Synopses & Reviews
Opening with the prophet Elijah's ascent into heaven and closing with the people of Judah's descent to Babylonia, 2 Kings charts the story of the two Israelite kingdoms until their destruction. This commentary unfolds the literary dimensions of 2 Kings, analyzes the strategies through which its words create a world of meaning, and examines the book's tales of prophets, political intrigue, royal apostasy, and religious reform as components of larger patterns.
2 Kings pays attention to the writers' methods of representing human character and of twisting chronological time for literary purposes. It also shows how the contests between kings and prophets are mirrored in the competing structures of regnal synchronization and prophecy-fulfillment. Much more than a common chronicle of royal achievements and disasters, 2 Kings emerges as a powerful history that creates memories and forges identities for its Jewish readers.
2 Kings is divided into four parts including Part One The Story of Elisha: 2 Kings 1:1-8:6"; Part Two "Revolutions in Aram, Israel, and Judah: 2 Kings 8:7-13:25"; Part Three "Turmoil and Tragedy for Israel: 2 Kings 14-17"; and Part Four "Renewal and Catastrophe for Judah: 2 Kings 18-25."
Robert L. Cohn is professor of religion and holds the Philip and Muriel Berman Chair in Jewish studies at Lafayette College. Under the auspices of the American Jewish Committee, he lectured on Jewish interpretations of the Bible as the first American Jewish-scholar-in-residence at four Roman Catholic seminaries in Poland."
Review
Robert Cohn is one of the most perceptive literary interpreters of biblical narrative at work today. He combines an unrivaled sense of literary artistry with a profound empathy for the religious dimension of the text. Professor Cohn's commentary on 2 Kings is a delight to read and a source of instruction and spiritual enrichment for anyone lucky enough to dip into it. I commend it with enthusiasm. There is nothing else like it."Jon D. Levenson, Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies, Harvard University
Review
Cohn's probing eyes surface narrative worlds, each focused yet open to unexpected horizons. Wolfgang Roth, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary
Review
Robert Cohn has written a refreshingly different commentary on 2 Kings . . . . Graced by a clear, accessible style, Cohn's 2 Kings is an exemplary demonstration of what close interpretation of a text is all about.Peter Machinist, Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages, Harvard University
Review
It introduces its readers into the literary richness of a text that too often has been reduced to merely a historical source.Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
Review
In 2 Kings, Robert Cohn, the Philip and Muriel Berman professor of Jewish Studies at Lafayette College, offers an admirably clear, jargon-free commentary on what he calls 'the literary dimension of history writing.' . . . He well serves general readers and professionals engaged with the Bible who will be able to make their own contemporary applications.Hebrew Studies
Synopsis
For centuries people have turned to the Hebrew Bible to hear the life-giving words of God's everlasting covenant. Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry shares the riches of this message with all who seek to hear it. Twenty-four volumes are projected for the series. Anticipate one volume in the series each spring and fall.
-- This series reflects the latest developments in a relatively new method of biblical study: literary criticism.
-- The authors approach the books of the Hebrew Bible as literary works, recognizing that the stories and poetry can be better appreciated if one is acquainted with the techniques whereby the ancient Hebrew authors told stories and wrote poems, as well as the strategies that modern readers use to understand them.
-- The contributors represent a variety of religious traditions, and theoretical approaches.
-- The authors comment on the text of the Hebrew Bible but they refer primarily to the New Revised Standard Version when referring to a modern translation.
-- The volumes in Berit Olam contain commentary only; the complete biblical text is not included.
Unfolds the literary dimensions of 2 Kings and examines the book's tales of prophets, political intrigue, royal apostasy, and religious reform as components of larger patterns.
About the Author
Robert L. Cohn is professor of religion and holds the Philip and Muriel Berman Chair in Jewish studies at Lafayette College. Under the auspices of the American Jewish Committee, he lectured on Jewish interpretations of the Bible as the first American Jewish-scholar-in-residence at four Roman Catholic seminaries in Poland.