I was assigned this translation for a class on the Book of Genesis. I really enjoyed it because Alter gives concise yet complete footnotes and excellent added info, like charts and a comprehensive forward.
Why only translate the Book of Genesis? Well, it's a pretty debated text. Aside from the oft-argued tale of creation (of which there are 2 in here, so look closely), Genesis was traditionally seen as written by Moses on Mt. Sinai. However, theologians and some scholars have argued that Genesis was compiled by 4 different authors; this was called the historiocritical approach. They were able to tell this by variations in the writing style, such as language and where emphasis was placed, and added/removed/corrected details from the author.
All these things in a story add up to what a reader is supposed to take away from a text. The morals in the stories have different political and societal connotations. For instance, some think the Rape of Dinah (Gen 34) was written by a rabbi or a patriarch; it was a warning to women who strayed from home. On the other hand, Rebecca's tale (Gen 24) was likely influenced by a feminist and/or woman writer. This approach assumes historical context comes into play and also explains why some stories have two different versions (like Noah and his ark- check again how many animals he took into it).
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| It likely was a lot more than what most believe. |
Alter writes more historiocritical than traditionalist, but even a steadfast Jew/Christian can appreciate this thorough translation for the added perspectives of religious heroes. Nonbelievers can come away from this book with a better understanding of what it meant to live in this time.
For those who would do better with an illustrated version of Genesis, I highly recommend this little project- The Bible in Legos. Who says smiting can't be fun?!
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