Harold Bloom is almost overly frank about his personal predispositions throughout this book. He lets us know--repeatedly--that his religious leanings are toward a sort of gnostic, non-Covenental Judaism. And he admits that his ambition--through most of his 70-odd years--has been to read both the Jewish Bible (Tanakh) and the Christian Bible not only well, but also for himself. This book is the product of what can only ever be an unfinished project, since the greatness of the Jewish and Christian scriptures keep them always before us.
Bloom's favorite characters in all of literature, in descending order, are Yahweh (of the Tanakh/Old Testament), Jesus (of the New/Belated Testament), and Hamlet. There is no shortage of reverence and amazement for Jesus and Yahweh in this book.
The subject matter of this book necessarily precludes any attempt to artificially break it down into neat categories and packages. In other words, attempting to formally outline this book would be a harrowing experience. Bloom's writing wanders and trips and backtracks. But Bloom never lets key themes slip through the cracks: it's the first book I've ever read where I genuinely appreciate how repetitive it sometimes becomes. By returning to an underdeveloped theme several times in various contexts, we come to understand the rather nuanced and complex conclusions Bloom is trying to explain.
Some critics have labeled this book self-defeating, but only because they misread it. These critics claim that Bloom asserts that everyone winds up seeing only themselves when they look at the person of Jesus Christ. That's not at all what Bloom says. The book's approach is as a character study of 3 fascinating characters: the historical Yeshua (Jesus, in Greek) of Nazareth; the divinity his followers either realized him to be or made him into, Jesus the Christ; and the God of the Hebrew scriptures, Yahweh. Bloom points out what should be painfully obvious to anyone who has read much in the subject: the so-called Quest for the Historic Jesus is a doomed enterprise. All extant texts about Yeshua of Nazareth are heavily proselytizing documents, intended to win people over to their set of beliefs rather than to create an accurate historical record. Because there is so little to work with in trying to uncover the "historical Jesus," most of the work consists of deciding which words, sentences, or authors to trust. It's a highly subjective process, and one in which the searcher is bound to reveal more to us about himself than about Yeshua of Nazareth. Because the enterprise is so flawed and suspect, Bloom hardly spends any time at all on the historical Yeshua; instead, he moves quickly on to the characters we find in the literary bodies of the Jewish and Christian Bibles.
Bloom has not set out to write a polemic, and I don't think he has written one. He longs to discover what has happened to the ancient Yahweh of the Tanakh he reveres so deeply (and whom Jesus--for Bloom the greatest of Jewish geniuses--also deeply revered). Compared to this longing, he doesn't really seem to care much at all about getting us to agree with his conclusions.
That said, the core conclusion of Bloom's book is that the Christian New Testament constitutes the greatest misreading in the history of literature. "Greatest" because its various authors are genuinely brilliant in how they bend the Hebrew scriptures to align with their new Christ the Messiah, and a "misreading" in that it considers itself to be the fulfillment of the "Old Testament" even though it frequently gets the Tanakh just plain wrong. Bloom is inclined to refer to it as the "Belated Testament" when he points out how the New Testament's turning of Yahweh into the tame, vague God the Father is a disappointing neutering of the most complex and enigmatic character in all of Western (indeed world) literature.
Because this is not a direct attack on Christianity and because of its high degree of complexity, Christian readers will not be able to quickly duck and run into the shelter of the typical gang of apologists--Josh McDowell, Ravi Zaccharias, etc. Instead--and here is the true value and genius of this book--"Jesus and Yahweh" will send you diving for your Bible--perhaps in different translations than you're accustomed to--to read it anew, in a deeper, broader, and more astute way.
Add Prime
to get Fast, Free delivery
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Frequently bought together
This item: Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine
$16.58
Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
+
$16.52
Get it Jan 6 - 10
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Top reviews from other countries
- BookWormReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2020
Arrived quickly and in perfect condition
