Unparalled in its poetry, richness, and religious and historical significance, the Hebrew Bible has been the site and center of countless commentaries, perhaps none as unique as "Thinking Biblically." This remarkable collaboration sets the words of a distinguished biblical scholar, Andre LaCocque, and those of a leading philosopher, Paul Ricoeur, in dialogue around six crucial passages from the Old Testament: the story of Adam and Eve; the commandment "thou shalt not kill"; the valley of dry bones passage from Ezekiel; Psalm 22; the Song of Songs; and the naming of God in Exodus 3:14....

Due in large measure to its unique literary genre, the Song of Songs has been interpreted in diverse ways. "Spiritual" readers of the poem have, for example, felt a deep-seated repugnace before its erotic nature. This has led them to employ a variety of artificial devices to tame it: the text has at times been altered, the metaphors have been allegorized, similes have been labeled grotesque, the date of composition has traveled virtually the whole gamut of biblical chronology, the author's purpose has been reduced to nothing, and the poem itself has become an exercise in futility. All of...

Synopsis: The Adam and Eve narrative in Genesis 2-3 has gripped not only biblical scholars, but also theologians, artists, philosophers, and almost everyone else. In this engaging study, a master of biblical interpretation provides a close reading of the Yahwist story. As in his other works, LaCocque makes wise use of the Pseudepigrapha and rabbinic interpretations, as well as the full range of modern interpretations. Every reader will be engaged by his insights. Endorsements: "This book by LaCocque is an important contribution to the numberous studies on the story of paradise. . . . The...

Synopsis: Never before has the problem of evil been a more urgent subject for our reflection. The Yahwist confronts the issue through a sequence of stories on the progressive deterioration of the divine-human relationship in Genesis 2-11. In Genesis 4 he narrates the initial slaughter of one human being by another, and strikingly, it is described as fratricidal. Onslaught Against Innocence: Cain, Abel, and the Yahwist provides a close reading of J's story by using literary criticism and psychological criticism. It shows that the biblical author has more than an "archaeological" design. His...

While in Genesis 2-11 the Yahwist confronts the issue of evil through a sequence of stories on the progressive deterioration of the divine-human relationship, in Genesis 4 he describes the initial slaughter of one human being by another as fratricidal. This book provides a close reading of J's story by using literary criticism and psychological criticism, and shows that the biblical author has more than an -archaeological- design. His characters - including God, Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel, plus minor character - are paradigmatic, as they allow J to proceed with a fine analytical feel for the...

In this book, LaCocque presents the case that Jesus was totally and unquestionably a Jew. He lived as a Jew, thought as a Jew, debated as a Jew, acted as a Jew and died as a Jew. He was not a Jew marginally, but centrally. He had no intention of creating a new religion; rather, he was a reformer of the Judaism of his day. True, his critique went far beyond an intellectual subversion. In fact, Jesus progressively thought of himself as the "Son of Man" inaugurating the advent of the Kingdom of God on earth. LaCocque writes not about Christianity or Christology. Instead the book purposely...

In this book, LaCocque presents the case that Jesus was totally and unquestionably a Jew. He lived as a Jew, thought as a Jew, debated as a Jew, acted as a Jew and died as a Jew. He was not a Jew marginally, but centrally. He had no intention of creating a new religion; rather, he was a reformer of the Judaism of his day. True, his critique went far beyond an intellectual subversion. In fact, Jesus progressively thought of himself as the "Son of Man" inaugurating the advent of the Kingdom of God on earth. LaCocque writes not about Christianity or Christology. Instead the book purposely...