Genesis begins with the making of heaven and earth and all life, and ends with the image of a mummy Joseph's in a coffin. In between come many of the primal stories in Western culture: Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden of Eden, Cain's murder of Abel, Noah and the Flood, the destruction of Sod[...]

Through a distinguished career of critical scholarship and translation, Robert Alter has equipped us to read the Old Testament as a powerful, cohesive work of literature. The culmination of this work, Alter's masterly new translation and probing commentary combine to give contemporary readers the de[...]

A narrative portion of the Hebrew Bible overflowing with action and character, the books included in Ancient Israel move from folk memories of magically powerful figures to a finely wrought historical account of deadly court intrigue - among the greatest in all of Western literature. Taken together [...]

Since it was first published nearly three decades ago, "The Art of Biblical Narrative" has radically expanded the horizons of biblical scholarship by recasting the Bible as not only a human creation, but a work of literary art deserving studied criticism. In his later companion book, "The Art of Bib[...]

In recent years, the problem of consciousness has developed into one of the most important and hotly contested areas in the philosophy of mind. Many philosophers regard consciousness as an entirely physical phenomenon, yet it seems to elude scientific explanation. On the other hand, viewing consciou[...]

The Song of Songs; Ruth; Esther; Jonah; and Daniel offer readers a range of pleasures not usually associated with the Bible. As distant in time from the Five Books of Moses as Updike is from Shakespeare, these Late Biblical books are innovative, entertaining literary works. Women often stand center [...]