Jerome was one of the very few early Christian scholars to know any Hebrew. This new edition of his Questions on Genesis includes an introduction, translation, and commentary to reveal a fascinating work showing a Christian working alongside Jews in an age very different from our own. Jerome's influence on the Church is well known--but this work is equally important for the light thrown on the history and origin of many ideas at the heart of the Jewish tradition.

Ancient peoples regarded names as indicative of character and destiny. The Jews were no exception. All Jews descended from Jacob, who was given the name Israel. The Bible seemed to explain this name as having to do with struggle. But generations following the Bible found in Israel references to seeing God, singing, ruling, being upright, angelic qualities, and much more besides. This book examines those explanations, and attempts to show how they came to be adopted and why.