Rating: 
Summary: One of The Most Interesting Books I Have Ever Read
Review: There's nothing quite as good as reading a work by an author who really breaks new ground. Not only does Miles explore an often ignored angle of Bible literature, but he does it extremely well. The amount of research that went into this fine work is evident on every page, and just by reading a few pages you feel like your whole brains is working overtime to take in all the new information. This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read, with an extremely gifted author taking on the most fascinating book and character in human history. This book definitely deserved the Pulitzer Prize, and should be read by anyone, especially those interested in religion.I thought the most effective way that Miles explained his technique was by using the example of Hamlet. There has always been a controversy among scholars of Shakespeare concerning interpretation of his characters, such as Hamlet. Should we be allowed to right a pseudo biography of Hamlet, even if he is a fictional character? Or, should we ignore our interpretations of his words and actions and concentrate totally on what is written on the page. Just as it has triumphed for the scholars of the bard, the idea of strict adherence to the words of the Bible have left little room for people that want to use a little imagination. The title of this book might strike many as strange, but, I think we know more about God than we know about people like Alexander the Great, and there are a million biographies written on him. So, Miles decided to create a life for God, so to speak, using the stories of the Old Testament. What follows is the most fascinating literary critique and examination I have ever read. Most people today picture God as the great bearded one in the sky, with absolute power to fulfill his whims in any way. The Sistine Chapel representation is pretty much the embodiment of this modern outlook, of a far away figure creating life with the wave of his finger. As we quickly learn in the pages of this book, that simplistic look at the Creator is far from complete. Amazingly enough, as Miles shows time and time again, God is much more like us then we realize. He gets lonely, gets angry, feels remorse and love. He deals with humans, sometimes feels responsibility and loyalty to them, even when they spurn him. After all, as the Bible says, we are in his image. This book is just bursting with amazing and intriguing interpretations of age-old stories. I was just shaking my head when I read Miles alternate look at the story of Abraham. I never realized that when Abraham was praising his God for fertility purposes, he could have easily been sarcastic! This might seem to be a slight overreaction, but to think the cherished figure of Abraham could have almost mocked God is very surprising to me. This kind of new revelation comes fast and furious in this unparalleled work of Biblical interpretation. In this book, God becomes one of the most complex psychological creatures ever written, before such a thing was in vogue. No longer is he some distant invisible force, God seems to be a totally believable almost human being, a creature of his monotheist designation who is struggling with his role in the world. Of course, every interpretation has its detractors, especially in the world of Biblical studies, where every opinion forwarded is quickly followed by dissents. No where in this book does Miles doubt God's existence or try to prove it. In my eyes, the goal of this book is simple. By using the stories of the Bible, Miles paints his picture of a God who goes through many different moods and phases. Take it for what it is. I am very impressed with this book, I think that anyone who really wants to read an interesting story and learn about the most influential literary work in the Western World should grab this book.
Rating:
Summary: Must read if you'd like to know what makes God tick...
Review: Great explanation for how God, if he/her was a charachter in a book, might play out. Read this and get a good view of HIStory!
Rating: 
Summary: A thought-provoking biography
Review: This is a daring, ambitious, complex, thought-provoking book. My reaction is mixed. On the positive side, I admire the author's largely successful attempt to look at the character of "God" from a fresh perspective, that of a complex character as revealed only in the pages of the Bible, rather than the God of an often uncritical religious dogma. On the negative side, Miles:
* Makes a lot of assumptions and conclusions that do not seem warranted. For example, in Chapter 2, "Generation," Miles says about God's command "Let there be light" that "One does not speak commandingly to oneself. It is rather as if a carpenter reaching for a hammer were to speak the word 'hammer' aloud." What is the author's point? If a witch or wizard speaks a spell or incantation to summon magical or natural forces, the spell caster speaks not to herself but rather to the source of the forces being summoned. I was especially uneasy with Miles' assumptions about details of God's existence that are based not only on what is explicitly stated in the Bible, but also on what is left unsaid. In the life of any significant literary character, can we automatically assume that anything about the character that is not explicitly stated does not exist? For me, the answer is "No." As I continued through the book, I found myself repeatedly in disagreement with the validity of the assumptions upon which many of the author's conclusions were based.
* Is often needlessly verbose.
* Writes in a stilted style that I often found irritating. I particularly did not enjoy his often pedantic tone, his seemingly gratuitous use of needlessly esoteric verbiage, and his use of the "royal 'we.'" The frequent use of "we" would not have bothered me so much if I had felt that it implied a sort of partnership between author and reader, but too often that seemed not to be the case.
My recommendation: If you are open-minded and are interested in theology, religious history, and literary analysis, then read this book and arrive at your own conclusions. This review is based on the paperback version of the book.
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Summary: Chronicles of a desert deity
Review: Jack Miles has responded to a number of theses concerning the character of his deity. Many biblical critics have suggested the early books present several gods lumped together by editorial fiat. Miles insists that the god of the Hebrew Bible is but one. That circumstance, uniqueness and solitude, is the cause of various character changes this god went through in the course of history. He has neither siblings nor peers. It's a very human story, but Miles doesn't portray this god as a human personification with superior powers. On the contrary, this god is unaware of the powers he possesses until he tries them out. They become, predictably, addictive with the passage of time. As the god develops, he exhibits changes in character that would be considered "growing up" in people. Finally, for unknown reasons, but perhaps just fatigue, the god retires from human contact. People are left only with previous lessons to follow. Although "God" is the result of intensive knowledge of the Hebrew Tanakh, Miles dismisses the notion that his study is a psychoanalysis of the god, but that's because he's dealing with a divinity. The character variations Miles chronicles, the creator, destroyer, family patriarch, liberator and others, could be applied to any complex character. Any good biography of a national leader might evince the same personifications. The depiction might manifest as many, if not the same, characteristics. Miles' demurral may be overlooked, since his presentation is a compelling account delivered with lively writing skill. He is able to achieve a cool detachment, but not clinical aloofness, in presenting a deity to which he retains some level of adherence. Miles' personal faith doesn't restrict what minimal judgments he offers on this god. He accepts that the god reneges on promises, is a genocidal killer of some note, and punishes even those he claims to love with spontaneous wrath. In early days, he doesn't seek worshippers, just obedient subjects. We learn his sacrifices must be living creatures instead of agricultural crops, but the issue rises with Cain and repeats frequently. It's an arbitrary decision, enforced with vigour, but the motivation remains hidden. It all seems to boil down to whimsical expressions of power. The power is challenged, however, in the outstanding chapters in this book, the account of Job. Job's story has been retold countless times in various arenas, but Miles has analysed the account with fresh, engrossing insight. In his view, Job wins the encounter by simply accepting the god enjoys greater power than he, responding "So what?". It's a given. Job's not contesting the point, so why the terrible punishments? Miles' god is here shown as lawgiver, but not an administrator of justice. Miles, too, accepts the condition - the god has simply grown old and too irascible to reason with.
The shade of Samuel Langhorne Clemens hovered nearby during the reading of this book and writing this review. Silently, the spectre seemed to point repeatedly at Miles' text. Comment wasn't required, the message was clear: why would any person venerate such a creature? Miles fails to answer this question, in fact, he doesn't even pose it. For him, faith in this deity is a given. He doesn't adore sightlessly, but clearly accepts the conditions laid down as valid history. For some, the detachment seems inhuman, but that doesn't detract from the value Miles' portrayal has offered us. The story is too well presented to ignore.
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Summary: New Look at the Old Testament
Review: Miles' thoughtful, searching, and sometimes thrilling re-examination of the Old Testament (or more properly, Hebrew Bible or Tanakh) turns on the intriguing premise that we can read the Bible as a novel in which God serves as protagonist. Miles never overplays this notion, keeping one eye on historical interpretations, but uses it to develop a fascinating reading of the familiar text. As with Harold Bloom's Book of J, this book can fascinate merely by challenging conventional english translations: the profusion of puns, irony, and sarcasm in the original Hebrew comes as a shock and a thrill to readers who first learned these stories as children. Miles would be worth reading for this analysis alone. And when he applies his methods to the Book of Job, the result is a radical reinterpretation that finally makes sense of the problematic tale, giving it a moral weight traditonal readings have denied. Miles' conclusions go deeper, demonstrating how in forcing the function of a half dozen pagan deities into a single God, monotheism created a figure contradictory, paradoxical, powerfully creative and self-destructive: like nothing seen before - and in doing so, forged the first literary character of true psychological complexity. In the Tanakh God creates mankind in his own image so that he may have a way to better see himself -- Miles' interpretation shows us man creating the Tanakh, and God, to do precisely the same thing.
Rating: 
Summary: God: The things people have said about Me
Review: This is a very interesting book. Although Jack Miles states that one need not be either a believer in the Judeo-Christian concept of God or an unbeliever to appreciate the book, still this reviewer thinks that only those committed to this tradition will bother to read it. The author takes the unusual approach of treating the main character in the Jewish Bible (Christian Old Testament) "God" as a literary character and then explores how this character changed substantially during the thousand year history that is recorded in the Bible. The reader should be forewarned that if you are a real believer, then you will find yourself shouting on nearly every page, "That is not God". If you are not clear that this "God" is being treated only from a literary point of view, you will not comprehend the main thrust. Judaism and Christianity are both "historical" religions. This means, among other things, that the validity of its central teachings depends upon the real occurrence of some historical events, unlike a religion such as Buddhism where the validity depends upon logic and personal experience alone. Yet none of the incidents and ideas expressed in the Bible were written by people who treated events the way a modern historian would treat them. The philosophical and theological sophistication of the various Biblical writers (and their numerous editors) vary tremendously. The concept of God that Moses probably had would differ significantly from that of a modern day Jew or Christian. The working assumption of a modern believer would be that his/her concept of God is accurate, and consequently someone else's concept would be inaccurate insofar as they differ. So the major question at stake for a modern believer would be "Is my concept of God a genuine organic development from that of the Biblical writers (so that our concepts, though different, represent the same God), or does my concept make any less accurate concept as found in the Bible guilty of error/heresy?" If the reader's answer encompasses organic development, then it should be smooth sailing; if not, then batten down the hatches! The book also strongly hints that the current monotheistic concept of God contains so many different aspects that our current intelligence cannot fit these into a neat rational synthesis. Should this really be a surprise that the Transcendent Creator of the universe, including our limited finite intellects, must remain somewhat mysterious to us? The book is an eye-opener for anyone who thinks the Bible has been transmitted to us in a manner equivalent to a classical theology textbook. If "God" had chosen to compose the Bible as a textbook, then it would have been much more "accurate", yet probably much more boring and lifeless. This reviewer thinks "God" knew the better way to do it. Remember, this book is not the Bible itself, not the Word of God, but it is a worthwhile literary commentary.
Rating:
Summary: A fabulous read..
Review: Jack Miles had the audacity to go where few ever do, into the minds of those who long ago wrote a compelling account of the object of their human fears and aspirations: God.. Miles pulls off beautifully a literary exegesis of the Old testament that cuts to the intellectual core of those who sit and wonder a great deal about the "ineffable" being, and his book reaches its cresendo when it interprets the conclusion of Job, wherein that tortured soul essentially says to God "I dont worship a cosmic bully, and I pity humanity if that's what you are" (my paraphrase and quotes).. In reading several negative comments about this book, I was reminded of a definition I once read of puritanism--the fear that somebody somewhere is having a good time.. Well I truly enjoyed this book, and one can only hope that conservative readers will finally loosen up their minds a bit and see the bible as not something fedexed by God to a lucky few, but as an evolving adventure of the human spirit in search of its own cosmic place.
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Summary: An Image Allows Us To See Ourselves and Grow
Review: Jack Miles takes on a framework that had also been introduced by Carl Jung, "the father of analytical thinking." Man was made in God's Image. Unlike mainstream theology, Miles book forces thinking outside the box. Man being made in the image of God, Gods conversing with his reflective image. A perfect God, yet able to adjust, to grow? To move in a forward direction, never standing still, as being still represents stagnation. An honest assessment and neutral reading of the Hebrew Testament can see the personality of God take many changes. Is it possible for a perfect God to learn anything? Or is his reflective image purely for the glory of Him? Either case, the unanswered questions of God's seemingly harsh judgments contrasted with His loving kindness, mercy and later the quiet wisdom of the "ancient of days," leaves the "mystery" of God in tact and remaining as "ways that are higher" than mans, far beyond his limited perceptions, yet at the same time made in Gods image, with degrees of spirituality and capability to relate to Him. Miles book is extraordinary and allows free thinking that anyone who loves God's Word and seeks His Spirit can use his own discernment.
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Summary: The Atrocity of Miles' book
Review: After reading Miles' book I have to come to the conclussion that he is presenting a pathetic God who really didn't know what He was doing when He created the world. Miles shows his blatant ignorance of His word and the revelation of His holy and perfect character. I believe he is neither a student of His word, nor has he ever understood what God's revelation is all about. If he had done so, he would not be so blatantly ignorant in making an idol out of God and present Him with human flaws. Acts 2: 23 emphatically declares that Jesus was delivered by the PREDERTERMINED PLAN AND FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD
Jesus is also known as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (the book of Revelation 13:8 KJV). Therefore I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for the truth. Frances
Rating:
Summary: Conceptually interesting, but ultimately failed effort
Review: Jack Miles's concept, to write a literary biography of the divine actor in the bible, examining his or her unfolding characteristics is imaginative and worthy of praise. That the character and concept of the divine as presented in the text evolves considerably is beyond debate. That which Abraham experiences on Mount Morriah stands in rather stark contrast with what the Nation of Israel sees and feels at Sinai. The effort, however, ultimately fails, because the author projects to many of his own peculiar opinions onto the story, though little textual evidence exists to support them. The most striking example is his claim to a divine effort to control male sexuality and procreation. His evidence for this is scant and often requires considerable bending of the text. Still, his effort is worthwhile, and worthy of a successor who takes the text a bit more seriously. Good literary biography requires the discipline to stay with the text, less it veer into the realm of fiction. If you find this interesting, I highly recommend James Kugel's The Bible as it Was.
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