Rating: 
Summary: Engaging and Entertaining...
Review: For those with an open mind and a thirst for new Biblical insights, this book is a delight. It is just what you might expect from a brilliant legal mind, and more. Alan Dershowitz shares his research and analysis in an engaging and entertaining style on a subject for which he obviously has a tremendous passion.
Maimonides, Soren Kierkegaard, Abraham Ibn Ezra, Franz Kafka, Blaise Pascal, Everett Fox, and Bob Dylan are just a small handful of the voices invited to the party. The genius of this work is that while it presents so many different viewpoints (without necessarily adopting one "correct" interpretation over another), Dershowitz is still able to clearly show the reader that within the complex and confusing assortment of narratives that is Genesis, there exists a straightforward path toward the Law. This path, while full of injustice along the way, does not merely show us the need for the Law; it shows a developing legal system in process.
No matter how familiar you may think you are with the book of Genesis, you will be able to experience the narratives afresh. Dershowitz holds up the book of Genesis like a crystal in sunlight, its beauty seen in the reflections of light, observed at a number of different angles.
Rating: 
Summary: horse before cart
Review: I admire Dershowitz a great deal and wanted to like the book. However, his major thesis is fatally flawed. Since most serious scholars agree that Genesis was writtem/compiled/edited after the Exodus experience (i.e., ranging from the Davidic monarchy to the post exilic period), it's more than a little disingenuous to suggest that the 10 commandments stemmed from these 10 stories (especially in their finished form). Furthermore, I think Dershowitz grossly misuses the evidence, forcing the narratives to answer questions they were never concerned with.
Rating:
Summary: What Moral Lessons Do You Draw From Genesis?
Review: I hesitate to wade in with an opinion on this book, since so many readers come to this subject matter with a pre-set agenda. However, I think that anyone with an open mind (Christian, Jew, agnostic or atheist) will find moral insight in Dershowitz's analysis of these 10 stories from Genesis. He is a "believer," but he proceeds with his own thoughtful workup of stories that most of us have heard but not really thought through. No, this isn't biblical scholarship per se, but it has insight and independence. I think a wide variety of folks will find it interesting.
Rating:
Summary: What Moral Lessons Do You Draw From Genesis?
Review: I hesitate to wade in with an opinion on this book, since so many readers come to this subject matter with a pre-set agenda. However, I think that anyone with an open mind (Christian, Jew, agnostic or atheist) will find moral insight in Dershowitz's analysis of these 10 stories from Genesis. He is a "believer," but he proceeds with his own thoughtful workup of stories that most of us have heard but not really thought through. No, this isn't biblical scholarship per se, but it has insight and independence. I think a wide variety of folks will find it interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: I was utterly amazed at the depth of insight, the logic, and the fairness demonstrated by Alan Dershowitz's treatment of this difficult topic. This is a book for anyone who has pondered questions of justice, from a human and from a divine viewpoint. Having recently read Just Revenge, Alan's second novel (highly recommended), I preordered this book knowing it would be special. It made me laugh sometimes--if Abraham had possessed the chutzpah of Alan Dershowitz, who knows how differently things might have turned out. Seriously, I found the book extremely well researched and enlightening. I'm Catholic, and was especially surprised by the author's seemingly favorable view of Jesus. Alan pointed out that Jesus wanted to make the law more compassionate, but that he contradicted himself by saying he came not to destroy but to fulfill the law. I don't feel there was a contradiction there, because as Alan himself demonstrated, the Bible is a living document in which the concepts of righteousness and justice evolved into a more mature understanding as time moved on. Well...I think that happened by God's design, and that Christ was indeed the fulfillment of not only the law, but the unanswered questions. I halfway expected Alan to arrive at that conclusion himself in the last chapter, when he discussed the question of an afterlife. I only wish Alan Dershowitz were a Christian, because he would be one of the most moral and effective evangelists of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: Dershowitz Adds to the Understanding of Justice
Review: In his "The Genesis of Justice," practitioner and law professor (and apparently, Bible scholar)Alan Dershowitz adds to the wealth of midrahism examining the first book of the Torah. His approach is surprisingly traditional, but filled with new insight. A necessary addition to any library examining the meanings of Genesis and the Torah as a whole.
Rating:
Summary: thoughtful, repetitive interpretation of origins of justice
Review: It pains me to write an unflattering review of "The Genesis of Justice," as I admire both the integrity and intelligence of its author, Alan Dershowitz. Professor Dershowitz is at his best in descriptive analysis; he dissects ten stories from the book of Genesis in his attempt to prove his essential thesis: the Bible "uses stories of injustice to teach about the need for justice." If you judge "Genesis" by that standard, he has succeeded admirably. Dershowitz is a talented and prolific writer; his style is graceful and his arguments are exquisitely prepared and developed.However, a discerning reader ought expect more than biblical exigesis and patterned presentations of pro and con arguments about the stories selected. This volume reads much more like a series of interrelated, independent magazine-length stories than a comprehensive treatment of his selected thesis. By book's end, the reader can almost anticipate heavily repeated phrases to appear once and again. Sadly, his final four chapters seem almost to appear as a post-script rather than serve as a stirring summation of the understandings gained through synthesis and interpretation of the book of Genesis. Lest I appear disrespectful of Professor Deshowitz's efforts, I must praise his own passion for justice. His obvious quest for understanding, for combining a search for truth, understanding and retribution make this work an important philosophical keystone for anyone who hopes to understand how our culture reflects and aspires towards the ideals of justice articulated in the Bible. His own admonition that justice is a state never achieved but constantly sought after is both a warning and a call to action. "The Genesis of Justice," though flawed by repetitions and poor editing, is an important contribution to both our understanding of the Bible and our hopes for justice.
Rating:
Summary: thoughtful, repetitive interpretation of origins of justice
Review: It pains me to write an unflattering review of "The Genesis of Justice," as I admire both the integrity and intelligence of its author, Alan Dershowitz. Professor Dershowitz is at his best in descriptive analysis; he dissects ten stories from the book of Genesis in his attempt to prove his essential thesis: the Bible "uses stories of injustice to teach about the need for justice." If you judge "Genesis" by that standard, he has succeeded admirably. Dershowitz is a talented and prolific writer; his style is graceful and his arguments are exquisitely prepared and developed. However, a discerning reader ought expect more than biblical exigesis and patterned presentations of pro and con arguments about the stories selected. This volume reads much more like a series of interrelated, independent magazine-length stories than a comprehensive treatment of his selected thesis. By book's end, the reader can almost anticipate heavily repeated phrases to appear once and again. Sadly, his final four chapters seem almost to appear as a post-script rather than serve as a stirring summation of the understandings gained through synthesis and interpretation of the book of Genesis. Lest I appear disrespectful of Professor Deshowitz's efforts, I must praise his own passion for justice. His obvious quest for understanding, for combining a search for truth, understanding and retribution make this work an important philosophical keystone for anyone who hopes to understand how our culture reflects and aspires towards the ideals of justice articulated in the Bible. His own admonition that justice is a state never achieved but constantly sought after is both a warning and a call to action. "The Genesis of Justice," though flawed by repetitions and poor editing, is an important contribution to both our understanding of the Bible and our hopes for justice.
Rating:
Summary: thoughtful, repetitive interpretation of origins of justice
Review: It pains me to write an unflattering review of "The Genesis of Justice," as I admire both the integrity and intelligence of its author, Alan Dershowitz. Professor Dershowitz is at his best in descriptive analysis; he dissects ten stories from the book of Genesis in his attempt to prove his essential thesis: the Bible "uses stories of injustice to teach about the need for justice." If you judge "Genesis" by that standard, he has succeeded admirably. Dershowitz is a talented and prolific writer; his style is graceful and his arguments are exquisitely prepared and developed. However, a discerning reader ought expect more than biblical exigesis and patterned presentations of pro and con arguments about the stories selected. This volume reads much more like a series of interrelated, independent magazine-length stories than a comprehensive treatment of his selected thesis. By book's end, the reader can almost anticipate heavily repeated phrases to appear once and again. Sadly, his final four chapters seem almost to appear as a post-script rather than serve as a stirring summation of the understandings gained through synthesis and interpretation of the book of Genesis. Lest I appear disrespectful of Professor Deshowitz's efforts, I must praise his own passion for justice. His obvious quest for understanding, for combining a search for truth, understanding and retribution make this work an important philosophical keystone for anyone who hopes to understand how our culture reflects and aspires towards the ideals of justice articulated in the Bible. His own admonition that justice is a state never achieved but constantly sought after is both a warning and a call to action. "The Genesis of Justice," though flawed by repetitions and poor editing, is an important contribution to both our understanding of the Bible and our hopes for justice.
Rating:
Summary: Provides a new way to appreciate Genesis
Review: Never underestimate Alan Dershowitz. That's a lesson I learned when I was a student of his at Harvard Law School. Just when it seemed like he was cornered, with his argument tattered to ribbons, he would emerge with a counterargument that depended on his first argument being devasted. He had just successfully set-up the other professor (who shall remain nameless here) once again. Since then, I have seen him use the same strategy successfully time and again in many of his most famous cases. He has the nerve to skirt the edge of defeat to grasp victory. So I was not surprised to see that having taken on the Book of Genesis as his client that a similar strategy prevails here. The book is based on his successful seminar on the same subject which he has recently been teaching at Harvard. He does a marvelous job of taking a religious text and examining it as a source of legal precedent both in sacred and secular terms. Few would have the nerve, but your understanding of Genesis will be greatly improved as a result. He encourages you, as well as his students, to bring your own religious beliefs to the discussion. He proposes no official interpretations, and shares a diversity of opinions from learned Rabbis and religious thinkers of the Christian and Moslem faiths. In each case, he also shares his own interpretation. If you are like me, you will not always agree with him, but you will be interested to know what he concludes. He undertakes his inquiry in the spirit of a disputatious Hebrew school student who earned rebukes for his impertinent questions about where Cain's wife came from. He also draws from the Jewish tradition of encouraging the faithful to study the texts for their meaning. He clearly confronts the contradictions within Genesis through examining 10 stories, one per chapter. In the story of Adam and Eve and the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Professor Dershowitz emphasizes that God changes the deal. Having told Adam that he would die if he ate from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam goes on to live quite a long life. Having never told Eve not to eat from the tree, God punishes her with pain of childbirth and expulsion also. He describes God as having erred in dealing with Adam and Eve. You'll have to decide for yourself what your interpretation is. The title of the chapter is "God Threatens -- and Backs Down." Here are the rest of the first 10 chapter titles. They give you a sense of the argument that Professor Dershowitz is building: Cain Murders -- and Walks God Overreacts -- and Floods the World Abraham Defends the Guilty -- and Loses Lot's Daughters Rape Their Father -- and Save the World Abraham Commits Attempted Murder -- and Is Praised Jacob Deceives -- and Gets Deceived Dina Is Raped -- and Her Brothers Take Revenge Tamar Becomes a Prostitute -- and the Progenitor of David and the Messiah Joseph is Framed -- and Then Frames His Brothers His basic points in these chapters are that bad things happen to good people and vice versa, that punishment on earth is often disproportionate and inappropriate (such as punishing descendents as yet unborn), and that the rules keep shifting. Having driven you to the brink of despair about what Genesis means, he then offers his counterargument that all of this is purposeful on God's part. In chapters 11 and 12, he argues that Genesis is there to set the stage for the Ten Commandments, so show what a world is like without firm and lasting sacred rules that apply to all people at all times. In this context, God's apparent inconsistency is not so troubling, because it is replaced with the consistency of today. In chapter 13, he argues that a meaningful set of religious rules requires that there be justice in an afterlife. Otherwise, the obvious injustices in this life would leave people disaffected from religion. In chapter 14, he connects each of the Ten Commandments to one of the stories in Genesis. These form both a precedent for principle, as well, as a background for understanding the need for a better rule. He connects these points to secular law, as well. Those with a Jewish religious education will find the material most familiar. To make the text more available to Christians and Moslems, he adopts the common English translations of the Hebrew for his usual references. Fundamentalist Christians will find an occasional nod in their direction, but will probably not find the information very helpful in many cases. Agnostics and people from religions not based on the Old Testament will find the perspective of creating a legal code primarily relevant to their interests. The modern-day examples of crime and criminals will be appealing to all. I think any reason to spend more time with God's word is good, and I applaud Professor Dershowitz for adding another useful perspective to the riot of apparent contradictions in Genesis. Those with faith will feel affirmed. Those without faith may find a pathway closer to that having faith. After you finish this book, think of your own examples of religious texts that provide confusion in your mind. Then do some reading to better understand what those texts could mean. Have faith and prosper!
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