How to Read the Bible

In my first post, I promised I'd write a review of the new translation of the Septuagint when I got it, but I see that Iyov has already beaten me to the punch, and since I don't think I'll have much to add, I'll probably renege.

I have received another book in the mail in the meantime, however. It's what I'm sure will be an absolutely wonderful book by James Kugel, one of my favorite scholars, entitled How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture Then and Now. From the brief time I've spent with it, it appears that he will be addressing the issue of traditional belief and historical critical method while providing a survey of the Hebrew Bible. Kugel is ideally suited for such a task since he's a practicing Orthodox Jew as well as a widely respected scholar.

Kugel has written many, many important books and journal articles, but one volume in particular should be of broader interest (than merely those in the scholarly world, I mean): The Bible As It Was. This is a book that brings together various snippets of texts from the Second Temple period through early Christian and rabbinic writings that interpret 25 core stories from the Pentateuch (15 from Genesis) in some very interesting ways, usually addressing some perceived problem in the text. It's an excellent guide to the way that ancient readers read the bible.

He subsequently published a fuller edition, Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era. This edition contains all that is in The Bible As It Was, but also includes a lot of extra material, making the meat of the respective books almost twice as big (though much more than twice as expensive!).

A final note: unlike most bible scholars, Kugel has a gift with words (he's a published poet) so, though this is a long book, it should be a pleasure to read. He has the ability to explain complex ideas in clear, accessible, interesting prose, that is mostly jargon free.

For further information on Kugel and this book in particular, see his website here.