Buy. Read. Now. It takes on both academic biblical criticism and provides the historical rationale for the difficult parts of the Old Testament.
There's a new book out that I want really badly: A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament. I guess I'm going to wait until the paperback version.
Anyway, the OT is a diverse collection of books, written in various times, in various genres, to various audiences. All of these factors, plus the revelation of Jesus Christ, will play a factor in our interpretation. You are currently a player in our shared salvation history, that began in Genesis and continues today. Do not be afraid.
Just going to plug Robert Alter's excellent (imo) translation and note on these verses. He has an even more nuanced take than the blah-blah-blah that conveys the nonsense of it in more hebrew terms. He translates this section as follows
>“7 And these, too, blundered through wine
and through strong drink went astray.
Priest and prophet blundered through strong drink,
were confounded through wine,
went astray through strong drink,
blundered with the seer,
juddered in judgment.
8 For all the tables were covered with vomit,
filth, with no space left.
9 To whom will they teach knowledge
and to whom will they convey lessons?—
to the milk-weaned,
to babes pulled from the breast?
10 For it is filth-pilth, filth-pilth,
vomit-momit, vomit-momit,
a little here, a little there.
11 For in a barbarous tongue
and in alien language
He shall speak to this people
12 to whom He said, “This is rest—leave it for the weary,
and this is repose,” and they did not want to listen.
13 And the word of the LORD became for them—
filth-pilth, filth-pilth,
vomit-momit, vomit-momit,
a little here, a little here.
So that they should walk and stumble backward,
and be broken, snared, and trapped.”
and his comment on the word choice
>“Wildly divergent interpretations have been proposed for these words. The literal sense would seem to be: “precept precept, line line.” But if precepts are at issue here, they are precepts that have been turned into gibberish by these drunkards. The phonetic kinship between tsaw, precept or command, and tsoʾah, filth or excrement, and between qaw, line, and qiʾ, vomit, is surely not accidental. The translation seeks to convey both this correspondence and the effect of gibberish.”
Robert Alter's translation of the Hebrew Bible is currently $73.57 on Amazon. It's kismet! Thought I would have to wait for Christmas to ask for this. Thanks again, mods! Current mood
I really recommend it! His major intention (as I read him) is to illuminate the basic structure of the original text, so you really get a feel for the poetic and narrative forms/tropes these bronze age poets found powerful. Personally, I love thinking about texts that way: trying to see what the author is doing on an intellectual level. It's absolutely wild to me, being pointed to subtle linguistic effects crafted three thousand years ago that have retained the power to move a reader. Makes you think about just how hardwired language is in the brain.
The whole set is kinda expensive, but the second volume has the book of Job, which IMO is his best translation of the Hebrew Bible's most interesting book, for 10 bucks.
>My family is playing that Christmas game where everyone buys a gift then we all fight over them, don't remember the name of the game haha!
White Elephant?
If $59.99 is "around $50," I'd recommend Robert Alter's translation of the Hebrew Bible, which is over half off on Amazon right now. It looks like a great gift - three stately volumes with beautiful covers in a huge gorgeous slipcase, very impressive and regal. More importantly, it really is a great gift - Alter is a genius and his translation is the culmination of a lifetime spent studying the poetry of the original Hebrew. It's a real masterpiece.
I think you'd benefit greatly by getting Pitre and Bergsma's A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament. Pitre and Bergsma are great Catholic scholars, and their work has been received very positively. I suggest picking it up given your concerns!
I think you'd benefit greatly by getting Pitre and Bergsma's A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament. Pitre and Bergsma are great, orthodox Catholic scholars, and their work has been received very positively. I suggest picking it up given your concerns!
I knew that too. I heard Robert Alter who published his retranslation in 2018 and the 'point' of his translation was to bring out the poetry inherent https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hebrew-Bible-Translation-Commentary/dp/0393292495
I highly recommend the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. It only exists in the New Testament, but various individual volumes can be bought for Old Testament books.
I also highly recommend <em>A Catholic Introduction to the Old Testament</em>. It’s awesome.
Folks have been asking about this - wanted to share the link and that it's on sale on Amazon at the moment for those who are interested.
The Alter translation isn't public domain, so I don't have any links, sorry! You can buy a hardcover set for $80 on Amazon, which is the cheapest I've seen it (https://smile.amazon.com/Hebrew-Bible-Translation-Commentary-Three/dp/0393292495). Personally I think it's well worth the money because it does such an incredible job of both poetic translation and scholarly explanations rather than trying to convert you or dumb things down into dry simple English, but understandably a lot of people who don't find the academic study of the Bible as fascinating as I do might not want to throw down 80 bucks just to satisfy a passing curiosity about biblical sex puns.
For what it's worth, the reason the Bible has so many dick/sex puns according to Alter is that the central story of the Bible is about people surviving threats to procreation in order to become prosperous and numerous - the line of humanity passing down from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Jacob and so on keeps nearly getting wiped out, and they are saved by sexual reproduction, so sex is one of the central themes of the Bible (or at least the Old Testament).
For an excellent detailed introduction to the various books of the Old Testament, I recommend
For each OT book it provides answers to the following questions, based upon the latest Catholic Biblical scholarship:
When was it written? Why was it written?
What literary genre(s) are used in it?
What are the common historical questions and/or debates concerning its content?
What are we to make of their laws, stories, histories, and prophecies?
For answering Bible "difficulties", some of which concern reconciling passages with historical evidence that appears to be in contradiction, I recommend
I suppose it can. Not everyone really gets into breaking down all the elements, but I find it particularly interesting. If you're interested in exploring Christian symbolism, I really like Jonathan Pageau. If you're more of a left-brain type, his brother Matthieu wrote a fine book called The Language of Creation.
there are certantly deeply symbolic threads to the Bible especially Genesis. reading it symbolically as a true story opens up new dimensions. just remember that symbolic doesn't mean it's not true. Jordan Peterson has a free YouTube Bible series where he gives his take on the archetypal dimensions of Genesis and exodus.
if you want something more traditional then I would encourage you to read the Ignatius study Bible by Scott Hahn. excellent notes.
but if you want a deeply symbolic deep dive into the macro symbols of the old testament then you could read the language of creation by Matthew pageou https://www.amazon.com/Language-Creation-Cosmic-Symbolism-Genesis-ebook/dp/B07D738HD8
very dense stuff. here is a video series that outlines all.of the chapters. highly recommend the video series. it connects symbolic interpretations with pop culture. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL390xzhnMZ7X7PWW-dhK51bwrvWujCOxl
It's a good academic work and relies on the 1985 Jewish Publication Society Translation which is fine. The best English Translation out there now is Robert Alter's The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary.
He has a translation of the bible with commentary.
I wouldn't look at this for occult interpretation or meaning, although the occult interpretations usually aren't that far removed from exoteric or lay interpretations (despite how much occultists would like to protest), it's just that in the occult the 'fractal' nature of Scripture (whether Abrahamic or Vedantic or Buddhist or whatever) is generally carried to such an extreme that you literally feel the resonance of the passages--you can get this from Jungian interpretation as well (and fwiw, I'd count Jung as an occultist).
But, that said, this is a good translation as far as I can tell (read through the first couple chapters of Genesis) and is modern-enough that you won't strain against the language (like you may with the King James version).
Much of that only makes any sense at all if you understand ancient cosmology and symbolism. Which hardly anybody in modern times does, without a deliberate effort to go and learn about it.
I would highly, highly recommend this book for a start if you want to flip your perceptions upside down (right side up):
>From Robert Alter: > >> If one sustains the assumption that the accused wife is pregnant, the phrase would mean that she retains her pregnancy, now proven to be legitimate, and will be rewarded with progeny
i don't think this follows. the text reads,
>> וְנִקְּתָה, וְנִזְרְעָה זָרַע
these are imperfect tenses; she will be cleared, and she will seed seed ("conceive").
now this may imply that the ancient hebrew author didn't think "seeding" happened until birth, which is an interesting idea.
>The positive evidence that it 'was preformed on or meant to be performed on a pregnant woman' is that the woman was suspected to have engaged in activity that could impregnate her. This ritual rectifies a property crime against the husband, who could be economically and socially disadvantaged by raising an illegitimate child
interestingly, the talmud recommends delaying the punishment apparently for precisely the reason that it could harm a child.
>> Establishing that the state could end a pregnancy does not prove that God was ok with people having abortions
indeed, this is not a woman with bodily autonomy. it's exactly the opposite. she has no choice in the matter; it's an honor killing.
>The effects of the potion come from God, not nature: water and dirt doesn't make an abortifacient. If the passages refer to pregnancy and miscarriage and if you really think this was a ritual commanded by God Himself, then the implications are obvious. It's your choice to believe it, literally
there's a possibility here worth considering. it could be straight placebo. it may never work.
> Yes, "thigh" is a euphemism as it often is, but it's not a euphemism for "womb" but of the primary sexual organs of both sexes. That her sexual organs will rot away
בִטְנָ֔הּ "belly" is used as a euphemism for womb: "her belly will swell and her thigh sag". The word וְנָפְלָ֖ה is more commonly translated by modern scholars as "sag" or "fall away", not rot
> The passage indicates that the women in question is not pregnant at the time
No, it doesn't. The women is suspected to have engaged in "seed-coupling" (13 Alter) and "[if] a man other than your husband has put his semen in you..." (20 Alter). If the woman engaged in intercourse, it's likely that she is now pregnant
> then she will be free of ill effects and will be able to bear children
From Robert Alter:
> If one sustains the assumption that the accused wife is pregnant, the phrase would mean that she retains her pregnancy, now proven to be legitimate, and will be rewarded with progeny
The positive evidence that it 'was preformed on or meant to be performed on a pregnant woman' is that the woman was suspected to have engaged in activity that could impregnate her. This ritual rectifies a property crime against the husband, who could be economically and socially disadvantaged by raising an illegitimate child
> Establishing that the state could end a pregnancy does not prove that God was ok with people having abortions
The effects of the potion come from God, not nature: barley flour, water, and dirt doesn't make an abortifacient. If the passages refer to pregnancy and miscarriage and if you really think this was a ritual commanded by God Himself, then the implications are obvious
Since you like Harold Boom.
Have you heard of "The Book of J"?
it's co-authored by Harold Bloom and really opened up the Pentateuch for me.
Perhaps not a good first option, but something to consider:
The Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox.
Fox is a Jewish scholar, so you won't get a good Christian theology of the Pentateuch, but his translation is refreshing and has some nice commentary notes through as well.
Textbooks:
A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament https://www.amazon.com/dp/1586177222/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_A87HR9A8VJMT4VXX2KND
An Introduction to the New Testament (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0300140169/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9DBYQ11KRA86K87PBN50
The best Bible translation out there is the New Revised Standard Bible.
The best web resource is Bible Hub. You can get into excellent Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, concordances, and helpful information
My advice it that as you begin to study scripture do not approach it as a theology textbook. It isn’t. It also isn’t an instruction manual that tells you how to get to heaven. That’s not what the Bible is.
Rather study the narrative, the big stories it tells. The. Bible is a library of (primarily) stories that engage and advance grand stories about who God is, what God is doing, how God is asking humans to be his agents and coworkers, how Jesus fulfilled Gods promises, and what all of this is leading to in new creation.
I love Robert Alter’s Translations. There is no Hebrew though, it is a full English translation. I find it to be a beautiful mix of traditional commentary infused with history and modern opinion. I’m also linking you to a book I love that’s just about Jewish history and it’s timeline. It’s pages are large and colorful with awesome maps. It’s filled with tons of information and is really accessible. Also, a small gift could be a “birkat habayit”. It a blessing for the home and if you google it you can find beautiful paintings, plaques, and works of art. So it’s Jew-ish and artsy. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393292495/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_TVGNR3EDN8KTK4E2Z4JM
The Timechart History of Jewish Civilization (Timechart series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785819177/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_QV3FEJPJ5X2RAT03TAEM
Catholic Introduction to the Bible: Old Testament covers a lot of interesting details for the Old Testament, going through each book one by one. I think the authors are working on a book for the New Testament as well, but it's not released yet.
The best explanation of this is in a book called the language of creation by Mathieu pageau.
The Language of Creation: Cosmic Symbolism in Genesis https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D738HD8/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_P5FAKP21NCB20248W2H0
Here's a sample of the book
"The Creator of Space and Time: Positive and Negative Who forms light and creates darkness?
Who makes peace and creates evil? I am the Lord who makes them all.
As discussed in chapters 22 and 23, the name of God (I Am what I Am) revealed on Mount Horeb is the seed-like principle of all Mosaic laws. More importantly, that tautology is the metaphysical principle of ‘space’ on the cosmic level. Applying this formula to the cosmic scale implies “I am in heaven what I am on earth,” which means outward fact (earth) perfectly expresses inward meaning (heaven). This is precisely the definition of ‘space’ in biblical cosmology. It is also the quality of all things straight, true, and correct. Conversely, the negation of God’s identity produces the following contradiction: “I am not what I am,” which is also the principle of ‘time’ and flooded land on the cosmic scale. This negative name means that outward fact (earth) and inward meaning (heaven) "
Highly recommend Robert Alters translation for all your Tanakh needs. He is an expert in ancient Hebrew, a professor at UC Berkley, and his commentary/context is fantastic.
To really understand the Tanakh you need the commentary to give you an idea of what was going on in the Era it was written.
Believe all of it, but in the correct context. Genesis 1 is still a useful text but we have to understand it in a symbolic or phenomenological way, which came naturally to ancient people and does not come naturally to us.
This isn't a pivot, because the symbolic sense is the sense it always was understood, first of all. Ancient people were fluent in symbol, and it's beside the point whether or not they took all the symbols as being literally materially true as well as symbolically true. The meaning part of it was what mattered.
When the Greeks proved the earth was round this didn't cause anyone a problem with the Bible describing it as if it's flat. Centuries later when it was proved the earth moved it wasn't (and still isn't, for almost anybody) a problem that the Bible talks about it like it's fixed. These parts of the Bible can still be coherent, inasmuch as most of the time we don't care that the earth is a ball that moves, we interact with it as a flat surface that's fixed in place which the sun rises and sets over.