 April 1995; Knopf; 446 pages. Book Description Is it possible to approach him not as an object of religious reverence, but as the protagonist of the world's greatest book--as a character who possesses all the depths, contradictions, and ambiguities of a Hamlet? This is the task that Jack Miles--a former Jesuit trained in religious studies and Near Eastern languages--accomplishes with such brilliance and originality in God: A Biography. Using the Hebrew Bible as his text, Miles shows us a God who evolves through his relationship with man, the image who in time becomes his rival. Here is the Creator who nearly destroys his chief creation: the bloodthirsty warrior and the protector of the downtrodden; the lawless law-giver; the scourge and the penitent. Profoundly learned, stylishly written, the resulting work illuminates God and man alike and returns us to the Bible with a sense of discovery and wonder. From the Back Cover A tour de force. . . . The twists and turns of this formidable reading offer more than enough to stir up people who are at ease in Zion, and those who are not . . . Mr. Miles has accomplished what others failed to try. He has made a certain literary sense of the character God. A brilliant, audacious book. Effortlessly interweaving the voices of scholar, teacher, and inquisitive layman, Miles takes the reader into the very heart of the Bible.... He has cracked it open for anyone to see. Learned, gracefully written ... frequently dizzying, sometimes exhilarating.... A marvel. A remarkable tour de force.... The most subtle and erudite of page-turners.... Nothing less than a revelation. More Info & Purchase |
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God: A Biography |