The Discovery of God : Abraham and the Birth of Monotheism

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, challenging, and moving
Review: Having read Mr. Klinghoffer's wonderful memoir "The Lord Will Gather Me In," I had high hopes for this new book. Even so, "The Discovery of God" exceeded my expectations.

Using Jewish tradition (oral and written) to flesh out the account of Abraham's life in Genesis, Klinghoffer paints an incredibly vibrant picture of the the patriarch. As he tells this story, he also provides fascinating discussions of the cannons of Biblical exegesis, rabbinical scholarly traditions, and the sources of conflict between traditional and modernist scholars. This is weighty stuff, but Klinghoffer writes so beautifully, and has such an eye for the interesting detail, that the book never sags--rather, it soars.

All in all, "The Discovery of God" is a fascinating journey through the life of the man who Jews, Christians, and Muslims all can rightfully call "Father Abraham." Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, frustrating biography of the Biblical patriarch
Review: In this exceedingly frustrating book I found some fascinating insights into the Biblical patriarch Abraham, yet the author's style was so off-putting I often found myself wondering why I persisted in reading. Author David Klinghoffer writes from within the Orthodox Jewish approach that views the oral tradition (Midrash), codified by ancient rabbis and interpreted by medieval sages, as revealed truth on a par with the Torah. In fact, he argues, you can't understand the Torah unless you read it in conjunction with the oral law. His arguments in favor of his approach are arrogantly overstated yet unlikely to appeal to anyone but a true believer, which was part of what made the book so maddening. Furthermore, he asserts the factual nature of his account with no regard for the extent to which it is the product of his own selection and interpretation of the traditional texts. If he had acknowledged that his approach was one among many, and then demonstrated its usefulness, he would have been more likely to win me over.

The author structures the book as a biography of Abraham, interleaving Biblical and Midrashic tales along with selected historical/archaeological evidence (while remaining contemptuously dismissive of those who take a primarily historical approach to the Bible). Jewish oral tradition provides a wealth of instructive anecdotes with which to flesh out the terse Biblical tale, and the author demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of the literature. At times the dense, discursive, and often bizarre stories overwhelmed the narrative flow and made it difficult to discern the author's main points. Given the often troubled relations among the three religions that trace their heritage to Abraham, it was surprising that the author reached an ultimately optimistic conclusion, yet he made a thought-provoking case for hope.

Rating:
Summary: a great historical novel turned into a so-so book
Review: What I didn't like: Klinghoffer treats almost every Midrashic legend about Abraham as literal truth (rather than as parables created to make a broader theological or ethical point). But as Klinghoffer himself occasionally admits, these stories (a) were not necessarily meant to be taken literally and (b) occasionally contradict each other.

What I liked: although I occasionally found this book loopy, I give it credit for being learned. Klinghoffer seems to have a pretty sure command of these stories, and has at least some awareness of modern archaeology (not that I know enough to intelligently judge).