Twelve Prophets (Soncino Books of the Bible)

by Abraham Cohen

Used in English-speaking countries for more than half a century, the masterful Soncino Books of the Bible series has become the classic English rendering of the Bible. This vast work, painstakingly prepared by scholars under the general editorship of Rabbi Abraham Cohen, contains the complete Hebrew text and an elegant and lucid verse-by-verse translation, as well as an illuminating commentary digest based on the works of classical scholars. Extensive introductions provide invaluable help in understanding each book's purpose. With its compact, practical size and distinctive format, this is the most accessible and complete text for all students of the Bible. Each volume contains an index and a bibliography. The book of the Twelve Prophets is actually a collection of the books of twelve individual prophets, whose prophecies ranged in time through the First Temple period to the very beginning of the Second Temple period.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1948

About the author

Abraham Cohen was a Jewish-British scholar. He was the editor of the Soncino Books of the Bible and also participated in the Soncino translation of the Talmud and Midrash. He attended the University of London and Cambridge and was a minister of Birmingham Hebrew Congregation from 1933.

Reviews

[Robert New England · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are two editions: The 1st was written in late 40s/early 50s, and the 2nd was edited in the 90s. Their text is largely identical. This book presents a summary of traditional, rabbinic views of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible.) The editor draws on many Jewish sources, such as: the Midrash literature, the Talmud, and the Meforshim - medieval rabbinic Jewish Bible commentators. These include Abraham ibn Ezra, Rashi, Ramban, Radak, Sforno and Ralbag (Gersonides). The first edition of this work also included some (then) modern historical scholarship, including the work of Christian bible historians.

A second edition appeared in the 1990s, edited by Rabbi Abraham J. Rosenberg, who has also written for Judaica Press and Artscroll. Unfortunately, instead of updating the historical scholarship, it was removed entirely. The removed material was replaced by additional Midrash. In a note, the editor talks down to his audience, explaining that this was necessary because it "diluted" the work. In fact, historical material was censored, as part of a campaign by right-wing Orthodox Jewish editors, to rewrite Jewish history, making it conform to modern day Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) ideology. See "Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History" by Marc B. Shapiro for more on that troubling phenomenon.

Nonetheless, both editions of this book function very well as a great repository for English translations of the classic Jewish Bible commentators, which is mostly what I was looking for. Also, fortunately, some historical material is preserved in the original editor's introduction, which has not been changed. As long as the reader is aware that classical interpretations should be read alongside more modern historical analysis - e.g. the JPS Bible Commentary Series, or the Jewish Study Bible, edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. - then this series is a great addition to any Jewish household library.