Moses: A Life
by Jonathan Kirsch
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jonathan KirschEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-11-02
ISBN: 0345412702
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780345412706
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Moses: A Life
Book Review: Absolutely Horrible, expect more from a lawyer!
Summary: 1 Stars
Moses: A Life is a book by Jonathan Kirsch, an author, attorney, and book review columnist. This book is an argument against who the biblical Moses was. As Kirsch states, "Yet much of what we think we know about Moses is simply made up, and much of what the Bible does say about him is left out of both sacred and secular art"(Moses: A Life, p.1). Kirsch seems to not believe that Moses was a real person and that what we are left with is the deep wonder of who the real Moses was, if he did exist. In the book, there are many accounts of the biblical Moses that may be never spoken of to the common sermon hearer. Examples are that "Moses is shown to act in timid and even cowardly ways, throw temper tantrums, dabble in magic, carry out purges and inquisitions and conduct wars of extermination, and talk back to God" (Moses: A Life p.2).
Unfortunately, Kirsch's book is filled with many mistakes in his argument. One of the problems is that Kirsch writes "It was Jethro, not Moses, who offered the very first sacrifice to Yahweh" (Moses: A Life p.8). This is incorrect. The Passover was the earlier sacrifice to Yahweh and it was done first by Moses and the Israelites. Next, Kirsch writes "According to a slightly revisionist reading of the Bible, Jethro was a sorcerer and Moses was his apprentice-an apprentice who eventually replaced his master" (Moses: A Life p.8, 9). There is no account in the Bible of Jethro, in any instance, being a worker of any magic or sorcery. Another poor sentence that Kirsch uses is "Only an eerie blood ritual performed by Moses' wife, Zipporah, managed to turn away the divine assault at the last moment and save his life" (Moses: A Life p.12) It seems to be neglected that all of the males of Abraham were to take part in the circumcision or be cut off from the people by divine judgment (Genesis 17 NASB). Here, Moses was saved from that judgment. Kirsch later states "And Moses wrote this law [torah], and delivered it unto the priests and the elders of Israel" (Moses: A Life p.14). Regrettably, Kirsch takes advantage of the meaning of the word torah. Torah can mean law and the Five Books of Moses. Here he uses the law form of torah to be used as the Five Books of Moses in this statement, thus taking a gain on the casual reader who is not carefully studying the text. It is not stated that Moses wrote the torah/five books. It is written that Moses wrote the torah/law. On the next page, Kirsch makes one more error before the reader. Moses' "father-in-law is identified as Reuel in one passage, Jethro in another, and Hobab in a third!" (Moses: A Life p.15). Again, after a quick study, the Bible reader will learn that Hobab is actually Jethro's son and not Jethro himself.
Later in chapter seven, Kirsch expresses disagreement with the amount of people that were apart of the Exodus journey. He comments that the number of Israelites is not accurate because two different number amounts are given. One of the numbers is given in Exodus 12:37 and a smaller number in the Song of Deborah in Judges 5:8. When reading the Bible though, the reader will take into account that by the time that the Israelites left the desert excursion, all of the adults, except Joshua and Caleb, had died, leaving a much smaller amount of people as noted in Judges. Sadly, these adults died because they would not believe Yahweh (Numbers 14:29). Furthermore in the chapter, Kirsch writes that Yahweh "would punish and humble the Egyptians in a display of divine flash-and-dazzle. God even went to the trouble of `hardening' Pharaoh's heart yet again to make sure that the Egyptians played their appointed role in the set-piece battle at the Red Sea" (Moses: A Life pgs. 184, 185). Here too, Kirsch is ignoring that Pharaoh, as head and sovereign of the Egyptians, repeatedly chose to disobey God's commands that were spoken through Moses and the plagues that ensued as a result. This continual defiance brought about the consequence of death. One reaps what one sows.
Afterward, in chapter twelve, Kirsch alludes that "Moses was now only a talismanic name and a faint memory, not a living presence" and "we find that Hosea could not bring himself to mention Moses by name when he recalled the events of the Exodus"(Moses: A Life p.360). Disappointingly, Kirsch uses the wrong verse. It is actually Hosea 12:13 that he means and in that verse, Hosea addresses Moses by his God-given title of prophet instead. The next inaccurate declaration that Kirsch makes is "and ultimately he is wholly discarded" (Moses: A Life p.360). Jonathan Kirsch does note that Moses is mentioned in Matthew 17:3, but he does not allow the reader to know that Moses is mentioned and referenced two more times in the Tanakh - Old Testament and seventy-seven times in the entire New Testament. A Bible reader may wonder what Kirsch means when he proclaims that Moses is "wholly discarded" after Hosea's words in light of this evidence.
Finally, in the next four paragraphs, Kirsch proclaims his own liberalistic beliefs. He wants the reader to view Moses as a dictating barbarian and also as a "kinder, gentler" man (Moses: A Life pgs. 362-363). Kirsch states that "some narrow-minded people rely on the Bible to condemn their fellow human beings for the most intimate aspects of their private lives" and "some zealots claim to find a warrant in biblical law for the maiming and murder of their fellow human beings" (Moses: A Life p.362). Because Kirsch is using the term Bible and referencing portions from the New Testament, it can be assumed that he is referring to those who call themselves Christians. Christians have no right or justification to condemn any person. Christians are called to love, as when Jesus Christ stated "love your neighbor as you love yourself" (Matthew 19:19 NASB). The Apostle Paul too, refers back to Jesus, when he writes "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, `You shall Love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:14 NASB). Kirsch is seemingly trying to convince the reader that Christians are foolish for believing on the biblical text when speaking on or referring Moses. Christians are free from the Mosaic Law. This is stated several times by the Apostle Paul in his epistles. Examples are "you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14 NASB) and "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified" (Galatians 2:16 NASB). Lastly, Kirsch does not even attempt to mention the Muslim belief upon the existence of Moses, which is rather sad. The greatest part of the reading is on page 15, when Kirsch informs the reader "The image of Moses that emerges from the Bible itself is a mosaic of odd biographical fragments, and we cannot know with certainty which of these pieces of a life are authentic" (Moses: A Life p.15). Here the reader learns that the premise of Kirsch's work relies upon "a mosaic of odd biographical fragments". This is not a justifiable and logical approach for subjecting a reader. An author, attorney, and book review columnist, as Kirsch is, needs to consider this when creating a book to be sold to and read by the public.
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