The ancient Israelitesbelieved things that the writers of the Bible wanted them to forget: myths and legends from a pre-biblical world that the new monotheist order needed to bury, hide, or reinterpret. Ancient Israel was rich in such literary traditions before the Bible reached the final form that we have today. These traditions were not lost but continued, passed down through the ages. Many managed to reach us in post-biblical sources: rabbinic literature, Jewish Hellenistic writings, the writings of the Dead Sea sect, the Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and other ancient translations of the Bible, and even outside the ancient Jewish world in Christian and Islamic texts. The Bible itself sometimes alludes to these traditions, often in surprising contexts. Written in clear and accessible language, this volume presents thirty such traditions. It voyages behind the veil of the written Bible to reconstruct what was told and retold among the ancient Israelites, even if it is "not what the Bible tells us."

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Yes, you can access From Gods to God by Avigdor Shinan,Yair Zakovitch, Valerie Zakovitch in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Jewish Theology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher

The Jewish Publication Society

Year

2012

ISBN

9780827611443

Topic

Theology & Religion

Subtopic

Jewish Theology

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
acknowledgments
Translator’s Note
Introduction: When God Fought the Sea Dragons
Part 1. The World of Myth
Part 2. Cult and Sacred Geography
Part 3. Biblical Heroes and Their Biographies
Part 4. Relations between Men and Women
In Closing
Glossary of Extra-Biblical Sources
Index