[Thoughts on] The Bible

While on vacation I came across the French "Philosophie" magazine's special summer issue on the Bible, i.e. the Old Testament. The wonderful and not always comprehensible stories of the Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, Abraham's fatherhood at 100, Abraham's apparent inhumanity in the face of the banishment of Ishmael, Abraham's apparent inhumanity in the sacrifice of Isaac, the story of Joseph and his brothers, are all commented by philosophers living or dead, with more or less pertinence, understanding and wisdom...

Those stories and others like the story of Jacob and Rachel, which inspired Thomas Mann to 'fill out' the biblical author's tendency to concision and obfuscation of insight (we are told what happens but rarely why or what thinking led to specific actions), are very intriguing - both in literary and spiritual terms.

For example, how can one understand the notion of human sacrifice? Abraham for example, was willing to sacrifice both of his children, his only children. He sends off his firt-born, Ishmael, into the desert with Agar with nothing more than some bread and water... no sheep, no donkey, no nothin'. Then, soon after, he is  willing to sacrifice the son he had at 100 with Sarah (who was 94 at the time) who, for all he knows will be his only son (it turns out he will have other children, and sons, with future wives - and there was no viagra at the time...).

What is funny is that the conversation between Abraham and God used to sound surreal, or not how normal "people" speak. With modern times, it now, funnily enough, sounds more or less like a cell phone conversation... "Abraham?" "Here I am."... (As usual, the biblical author doesn't say where the conversation takes place or how, there is basically just a transcript.)

What is incredible is that Genesis is practically not much more than a short story - in my English version it is about 68 pages long, it is even less in my Hebrew version. And within those pages, how many stories! how much subtext! how much possible commentary! It is teeming with history, geneology, creation, destruction, incredible love stories, treachery, murder, birth, death, new beginnings, vices of all sorts, angels, nation-building, leaving home, homecomings, deception, generosity, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Garden of Eden, kings and paupers, fidelity and adultery, the many faces of man, the many facets of God... 68 pages. Rich, dense, intriguing, fascinating... Just for a little perspective, Thomas Mann wrote over 1300 pages in Joseph and His Brothers 'filling out' just a few pages from Genesis.

Well friends, it looks like it is time, for me, to reread it. First in English and then I will try again in Hebrew. I hope I gave you the desire to read it again too...