Quotes from David Rosenberg

They moved on from Sukkot, marked out their camp at Eitam, at the border of the desert. Yahweh walks ahead of them each day in a pillar of cloud, marking the way: at night, in a pillar of fire.

Modern biblical scholarship arose in European universities, yet in religion departments from Geneva to Oxford, Jews were prohibited. The professors of Bible were of Christian belief or education.

The pillar of cloud moved from in front to the rear of them. It comes between the two camps, Egypt and Israel; a spell of darkness is cast, the two lose touch through the night.

Let me go, day is breaking," he said. "I won't let go of you," said the other, "until I have your blessing." Now he asked him:"What is your name?" "Jacob," he said. "Not anymore Jacob, heel-clutcher, will be said in your name; instead, Israel, God-clutcher, because you have held on among gods unnamed as well as men, and you have overcome.

I address J as a living writer in greater detail, as well as the Hebraic culture in which she attained her scholarship, in my previous books appearing after The Book of J (in particular, Abraham: The First Historical Biography, The Book of David, and The Lost Book of Paradise). And in the The Book of J, coauthored with Harold Bloom, I began to describe the textuality of J's narrative, while both Bloom and I first addressed the likelihood of J being a woman.

Again you play with my people, resist sending them. Listen: tomorrow at this time a hard hailstorm falls, as has never been in Egypt, not from the day of its founding. Send out your word: the cattle, all that belongs to you in the field, all man and beast not in houses—if not brought into your house they will die as the hail falls.

Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke. Yahweh had come down in fire, the smoke climbing skyward like smoke from a kiln. The mountain, enveloped, greatly trembled.

The image of Yahweh in S's court history is an image suggestive of J herself, a powerful presence largely in the background, great enough to forgive David his flaws with a constant belovedness, a "lovingkindness"—in Hebrew, the word chesed, which weds love to ethics. David was beloved, loved as no man before him—by Yahweh.

Now, Yahweh did so: powerful droves of flies entered Pharaoh's palace, his officers' houses; through all the land of Egypt land was ruined under the flies. Now, Pharaoh called for Moses: "Go sacrifice to your god, but in our country—