Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible as It Was at the Start of the Common Era

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Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible as It Was at the Start of the Common Era, by James L. Kugel. Cambridge, MA/London: Harvard University Press,1998. Pp. xxii + 1055. N.P.

The present volume, an expanded version of the more popular work The Bible As It Was (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,1997), is a welcome exception to the wearisome truth that much scholarly output is characterized by inconsequential aims and overblown execution. James Kugel pursues objectives that reach well beyond the scope of his book, and his execution of the agenda within the extent of the book is enchanting.

Kugel's main objective is to offer a sampling of the exegetical …