Revelation and Authority by Benjamin D Sommer

Revelation and Authority by Benjamin D Sommer

Winner of the 2016 Goldstein-Goren Award for the best book in Jewish Thought

At once a study of biblical theology and modern Jewish thought, this volume describes a “participatory theory of revelation” as it addresses the ways biblical authors and contemporary theologians alike understand the process of revelation and hence the authority of the law. Benjamin Sommer maintains that the Pentateuch’s authors intend not only to convey God’s will but to express Israel’s interpretation of and response to that divine will. Thus Sommer’s close readings of biblical texts bolster liberal theologies of modern Judaism, especially those of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Franz Rosenzweig. This bold view of revelation puts a premium on human agency and attests to the grandeur of a God who accomplishes a providential task through the free will of the human subjects under divine authority. Yet, even though the Pentateuch’s authors hold diverse views of revelation, all of them regard the binding authority of the law as sacrosanct. Sommer’s book demonstrates why a law-observant religious Jew can be open to discoveries about the Bible that seem nontraditional or even antireligious.

“[A] groundbreaking work. . Clearly written and broad in application . . . an important read for Jewish laypeople, clergy, and scholars . . . [and] also likely to appeal to non-Jews who want to make modern biblical scholarship relevant for believers.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Sommer lays out his argument in six well-informed and cogent chapters.”—Marvin A. Sweeney, AJS Review


Finalist for the 2015 National Jewish Book Awards in the category of Scholarship

Winner of the 2016 Goldstein-Goren Award for the best book in Jewish Thought

Finalist in the philosophy and Jewish thought categories for the 2015 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award given by the Association for Jewish Studies

“The breadth, creativity, and boldness of Sommer’s book along with the clarity of his writing impressed the judges.”—Prize Committee, 2015 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award


"In uncovering the multilayered concepts of revelation in the biblical traditions Benjamin Sommer provides us the biblical roots of modern Jewish thought on revelation and its relation to authority and tradition. This is an extraordinary book in biblical criticism and in Jewish thought and above all one of its most illuminating contributions is how these two fields of inquiry enrich one another."—Moshe Halbertal, Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Hebrew University and Gruss Professor of Law, New York University School of Law


"This is a groundbreaking book . . . one of the most original works in Jewish theology that I have read in years."—Gary A. Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, University of Notre Dame


“Benjamin Sommer's extraordinary mix of scholarly rigor, historical imagination, lucid writing and honest theological concern brilliantly illuminate every subject he touches, and this most central of subjects, revelation and authority, is no exception. With this volume he offers scholarly and general readers alike refreshingly new ways of looking at some of the oldest and yet most pressing questions, with acuity and grace.”—Yehudah Mirsky, author of Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution

Benjamin D. Sommer is professor of Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lives in Teaneck, NJ.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780300158731
ISBN 10	0300158734
Title	Revelation and Authority
Author	Benjamin D Sommer
Series	The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Yale University Press
Year published	2015-08-25
Number of pages	440
Prizes	Commended for National Jewish Book Award (Scholarship) 2015
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.