The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture
Yoram Hazony
(Author)
Description
What if the Hebrew Bible wasn't meant to be read as "revelation"? What if it's not really about miracles or the afterlife - but about how to lead our lives in this world? The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture proposes a new framework for reading the Bible. It shows how biblical authors used narrative and prophetic oratory to advance universal arguments about ethics, political philosophy, and metaphysics. It offers bold new studies of biblical narratives and prophetic poetry, transforming forever our understanding of what the stories of Abel, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David, and the speeches of Isaiah and Jeremiah, were meant to teach. The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture assumes no belief in God or other religious commitment. It assumes no previous background in Bible. It is free of disciplinary jargon. Open the door to a book you never knew existed. You'll never read the Bible the same way again.Product Details
Price
$99.00
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publish Date
July 30, 2012
Pages
388
Dimensions
6.3 X 9.4 X 1.2 inches | 1.7 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781107003170
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About the Author
Yoram Hazony is Provost of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem and a Senior Fellow in the Department of Philosophy, Political Theory and Religion (PPR). Hazony's previous books include The Jewish State: The Struggle for Israel's Soul and The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther. His essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, Commentary, Azure and Ha'aretz, among other publications. He is author of a regular blog on philosophy, Judaism, Israel and higher education called Jerusalem Letters. Hazony received a BA from Princeton University in East Asian Studies and a PhD from Rutgers University in Political Theory.
Reviews
"A deep and lucid investigation of the connections between the two chief strands of our intellectual history. A great achievement."
Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of our Nature
"A paradigm-shifting work of immense significance."
Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth
"Hazony is on a mission to put the greatest book on earth at the heart of academic study ... [He] is a modern-day Jerusalem shepherd who is challenging authority - and has no idea how things will turn out."
David Suissa, Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
"His argument is ... provocative: the Hebrew Bible does not conform to the commonly accepted dichotomy of reason versus revelation ... Rewarding for biblical studies or philosophy insiders who are receptive to new ideas."
Publishers Weekly
"... a bracing intellectual adventure."
Alan Mittleman, The Jewish Theological Seminary
"Hazony does not write simply to persuade us to agree or disagree with his interpretation of any particular story. Reviewers who think so do him an injustice. Instead, Hazony wants to persuade us that to read the Bible is to engage in a necessary argument over how to build a good society."
Diana Muir Appelbaum, Jewish Ideas Daily
"First, Hazony's work is an important contribution to understanding the dynamic of the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Second, Hazony's argument is important for understanding not just Genesis 4 but as a radical critique of the general understanding of the entire Hebrew Bible."
Steven D. Ealy, Books and Culture
Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of our Nature
"A paradigm-shifting work of immense significance."
Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth
"Hazony is on a mission to put the greatest book on earth at the heart of academic study ... [He] is a modern-day Jerusalem shepherd who is challenging authority - and has no idea how things will turn out."
David Suissa, Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
"His argument is ... provocative: the Hebrew Bible does not conform to the commonly accepted dichotomy of reason versus revelation ... Rewarding for biblical studies or philosophy insiders who are receptive to new ideas."
Publishers Weekly
"... a bracing intellectual adventure."
Alan Mittleman, The Jewish Theological Seminary
"Hazony does not write simply to persuade us to agree or disagree with his interpretation of any particular story. Reviewers who think so do him an injustice. Instead, Hazony wants to persuade us that to read the Bible is to engage in a necessary argument over how to build a good society."
Diana Muir Appelbaum, Jewish Ideas Daily
"First, Hazony's work is an important contribution to understanding the dynamic of the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Second, Hazony's argument is important for understanding not just Genesis 4 but as a radical critique of the general understanding of the entire Hebrew Bible."
Steven D. Ealy, Books and Culture
