was given dominion over Chavah and cites the conservative Christian parallel: “Husbands are to love their wives, as Yeshua (Jesus) loved the church (people of all kinds, we are the congregation) and gave himself up for her.” Nase’s various speculations that contrast the flaws of Adam and the redeeming qualities of Jesus are often intriguing. However, sometimes they can get forbiddingly arcane: “Who is Adam? He is flesh! Man 6 who is equal to 666 has allowed the serpent to show his seed within him. Those three 6s are the me = 6 myself = 6 and I = 6.” The helpfulness of such latter passages is sure to vary wildly from one reader to the next. That said, the author’s interpretations of the stories of Rachael, Tamar, Leah, and other biblical figures are energetic and compelling enough to compensate for the occasional obscure reading.

An often inviting and zestful inquiry into some key Christian texts.