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Chronicles: Hebrew Text & English Translation
Rare book
376 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1952
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About the author
Abraham Cohen
101 books5 followersAbraham Cohen was a Jewish-British scholar. He was the editor of the Soncino Books of the Bible and also participated in the Soncino translation of the Talmud and Midrash. He attended the University of London and Cambridge and was a minister of Birmingham Hebrew Congregation from 1933.
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October 13, 2016
There are two editions of this book. The first edition was written in late 40s/early 50s, and the second edition was edited in the 90s. Their text is largely identical. This book presents a summary of traditional, rabbinic views of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible.) The editor draws upon a variety of classical classical Jewish sources, such as: the Midrash literature, the Talmud, and the Meforshim - medieval rabbinic Jewish Bible commentators. These include Abraham ibn Ezra, Rashi, Ramban, Radak, Sforno and Ralbag (Gersonides). The first edition of this work also included some (then) modern historical scholarship, including the work of Christian expositors.
A second edition appeared in the 1990s, edited by Rabbi Abraham J. Rosenberg, who has also written for Judaica Press and Artscroll). Unfortunately, instead of updating the historical scholarship, all of that has been removed entirely. The removed material was replaced by additional references to the Midrash literature and medieval Jewish commentators. In a note, the editor talks down to his audience, explaining that removing academic material was necessary because it "diluted" the work. In fact, this material was censored, as part of a long campaign of right-wing Orthodox Jewish authors and editors subtly rewriting Jewish history, to make it conform to modern day Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) ideology. See "Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History" by Marc B. Shapiro for more on that troubling phenomenon.
Nonetheless, both editions of this book function very well as a great repository for English translations of the classic Jewish Bible commentators, which is mostly what I was looking for. As long as the reader is aware that classical interpretations should be read alongside more modern historical analysis - e.g. the JPS Bible Commentary Series, or the Jewish Study Bible, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. - then this series is a great addition to any Jewish household library.
A second edition appeared in the 1990s, edited by Rabbi Abraham J. Rosenberg, who has also written for Judaica Press and Artscroll). Unfortunately, instead of updating the historical scholarship, all of that has been removed entirely. The removed material was replaced by additional references to the Midrash literature and medieval Jewish commentators. In a note, the editor talks down to his audience, explaining that removing academic material was necessary because it "diluted" the work. In fact, this material was censored, as part of a long campaign of right-wing Orthodox Jewish authors and editors subtly rewriting Jewish history, to make it conform to modern day Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) ideology. See "Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History" by Marc B. Shapiro for more on that troubling phenomenon.
Nonetheless, both editions of this book function very well as a great repository for English translations of the classic Jewish Bible commentators, which is mostly what I was looking for. As long as the reader is aware that classical interpretations should be read alongside more modern historical analysis - e.g. the JPS Bible Commentary Series, or the Jewish Study Bible, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. - then this series is a great addition to any Jewish household library.
Displaying 1 of 1 review