{"product_id":"the-beginning-of-wisdom-by-leon-r-kass-9780226425672","title":"The Beginning of Wisdom","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\nAs ardent debates over creationism fill the front pages of newspapers, Genesis has never been more timely. And as Leon R. Kass shows in \u003cem\u003eThe Beginning of Wisdom\u003c\/em\u003e, it’s also timeless. \n\nExamining Genesis in a philosophical light, Kass presents it not as a story of what happened long ago, but as the enduring story of humanity itself. He asserts that the first half of Genesis contains insights about human nature that \"rival anything produced by the great philosophers.\" Kass reads these first stories—from Adam and Eve to the Tower of Babel—as a mirror for self-discovery that reveals truths about human reason, speech, freedom, sexual desire, pride, shame, anger, and death. Taking a step further in the second half of his book, Kass explores the struggles in Genesis to launch a new way of life that addresses mankind’s morally ambiguous nature by promoting righteousness and holiness.\n\nEven readers who don’t agree with Kass’s interpretations will find \u003cem\u003eThe Beginning of Wisdom\u003c\/em\u003e a compelling book—a masterful philosophical take on one of the world’s seminal religious texts.\n\n“Extraordinary. . . . Its analyses and hypotheses will leave no reader’s understanding of Genesis unchanged.” — \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\n\n“A learned and fluent, delightfully overstuffed stroll through the Gates of Eden. . . . Mix Harold Bloom with Stephen Jay Gould and you’ll get something like Kass. A wonderfully intelligent reading of Genesis.” — \u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e, starred review\n\n“Throughout his book, Kass uses fruitful, fascinating techniques for getting at the heart of Genesis. . . . Innumerable times [he] makes a reader sit back and rethink what has previously been tediously familiar or baffling.” — \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\n\n“It is important to state that this is a book not merely rich, but prodigiously rich with insight. Kass is a marvellous reader, sensitive and careful. His interpretations surprise again and again with their cogency and poignancy.” — \u003cem\u003eJerusalem Post\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47461470044396,"sku":"9780226425672","price":52.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780226425672-the-beginning-of-wisdom.jpg?v=1774969505","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-beginning-of-wisdom-by-leon-r-kass-9780226425672","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}