Joseph's Bones: Understanding the Struggle Between God and Mankind in the Bible

by Jerome M. Segal Narrated by Kevin Kemp

Overview

A bold and radical reinterpretation of the Old Testament. "Brilliant...Nothing quite like it has appeared in years." (Jack Miles, author of A Biography )

Imagine if someone who had never heard of Judaism or Christianity read the Old Testament. How could the relationship between God and humanity possibly be understood? In Joseph's Bones , Segal approaches the Bible from this fresh perspective-one framed by the story of the Israelites' fidelity to Joseph-and finds something an account of the human condition that reads like an existential novel about the struggle of mankind against the unpredictable and often unwarranted wrath of God. This is a rarity in Biblical interpretation- brilliant and rigorously argued, "a work of stunning originality."

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Scholar Segal (Inst. for Philosophy & Public Policy, Univ. of Maryland; Creating the Palestinian State) takes on a theological role in the style of Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel, suggesting that the story of Joseph's bones (Gen. 50:25–6; Exod. 13:19; Joshua 24:32) "opens the reader to a possible change in perspective" of how humanity sees itself. This shift in perspective, he writes, is about stepping "away from thinking of the Bible as God's words, and toward a perception of the Bible as humanity's message to itself." He weaves together strands of various philosophical thinking (e.g., recounting Stoicism, taking Kierkegaard to task, and engaging Sartre's "other") while remaining programmatic; his focus is on the function of narrative and reading the biblical text more like a novel. Segal includes an afterword that attempts to tie his suggested biblical reading method to the New Testament narratives. Though his book often feels homiletic, it is an interesting read. Recommended for synagogue and public libraries.
—Anthony J. Elia

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191491462
Publisher:	Author's Republic
Publication date:	01/09/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	529,705

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