A journalist and amateur biblical exegete proclaims as striking news what diligent readers of that ancient text have long known: that its tales include many that appear to violate its own moral teachings. Kirsch (Harlot by the Side of the Road, 1997) retells the biblical stories of Moses, from the Exodus account of his birth to Deuteronomy’s last verses on his death. But readers who expect from the misleading subtitle a historically grounded biography will be disappointed. What Kirsch achieves instead is a curious syncretism of views of Moses from sources that do not often speak to each other, including the Bible itself (and its traditional midrashic elaborators); ancient Hellenistic interpreters (principally Philo of Alexandria); modern academic exegetes (Elias Auerbach, Martin Noth, Gerhard von Rad, et al.); and Freud. To juxtapose such unlikely bedfellows casually is provocative. To do so without regard for history or interpretive context is misleading. For example, in discussing the Burning Bush episode, when Moses first meets God, Kirsch asserts that Philo (in contrast to Jewish midrash and modern exegesis) “insisted on reading the whole incident . . . as metaphorical,” as though allegory were not the stock-in-trade of Philo and his Jewish Hellenistic colleagues. Part of Kirsch’s hope in exhibiting such an array of interpretive voices is to show readers how much pietistic views of Moses owe to idealizing, post-biblical interpreters (like Philo) and how little to the actual biblical text, where Moses can come across as angry, unforgiving, and even murderous. But for whom is this newsworthy, except the audience of biblical illiterates that Kirsch must be counting on as readers for his unveiling of “the real Moses—the Moses no one knows”? Discounting its grandiose self-image, this book can serve as an undemanding introduction to biblical narrative and its diverse interpreters. (Author tour)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-345-41269-9
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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