The Legends of the Jews, 2-volume set

by Louis Ginzberg, Paul Radin (Contributor), David M. Stern (Foreword)

The JPS classic reissue of a Jewish masterpiece, reset in two volumes with all new indexes To this day Legends of the Jews remains a most remarkable and comprehensive compilation of stories connected to the Hebrew Bible. It is an indispensable reference on that body of literature known as Midrash, the imaginative retelling and elaboration on Bible stories in which mythological tales about demons and magic co-exist with moralistic stories about the piety of the patriarchs. Legends is the first book to which one turns to learn about the postbiblical understanding of a biblical episode, or to discover the source for biblical legends that cannot be traced directly to the Bible. It is also the first place to find the answers to such questions as: on what day was Abraham born; what was Moses' physical appearance, or what was the name of Potiphar’s wife.

Launched in 1901 by The Jewish Publication Society, the original project began as a single volume of 1,000 pages but grew much larger by 1938, when the seventh volume containing the indexes was finally published. Louis Ginzberg was 28 years old when Henrietta Szold, secretary of the Society, prepared the contract for what was conceived as a small, popular volume on Jewish legends. As the scion of two distinguished rabbinical families, Ginzberg studied in the great Lithuanian yeshivot of Telz and Slobodka. Later he received his secular education at Strassburg and Heidelberg universities. This combination of religious and secular learning enabled him to pursue with great passion the wide-ranging roots of Jewish legend. Ginzberg believed that Jewish legend was both earlier and greater than what was represented in the Talmud and midrashic collections—the primary Rabbinic sources. And so he scoured Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Oriental sources to rediscover the fine threads of Jewish legend. The result was a masterpiece: a single, coherent collection of legends that follows the biblical narrative, accompanied by detailed notes that reveal a complex subtext of often intersecting and multi-layered levels of influence, borrowed notions, and interpretive commentaries.

Four new indexes and a new introduction by David Stern, Professor of Postbiblical and Medieval Hebrew Literature, and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, complete the reissue of one of the greatest classics of modern Jewish literature.

Genres: History, Religion, Judaism, Jewish, Judaica, Reference, Mythology

1650 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Talmudist and leading figure in the Conservative Movement of Judaism of the twentieth century, professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS).

Reviews

[Zaeem Arshad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily one of the longest and most fascinating set of books I have ever read. There’s so much to unpack. As someone raised in the Islamic tradition, I was surprised by how much Islam, it’s traditions and events are inspired by Judaism and its legends. A mandatory reading for anyone who has an interest in the history of the abrahamic religions.

[RONWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Jon Corelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews: Complete Set, originally published in German in the early 20th century and translated into English by Henrietta Szold, is a huge collection of stories based on the Old Testament from oral, folk, legend, and other sources, which give fascinating new or alternative perspectives on the well known events recorded there. The whole big set is divided basically into three parts: the first four volumes give the tradition's stories about major Biblical characters from Adam and Eve to Esther, told in straightforward, clear prose, then come two volumes of extremely detailed and scholarly notes and commentary (in English with occasional quoted Hebrew, usually translated,) and a final volume with a very detailed index.

This work is a treasure trove of endlessly interesting lore which will be new to almost all readers, and is of huge and fundamental importance to anyone seriously interested in Judaism studies, folklore, Old Testament studies, or folk legend traditions.

My review is based on the complete seven volume edition published in 1966 (a reprint of the original 1937-1938 edition) by The Jewish Publication Society of America, and my five star rating is based on the work's appeal to the audience I've described. If your interest in the topics mentioned is less serious, you will still find the work interesting to read around in, though you may not want to invest in the whole set. There are various reprints and abridgements available, and even a Kindle edition, though I haven't seen any of those myself.

The original handsomely printed and bound Jewish Publication Society of America 1966 edition I've mentioned is available as a used book, and I actually managed to find a set in decent condition for a less than astronomical price. So if your interests justify getting the whole set, it's worth while looking around on the internet for the original. Otherwise, Amazon lists various other full and partial reprints, both in book and e-book form.

[Ayman Mohammed Ali Arbash · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a wonderful book give complete view of jew mentality.
I've spent most exciting hours in my reading life with book.