Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and easy to read
Review: A few years back, James Kugel wrote a wonderful book called The Bible as It Was, which dealt with how people in ancient times interpreted the Bible. With The God of Old, Kugel once again takes up to pre-Christian times and gives us new insight as to the meanings of certain items in Bible.In this brief book, Kugel has assembled what is essentially a collection of a half dozen essays around a common theme: how did the people in Old Testament times actually view God. Dealing with topics such as divine justice, the nature of angels and the existence of the afterlife, he shows that God was an evolving figure in history and the ancient concept is often quite different from the modern one. Kugel has written a clear, thoughtful work with the occasional bits of humor. Sometimes - as he himself admits - his interpretations may be stretches, but they are all thought-provoking. As any book dealing with religion, this book will definitely have its detractors; nonetheless, if you are open to new ways of viewing an old book, this will be a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written and insightful
Review: A few years back, James Kugel wrote a wonderful book called The Bible as It Was, which dealt with how people in ancient times interpreted the Bible. With The God of Old, Kugel once again takes up to pre-Christian times and gives us new insight as to the meanings of certain items in Bible. In this brief book, Kugel has assembled what is essentially a collection of a half dozen essays around a common theme: how did the people in Old Testament times actually view God. Dealing with topics such as divine justice, the nature of angels and the existence of the afterlife, he shows that God was an evolving figure in history and the ancient concept is often quite different from the modern one. Kugel has written a clear, thoughtful work with the occasional bits of humor. Sometimes - as he himself admits - his interpretations may be stretches, but they are all thought-provoking. As any book dealing with religion, this book will definitely have its detractors; nonetheless, if you are open to new ways of viewing an old book, this will be a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, contemplative, well-written
Review: Few people can write as well as Kugel. In discussing the starkness of Psalm 90, Kugel compares the summation of one's life to a painting:
"This canvas is the only thing of our existence that endures. To be sure, it does not endure in any tangible way, since nothing tangible endures in any case. [...] But it is no less real for being intangible--that is the essence of the stark world--in fact, it is only thanks to its intangibility that it does endure, and it is the only thing that matters. [...] when it is done it is ours forever--it is all that is ours, on into howling eternity."
If "on into howling eternity" doesn't conjure up an image of starkness for you, I doubt any words can.
The God of Old examines how our modern concept of God differs from early biblical descriptions. The God of Old will be of interest to anyone who has contemplated this question. An in-depth knowledge of the Old Testament is not required or assumed. It is not excessively long or difficult to read, however you may find yourself re-reading some paragraphs to fully absorb the meaning. If you have any interest in the subject matter, you will enjoy this well-written book.
Rating:
Summary: Adoration of this book!
Review: I am only halfway through reading this book, admittedly, but I am stunned by having found someone who so closely discusses my intuitive feelings about God. I do believe that the reason Mr. Kugel has explored his Project so deeply and fruitfully is because he has experienced God himself. Perhaps not as a human being, or even within a burning bush, but he surely knows God. Our world is opening, once again, to KNOWING God as an intimate partner.
Rating:
Summary: Adoration of this book!
Review: I am only halfway through reading this book, admittedly, but I am stunned by having found someone who so closely discusses my intuitive feelings about God. I do believe that the reason Mr. Kugel has explored his Project so deeply and fruitfully is because he has experienced God himself. Perhaps not as a human being, or even within a burning bush, but he surely knows God. Our world is opening, once again, to KNOWING God as an intimate partner.
Rating:
Summary: interesting read
Review: I can recall the experience of afternoon Hebrew school and the small group of us being urged to pontificate on the nature of God - we had several choices, namely, the Watchmaker, the Unmoving Mover, the Captain of a large ship, etc. My utter disappointment in myself at not knowing the correct answer is of course part of this lucid memory. I still retain a certain faith in the nature of right answers but now I appreciate how these right answers can vary, dependent on the multiple realities inherent in them.
Kugel's book attests to the fact that the interaction with and perception of God varies by time, by region, and by the individual. It thereby reveals different versions of the same reality, namely the concept of God, or the sense of the numinous, common to all cultures. Evidentially, Kugel supports his thesis. He states that the relationship of man with God has varied and then he describes ways in which it has. In some cases he attempts to explain the experience through the use of analogy. For example, he compares the experience of a young girl taking care of her dolls and her concept of the true nature of what those dolls represent to the worship in a temple and the creation of another sort of representative reality.
Kugel presents an egalitarian viewpoint whereby one gets the impression that man's relationship with God has changed not improved over time. Far from claiming the greater authenticity of any given interaction with God, Kugel encourages the reader to consider the veracity of them all. Readers are likely to relate more than one of the experiences of God that Kugel describes. There is a youthful version of us, very much dependent on our parents. In this mindset we might imagine a God as a true to life deity presenting itself unawares-initiating requests (i.e. clean your room, lead your people to the promised land). There is perhaps a later version of ourselves when, having much more control over our environment but hoping that 'this can't be it, if so, what then?' This might be much like the medieval worshipper seeking out a response from God hoping he will answer and raise him to a more spiritual level. There is also a reflective version of us, forced to make a major decision in life and thereby reduce things into their mere black and white components. This notion Kugel describes as 'starkness', accounts which omit much of the richness of detail and ambiguity of real life (or what Kugel referes to as the sun world).
All in all, I found this book to be an invitation to use one's imagination. Kugel shows. he does not tell or preach and he does so engagingly. This was a fascinating and revealing book and I look forward to reading more of Kugel's work.
Rating: 
Summary: God is not omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent only
Review: I cannot hold this book in high regard. I bought the book, because I found the subtitle to be interesting. The author wants to the reader to remember that the "God of Old" was not only ethereal. This God appeared to people. The problem was that the "people" did not know that they were dealing with God--see the story of Jacob wrestling the angel. Another point the author tries to make clear is that when an ancient Isrealite had this kind of encounter with God, a "moment of confusion" existed, because the person thought the other person was a mere mortal and not the holy presence of God. So, to find an alternative to a view of God, one could read the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible or read this book. Actually it would be cheaper to read the Old Testament and discover the complex world present therein. I found this book annoying in this regard. This is one example: "Bibliographical and Other Notes" is 52 pages of the book. The Notes are arranged by page number. The reader does not know that there is Note for an individual page; the text does not indicate that. There is no separate Bibliography. The reader has to dig it out of the Notes. The author refers to his work as the "Project." Well, if the Notes and the Hebrew Bible are removed, then the reader has about 125-165 pages of solid material. The book is organized thusly: 1 The Project; 2 The Moment of Confusion; 3 Not Searching for God; 4 No Graven Images; 5 The Cry of the Victim; 6 The Soul's Journey; 7 The Last Look; Bibliographical and Other Notes; Scriptual Index; Subject Index. I really cannot recommend this book, unless one does not know these other aspects of God.
Rating:
Summary: mildly interesting
Review: I didn't find this as enthralling as some other reviewers did, but it still had some nice little words of Torah. The early part of the book was most interesting; Kugel explains that while we think of God as very abstract and very far away, the Bible sometimes shows him suddenly appearing in human form as an angel, going out of its way to blur the distinction between God and other beings. By contrast, later texts tend to more sharply distinguish God and angels from each other and from beings with bodies. Kugel also explains that while moderns think of man searching for God, the Bible shows God in search of Man (to use R. Heschel's phrase) - often without any indication that the human being contacted has sought such contact. (Though many Midrashim try to show otherwise, indicating some discontent with the idea of unsought prophecy). As Kugel points out, "As the biblical period goes on, God becomes bigger and more remote (p. 61). . . ungraspably big and far off (p. 63). What changed?
Rating:
Summary: mildly interesting
Review: I didn't find this as enthralling as some other reviewers did, but it still had some nice little words of Torah. The early part of the book was most interesting; Kugel explains that while we think of God as very abstract and very far away, the Bible sometimes shows him suddenly appearing in human form as an angel, going out of its way to blur the distinction between God and other beings. By contrast, later texts tend to more sharply distinguish God and angels from each other and from beings with bodies. Kugel also explains that while moderns think of man searching for God, the Bible shows God in search of Man (to use R. Heschel's phrase) - often without any indication that the human being contacted has sought such contact. (Though many Midrashim try to show otherwise, indicating some discontent with the idea of unsought prophecy). As Kugel points out, "As the biblical period goes on, God becomes bigger and more remote (p. 61). . . ungraspably big and far off (p. 63). What changed?
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and easy to read
Review: I really liked this book. Kugel is smart, interesting, original and unafraid to take risks. I know very little about the Bible, but had no trouble understanding his ideas. Conversely, I am quite sure I would have gotten just as much out of it even if I were an expert on the Old Testament.
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