An interesting, approachable retelling of a well-established history.
A readable look at the rulers of the Jewish people, spanning more than a millennium.
Gelb presents a compilation of the lives of Jewish rulers from ancient King Saul to the puppet ruler Agrippa, who saw Jerusalem fall to the Romans. The book profiles the dozens of men and two women who ruled over Judah, Israel or some other manifestation of the Jewish nation through a vast period of history. Ancient Jewish history is both well-documented and highly engaging, and Gelb takes advantage of both characteristics in crafting a book based upon these rulers’ lives. Whether the stories are well-known, such as David or Solomon, or more obscure, such as tongue-twister monarchs Jehoahaz or Pekahiah, the material is rich, epic and certain to maintain interest. Gelb’s narrative style is highly readable and holds the reader’s attention. The author also provides worthwhile historical background throughout, especially at crucial junctures such as the move to captivity in Babylon and the Maccabean Revolt. Though an instructive read, this book is not necessarily a fresh addition to the overall body of work in Jewish history. Indeed, most of what Gelb includes is found either in the Hebrew scriptures, i.e., the Old Testament, or the Apocrypha. Gelb’s contribution is not so much providing original research or fresh interpretation, but instead making this history more approachable to the modern reader, regardless of prior knowledge of Jewish history. Though the book is a history of the leaders of God’s chosen people, in Gelb’s chronicle, God has little or no agency. When God communicates or acts, it is only “According to the Bible” or as “The Bible describes.” As such, Gelb’s account is rooted deeply in historical critical methods, and readers of established personal faith may find it off-putting to some degree.
An interesting, approachable retelling of a well-established history.Pub Date: July 31, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-595-46568-2
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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