{"product_id":"jacob-unexpected-patriarch-9780300144260","title":"Jacob: Unexpected Patriarch","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a meditation on the complex life of the father of the Twelve Tribes and how the ancient writers and storytellers shaped his identity\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e \"An engaging analysis of one of the Bible's most complex figures.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A powerful hero of the Bible, Jacob is also one of its most complex figures. Bible stories recounting his life often expose his deception, lies, and greed--then, puzzlingly, attempt to justify them. In this book, eminent biblical scholar Yair Zakovitch presents a complete view of the patriarch, first examining Jacob and his life story as presented in the Bible, then also reconstructing the stories that the Bible writers suppressed--tales that were well-known, perhaps, but incompatible with the image of Jacob they wanted to promote. Through a work of extraordinary \"literary archaeology,\" Zakovitch explores the recesses of literary history, reaching back even to the stage of oral storytelling, to identify sources of Jacob's story that preceded the work of the Genesis writers.\u003cp\u003eThe biblical writers were skilled mosaic-makers, Zakovitch shows, and their achievement was to reshape diverse pre-biblical representations of Jacob in support of their emerging new religion and identity. As the author follows Jacob in his wanderings and revelations, his successes, disgraces, and disappointments, he also considers the religious and political environment in which the Bible was written, offering a powerful explication of early Judaism. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout Jewish Lives: \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMore praise for Jewish Lives: \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Excellent\" -New York Times \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Exemplary\" -Wall Street Journal \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Distinguished\" -New Yorker \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Superb\" -The Guardian\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/20\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300144260\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.46h x 6.29w x 0.85d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e National Jewish Book Award - Winner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/15\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/23\/2013 pg. 38\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Yair Zakovitch","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52181248016565,"sku":"9780300144260","price":24.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_9ecdce70-14f3-4883-a581-532b65c7d961.jpg?v=1768922326","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/jacob-unexpected-patriarch-9780300144260","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}