An Educated Man: A Dual Biography of Moses and Jesus

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From this prize-winning and best-selling author comes a magisterial new project: a dual biography, weaving together the preeminent figures of Judeo-Christian civilization and overturning the conventional view of Moses and Jesus as humble men of faith. Rooting the biographies of Moses and Jesus in their historical contexts, Rosenberg reads their narratives as cultural--rather than religious--endeavors. He charges that both Moses and Jesus were "educated" men, steeped in the literature and scholarship of their day. There were no old or new testaments for them, but rather a long history of writing and writers. When professors quote Moses in university courses, or pastors quote Jesus in sermons, they routinely neglect to inform us that Jesus himself is quoting the Hebrew Bible, often in the manner that Moses once quoted Egyptian medical texts. The remarkable ability of both men to recall and transform a wide range of sources is overlooked. Where did they get these profound educations Part biography, part critical analysis, An Educated Man further challenges us to envision what defines "an educated man or woman" today--and how an understanding of our religious history is crucial to it.

Reviews

Praise for The Book of J

"A great book . . . Rosenberg has produced a superb piece of translation." Village Voice Literary Supplement

"David Rosenberg has given a fresh interpretative translation." Washington Post Book World

"Surpassing originality." The New York Times

Praise for A Poet's Bible

"Rosenberg's translations from the Hebrew Bible are the best in the twentieth century without a doubt." The Nation

Author Bio

Poet-scholar David Rosenberg is co-author of the New York Times bestseller, The Book of J (with Harold Bloom), and the former editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society. A poet of Toronto Coach House, New York School, and Jerusalem Cricket lineage, he has published several volumes of poetry. A Literary Bible presents thirty years of his original translation from ancient Hebrew. His A Life in a Poem (Memoir of a Rebellious Bible Translator) was published in 2019.