Ancient bible biography in israel narrative national

Review

"A creative reading of the text emerges that helps explain its continual power to shape individual and communal identities far beyond its historical and geographic origins. . . . A wonderfully written book."--"Choice

From the Inside Flap

"Pardes has a remarkable gift for asking new questions about familiar texts and providing fresh insights into old problems.

Ancient bible biography in israel narrative national day

By looking closely at the key metaphors and the narrative details of the biblical story of the formation of the Israelite nation, she has teased out of the text a compelling biography."--Robert Alter, Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature, University of California, Berkeley

"Ilana Pardes elegantly recasts the mythic story of Israel's emergence as the story of the birth, individuation, initiation, and maturity of an emergent subject.

Ambivalences, deferrals, power struggles, and multiple memories all characterize Israel's development and the stories told about it. Through a set of close and graceful readings,