How to Read the Book of Genesis, with Ronald Hendel

Click here to register for this free virtual program, co-presented by New Lehrhaus.

It can be a challenge to read an ancient book that still makes claims on us in the modern world. How does a reader sort out the differences between the worldview of ancient Israel and that of our era, and how to balance the powerful interpretations from late antique and medieval sages? It can be dizzying. Having just written a commentary on Genesis 1-11 for Yale University Press’s Anchor Bible series, Ron Hendel will address the possibilities and prospects of a historically-informed reading of Genesis, one that reads with and against the grain.

Ronald Hendel is the Norma and Sam Dabby Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. His books include The Text of Genesis 1–11: Textual Studies and Critical Edition, The Book of Genesis: A Biography, and How Old Is the Hebrew Bible? A Linguistic, Textual, and Historical Study.