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The Bible Now
For millennia, people have used the Bible as a touchstone on important social and political questions, and rightly so. But many use the Bible simply as a weapon to wield against opponents in a variety of debates--without knowing what the Bible actually says about the issue in question.
In The Bible Now, two respected biblical scholars, Richard Elliott Friedman and Shawna Dolansky, tell us carefully what the Hebrew Bible says or does not say about a wide range of issues--including homosexuality, abortion, women's status, capital punishment, and the environment.
In fascinating passages that shed new light on some of today's most passionate disputes, the authors reveal how the Bible is frequently misunderstood, misquoted, mistranslated, and misused. For instance, those who quote the Bible in condemning homosexuality often cite the story of Sodom, and those who favor homosexuality point to David's lament over the death of Jonathan. But as the authors show, neither passage is clearly about homosexuality, and these texts do not offer solid footing on which to make an argument. Readers learn that female homosexuality is not prohibited--only male homosexuality. And on the subject of abortion, the Bible is practically silent, with one extraordinary exception.
The Bible has inspired people to do great good but has also been used by people to do great harm, so it is vitally important for us to pay attention to it--and to get it right. The Bible Now shows us how we can--and cannot--use this ancient source of wisdom to address our most current and pressing issues.
220 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2011
20 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Richard Elliott Friedman
24 books159 followersRICHARD ELLIOTT FRIEDMAN is one of the premier bible scholars in the country. He earned his doctorate at Harvard and was a visiting fellow at Oxford and Cambridge, a Senior Fellow of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Jerusalem, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Haifa. He is the Ann & Jay Davis Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Georgia and the Katzin Professor of Jewish Civilization Emeritus of the University of California, San Diego.
He is the author of Commentary on the Torah, The Disappearance of God, The Hidden Book in the Bible, The Bible with Sources Revealed, The Bible Now, The Exile and Biblical Narrative, the bestselling Who Wrote the Bible?, and his newest book, The Exodus.
He was an American Council of Learned Societies Fellow and was elected to membership in The Biblical Colloquium. His books have been translated into Hebrew, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, Dutch, Portuguese, Czech, Turkish, Korean, and French.
He was a consultant for the Dreamworks film "The Prince of Egypt," for Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers, and for NBC, A&E, PBS, and Nova.
He is the author of Commentary on the Torah, The Disappearance of God, The Hidden Book in the Bible, The Bible with Sources Revealed, The Bible Now, The Exile and Biblical Narrative, the bestselling Who Wrote the Bible?, and his newest book, The Exodus.
He was an American Council of Learned Societies Fellow and was elected to membership in The Biblical Colloquium. His books have been translated into Hebrew, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, Dutch, Portuguese, Czech, Turkish, Korean, and French.
He was a consultant for the Dreamworks film "The Prince of Egypt," for Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers, and for NBC, A&E, PBS, and Nova.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 21, 2012
This book is about the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. There was an Amazon reviewer who was irate because, having bought it, he realized it was only the OT, but that is Richard Elliott Friedman's specialty. I learned a few years ago that that's the correct designation according to some bible scholars--Hebrew Bible is "Bible," and NT is NT. Learned that from F. E. Peters in The Voice, The Word, The Books. Bible scholars, that is, as opposed to theologians. Theoretically, bible scholars study to find meaning and let the chips fall where they may. Supposedly, the need to find certain meanings because of their own faith traditions would be a red herring. Friedman says that people tend to give him dubious compliments, for example asking how he worked the details out so well, and reluctant to believe the facts themselves led to his conclusions. He is also the author of the well-known Who Wrote the Bible and others.
I've heard Friedman present several times, twice at the Decatur Book Festival alone, and he is a entertaining and humorous speaker. The book, though, is a tough slog. I might not have finished it if I hadn't been studying with a group. For that purpose, it's very good, and also as a reference. I appreciate the choice and the motivation to persist.
In this book, he and his coauthor Shawna Dolansky take five controversial areas--homosexuality, abortion, women's status, capital punishment, and the earth (environmental issues)--and look at relevant words and multiple passages to make them give up their meaning to us. Of course he can work with the Hebrew and the context. The translations are his own.
His goal, above and beyond sharing his findings, is (I think) to counter two misuses of the text. The first is to counter the claims of some political conservatives who are wont to say the bible tells them life begins at conception, woman is to be subjugated to man, people have dominion over the earth and can do whatever they want, homosexuality is prohibited, etc. A typical Friedman conclusion is that, although people can believe what they want, they can't blame the bible, at least not accurately. The second is possibly to counter a Marcion-like view of the Hebrew Scriptures (for example, that it is characterized by a punitive God, women as property, punishment as revenge, and animal sacrifice as inhumane) in favor of a fresh appreciation of the text. I especially liked his teaching regarding animal sacrifice in biblical times. He shows that the practice not only didn't represent cruelty, it in fact represented the sacralizing of the animal whose life was poured out so that people might live. (Although some sacrificial animals were burnt, that was not their primary use.) In essence, sacrifice is butchering animals while making their deaths and use as food sacred. We could use some of that awareness today, so that we wouldn't think meat grows in Styrofoam packages!
At points there is a possible conflict between his apparently having something of an agenda (as discussed above), versus following the facts wherever they lead. On several issues I felt the need to question and study more and perhaps even to try to contact the author via email--a wonderful option these days for writers who are also university professors. At present, though, those issues are having to wait in line behind all the other issues I have to think about!
One more point. Friedman says some people think you can spin the bible any way you want, as reflected in the saying, "The devil can quote scripture." "There are facts in biblical study," he says--that is, not everything goes. This book helps the reader find those facts.
This book is recommended for those who think they know what the Hebrew Scriptures mean, for those whose bible it is or who view it as the "Old" book of their tradition, for those who say they just don't understand the OT, as well as for those who just want to learn.
The Voice, the Word, the Books: The Sacred Scripture of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims; Who Wrote the Bible?
I've heard Friedman present several times, twice at the Decatur Book Festival alone, and he is a entertaining and humorous speaker. The book, though, is a tough slog. I might not have finished it if I hadn't been studying with a group. For that purpose, it's very good, and also as a reference. I appreciate the choice and the motivation to persist.
In this book, he and his coauthor Shawna Dolansky take five controversial areas--homosexuality, abortion, women's status, capital punishment, and the earth (environmental issues)--and look at relevant words and multiple passages to make them give up their meaning to us. Of course he can work with the Hebrew and the context. The translations are his own.
His goal, above and beyond sharing his findings, is (I think) to counter two misuses of the text. The first is to counter the claims of some political conservatives who are wont to say the bible tells them life begins at conception, woman is to be subjugated to man, people have dominion over the earth and can do whatever they want, homosexuality is prohibited, etc. A typical Friedman conclusion is that, although people can believe what they want, they can't blame the bible, at least not accurately. The second is possibly to counter a Marcion-like view of the Hebrew Scriptures (for example, that it is characterized by a punitive God, women as property, punishment as revenge, and animal sacrifice as inhumane) in favor of a fresh appreciation of the text. I especially liked his teaching regarding animal sacrifice in biblical times. He shows that the practice not only didn't represent cruelty, it in fact represented the sacralizing of the animal whose life was poured out so that people might live. (Although some sacrificial animals were burnt, that was not their primary use.) In essence, sacrifice is butchering animals while making their deaths and use as food sacred. We could use some of that awareness today, so that we wouldn't think meat grows in Styrofoam packages!
At points there is a possible conflict between his apparently having something of an agenda (as discussed above), versus following the facts wherever they lead. On several issues I felt the need to question and study more and perhaps even to try to contact the author via email--a wonderful option these days for writers who are also university professors. At present, though, those issues are having to wait in line behind all the other issues I have to think about!
One more point. Friedman says some people think you can spin the bible any way you want, as reflected in the saying, "The devil can quote scripture." "There are facts in biblical study," he says--that is, not everything goes. This book helps the reader find those facts.
This book is recommended for those who think they know what the Hebrew Scriptures mean, for those whose bible it is or who view it as the "Old" book of their tradition, for those who say they just don't understand the OT, as well as for those who just want to learn.
The Voice, the Word, the Books: The Sacred Scripture of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims; Who Wrote the Bible?
November 10, 2024
read for my bible class. i think this is a good, comprehensive view on modern and less modern interpretations of biblical text. present day, i think this is an important read, when people are using (cherrypicking) the bible to justify complex issues. friedman & dolansky don't take a raging liberal stance, but rather bring up important, undeniable evidence from the bible- which is the right way to do this! they do a good job of not letting personal opinions get in their way.
certainly helped me analyze biblical text better, and i think modern readers of the bible should take a look at some of the things they have to say. there are a lot of people who will claim that the bible forbids abortion, homosexuality, etc... but these things are not necessarily true at all. its a lot more complicated than picking a single verse to justify your ideals.
certainly helped me analyze biblical text better, and i think modern readers of the bible should take a look at some of the things they have to say. there are a lot of people who will claim that the bible forbids abortion, homosexuality, etc... but these things are not necessarily true at all. its a lot more complicated than picking a single verse to justify your ideals.
May 18, 2017
A very interesting, concise look at the teaching of the Bible about today's "hot button" topics: Homosexuality, abortion, status of women, capital punishment, and the environment. While you may feel you know and understand the Bible on many, if not all of these topics, Friedman and Dolansky will bring you new enlightenment and understanding, and change the way you see these topics.
August 18, 2017
Not neccesarily a read for a popular audience, but I have always been interested in studying religion and specifically the Bible, so this wasn't an issue for me.
Very thought provoking and complete without being too overwhelming of a work. I thought it was a good cross-section of key topics in Bible studies. Would be interested in reading more from Friedman.
Very thought provoking and complete without being too overwhelming of a work. I thought it was a good cross-section of key topics in Bible studies. Would be interested in reading more from Friedman.
February 26, 2019
Very informative book. Wasn't expecting it to be only over the old testament but still interesting to read. My one complain is that sometimes it feels like they are refusing to make a very logical leap in order to appear unbiased. Just make sure you are thinking for yourself while reading this book.
June 26, 2023
Nice and clear language. Goes through the parts of the Bible that get brought up in certain political arguments in a very practical way. The authors are not trying to argue a particular point, just to clarify how these topics are actually handled in the text of the Bible. Many references to other authors also, including many with different perspectives than Friedman and Dolansky, so a lot of ideas for further research for people who want to explore further. I appreciated the approach of this book and I think it handled these topics well.
August 5, 2016
The Bible Now is informative, balanced, discussions-starting, and entertaining. The book leads the reader to delve deeper into all of the chosen issues. It's authors search not only the original Hebrew words, but the surrounding civilizations and the distinctive Hebrew culture at the time the words were written to help interpret what the Bible has to say on the various issues.
November 25, 2012
Although I would have appreciated a bibliography, I found the books "must read" for those looking for biblical background for their positions. Very balanced and, though a bit disappointed that several of the controversial topics could not be backed up one way or the other w/ biblical references. Fascinating.
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July 14, 2011THERE AREN'T MANY theological issues that could unite the ultra-Orthodox group Agudath Israel, the Catholic Church, and the International Communion of Evangelical Churches, but gay marriage is one of them. Read more...
June 19, 2012
This was a great read for a class I took with Dr. Friedman on the Old Testament. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially those who regard the hot button issues addressed in the book as matters settled in the Bible. It will make you think twice!
June 10, 2014
Very we'll written and does exactly what it promises: what the bible says and, especially, does not say about homosexuality, abortion, capital punishment, the status of women, and the environment.
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January 22, 2016For an excellent discussion about what the Hebrew Bible really has to say about homosexuality and abortion find a copy of 1CThe Bible Now 1D by Richard Elliott Friedman - randy scofield
October 3, 2011
Am disappointed by the lack of a bibliography.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews