The Secular Bible

Jacques Berlinerblau, who holds separate Ph.D.s in ancient Near Eastern studies and sociology, is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Languages and Director of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at Hofstra University. His second book, The Black Athena Controversy and the Responsibilities of American Intellectuals, was published in 1999 and his articles have appeared in The Journal of the Academy of American Religion, History of Religions, Biblical Interpretation, and other scholarly as well as more mainstream publications.

• Introduction: secularists and the not-Godless world; Part I. The Composition of the Hebrew Bible: 1. Who wrote the Bible? (Ancient response); 2. Who wrote the Bible? (Modern response); 3. The secular answer to 'who wrote the Bible?'; Part II. The Interpreters of the Hebrew Bible: 4. Why is there so much biblical interpretation?; 5. Introducing biblical scholars and secular interpretations; Part III. Politics and Scripture: 6. On Jewish intermarriage: the Bible is open to interpretation; 7. Same-sex eroticism and Jerry Falwell; 8. The secular Qur'an?; Conclusion: beyond church and state: new directions for secularism.

'In well-wrought prose and with a frolicsome sense of humor, Berlinerblau poses questions that will disquiet thinking secularists as much as they will those committed to religion. By distinguishing between what traditions say about the origin of the Bible and how they interpret it, he opens door to making the same distinction between what critical biblical scholarship has to say about biblical origins and biblical interpretation. Berlinerblau's book raises questions in a clever, intriguing way that will stimulate serious thought and discussion long after it is put down.' Ziony Zevit, author of The Religions of Ancient Israel