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Title: King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Rules Israel by Jonathan Kirsch ISBN: 0-345-43505-2 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 28 August, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.12 (8 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: How NOT to write a biography
Comment: It is very evident that the motive of the author was to debunk the Old Testamentin general, and the biblical David in particular. In doing so, he appears to reference all his material with notated references to the index. Howefver, if you examine these references, many are stated as factual material. In reality, they were previously written by another individual,
and their validity is highly suspect. He uses other versions of the Bible to support his position, and roughly 150 books which he eviscerated passages to support his positions. A fairytale!
Rating: 4
Summary: The David few know
Comment: Kirsch gives us a detailed account of one of the most famous men in history, complete with the good, the bad, the ugly, and the very ugly. The real David is not for Sunday school students. One wonders why he was known as "a man after God's own heart." Kirsch also makes a good point by suggesting that there is almost no extra-biblical evidence for the existence of David or a united monarchy in Jerusalem. Yet the detail and honesty of which multiple books of the Bible speak of David is enough to convince most historians that he existed. However, do not tell your children about him until they are old enough to see an R-rated movie.
Rating: 4
Summary: Kirsch Always Makes Me Think
Comment: Jonathan Kirsch is my favorite type of theological writer. He's not afraid to ask the tough questions about the cornerstones of faith and he's open to a wide variety of possibilities both traditional and liberal. He has a deft hand and obvious faith but his writing lacks the undercurrents (and, often, overtones) of other writers who ram particular points of view down a reader's throat. He is the kind of writer who gets the wheels in your head turning.
This time out Kirsch looks at the biblical figure of King David. He examines what we know of a man who is in many ways the key figure of the Bible. For those of us focused mainly on the New Testament, we need to be reminded that David was the pinnacle of Jewish success and the cornerstone of Messianic thought. It is no coincidence that Matthew and Luke are careful to trace the genealogy of Jesus through David. And Kirsch makes a very interesting case that it is possible that the books that carry the story of David (1 & 2 Samuel) may be among the oldest in the Bible around which even much of the Torah may have had its development.
Certainly, Kirsch reminds us of how very human David is. He is a virile youth and a successful warrior both for and against his countrymen. He is an anointed shepherd who takes years to secure a kingdom which he eventually must defend against his own sons. He is a servant of Yahweh who breaks nearly all the commandments at one time or another but repents. He is a believer but is steeped in pagan ritual and tradition who ultimately is not allowed to build a temple to his God. In the oldest stories, David gives us a glimpse of a people and religion that is trying to make itself into the Judaism we recognize but is still finding its way despite Abraham and Moses.
Ultimately, Kirsch leads us to an understanding of David and his time by fleshing out details and offering explanations for things that get short shrift in the Biblical text. Whether or not you accept all of Kirsch's possibilities, this book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants a clearer picture of the Old Testament world.
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Title: Moses: A Life by Jonathan Kirsch ISBN: 0345412702 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible by Jonathan Kirsch ISBN: 0345418824 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Woman Who Laughed at God : The Untold History of the Jewish People by Jonathan Kirsch ISBN: 0670030090 Publisher: Viking Books Pub. Date: 11 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: King David: A Biography by Steven L. McKenzie ISBN: 0195147081 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel by Robert Alter ISBN: 0393320774 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: September, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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