The Raven, the Dove, and the Owl of Minerva: The Creation of Humankind in Athens and Jerusalem by Mark Glouberman (review)

In this book, Mark Glouberman plays the Hebrew Bible and ancient Greek literature off one another, casting light on both. With a highly original approach, he argues that the Bible presupposes that humans are unique in the world, beings that are valuable in themselves. He finds a similar view suggested, but not fully developed, in Greek literature. While the Bible presents a “reformed” view of humans, the Greek perspective is “reforming.” In the reformed way of seeing, humans are more than cogs in natural or cultural mechanisms. Humans are, because of this, “perplexing” in a way that nature is not.

As a foundation for his ideas, Glouberman offers a fresh interpretation of Genesis 1 to 3. In Genesis 1, human beings are created in the image of God and given dominion, setting them apart from the rest of creation. The significance of this emerges only in Genesis 2. Here human beings become particulars. Part of human uniqueness, Glouberman argues, is that humans’ options are open. They are not just individuals of a kind; they are particulars who make choices, particulars who are valuable in themselves. Discarding the influential Christian reading, he suggests that in their “transgression” Adam and Eve step more fully into their particularity. In eating of the tree of knowledge, they become aware of themselves as particular beings, both intrinsically valuable and mortal. Adam and Eve take a step into self-consciousness, a step into their likeness to God.

The Iliad, Glouberman argues, suggests a similar valuing of humankind. At the outset, the Greeks are pervaded by the warrior culture where life is essentially war. As Glouberman puts it, for a warrior “Life=War.” The warrior knows he will die. He seeks a different kind of immortality: immortality in the memories of others. He imitates the mighty acts of the gods, seeking a reputation that will last beyond his death. He values a glorious death, not life itself. In the character of Achilles, Glouberman finds an individual who moves away from warrior values. At the heart of Achilles’s transformation is the realization that human beings are irreplaceable. Human beings are valuable, as particulars. Glouberman examines the Odyssey and the works of the Greek dramatists, where he finds further suggestions of this “reformed” anthropology. But it never fully emerges.

In both the Biblical and Greek stories, human particularity is key. The “reformed” view understands that humans are particulars. Humans are not simply valuable as parts of some larger whole. Toward the end of the book, Glouberman goes further. To speak of a human being as a particular is to speak of one who cannot be replaced by another individual, a being with an “inside,” a being with consciousness. In both the Bible and the “reforming elements” in the Greek classics, Glouberman argues, attempts to subsume humans into a larger system are cast in a negative light. In contrast, in the Republic, Plato reduces humans to functional cogs, beings not valuable in themselves, taking a step in the wrong direction.

Although Glouberman upholds Biblical anthropology, he is no defender of orthodoxy. One of his projects, in fact, is to free Biblical anthropology from religion. Though the Bible appeals to God in support of its view of humanness, that view’s value is not dependent on the reality of God. The Bible, in Glouberman’s hands, is a humanist manifesto, not a theological text. He draws on the work of classicists, Biblical scholars, and philosophers. But his interpretations will raise the hackles of scholars in all these disciplines. The book does have weaknesses. Glouberman finds thematic meaning in details of the text that seem more likely to be remnants of redaction. He draws far-fetched conclusions on the basis of etymological details. There are passages in which his interpretations seem strained. Finally, Glouberman’s writing style, while full of humour and pun, is difficult...