The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis [Hardcover]

 

 

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Mr. Leon Kass does a marvelous job reading Genesis. What a wise and wonderful companion to reading the first book of the Bible. The sections regarding the creation story and the episodes concerning Noah were particularly fine. The close reading of the only recorded conversation between Abraham and Isaac was wonderful. Such insight into the stories about Joseph! Altogether, a marvelous book. Please write another one like this about Exodus, Mr. Kass. Thank you!

Leon Kass has shown the relevance of the Old Testament for the modern person.Brilliant,lucid,provocative,and a darn good read.

After two decades of studying the Bible and consulting books about the Bible, I can honestly say that I have never read anything as lucid, informative, thorough, illuminating, and critically relevant as Kass's book on Genesis.
It is unlike any other commentary I am aware of, in that, rather than being set up as a standard verse-by-verse exposition, it follows the ideas and the storyline of Genesis in a coherent, chronological format. Nothing is omitted from discussion, or avoided, every verse is treated, but always in a way that lends itself to a greater understanding of the integrated whole of Genesis. Kass's expert interaction with the text is a result of his twenty years of teaching a seminar on Genesis, and his commitment to the premise that "to discover the meaning, a text must be studied in its own terms." (p.14).
What we need is "a disinterested and philosophic pursuit of the truth" (p.2). By disinterested Kass means a pursuit without an agenda, without a bias (without prior assumptions, religious or otherwise) and by philosophic, simply "wisdom-seeking". And by truth, well, to me that is one of the great things about the book... the author believes that there IS such a thing as truth, and wisdom, for that matter. A seemingly rare position to hold, among today's modern academia.
He says that there are three methodological assumptions on how to read Genesis. The first is to read thoroughly skeptically, in which case the reader would most likely want to quit reading after just a few pages. Secondly, entirely by faith, by which the reader already believes everything even prior to reading the first few pages. Thirdly, the way of "thoughtful engagement", by which the reader suspends his/her disbelief and has an earnest desire to simply let the text speak for itself. Much as we would do with other literary works, even novels. This third method is the one Kass advocates as being his own, and encourages all readers to adopt.
In doing so, he presents an assessment of Genesis that is quite different from what I may have heard in my own seminary education, but it is one that I regret not having adopted sooner.
For I have learned more in reading this book, than in all of my previous years of formal instruction.
As another reviewer has pointed out, here we see the biblical characters as they really were... not just Bible Superheros, not infallible demi-gods (as they are often portrayed) but as real live people who made as many bad judgements as good, and were not always as pious or Godly as we readily assume.
Aside from all of this, the book is readable. By that, I mean, it is not pedantically smudgy nor needlessly polysyllabic. It is clear, it is so wonderfully readable and clear-headed, and laced with footnotes, often describing how the source of his findings came not from himself, but from his students and colleages.
He states his purpose clearly. "First, to demonstrate by example a wisdom-seeking approach to the Bible that attempts to understand the text in its own terms yet tries to show how such an understanding may address us in our current situation of moral and spiritual neediness. Second, to recover in their full power the stories of Genesis as tales to live with, as stories illuminating some of the most important and enduring questions of human existence. Third, to make at least plausible the power of the Biblical approach and response to these questions, with its emphasis on righteousness, holiness, and reverence for the divine." (p.13).
Does the book succeed, regarding these goals?
Yes.
Is there a better book on understanding Genesis available today?
No.
Could this book in itself be any better than it is?
No.

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5.0 out of 5 stars True Wisdom
Leon Kass is one of the most lucid and intelligent writers I have ever read. This book is perfect for the unbelievers as well as the religous. I savored every paragraph. Read more

Published on Feb 22 2004 by Ron Kardos

2.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning of Gnosticism
The title I've used for my review would be a better title for this book than the title the author chose. Read more

Published on Feb 8 2004 by Russ White

5.0 out of 5 stars A towering achievment
Leon Kass's offers deep insight into the Book of Genesis--showing how it is completely relevant to living a good life today.

Published on Oct 5 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars A Philosopher's View of Genesis
Leon Kass, the well-known philosopher/ethicist, has written a tour de force in this huge book. What Kass has undertaken in this work is to review every passage, indeed every word... Read more

Published on Sep 2 2003 by dougrhon

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Much Wisdom in "The Beginning of Wisdom"
The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis by Leon Kass is an unnecessarily complex and ponderous text on the very lively biblical book of Genesis. Read more

Published on Aug 13 2003 by Oliver Pennington

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book for our time.
This book deals with many critical themes and ideas present in our human nature, our relationship to the Creator, our families, our community, the environment, as well as the... Read more

Published on Jun 30 2003 by Mark S. Saka

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