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Jonah in the Shadows of Eden
Yitzhak Berger advances a distinctive and markedly original interpretation of the biblical book of Jonah that resolves many of the ambiguities in the text. Berger contends that the Jonah text pulls from many inner-biblical connections, especially ones relating to the Garden of Eden. These connections provide a foundation for Berger's reading of the story, which attributes multiple layers of meaning to this carefully crafted biblical book. Focusing on Jonah's futile quest and his profoundly troubled response to God's view of the sins of humanity, Berger shows how the book paints Jonah as a pacifist no less than as a moralist.
151 pages, Hardcover
Published July 4, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 1, 2025
Years ago—many, really as I fast approach a double-digit anniversary of turning 21—there was a language arts teacher in either my junior or senior year of high school who left an impression. Admittedly, both then and now it was not my favorite English (as we called it) class of the many I was in before graduating; most notably and in the ‘esteemed’ opinion of students like us who probably did not know any better, our teacher seemed to over-analyze, looking for symbolism where it may not exist.
While reading Jonah in the Shadows of Eden, I could not help but recall these classes because here in a book that may not necessarily be robust in terms of page length (about 130 without footnotes and just over 200 with and yes, the notes should be read), we get something that goes incredibly deep into the Hebrew potentially looking for connections and yes, symbolism, where the original author(s) perhaps did not intend for it.
With that said, while this is an English book and even mainly sticks to presenting Hebrew in transliterated form (strangely, I may add as those who would read a book like this probably know Hebrew enough to read it in its original alphabet), it’s far and away not for beginners. “James Kugel takes us down a guided tour of quirky biblical oddities this is not” nor is it a highly detailed yet surprisingly readable semantic commentary on the Garden story such as what Ziony Zevit accomplished (highly recommend that one!).
Jonah in the Shadows of Eden, sadly, is full of great points, but lacks the easier readability of even Zevit’s book and one starts to wonder if every surprising connection the author digs up is really there for that reason or if it’s just an example of perhaps digging too deeply. While this sounds like a pan (and in a way, it is), there are still some interesting connections brought up most notably in comparing Jonah with Cain. The wordplay is there, but like other potential linkages, is that really Jonah’s author’s intent or is Jonah, the man, simply...a reluctant prophet?
For those with a solid background in biblical Hebrew, not those like myself that can only read it (and in my case, not that quickly), there may be some nuggets here. But for those more on the lay spectrum of Scripture study, this one’s probably not for you.
---Notable Highlights---
“In the story of Jonah, the prophet seeks out and/or occupies numerous locations that, in one way or another, provide refuge. All these locations, moreover, evoke suggestive associations with a divine abode reminiscent of Eden.”
“the sailors exclaim mah-zō’t ‘āśîtā (“What have you done?”; Jonah 1:10), the same question that God poses to Eve after she partakes of the forbidden tree (mah-zō’t ‘āśît; Gen 3:13).”
“Then, we learn that Jonah “went forth . . . and stationed himself east of the city” (Jonah 4:5), just as Cain “went forth . . . and stationed himself . . . east of Eden” (Gen 4:16).”
“In the entirety of his reply, Jonah means to resolve the very uncertainty implied by the two senses of the sailors’ question: is he the culprit, so that they must dispose of him, or is the Lord prodding the sailors to ensure the fulfillment of the divine command?”
While reading Jonah in the Shadows of Eden, I could not help but recall these classes because here in a book that may not necessarily be robust in terms of page length (about 130 without footnotes and just over 200 with and yes, the notes should be read), we get something that goes incredibly deep into the Hebrew potentially looking for connections and yes, symbolism, where the original author(s) perhaps did not intend for it.
With that said, while this is an English book and even mainly sticks to presenting Hebrew in transliterated form (strangely, I may add as those who would read a book like this probably know Hebrew enough to read it in its original alphabet), it’s far and away not for beginners. “James Kugel takes us down a guided tour of quirky biblical oddities this is not” nor is it a highly detailed yet surprisingly readable semantic commentary on the Garden story such as what Ziony Zevit accomplished (highly recommend that one!).
Jonah in the Shadows of Eden, sadly, is full of great points, but lacks the easier readability of even Zevit’s book and one starts to wonder if every surprising connection the author digs up is really there for that reason or if it’s just an example of perhaps digging too deeply. While this sounds like a pan (and in a way, it is), there are still some interesting connections brought up most notably in comparing Jonah with Cain. The wordplay is there, but like other potential linkages, is that really Jonah’s author’s intent or is Jonah, the man, simply...a reluctant prophet?
For those with a solid background in biblical Hebrew, not those like myself that can only read it (and in my case, not that quickly), there may be some nuggets here. But for those more on the lay spectrum of Scripture study, this one’s probably not for you.
---Notable Highlights---
“In the story of Jonah, the prophet seeks out and/or occupies numerous locations that, in one way or another, provide refuge. All these locations, moreover, evoke suggestive associations with a divine abode reminiscent of Eden.”
“the sailors exclaim mah-zō’t ‘āśîtā (“What have you done?”; Jonah 1:10), the same question that God poses to Eve after she partakes of the forbidden tree (mah-zō’t ‘āśît; Gen 3:13).”
“Then, we learn that Jonah “went forth . . . and stationed himself east of the city” (Jonah 4:5), just as Cain “went forth . . . and stationed himself . . . east of Eden” (Gen 4:16).”
“In the entirety of his reply, Jonah means to resolve the very uncertainty implied by the two senses of the sailors’ question: is he the culprit, so that they must dispose of him, or is the Lord prodding the sailors to ensure the fulfillment of the divine command?”
October 17, 2022
This was certainly one of the most compelling academic works that I have ever read. Recommended by Dr. Tooman, Berger makes a case here for the plentiful intertextual links that Jonah builds to various texts all across the Hebrew Bible. He is careful and extremely clever in his approach, and the links that he finds are impressive. I'm not sure about some of them, but that could very well be because a certain degree of Berger's writing felt above my head and difficult to penetrate. Hopefully a few more years in the academy and a bit more comfortability with Biblical Hebrew, and I will be able to revisit and follow Berger's conclusions entirely. Excited to revisit this book and potentially explore his other work.
Highly recommend to those interested in Hebrew Bible Biblical Studies, particularly with an eye towards allusion.
Highly recommend to those interested in Hebrew Bible Biblical Studies, particularly with an eye towards allusion.
March 8, 2024
In the succinct style of Hebrew prose, not a word was wasted in this book. Literally every paragraph blew my mind. I had to set my note-taking pen down and just let myself soak it in. What Berger brings out of the Hebrew is stunning and made me fall even more in love with the book of Jonah. Already planning to reread.
July 2, 2022
The devil’s in the details. And also the Genesis story.
Such a cool book. A dense but snappy introduction to the insanely complex structure of biblical literature. I’d definitely revisit this again after doing Hebrew. Many thanks to Tim Mackie and his library.
Such a cool book. A dense but snappy introduction to the insanely complex structure of biblical literature. I’d definitely revisit this again after doing Hebrew. Many thanks to Tim Mackie and his library.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews