Biblical Images [Hardcover]

Adin Steinsaltz (Author), Yehuda Hanegbi (Translator), Yehudit Keshet (Translator), Michael Swirsky (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1994

A world-famous rabbi and teacher offers subtle, penetrating, psychological portraits of 25 significant men and women of the Old Testament.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.; Enlarged edition (August 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568211783
• ISBN-13: 978-1568211787
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,818,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking, September 1, 2000

By 

"nutritionandwellness" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biblical Images (Hardcover)

If you think you've seen it all in bible commentaries, read this book.
Every chapter will make you say, "I never thought of that."
While the book doesn't give any direct practical advice on problems of
our day, it does offer much theoretical insight. For example, most of
the chapters on "Genesis" offer insights on strong
relationships, and the chapters on "Kings" offer insghts on
effective leadership.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A portrayal of biblical personalities with all their faults, supplemented by interpretations, July 24, 2011

By 

Israel Drazin (Boca Raton, Florida) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biblical Images (Hardcover)

This book is part of Maggid Books' project beginning in 2011 to publish seven popular books by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. The seven will be followed by new editions of more than twenty other works by this rabbi, including several previously unpublished volumes. Rabbi Steinsaltz is the well-known and highly acclaimed translator of the Talmud into Modern Hebrew with many scholarly notes explaining the text, the ideas behind the discussions, the history of the times and personalities, as well as much more relevant information.

This book introduces readers to twenty-five biblical personalities, thirteen men and twelve women, including well-known figures such as Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Abraham, and Joseph, as well as little-known personalities who should be known better, such as Michal, Jehu, Athaliah, and Josiah, all of whom made significant impacts upon world history. He devotes about eight pages to each person.

He tells readers that they should not expect an idealized portrayal because the "Scriptural style is almost always objective... The great men and women who serve as examples and models for all generations are not described only in terms of glowing admiration. Their failings, failures, and difficulties are described." He warns that the behavior of the Israelite ancestors shouldn't always be copied.

He states that he intends to "fill in some of the outlines in the picture (of these biblical figures), to clarify certain things hinted in the Scriptures." He says that no "biblical story is complete without these additional strata of content." These imaginative additions are interesting, but readers need to beware to differentiate the additions from what is in the Torah text. Unfortunately, Rabbi Steinsaltz does not always say what the imaginative additions are.

Yet the additions and interpretations are interesting. For example, he sees Eve as a "precursor or women in general." An analysis of her behavior, he says, helps readers understand women and their relationship to men. He focuses on a Midrash that the original divine creation was a single being with male and female connected back to back. He concludes from this that "Male and female are essentially part of one being." He shows how. This midrashic allegory is not only not in the Torah, but the Midrash apparently derived it from the pagan philosopher Plato's Symposium, without attribution.

Interestingly, he states that Abraham was not the founder of monotheism; people knew the concept of one God before him. Even during his lifetime the Torah reports that Melchizedek was a priest to the one God. Abraham's contribution "was simply (that he was) the first person in a long time to relate seriously to an old religious outlook which was primary and genuine." Steinsaltz discusses how the "graven image" developed from monotheism. He admits that the polytheists had many sophisticated thinkers. He recognizes that the "vivid legend of the story of the young Abraham smashing the idols...is not accepted by serious scholars."

In summary, Rabbi Steinsaltz gives readers an interesting brief portrayal of a couple of dozen male and female biblical figures and supplements these portrayals with thought provoking ideas.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The richness of Biblical Character, September 30, 2005

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Biblical Images (Hardcover)

Rabbi Steinsaltz tells the story here of twenty or more Biblical characters, from the well- known , Abraham , Yitzhak, Eve, Rachel, Leah, to lesser known such as Jehu and Ataliah. In doing so he relates the stories to the broader framework of the Jewish religious tradtion. The stories in themselves are of great interest but the deeper connections to the overall Jewish way of life and thought make this a specially valuable volume.