Understanding Genesis: The Heritage of Biblical Israel, by Nahum M. Sarna
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Understanding Genesis: The Heritage of Biblical Israel, by Nahum M. Sarna
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This large format edition comes with searchable Scholar PDF digital edition, which works interactively with the optional Hebrew-English Tanakh (Varda Books) and is emailed to a customer upon the presentation of the purchase receipt to the publisher. "An admirable textbook for intelligent adults (including clergy and seminary students) who want to study the book of Genesis in the light of the most up-to-date historical and archaeological information and who also want to get a real sense of its spiritual and moral significance. . . . It is sane, accurate, interesting, well-written. . . a first class piece of work. There is nothing like it for Jews and nothing better in its class for Christians." — Dr. Robert C. Dentan, Professor of Old Testament at General Theological Seminary "This book. . . is designed to make the Bible of Israel intelligible, relevant and, hopefully, inspiring to a sophisticated generation, possessed of intellectual curiosity and ethical sensitivity." — NYT Book Review ". . . this is the most comprehensive and careful interpretation of the Bible's initial book in light of the extra biblical sources bearing upon it, and as such, is to be highly recommended." — George M. Landes, Journal of Biblical Literature ". . . a work of high scholarship, [which is] at the same time within the understanding of the serious lay reader; valuable equally to those of the Jewish and Christian communities.” — Kirkus Review
Understanding Genesis: The Heritage of Biblical Israel, by Nahum M. Sarna - Amazon Sales Rank: #1356043 in Books
- Published on: 2015-03-12
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .76" w x 6.00" l,
- Binding: Paperback
- 302 pages
Understanding Genesis: The Heritage of Biblical Israel, by Nahum M. Sarna Review "This book...is designed to make the Bible of Israel intelligible, relevant and, hopefully, inspiring to a sophisticated generation, possessed of intellectual curiosity and ethical sensitivity." - NYT Book Review."In the recent literature on Genesis this is the most comprehensive and careful interpretation of the Bible's initial book in light of the extra biblical sources bearing upon it, and as such, is to be highly recommended." --George M. Landes, Journal of Biblical Literature "An insightful classic that retains its vitality. A front-rank scholar and teacher has poured a lifetime of learning into this outstanding commentary." --Hershel Shanks
From the Inside Flap "This book...is designed to make the Bible of Israel intelligible, relevant, and hopefully, inspiring to a sophisticated generation, possessed of intellectual curiosity and ethical sensitivity...It is based on the belief that the study of the Book of Books must constitute a mature intellectual challenge, an exposure to the expanding universe of scientific biblical scholarship...Far from presenting a threat to faith, a challenge to the intellect may reinforce faith and purify it."--from the Introduction
From the Back Cover 'Understanding Genesis is definitely useful. It should be found very instructive both to Jewish and Christian students. (Sarna) is up to date in his scholarship and gives much useful information.' - William F. Albright, The Johns Hopkins University.
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Most helpful customer reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful. Well written, describing Genesis as a remarkable document . By Michael Strassberg This book takes an exegetical approach to Genesis as a work created by writers who saw far beyond their contemporary culture to create an enduring statement about a singular God, his greatest creation (the human being) and the moral and ethical demands that God places upon us. He compares Genesis to other great creation myths, and shows two primary things; 1) that a the monotheistic belief places God above and beyond all of nature, which is radically different from other contemporaneous polytheistic religions, and 2) that there is an order, logic and morality in the world that people must follow in order to not be estranged from God and ultimately themselves and society. Law, justice, mercy, charity are values expressed in a book which was written at a time when these were radical ideas. The author's mastery of history and religion are forged into an engaging, powerful exposition of the profound meaning of Genesis and it's seminal importance in the history of human thought.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Even better than his book on Exodus By Michael Lewyn Sarna puts Genesis in its historical context, showing details that would have made many stories from Genesis more comprehensible to Bible-era readers. For example, today's readers may be a bit baffled by Abraham's occasional attempts to pass off Sarah as his sister. But Sarna explains that in the ancient Mideast women had the status of a "sister-wife", superior to other wives. Similarly, Sarna clarifies the Tower of Babel story, explaining how the Torah makes fun of paganism. Reading Sarna won't necessarily change your mind about large theological questions; believers will remain believers after reading him, and unbelievers will remain unbelievers. But Sarna gives background that makes the Torah come to life a bit more.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful. A Must Read for American Evangelicals. By Dean Chang As a self-professed evangelical Christian who is tired of the anti-science, anti-intellectual rhetoric that typifies the discourse coming from the American religious right these days, this book is a refreshing take on the true significance of the Book of Genesis both as a historical document and as religious text and I urge Christians of all walks to take a read.According to Sarna, Genesis is remarkable because of its radical departure from the Near Eastern myths and motifs of the times, the creation story in particular, which contrasts the absolute power and righteousness of a monotheistic deity with the capriciousness and unpredictability of polytheism, places an emphasis on morality as the key to a meaningful life as opposed to preoccupation with immortality typical of pagan traditions, is deliberately non-political, non-cultic and non-magical, describes mankind as the pinnacle of creation, endowed with free will and having to take responsibility for his own actions, as compared to the creation of man as an afterthought to serve the physical needs of the gods. This is where the meat of Genesis lies, and ironically, American evangelicals have spent the last few decades trying to infuse Genesis with the "magic" that the author(s) of Genesis tried so hard to eliminate. They've done this by propagating a "literal" interpretation fraught with logical and scientific potholes that can only be filled by an almighty genie who despite creating the physical laws of the universe violated all of them in his very first act of creation and then writing it down in just the fashion to confound all but the most faithful.Sarna's analysis reveals the irrational bias many modern American evangelicals have in reading Genesis from the perspective of a 21st century, western educated individual with an obsession toward a certain version of historicity. We expect the ancients to both understand and care just as deeply as we do about every name being included in a genealogy and ensuring that the reader doesn't misunderstand the second law of thermodynamics. This type of hubris not only makes all Christians look foolish, but worst of all diverts attention from the concepts and ideas that leave, in my opinion, an indelible mark of divine inspiration, which is much more shocking and awe-inspiring to me than getting all the animals on earth onto an boat and then getting the kangaroos and kolas thousands of miles to Australia without leaving any fossil record.Sarna's book reinforces for me that God can work through the natural world just as effectively as the supernatural and one should not give greater credence to one or the other. That the book he inspired probably came to us much like the universe shouldn't try anyone's faith, it should only serve to focus us on the real reasons why the Bible has endured throughout the ages and continues to be relevant to us now more than ever.
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