Customer Reviews

The Religion of Israel, from Its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile

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Prof. Yechezkel Kaufmann (1889-1963),with its original and creative attitude, goes back 3,300 years to the period when the Israeli beliefe had been born. This comprehensive research was written from scientific-historic point of view. The main question of this great book is what can be learned from the bible books, what is being reflected in the old stories. Kaufmann is trying to prove that the Israeli monotheistic belief is an original creation from the days of Moses. From those days the monotheistic belief was the ruler power in Israel and gave this nation a special course in the history of the world. The readers will be deeply thrilled and expressed by this book, even if not everyone would agree with its conclusions.

Kaufman's study is a masterful introduction to the religion of ancient Israel. Because it was published in Hebrew and in multiple volumes no less, Kaufman?s work was generally overlooked when it was published. However, once Moshe Greenberg abridged and translated Kaufman's study into English, more scholars discovered what Kaufman has to say.

In part, Kaufman?s book is an argument against Julius Wellhausen?s "Prolegomena to the History of Israel." Wellhausen had championed the documentary hypothesis that the first five books of the Bible were composed from several distant sources and Wellhausen dated P, the Priestly source, as the latest and in fact post-exlic. Kaufman accepted the documentary hypothesis, but challenged Wellhausen?s claim that P was post-exilic. Kaufman argued that in fact P contained some of the oldest strands in the Bible.

However, Kaufman's book is far more than a debate about dating the sources. Kaufman sought to demonstrate the originality and uniqueness of ancient Israel's religion in the context of the ancient world. Moreover, Kaufman reviews the entire Bible and seeks to demonstrate how the core concepts of Israel's religion developed over time and were shaped in different ways by the various authors and prophets.

Sadly, Moshe Greenberg's masterful condensation and translation is now out of print. I say "sadly" because over time scholars have begun to appreciate more and more Kaufman's genius. There are many modern scholars today who have been greatly influenced by Kaufman - Jacob Milgrom, Israel Knohl, Richard Friedman, and Moshe Greenberg himself, to name only a few. These days one frequently notices references to Greenberg?s abridgement of Kaufman in footnotes but, unless one already has Greenberg's translation, looking up the citation is hopeless. One can only hope that Greenberg?s abridgement and eminently readable translation of Kaufman's masterpiece will someday soon be published again.

I am not very knowledgeable in regard to 'Biblical Criticism'. I do recall however that I found Kaufmann's work far more solid, interesting and respectful than most Biblical Criticism I know. His search to understand the uniqueness of the religion ancient Israel in the context of a surrounding pagan world makes for exciting and convincing reading. His tracing of the development of basic ideas of the religion through his reading of the Biblical texts also moves.

I strongly second the notion of the reviewer named Tupper who says that this book should be back in print.