The original Torah
Subtitle: the political intent of the Bible's writers
By: S. David Sperling.
Series: Reappraisals in Jewish social and intellectual history
Publisher: New York University Press; NYU Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 185
Subjects: Bible. O.T. -- Criticism, interpretation, etc; Politics in the Bible
Description: Is the Torah true? Do the Five Books of Moses provide an accurate account of the origins of the people of ancient Israel? In The Original Torah S. David Sperling argues that, while there is no archaeological evidence to support much of the activity chronicled in the Torah - such as the enslavement in Egypt or the subsequent trek through the desert - a historical reality exists in the Torah if we know how to seek it.

By noting the use of foreign words or mentions of technological innovations, scholars can often pinpoint the date and place in which a text was written. Combining archaeological evidence with critical reading, The Original Torah examines the stories of the Torah against their historical and geographic backgrounds and arrives at a new conclusion: the tales of the Torah were originally composed as allegories whose purpose was distinctly and intentionally political.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-177) and index.
Table of contents: title: It says in the Torah; title: History and allegory; title: The allegory of servitude in Egypt and the Exodus; title: Yahweh's berît (covenant) : which came first; title: sex or politics?; title: Abraham; title: Jacob, Jeroboam, and Joseph; title: Aaron; title: Moses.