Illuminating the thorny question of what constitutes a "plain sense" reading of scripture via exegesis of Genesis by three preeminent Christian theologians from the 5th, 16th, and 20th centuries, Greene- McCreight (religious studies, Connecticut College) proposes a hermeneutic solution relating the literal sense of the text to the church's Rule of Faith. The author's discussion of the nature of the problem encompasses the retention of the Old Testament, its Christological interpretation, ruled reading, and readers' narrative self-locating. Includes a list of works cited. Indexed by scripture references, subjects, and names. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR