Who's Who in the Jewish Bible

Introduction

ix Introduction The.Bible.is.today,.and.has.been.for.2,000.years,.the.cardinal.text.for.Judaism. and.Christianity..Its.stories.and.characters.have.greatly.influenced.Western.culture.and. civilization. . Often,.many.of.the.elements.of.a.single.biography.are.widely.separated.in.the. Bible,.distributed.across.great.stretches.of.text..This.book.brings.together,.in.a.narrative .format,.all.of.the.information.and.references.about.each.character—which.may. be.found.in.several.biblical.books—and.presents.the.biography.of.each.person.as.a. coherent.and.continuous.story..For.the.purposes.of.this.book,.it.is.not.important.if.the. person.mentioned.in.the.Bible.existed.in.historical.fact.or.only.in.folk.mythology.or.as. a.fictional.character.created.for.moral.purposes. . Unavoidably,. there. is. some. redundancy. in. the. biographies. because. many. people.particitpated.the.same.events..I.have.strived.in.each.case.to.present.the.events. from.the.point.of.view.of.the.specific.individual.being.presented.so.that.each.biography .could.stand.on.its.own. . Who’s Who in the Jewish Bible.differs.from.comparable.volumes.because.it. relies.only.on.the.Bible.as.its.source..The.book.is.based.solely.on.the.biblical.text.as.it. is.commonly.understood,.without.extra-biblical.legends,.theological.interpretations,. or.other.additions. . This.book.does.not.take.a.theological.approach.to.the.Bible..It.is.based.on. a.literal.reading.of.the.text.and.treats.that.text.as.a.historical.document..However,.I. believe.that.many.of.the.biographies,.long.or.short,.of.the.3,000.individuals.mentioned .in.the.biblical.text.convey.the.profound.truths.of.the.Bible..It.is.my.hope.that. the.reader.will.find.these.biographies.instructive,.enjoyable,.and.interesting.and.will,. at.the.same.time,.gain.new.insights.into.the.study.of.the.characters,.whose.stories. provide.examples.to.be.emulated.or.avoided. . Who’s Who in the Jewish Bible.is.an.authoritative.and.comprehensive.reference . for. a. wide. audience,. including. scholars. and. general. readers;. students. and. teachers.in.high.schools,.religious.institutions,.colleges,.and.seminaries;.rabbis,.ministers ,.and.religious.educators;.and.participants.in.religious.education.and.Bible.study. programs..It.can.be.read.by.people.of.all.ages.for.information.and.enjoyment;.at.the. same.time,.it.can.be.used.as.an.indispensable.reference.by.Bible.students,.scholars,. researchers,.teachers,.and.clergy. ...