Legends of the Jews
Overview
A masterpiece of Jewish literature, Legends of the Jews presents a comprehensive compilation of remarkable 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.
The late scholar Louis 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.
Turn to Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews 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 a 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?
Legends of the Jews has long been recognized as one of the great classics of modern Jewish literature. Originally published in six volumes, this edition features an introduction by David Stern, Professor of Postbiblical and Medieval Hebrew Literature, and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Top Highlights
“And this high priest instructed Abraham in the laws of the priesthood and in the Torah, and to prove his friendship for him he blessed him, and called him the partner of God in the possession of the world, seeing that through him the Name of God had first been made known among men.” (Page 196)
“This Macedonian sage, accompanied by forty learned magicians, journeyed from country to country, until they came to the land beyond India, in the direction of Paradise. They hoped there to find some wood of the tree of life, and thus spread their fame abroad over the whole world. Their hope was frustrated. When they arrived at the spot, they found healing trees and wood of the tree of life, but when they were in the act of stretching forth their hands to gather what they desired, lightning darted out of the ever-turning sword, smote them to the ground, and they were all burnt.” (Page 157)
“The accident made Jacob apprehensive that his sons were not pious enough to be considered worthy of the revelation concerning the Messianic era, and he said to them, ‘Ishmael and the sons of Keturah were the blemished among the issue of my grandfather Abraham; my father Isaac begot a blemished issue in Esau, and I fear now that among you, too, there is one that harbors the intention to serve idols.’ The twelve men spake, and said: ‘Hear, O Israel, our father, the Eternal our God is the One Only God.” (Page 406)
“When it became known to Ham that his father had cursed him, he fled ashamed, and with his family he settled in the city built by him, and named Neelatamauk for his wife. Jealous of his brother, Japheth followed his example. He likewise built a city which he named for his wife, Adataneses. Shem was the only one of the sons of Noah who did not abandon him. In the vicinity of his father’s home, by the mountain, he built his city, to which he also gave his wife’s name, Zedeketelbab.” (Pages 155–156)
Nothing better illustrates the odd intimacy of the Bible and interpretation than Legends of the Jews, a… set of biblical interpretations that was compiled by the famous Judaic scholar Louis Ginzburg nine decades ago, and that remains unsurpassed and indispensable today.
—Boston Book Review
One of the masterworks of twentieth century Jewish scholarship was Louis Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, or, more accurately, Legends of the Bible... For scholars, Ginzberg's book is a monumental work of research. But for the general reader, it is a gateway into a world, a world where the imagination roamed and the spirit was free. You will discover that Adam had a previous wife, before Eve, that Cain repented and was forgiven, that Abraham missed Ishmael and went to see him several times after the expulsion, and that Rebecca was a worthy successor to Sarah. If you are not a scholar, put aside the two volumes of notes for a while and enjoy the legends themselves. The Bible will never be the same for you again, if you do.
—Rabbi Jack Reimer, South Florida Jewish Journal
A truly monumental work of scholarship... Read for pleasure by millions of Jews and Christians, consulted by students, scholars, and ordinary folk, Legends of the Jews has itself become legendary, the magnum opus of one of the twentieth century's greatest and most original Jewish scholars.
—James R. Kugel
- Title: Legends of the Jews
- Author: Louis Ginzberg
- Edition: 2nd ed.
- Publisher: Jewish Publication Society
- Print Publication Date: 2003
- Logos Release Date: 2007
- Pages: 1482
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Legends, Jewish; Midrash › Translations into English; Bible. O.T. › Legends; Haggadah › Translations into English
- Resource ID: LLS:LEGNDSJEWS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:12:13Z
Reviews
6 ratings
Brad Shockley
12/4/2017
MDD
4/5/2017
Dave Crosby
1/11/2015
An excellent reference work. A must have to understand the sociological context of Jewish thought within the cultural mélange.
Dr. André Villeneuve
10/22/2013
A great resource, but why does Logos charge $79.95 for a public domain text that can be obtained for free on Kindle?Eduardo Vega
10/20/2013
