David: Power, Lust and Betrayal in Biblical Times1 review Jerry M. Landay Ulysses Press, 1998 David the Man Jerry M. Landay created a vivid portrait of David. I enjoyed the biographical nature of the book, it gave an even protrait of this remarkable man. From his humble beginnings as a shepard to his annointment as king. I was fasinated by the process David took in forging the nation of Isreal, and ...             Mark: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 27)1 review C.S. Mann Doubleday & Co., 1986 Not a great translation, but better than NIV or NRSV Mark Like most Anchor editions, C.S. Mann's Mark is the product of considerable time and effort expended to produce a translation superior to those commonly found in generally used Bibles (NIV, NRSV, NEB, etc.) and to include with that translation a thorough commentary on why the translation was ...             Judges Through the Centuries (Blackwell Bible Commentaries)2 reviews David M. Gunn Wiley-Blackwell, 2005 Bible Commentary in Historic Eras Contexts + A really neat book. Judges by David Gunn (Blackwell Bible Commentaries: Blackwell Publishers) (Paperback) The commentary is constructed around the biblical book's main constituent stories and characters. The first chapter deals with the entry into the land and includes the cameo stories of Adoni-bezek who lost thumbs ...             The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary22 reviews Robert Alter W. W. Norton, 2007 I Lift Up My Eyes + 5 stars for content; 3 stars for Kindle version + Five Stars for Content; Three Stars for the Kindle Version + A new view of an ancient book + Scholar's Beautiful Translanslation of the Psalms             The Literary Guide to the Bible2 reviews Belknap Press, 1990 Massive, insightful and a little daring + About what I wanted It's a major task "analysing" a book with so many variations and long historical scope. Limiting the parameters to "literary" aspects is hardly a pruning - even when historical elements are essentially stripped away. Alter and Kermode saved themselves some of the labour by farming out much of the ...             The Red Tent: A Novel1437 reviews Anita Diamant Picador, 2007 Literary Bread and Water- Will Make You Feel Alive + A must read. + The Red Tent + wonderfully engrossing + Pagan women in an early Jewish world             Exodus 1-18 (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries) William H.C. Propp Yale University Press, 1999 "Exodus" is the heart of the Hebrew Bible, the defining moment in Israel's birth as a people, the dramatic triumph of their God. Yahweh, Pharaoh, Moses, Aaron, the Hebrew slaves, the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea - these larger-than-life characters and epoch-making events capture the imagination of everyone from biblical scholars to moviemakers. However, the meaning and significance, the ...             Quarantine: A Novel69 reviews Jim Crace Picador, 1999 What Did Jesus Do? + Desert dying, desert God + Provocative ending + The Temptation of Jesus + fasting             The Hoax7 reviews Adrienne Jones Mundania Press, LLC, 2006 One of the best of 2006 + The Incredible Hoax + Fans of sci-fi wouldn't want to miss this one + Damn + Favorite Read This Year             Scandalizing Jesus?: Kazantzakis's The Last Temptation of Christ Fifty Years on Continuum, 2005 2005 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Nikos Kazantzakis' "The Last Temptation of Christ". Since Kazantzakis ranks as one of the twentieth century's most important European writers, and given that this particular work of his has garnered so much publicity, this collection of essays re-assesses the novel, though not forgetting the movie, in light of one half century's worth of criticism and ...             The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel21 reviews Robert Alter W. W. Norton & Company, 2000 A really incredible translation of a really great story + David's story comes to life + Educational and Controversial + david hamelech is so cool! + Read this!             Give Us a King!: Samuel, Saul, and David6 reviews Everett Dr Fox Schocken, 1999 Careful what you wish for... + Give us a King. + The Stories of Saul, Samuel and David Spring to Life + Don't miss it! + Authoritative             Theology Of The Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy14 reviews Walter Brueggemann Fortress Press, 2005 Examining the evidence + Magnum Opus + Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute,Advocacy This work by Walter Brueggemann is perhaps his most comprehensive view of the Old Testament to date. As the title implies, this is a Christian reading of the Old Testament scriptures (for scholars who approach the collection from a more objective standpoint prefer to avoid the use of the term 'Old ...             Matthew (Anchor Yale Bible)1 review William Foxwell Albright, C.S. Mann Anchor Bible, 1995 An unfortunate case of mediocrity One of the most commendable things about this installment of The Anchor Bible is the authors remembered they were writing for the general reader. In this respect, Albright and Mann have done their job well. In other areas, however, I have mixed feelings on their work on the gospel of Matthew. ...             The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary22 reviews W. W. Norton & Company, 2004 Very Helpful Commentary + Let the reader dive in! + A Beautiful Edition I've been using this text as part of a Bible Study I conduct. The commentary is primarily a translator's. What I mean by that is that it's not mainly a theological commentary, but one which seeks to understand the Hebrew text and explain how the translator sees the text. I like that insofar as what ...             The Art Of Biblical Narrative14 reviews Robert Alter Basic Books, 1983 A Fascinating Way to Read the Bible + A Must Read for Educated Christianity and Interested Parties + Alter did it again + A must read for Hebrew students or anyone wanting to better understand narrative portions of Scripture             Canon and Creativity: Modern Writing and the Authority of Scripture2 reviews Robert Alter Yale University Press, 2000 The Bible and Modern Artists + The uses of the Biblical canon by modern creators For those familiar with Alter's other works on Biblical literature this will be a joy. It focuses on how three great modern writers use the Bible to create their own art. Although the three writers, Kafka, Bialik and Joyce use the Bible differently than traditional writers - they treat the Bible ...             The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky2 reviews Karen X. Tulchinsky Raincoast Books, 2005 Tulchinsky's Latest is a Total-Knock-Out + A simple delight The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky by Karen X. Tulchinsky is a phenomenal deviation from her previous style. Although I have come to love her wit, humorous characterizations and dialogues in previous books, I appreciate the maturity of her latest achievement. Her novel is based on the Christie Pits ...             The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (The Schocken Bible, Volume 1)31 reviews Schocken, 2000 Excellent + Excellent translation + The Five Books of Moses + Not your grandfather's translation--but essential             The Book of Daniel (Anchor Bible)2 reviews Louis F. Hartman Anchor Bible, 1995 One of the Most Famous Commentaries on Daniel This is one of the most often quoted commentaries on the Book of Daniel. It has less information than Montgomery's commentary, but is more readable. Hartman and DiLella are often quoted in Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other commentaries. They include an unusual new translation of Daniel ...