The Hidden Book in the BibleRenowned biblical sleuth and scholar Richard Elliot Friedman reveals the first work of prose literature in the world-a 3000-year-old epic hidden within the books of the Hebrew Bible. Written by a single, masterful author but obscured by ancient editors and lost for millennia, this brilliant epic of love, deception, war, and redemption is a compelling account of humankind's complex relationship with God. Friedman boldly restores this prose masterpiece-the very heart of the Bible-to the extraordinary form in which it was originally written. |
Contents
The Recovery of the Work ཏནྟཧིམིནི 293 | 33 |
About the Translation | 54 |
Appendix | 310 |
Converging Evidence for the Unity of the Work | 327 |
The Antiquity of the Work | 350 |
Late for a Very Important Date | 361 |
Distribution of Terms in Prose Narrative | 379 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abiathar Abimelek Abishai Abner Abraham Absalom Achish Adonijah Ahitophel Amnon Amorite Benjamin Beth-El Bible Bible's biblical prose blessed Blum book of Joshua bowed bring brother brought called camp children of Ammon children of Israel commanded concubine Court History covenant daughter Deuteronomistic historian Deuteronomistic history divine name earth Edom Egypt Esau evidence Exod eyes father fled Genesis Gibeah God's ark ground hand Hebrew Hebron human Isaac Jacob Jephthah Jerubbaal Jerusalem Joab Jordan Joseph Josh Joshua Judah Judges kill King David king's Laban land listen literary live lord the king Michal Moses Nabal narrative night occurs Philistines priest Rebekah Richard Elliott Friedman Samson Samuel Saul Saul's saying scholars sent servants Seters Seters's Shechem sheep Shiloh Solomon sons spies spoke story struck sword Tamar thing told took translation tribes wife woman word YHWH YHWH's ark Zadok
Popular passages
Page 175 - What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?
Page 100 - And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.
Page 128 - Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian : and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters : and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
Page 117 - And they set on for him by himself, and for. them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves : because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews ; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birth-right, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.
Page 112 - And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
Page 70 - This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Page 87 - The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
Page 71 - Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?
Page 129 - I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey...
Page 285 - So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.