Legends of the Jews

by Louis Ginzberg

A huge collection of traditional stories which have grown up around the Bible narrative.

"A truly monumental work of scholarship... Read for pleasure by millions of Jews and Christians, consulted by students, scholars, and ordinary folk, The Legends of the Jews has itself become legendary, the magnum opus of one of the twentieth century's greatest and most original Jewish scholars." -- James R. Kugel, from the Introduction

The first books of the Bible describe powerfully but briefly the creation, the first generations of humanity, and the early history of the Jews. In addition to their power to inspire thought and worship, they inspired imagination. Much of the richness of Jewish belief and wisdom comes from the many legends that answered questions raised by the silences of the Bible. From the second to the fourteenth centuries, the Talmud, Midrash, and their Targums incorporated apocryphal views of Biblical persons and events to help explain scripture. Other legends found their way into the Kabbalah, into Biblical commentaries, and into Christian literature.

Never before available in paperback, Louis Ginzberg's landmark, seven-volume The Legends of the Jews assembles the many elaborations and embellishments of Biblical stories that flourished in the centuries following the Bible's own creation. From a portrait of Adam and Eve as innocent cannibals to tales of Moses ascending the throne of Ethiopia and visiting both hell and paradise, these legends offer strange, delightful, and occasionally bizarre variations of familiar Biblical stories. Other tales describe Eden and the building of the Tower of Babel, explain how the first Sabbath was celebrated, and chronicle the punishment of the rebel angels. There are legends that detail how Noah cared for the animals on the ark and tell of David purchasing Jerusalem rather than conquering the city.

Ginzberg devoted most of his life to gathering these Jewish legends from their original sources -- written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Syrian, Aramaic, Ethiopic, Arabic, Persian, and Old Slavic -- and reproducing them completely, accurately, and vividly. He presents these legends following the traditional Biblical sequence and reconciling the sometimes contradictory versions of the same stories found in different sources. In addition to four volumes of the legends themselves, The Legends of the Jews includes two indispensable volumes of notes that provide the sources for every legend and attest to the immense depth and range of Ginzberg's research, as well as a comprehensive index to the people, places, and motifs found in the legends and their sources. Nearly one hundred years after Ginzberg began, his work remains a fundamental tool of contemporary research and a classic of Jewish literature.

Genres: History, Religion, Judaism, Judaica, Jewish, Reference, Mythology

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Talmudist and leading figure in the Conservative Movement of Judaism of the twentieth century, professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS).

Reviews

[Zaeem Arshad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily one of the longest and most fascinating set of books I have ever read. There’s so much to unpack. As someone raised in the Islamic tradition, I was surprised by how much Islam, it’s traditions and events are inspired by Judaism and its legends. A mandatory reading for anyone who has an interest in the history of the abrahamic religions.

[RONWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Jon Corelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews: Complete Set, originally published in German in the early 20th century and translated into English by Henrietta Szold, is a huge collection of stories based on the Old Testament from oral, folk, legend, and other sources, which give fascinating new or alternative perspectives on the well known events recorded there. The whole big set is divided basically into three parts: the first four volumes give the tradition's stories about major Biblical characters from Adam and Eve to Esther, told in straightforward, clear prose, then come two volumes of extremely detailed and scholarly notes and commentary (in English with occasional quoted Hebrew, usually translated,) and a final volume with a very detailed index.

This work is a treasure trove of endlessly interesting lore which will be new to almost all readers, and is of huge and fundamental importance to anyone seriously interested in Judaism studies, folklore, Old Testament studies, or folk legend traditions.

My review is based on the complete seven volume edition published in 1966 (a reprint of the original 1937-1938 edition) by The Jewish Publication Society of America, and my five star rating is based on the work's appeal to the audience I've described. If your interest in the topics mentioned is less serious, you will still find the work interesting to read around in, though you may not want to invest in the whole set. There are various reprints and abridgements available, and even a Kindle edition, though I haven't seen any of those myself.

The original handsomely printed and bound Jewish Publication Society of America 1966 edition I've mentioned is available as a used book, and I actually managed to find a set in decent condition for a less than astronomical price. So if your interests justify getting the whole set, it's worth while looking around on the internet for the original. Otherwise, Amazon lists various other full and partial reprints, both in book and e-book form.

[Ayman Mohammed Ali Arbash · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a wonderful book give complete view of jew mentality.
I've spent most exciting hours in my reading life with book.