The Torah: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Joel S. Kaminsky

At the heart of the Jewish and Christian faiths lie the five books of the Torah, a text that has had an enormous influence on Western civilization. Bringing the latest scholarship to a popular audience, Kaminsky and Lohr examine the key debates surrounding how these two religions share this common scripture, while simultaneously illustrating the importance of the Torah in western jurisprudence, ethics, and contemporary conceptions of the family, morality, and even politics.

Genres: Religion

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Joel Kaminsky is Professor of Religion at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were just so many lightbulb moments with this where I realised I'd just never thought of something in that light or in that way. The end of chapter comparison on how Christianity and Judaism use and interpret the same sections were great. I also really appreciated the way in often pulled back the stories to their original wording rather then the common translations.

[Richard Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative with a good broad view of how it came together. I really liked the image of a tapestry and the chapters on deutorotomy

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the subject, achieves both a wide range and a good level of detail, academic in content but readable in style.