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Joseph and His Brothers

Thomas Mann,

John E. Woods (Translator)

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Nov 23, 2015 Whitney Moore rated it it was amazing

For me, reading this book brought me fully into Bible stories that I knew ABOUT, but now feel I have experienced first-hand. This is a monumental piece of writing that really puts beef on the bones of Bible stories and brings many sticks to LIFE.

Mann must have been filled with the Holy Spirit to write such a magnificent and massive tome. It is beyond “a saga;” it's more like an enormous tapestry woven from themes and threads that contrast one another in vivid array. The whole thing resonates wit For me, reading this book brought me fully into Bible stories that I knew ABOUT, but now feel I have experienced first-hand. This is a monumental piece of writing that really puts beef on the bones of Bible stories and brings many sticks to LIFE.

Mann must have been filled with the Holy Spirit to write such a magnificent and massive tome. It is beyond “a saga;” it's more like an enormous tapestry woven from themes and threads that contrast one another in vivid array. The whole thing resonates with deep echoes and insights that are profound. The only word I can conjure up to describe Mann’s telling of these stories is “poetical.” There may be no such word, but to me, that’s Mann’s voice and it describes what he has done. God has played through him to enrich the overall song. He has been an instrument, and to me, that's poetical.

I highly recommend this book. It is actually four books rolled into one, and therefore seems at times awfully wordy. It may be over-written and, at times, I heard myself thinking “enough already.” But the writing is so excellent that I really didn’t mind. Mann beautifully weaves both past and future into the present tense. And for Joseph, we realize, the present tense was TENSE indeed and more: truly INTENSE. Mann crawls inside Joseph’s entire situation, using ancestors and descendants, warts and all, to reveal the human condition and God’s viewpoint toward it. For the first time, I saw heroes (ex: Joseph and his father) as flawed, while seeing others (ex: Potiphar’s wife) as having an unappreciated side of the story.

Mann was extraordinarily gifted with ability (and agility) to “imaginate” absolutely delicious details, such as a harpist playing in Potiphar’s dining room, who “gently plucked his strings with gaunt, crooked fingers and murmured chants no one could understand. He was blind, as was only proper for a bard, and could also prophesy, though only haltingly and vaguely.” Another example: the entourage that carried Jacob to be reunited with his long-lost, favorite son. Mann writes that “Until his arrival there, he was borne by a clever dromedary with languid eyes and a sunshade attached to its saddle.” Once over the border of Egypt, he was borne by an Egyptian "sedan chair" set on poles that were laid crossways on the backs of two asses or mules. Mann writes that "the old man was a very beautiful and dignified sight to behold, and he knew it as, surrounded by his sons, he sat there on his high perch, cradled in the rocking gait of the wise beast."

The translation by John E. Woods is very readable. I was surprised to find Mann’s sense of humor at times so hilarious that I laughed out loud. This especially happened when he would turn to talk to us, his audience of readers, as though we were gathered as a group at his feet to listen to his stores, as if he is concerned about what we must be thinking and feeling. At the outset, Mann shares his angst about even attempting to put beef on the bones of these Bible stories . He explains that his goal is to move us from knowing ABOUT what happened to KNOWING what happened. He says (on Page 1383 of my edition) that “anyone can know a story, but to be present at it -- that’s the thing.” On the same page, he practically apologizes for the laborious length of his saga, but then hasten to note that “not a soul has budged from the spot.” It’s as though he is keeping an eye on how we readers are faring, which is a very friendly, warm and familiar way of writing. I really liked it.

In short, this is a BIG book, and one best I have ever read. Ever. Yet I find that reading a masterpiece such as this can feel LONELY unless it is shared. Therefore, I am devouring all the reader comments and am only adding mine in hopes of connecting with others feel surrounded by so much treasure.

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