How The Bible Is Written

Three-Session Mini Series
Wednesdays, November 6th, 13th and 20th at 8:00 p.m.
With Professor Gary Rendsburg, PH.D.

This series is based on the speaker’s most recent book, How the Bible is Written (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2019). The goal of the book is to bring interested readers – scholars and laypeople alike – closer to the original text of the Hebrew Bible in order to provide them with a greater appreciation of its literary artistry and linguistic virtuosity. As such, the book and this lecture series focus not so much on what the Bible says (though that too) as on how the Bible says it (per the title). Specific topics treated include wordplay, alliteration, repetition with variation, dialect representation, intentionally-confused language, marking closure, and more. The session topics are:

Session 1 – Reading Creation: Genesis 1
Session 2 – Genesis 29: The Story of Jacob and Rachel
Session 3 – The Two Building Blocks of Biblical Narrative: Alliteration & Repetition with Variation

GARY A. RENDSBURG, Ph.D. serves as the Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History in the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University. His teaching and research focus on ‘all things ancient Israel’ – primarily language and literature, though also history and archaeology. His secondary interests include post-biblical Judaism, the Hebrew manuscript tradition, and Jewish life in the Middle Ages. Rendsburg’s most recently published book is How the Bible Is Written (2019), with particular attention to the use of language to create literature. In addition, he has produced two lecture series for the Great Courses program, one on ‘The Book of Genesis’ and one on ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls.’ He lectures around the world and has taught two mini-series at The Jewish Center.

OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY! $54 for Jewish Center members
$95 for community members. For more information please contact info@thejewishcenter.org or call 609-921-0100.