How to Read the Jewish Bible

by Marc Zvi Brettler

In his new book, master Bible scholar and teacher Marc Brettler argues that today's contemporary readers can only understand the ancient Hebrew Scripture by knowing more about the culture that produced it. And so Brettler unpacks the literary conventions, ideological assumptions, and historical conditions that inform the biblical text and demonstrates how modern critical scholarship and archaeological discoveries shed light on this fascinating and complex literature.
Brettler surveys representative biblical texts from different genres to illustrate how modern can read these texts. He guides us in reading the Bible as it was read in the biblical period, independent of later religious norms and interpretive traditions. Understanding the Bible this way lets us appreciate it as an interesting text that speaks in multiple voices on profound issues.
Although the emphasis of How to Read the Jewish Bible is on showing contemporary Jews, as well as Christians, how they can relate to the Bible in a more meaningful way, readers at any level of religious faith can benefit greatly from this comprehensive but remarkably clear guide to interpreting the Jewish Bible.

Genres: Judaism, Religion, Jewish, Theology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Judaica

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ted Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a somewhat old exposition on reading the Jewish Bible in terms of archeological, social history, and other means by a major scholar with a well formed career of writing scholarly and popular works on modern criticism. There now are a large number of helpful guides for non-specialists to reading the Hebrew Bible. This is a good book for church or synagogue libraries.

Christians like me need to grasp the many and various ways Jews read their scriptures and how those reading differ from Christian exposition. For readers with background in popular but serious lay biblical studies this work will be fairly easy though it covers a large history of how scholars have pursued biblical studies. It is important to understand many ways exist to be Jewish (and Christian),

[Matthew Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great introduction to the historical-critical study of the Hebrew Bible. Instead of merely summarizing, highlighting important points, and alluding to important academic considerations of the Hebrew Bible, Brettler dove into how historical criticism can be used throughout the Hebrew Bible. Brettler presented the book using easy-to-understand language that should be accessible to a general audience (It would be great for an undergrad class on the Hebrew Bible) while still presenting quality scholarship, allowing a more dedicated reader to dive into these ideas if desired.

[Samuel Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple introduction to the historical-critical view of the Hebrew Bible. Kugel is so much better at this general endeavor, that Brettler pales some in comparison, but it's still a competent, readable introduction at the 50,000 foot level. One does remember in reading this book how much of historical-critical Bible scholarship is best understood as a literary (rather than a "scientific") enterprise even as the field relies on the imprimatur of science for much of its authority. One important takeaway from this book is the appreciation of how frustrating it must be for a practicing Jew to see only Hasidism on the one hand and Christians and the "Old Testament" on the other. I don't know that the book has changed my sense of the Hebrew Bible much, but it does help me think more carefully about the experience of many modern Jews encountering these texts. [NB: I'm a practicing Mormon and not a biblical literalist/fundamentalist; I've been a fan of Kugel for decades.]

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the historical-critical method of reading the Hebrew Bible. Clear & engaging. If James Kugel's books on the Bible are upperclass college level reading & Robert Alter's writings are more like graduate student level, this book by Brettler seems ideal for a college freshman or sophomore survey course. I enjoyed reading it – consolidated some things I already knew & learned some things I didn't know. I'm keeping it handy to refer to as I go through the Conservative movement's "Perek Yomi" ("A Chapter a Day") program.

[Jared Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a Biblical scholar, but from my vantage point the book fairly assesses biblical content. Brettler definitely highlights his own opinions, but he makes sure to at least point out that there are other approaches, especially in his notes (e.g. "A different understanding of Genesis 1:27 sees..." (p. 294) or "According to some scholars wisdom is hypostasized here as a deity. For different views, see..." (p. 328)).

When he presents his own arguments, he is specific and refers to specific lines of text (long and short) that bring home his point. For example, in his discussion of the second creation story (Genesis 2:4b-3:24) he defends his claim that "[t]he Garden Story is about immortality lost and sexuality gained" by pointing out (1) Adam and Eve were immortal (based on an inference from Gen 2:17) and then (2) they (Adam and Eve) "perceived that they were naked" (Gen 3:7) (and soon after "the man knew his wife Eve..."). Furthermore, he points out that "in the Garden story God does not tell them to 'be fertile and increase' as they were told in the first creation story," i.e. they were immortal and had not yet discovered their sexuality. But here, as elsewhere, you only have to go to his notes to see "a detailed, but different treatment of the story" (p. 295).

In this and other points, Brettler consistently brings up similar literature from the Ancient Near East. He is adamant about identifying the genre of any particular text, in order to better interpret the text -- which ties in with his point to read the Bible "like an ancient Israelite." He is very clear when identifying the presence of ambiguity (see esp. his chapter on Job) and susses out the plethora of contradictions in the Bible (e.g. his examination of Proverbs or his observation that the author of Chronicles "knew sources describing more than one way to cook the paschal lamb" (p. 281).

This is not an exhaustive work, but rather an introduction. I was often left wanting more, but given the stated scope of this book, I can't really blame Brettler. Something I noticed is that he relies on a few stock examples to illustrate different points -- I would have liked more examples, even if they weren't as good. Perhaps in some areas, Brettler could have been better about stating counterarguments.

On the whole, this is a great book that has made the Bible feel more relevant to me. I also have a higher regard for the Bible because of this book. I love that he is unafraid to acknowledge the composite nature of the Bible and doesn't act as an apologist for its weak points. This attitude toward the Bible is empowering and encourages well-rounded reasoning. I rate it 5-stars.

[Howard Lazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brettler has written a scholarly volume regarding his historical/critical method of how the Jewish Bible came to be and what it was meant to mean. I was fairly familiar with much of what he wrote on the earlier books, less so one the later books. Perhaps not surprisingly, his writing on the more difficult books of the Bible is also more difficult to read and comprehend. I found the final chapter regarding how he combines this mode of study with his own personal beliefs most interesting and relevant. I don't consider this an easy read, but I do recommend it for anyone interested in this subject.

[Kyra Boisseree · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found the content of this book very interesting, since Biblical history is one of my favorite periods of history, this book was a bit too much on the dry side for me. About 2/3rds of the way through, I also found myself wishing for more of a “conclusion” to his argument, since “this is how this text likely developed, this is its historical context” actually stopped being enough for me. Basically, I ended up wanting a more rabbinical interpretation of everything he was saying. I wanted something like the very last chapter at the end of every chapter.

[Joe Q. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the Bible from an academic-historial perspective. Easy to read and understand, even for those with no Hebrew. It is laid out like a textbook for an undergraduate or adult-education course.

Those who understand even some Hebrew, and those who are already familiar with the structure and academic study of the Jewish Bible, will likely find the book too basic. The similarly titled book by James Kugel covers the same topic in a somewhat more nuanced way.

[Jonathan Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent scholarship and highly accessible.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive, albeit sometimes overly-skeptical, historical-critical take on the Hebrew Bible.

[Brigham Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Grant Hardy's Understanding the Book of Mormon, but by a Jew about the Bible

[James Bremner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author states in the introduction that he wishes to write an introduction to the historical-critical method of studying the Bible. He achieves this admirably with clear explanation. Not only is a broad sweep of the Hebrew Bible covered, but the chosen examples to be explored in more depth are interesting. I also own The Oxford Bible Commentary, and much of the same material can be found there in more depth.
As a Christian, while I found much of the historical facts and explanations for the dating of the books interesting and useful, there were times when I could not accept the conclusions as contradicting the revelation given in the New Testament (e.g. the claim that no Exodus happened; this seems to contradict the understanding of the New Testament of Jewish history).
I must also note that the final chapter, where the author attempts to reconcile his scholarly view of the Hebrew Bible just explained with his faith as a Jew, was disappointing. It was underdeveloped for the scale of the problem and his conclusion seemed to be that he simply chose to ignore some of what he has just expounded as historical fact.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without getting too deep into texts, this book give a great survey of what Christians call the Old Testament and what Jews revere as their holy book. Brettler explains the development of Jewish Bible, the various critical forms, and the history of the numerous writers. This book provides a great starting point for deeper theological study and reflection of a text that millions claim to follow, but few truly understand.