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.