Publisher's Synopsis
A mere 19 lines in the book of Genesis, it rests at the heart of history, literature, theology, and sacred rituals of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Writing from the vantage of 'a reader, a son, a Jew, a father, a sceptic, a historian, a lover of stories, and a writer', Goodman gives us an enthralling narrative that moves from its biblical origins to the cultures and faiths of our time. He introduces us to the commentary of Second Temple sages, rabbis and priests of the late antiquity, and early Islamic scholars. He examines Syriac hymns, Hebrew chronicles of the First Crusade, and medieval English mystery plays. He looks at the art of Europe's golden age, and the panoply of 20th-century interpretation.
