The original Torah : the political intent of the Bible's writers
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The original Torah : the political intent of the Bible's writers
（Reappraisals in Jewish social and intellectual history）
New York University Press, c1998
- : cloth
- : pbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-177) and index
Contents of Works
- It says in the Torah
- History and allegory
- The allegory of servitude in Egypt and the Exodus
- Yahweh's berît (covenant) : which came first
- sex or politics?
- Abraham
- Jacob, Jeroboam, and Joseph
- Aaron
- Moses
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: cloth ISBN 9780814780947
Description
Citing the lack of archeological evidence supporting the historicity of any of the Old Testament's narratives, Sperling (Bible, Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion) argues instead that the stories of the Jewish Bible are in fact political allegories dating from the Davidic era. For e
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780814798331
Description
Is the Torah true? Do the five books of Moses provide an accurate historical account of the people of ancient Israel's origins?
In The Original Torah, S. David Sperling argues that, while there is no archeological evidence to support much of the activity chronicled in the Torah, a historical reality exists there if we know how to seek it.
By noting the use of foreign words or mentions of technological innovations scholars can often pinpoint the date and place in which a text was written. Sperling examines the stories of the Torah against their historical and geographic backgrounds and arrives at a new conclusion: the tales of the Torah were originally composed as allegories whose purpose was distinctly and intentionally political.
The book illustrates how the authors of the Pentateuch advanced their political and religious agenda by attributing deeds of historical figures like Jeroboam and David to ancient allegorical characters like Abraham and Jacob. If "Abraham" had made peace with Philistines, for example, then David could rely on a precedent to do likewise. The Original Torah provides a new interpretive key to the foundational document of both Judaism and Christianity.
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