Jonathan Kirsch

Especialista en temas bíblicos, Jonathan Kirsch aborda un tema de rabiosa actualidad, el de la guerra de religiones. El autor defiende la tesis de que el terrorismo religioso no es exclusivo de una sola fe, pese a lo que algunos creen hoy en dia, ni un rasgo de nuestro tiempo, y estudia de que modo se ha querido imponer, a lo largo de la historia, la creencia en un solo dios, unico y verdadero, que no tolera otras formas de ver el mundo y basa su existencia en la anulacion de todo aquello que le es ajeno.

David, rey de los judíos, poseyó todos los defectos y flaquezas que un mortal pueda tener; sin embargo, hombres y mujeres lo adoraron, y Dios lo colmó de bendiciones. Líder carismático, venerado como “un hombre conforme al corazón de Dios”, fue también capaz de mostrar una profunda astucia y una cruel violenciaKirsch nos brinda un apasionante retrato, de un hombre magnético y complejo, que fue también un amante insaciable, un padre solícito y un guerrero despiadado. En definitiva, de un héroe de carne y hueso.

Who is a Jew? In this colorful, eye-opening work, bestselling author and lecturer Jonathan Kirsch takes us on a three-thousand-year tour of Jewish identity and diversity and offers answers to this complex and difficult question. Kirsch reveals that Judaism has never been a religion of strict and narrow orthodoxy. For every accepted tradition in Jewish faith there are countertraditions rooted in biblical antiquity: the Maccabee freedom fighters who closed the Bible and picked up swords, dervish-like ecstatics who claimed to enjoy direct communication with God even after they had been excommunicated by a distrustful rabbinate, and courageous men and women who were the forgotten heroes of the Holocaust. With drama and narrative verve, Kirsch explores these and many other "Judaisms" that make up the rich tapestry of Jewish identity.

The Harlot by the Side of the Road is the first book to shed light on strange biblical passages which have largely been ignored by ministers, priests and rabbies because they semed too awkward to examine. Johnathan Kirsch retells these `forbidden stories in con-temporary English, alongside thr original text, and demonstrates that the people in biblical times were as vulnerable, confused and prone to weakness of the flesh and failure of the spirit as any character in Homer, Shakespere or Dostoevsky, and wrestled with the same problems of the heart and mind hat still confront us today. He also explains how each story found its way into the Bible, why it was originally suppressed-and examines the rituals, customs and politics that bring these extraordinary tales alive for the contempoary reader.

"Lively points out that the conflict between the worship of many gods and the worship of one true god never disappeared." Publishers Weekly"Jonathan Kirsch has written another blockbuster about the Bible and its world." David Noel Freedman, Editor-in-Chief of the Anchor Bible Project"Kirsch tackles the central issue bedeviling the world today - religious intolerance A timely book, well-written and researched." Leonard Shlain, author of The Alphabet and the Goddess and Sex, Time and Power"An intriguing read." The Jerusalem Report"A timely tale about the importance of religious tolerance in todays world." San Francisco Chronicle"Kirsch is a fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient tales relevant and appealing." The Washington Post

David, King of the Jews, possessed every flaw and failing a mortal is capable of, yet men and women adored him and God showered him with many more blessings than he did Abraham or Moses. His sexual appetite and prowess were matched only by his violence, both on the battlefield and in the bedroom. A charismatic leader, exalted as "a man after Gods own heart," he was also capable of deep cunning, deceit, and betrayal. Now, in King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel, bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch reveals this commanding individual in all his glory and fallibility. In a taut, dramatic narrative, Kirsch brings new depth and psychological complexity to the familiar events of Davids life--his slaying of the giant Goliath and his swift challenge to the weak rule of Saul, the first Jewish king; his tragic relationship with Sauls son Jonathan, Davids cherished friend (and possibly lover); his celebrated reign in Jerusalem, where his dynasty would hold sway for generations. Yet for all his greatness, David was also a man in thrall to his passions--a voracious lover who secured the favors of his beautiful mistress Bathsheba by secretly arranging the death of her innocent husband; a merciless warrior who triumphed through cruelty; a troubled father who failed to protect his daughter from rape and whose beloved son Absalom rose against him in armed insurrection. Weaving together biblical texts with centuries of interpretation and commentary, Jonathan Kirsch brings King David to life in these pages with extraordinary freshness, intimacy, and vividness of detail. At the center of this inspiring narrative stands a hero of flesh and blood--not the cartoon giant-slayer of sermons and Sunday school stories or the immaculate ruler of legend and art but a magnetic, disturbingly familiar man--a man as vibrant and compelling today as he has been for millennia.

Lawgiver and liberator. Seer and prophet. The only human permitted to converse with God "face-to-face." Moses is the most commanding presence in the Old Testament. Yet as Jonathan Kirsch shows in this brilliant, stunningly original volume, Moses was also an enigmatic and mysterious figure--at once a good shepherd and a ruthless warrior, a spiritual leader and a magician, a lawgiver who broke his own laws, Gods chosen friend and hounded victim. Now, in Moses: A Life, Kirsch accomplishes the wondrous feat of revealing the real Moses, a strikingly modern figure who steps out from behind the facade of Sunday school lessons and movie matinees.Drawing on the biblical text and a treasury of both scholarship and storytelling, Kirsch examines all that is known and all that has been imagined of Moses. In these vivid pages, we see the marvels and mysteries of Mosess life in a new light--his rescue in infancy and adoption by an Egyptian princess; his reluctant assumption of the role of liberator; his struggles to wrest his people from the pharaohs dominion; his desperate vigil on Mount Sinai. Here too is the darker, more ominous Moses--the sorcerer, the husband of a pagan woman, the military commander who cold-bloodedly ordered the slaying of innocent people; the beloved of God whom God sought twice to murder.Jonathan Kirsch brings both prodigious knowledge and a keen imagination to one of the most compelling stories of the Bible, and the results are fascinating. A figure of mystery, passion, and contradiction, Moses emerges from this book very much a hero for our time.