Henk Carpentier Alting was born in Amsterdam, speaks Dutch, and spent his early childhood in Hong Kong.

His education continued in the UK, leading to a BSc in aeronautical engineering and an MSc in numerical analysis. A career in computing and management followed in the Aerospace industry. After redundancy, he joined a management training consultancy. Finally, chemotherapy gave him the unexpected opportunity to change direction and return to academic studies later in life at Manchester University.

Henk had an ongoing interest in philosophy. An MPhil in the Philosophy of Religion was followed by a PhD with the later thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein in the background. This developed his interest in language. While Wittgenstein is not the subject of this book beyond some examples, his influence is present.

A greater influence was that of John Walton, who opened Henk’s eyes to the understanding of the ancient Near East in which the Genesis creation account is located. Within that ancient background, the significance of giving a name was the entry to this book’s theme: the creative power of human language. With this theme, Henk develops not only a scriptural understanding of language, but also emphasises the dignity of humanity and our being in the image of God.

Henk is married to Sue, lives in Manchester, enjoys playing the piano and is active in his local church. He served for many years on his Diocesan Synod and is a volunteer with a hospital chaplaincy service.