List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prelude: Origins of the People Israel
Part I. Revolution in Northern Israel
1. Elijah’s Victory
2. The Covenant Code
3. The Heritage of the Covenant Code
First Interlude: In Judea
Part II. Revolution in Judea
4. Years of Turmoil
5. Josiah and the Book of Deuteronomy
6. Law in Deuteronomy
7. Deuteronomy’s Revelation
8. The People and the Land
9. The Heritage of Deuteronomy
Second Interlude: The End of Monarchy
Part III. Revolution in Babylonia
10. Priests, Prophets, and Scribes in Exile
11. The Holiness Code
12. The Heritage of the Holiness Code
Part IV. The Last Revolution
13. The Torah
Final Thoughts
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Edward Feld is senior editor of Siddur Lev Shalem, the Rabbinical Assembly prayerbook for Sabbaths and festivals, and its sister High Holiday volume Mahzor Lev Shalem. He is the author of The Spirit of Renewal: Faith after the Holocaust and Joy, Despair, and Hope: Reading Psalms.
"Feld displays a remarkable talent for balancing accessible
language with depth of thought and rigorous research, all while
exercising a penetrating insight for how ancient conflicts factor
into contemporary discourse. Stellar scholarship makes this an
essential religious and cultural history."—Publishers Weekly,
starred review
"Feld's mode of unpacking [biblical] history is unique. . . . He
suggests that these legal [texts of the Torah], which were not
edited for cohesion as the narrative sections were,
demonstrate. . . a revolution in the religious progression
of the Israelites. . . . The accessibility of Feld’s writing,
and the conclusions he draws about how today's Judaism is a
product of these revolutions, makes The Book of Revolutions
a valuable addition to the bookshelves of lay readers and
academics alike."—Jonathan Fass, Jewish Book Council
"This book is indeed unique in intertwining biblical scholarship
with concerns for contemporary Jewish spirituality and
pluralism."—Jerusalem Report
"The weaving together of solid academics and committed religiosity,
scholarly hypothesis and lived faith, makes this book a gem among
the many volumes devoted to the study of the Pentateuch. And a
Christian reader has much to learn."—Commonweal Magazine
"A pleasure to read. Those readers who are biblically literate will
find the author's reconstruction of the Torah's composition
fascinating. Those beginning a study of the Torah could find no
better way to begin the encounter with the Bible's foundational
texts."—Bible Today
"[Feld's] exemplary reader-friendly work of critical biblical
scholarship respects traditional approaches in demonstrating
that pluralism, not singularity, better explains the origins
of the Torah, its conflicting teachings, and the multiplicity of
traditions that molded Jewish belief and practice from
antiquity to the present."—Zev Garber, Catholic Biblical
Quarterly
"[A] really superb book. . . . I was so deeply impressed. . . . The
book is so truly rich that no reasonably sized review can do
justice to all of the questions that it raises. Indeed, I have
already pressed the manuscript on friends with whom I hope to
discuss the book at some length."—Tikkun
"Edward Feld's new book, The Book of Revolutions: The Battles of
Priests, Prophets, and Kings That Birthed the Torah (JPS), is such
a spectacular resource—so much so, that I confess that I could not
put it down. . . . Move over Game of Thrones. There is far more
intrigue here than we had ever imagined."—Religion News Service
"Feld insists that Jews 'have not grasped the Torah's truths in
their entirety because the parts do not ultimately quite fit
together.' The same is true for Christians and the New Testament.
But it's the very effort to grasp that helps make the life of faith
so lively and fascinating. That's what makes this book appropriate
for anyone with a solid knowledge of Scripture, as well as a hunger
to know more. And readers familiar with scholar Amy-Jill Levine's
writings that place Christianity in its Jewish context will find
Feld’s book especially useful."—Presbyterian Outlook
“In highlighting the innovative development of codes within
biblical material while revealing their afterlife and influence,
this substantive and stunning work succeeds in introducing the
Torah to a new generation of general readers, all the while
delighting more advanced readers in its sophisticated
reflections.”—Adriane Leveen, author of Biblical Narratives of
Israelites and Their Neighbors
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |