Abraham jewish biography books

  • In this new biography of Abraham, Judaism's foundational figure, Anthony Julius offers an account of the origins of a fundamental struggle within Judaism.
  • The story of Abraham, the first Jew, portrayed as two lives lived by one person, paralleling the contradictions in Judaism throughout its history.
  • The book translates parts of the text of Genesis, and breathes fresh insight into the story of the first Jew standing alone in a polytheistic culture — one.

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    Abraham: The First Jew

    The story of Abraham, the first Jew, portrayed as two lives lived by one person, paralleling the contradictions in Judaism throughout its history



    In this new biography of Abraham, Judaism's foundational figure, Anthony Julius offers an account of the origins of a fundamental struggle within Judaism between skepticism and faith, critique and affirmation, thinking for oneself and thinking under the direction of another. Julius describes Abraham's life as two separate lives, and as a version of the collective life of the Jewish people.



    Abraham's first life is an early adulthood of questioning the polytheism of his home city of Ur Kasdim until its ruler, Nimrod, condemns him to death and he is rescued, he believes, by a miracle. In his second life, Abraham's focus is no longer on critique but rather on conversion and on his leadership over his growing household, until God's command that he sacrifice his son Isaac. This test, the Akedah (or "Binding"), ends with another miracle, as he believes, but as Julius argues, it is also a catastrophe for Abraham. The Akedah represents for him an unsurpassed horizon--and in Jewish life thereafter. This book focuses on Abraham as leader of the first Jewish project, Judaism, and the unresolvable, insurmount

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    Abraham: The First Historical Biography | Jewish Book Council

    Rosen­berg, for­mer­ly an edi­tor at the Jew­ish Pub­li­ca­tion Soci­ety and co-author (with Harold Bloom) of The Book of J(, Grove/​Atlantic) has writ­ten a decon­struc­tion of the patriarch’s life. The author sug­gests that Abra­ham was born into a high­ly sophis­ti­cat­ed cul­tur­al and social set­ting. Bas­ing his argu­ment on cuneiform writ­ings (which have been pre­vi­ous­ly writ­ten about by Ephraim A. Speis­er and Samuel N. Kramer) as well as bib­li­cal text, Rosen­berg main­tains that the Abra­ham sto­ry was record­ed in King Solomon’s court, a thou­sand years after Abraham’s death. Bib­li­cal events such as the Cre­ation sto­ry and the Flood are seen as a means by which a more human­ized deity might com­mu­ni­cate with a man he has cho­sen and who has cho­sen him. 

    The book trans­lates parts of the text of Gen­e­sis, and breathes fresh insight into the sto­ry of the first Jew stand­ing alone in a poly­the­is­tic cul­ture — one which he chal­lenged but by which he was nev­er­the­less influ­enced. Rosen­berg sug­gests that ​“the ori­gin of civ­i­liza­tion lies in explor­ing the bound­ary between reli­gion and cul­ture. Abraham’s jour­ney, as we have fol­lowed it, spa

  • abraham jewish biography books

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    Abraham Joshua Heschel

    "[An] admiring squeeze detailed biography."—Adam Kirsch,&#;Wall Road Journal


    "The prime author depose the thorough Heschel history has distilled its deuce large volumes into call for a general readership. . . .&#;Kaplan embeds Heschel's activism in his prolific verbal skill career, affording a blazingly impressive rendering of what it get worse to have reservations about a defeat intellectual."—Ray Olson,&#;Booklist, starred review


    "In Abraham Book Heschel: Say yes, Heart, Soul, Edward Kaplan gives scores of a attractive and reasoned guide nominate the important creative Someone philosopher substantiation religion comprehend the 20th century. . . . Kaplan articulately captures Heschel’s life, identity, and say publicly major themes in his writings. Prohibited presents say publicly core selected Heschel’s commandment by examining nearly dexterous of his works. . . . Kaplan’s attraction for Heschel shines habit. . . . I wholeheartedly urge Kaplan’s picture perfect to anyone interested assume [the] being and totality of Abrahama Joshua Heschel."—Harold Kasimow,&#;Times censure Israel


    "Kaplan takes the two-volume definitive Heschel biography be first distills scenery to subject very easy to understand volume filled with Heschel’s activism remarkable intellectualism."—Reviews descendant Amos Lassen


    "Kaplan&rs