Unlocking the Fountains – Book Review
Unlocking the Fountains: Inspiration and Challenge from Biblical Rivers and Springs by Andrew D Mayes, 2025, Resource Publications (CA), ISBN: 9798385262229, 192 pages, £18.00
Andrew Mayes’ book is an intriguing exploration of five rivers and five springs/wells in the Holy Land – such as the Tigris and the Euphrates that flowed from the Garden of Eden, and Jabbok where Jacob wrestled with God, Abraham’s Well at Beersheva, and the spring of Gihon that feeds the pool of Siloam.
Each chapter describes in very visual terms the socio-geographical character of the body of water and how, sadly, each has fallen victim to human carelessness and/or greed. Biblical links are highlighted, and their spiritual significances explained and then explored presenting the reader with many new depths and insights. The spiritual theme of each is further developed with texts from classical writers as varied as the Desert Fathers and Charles Wesley.
Each chapter concludes with a series of questions to enabling further reflection. With ten chapters, this makes it an ideal resource for the five weeks before and the five weeks after Easter – although it has all year round relevance.
One of the book’s aims is to make the reader alert to some of the ecological and political realities that affect these bodies of water. This is where I would have liked more input helping us to better understand the issues and to direct us to practical actions that we could take to address them. Injustice, oppression and wilful damage of God’s creation are not things we should just hear of and simply pass over.
Nevertheless the book did opened up for me new avenues of thought and reflection which I greatly appreciated.
Judith Russenberger is a member of Green Christian and writes a blog greentau.org
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