The Book of J PDF
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T HE B O OK OF J T R A N S L A T ED F R OM T HE H E B R EW BY David Rosenberg I N T E R P R E T ED BY Harold Bloom G R O VE W E I D E N F E LD N EW Y O RK Copyright © 1990 by David Rosenberg and Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Published by Grove Weidenfeld A division of Wheatland Corporation 841 Broadway New York, NY 10003-4793 Published in Canada by General Publishing Company, Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bible. O.T. Pentateuch. English. Rosenberg. Selections. 1990. The book of J/David Rosenberg & Harold Bloom.—1st ed. Translation by D. Rosenberg of the portions of the Pentateuch which derive from the so-called J document, with introd. and commentary by H. Bloom. ISBN 0-8021-1050-9 (alt paper) 1. J document (Biblical criticism) 2. Bible. O.T. Pentateuch— Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Rosenberg, David. II. Bloom, Harold. III. Title. BS1223 1990 222'. 105209—dc20 90-37391 Manufactured in the United States of America Printed on acid-free paper Designed by Cynthia Krupat First Edition 109 87 6 5 4 For Moshe Idel Contents Acknowledgments ix THE AUTHOR j / Harold Bloom Preface on Names and Terms 3 Chronology 7 Introduction 9 Enfolding an Author 17 Imagining an Author 24 David: J and the Court Historian 36 Translating J 49 THE BOOK OF J / Translated by David Rosenberg 57 COMMENTARY / Harold Bloom Eden and After 175 Abram 193 Jacob 209 Tamar 220 Joseph 224 Moses 241 In the Wilderness 262 AFTER COMMENTARY/ Harold Bloom The Book of J and Torah 273 The Representation of Yahweh 279 The Psychology of Yahweh 296 The Blessing: Exiles, Boundaries, Jealousies 307 Conclusion: The Greatness of J 316 TRANSLATOR'S APPENDIXES / David Rosenberg A. Notes on the Translation 325 B. Biblical Sources 337 Acknowledgments My share in this book is indebted to John Hollander, Michael Dietz, Joy Beth Lawrence, Barry Quails, and to Aaron Asher and Joy Johannessen, my editors. —KB. I wish to acknowledge the support I received at crucial junc tures from Grace Schulman, Susan Pensak, Alba Arikha, Walter Brown, and Sanford Rosenberg. I am grateful for the refuge of The Writer's Room, and to Lewis Warsh,for the first push. Aaron Asher, Joy Johannessen, Lew Grimes, and Lynn Nesbit nurtured with great skill. Finally, credit is due the Jewish Publication Society, for stimulating the critical ques tions about translation: my work on the Book of J began during my tenure as editor in chief. —D.R. The Author J H A R O LD B L O OM
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