An Educated Man - by David Rosenberg (Paperback)

About the Book

From this prize-winning and best-selling author comes a magisterial new project: a dual biography, weaving together the preeminent figures of Judeo-Christian civilization and overturning the conventional view of Moses and Jesus as humble men of faith.
Rooting the biographies of Moses and Jesus in their historical contexts, Rosenberg reads their narratives as cultural--rather than religious--endeavors. He charges that both Moses and Jesus were "educated" men, steeped in the literature and scholarship of their day. There were no old or new testaments for them, but rather a long history of writing and writers.
When professors quote Moses in university courses, or pastors quote Jesus in sermons, they routinely neglect to inform us that Jesus himself is quoting the Hebrew Bible, often in the manner that Moses once quoted Egyptian medical texts. The remarkable ability of both men to recall and transform a wide range of sources is overlooked. Where did they get these profound educations?
Part biography, part critical analysis, "An Educated Man" further challenges us to envision what defines "an educated man or woman" today--and how an understanding of our religious history is crucial to it.

Book Synopsis

A magisterial project: a dual biography of the preeminent figures of Judeo-Christian civilization overturning conventional views of Moses and Jesus as humble men of faith.

By reanimating the biographies of Moses and Jesus in their historical context, Rosenberg reads their narrative as a cultural--rather than religious--endeavor. He charges that Moses and Jesus were "educated" men, steeped in the literature and scholarship of their day. There were no old or new testaments for them, only a long history of writing and writers. When scholars and clergy quote Moses and Jesus, they routinely neglect to inform us that Jesus is quoting the Hebrew Bible, often in the manner that Moses quoted Egyptian medical texts. The remarkable ability of both men to recall and transform a wide range of sources is overlooked. Where did they get these profound educations? Part biography, part critical analysis, An Educated Man challenges us to envision what defines "an educated man or woman" today--and how understanding religious history is crucial to it. Rosenberg offers a sympathetic approach to why we need Judeo-Christianity--and ultimately convinces us that the life of Jesus is unthinkable without the model of Moses before him.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Book of J

"A great book . . . Rosenberg has produced a superb piece of translation." --Village Voice Literary Supplement

"David Rosenberg has given a fresh interpretative translation." --Washington Post Book World

"Surpassing originality." --The New York Times

Praise for A Poet's Bible

"Rosenberg's translations from the Hebrew Bible are the best in the twentieth century without a doubt." --The Nation

About the Author

Poet-scholar David Rosenberg is co-author of the New York Times bestseller, The Book of J (with Harold Bloom), and the former editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society. A poet of Toronto Coach House, New York School, and Jerusalem Cricket lineage, he has published several volumes of poetry. A Literary Bible presents thirty years of his original translation from ancient Hebrew. His A Life in a Poem (Memoir of a Rebellious Bible Translator) was published in 2019.