The Legends of the Jews

Download or read book The Legends of the Jews written by Louis Ginzberg and published by Taylor & Francis US. This book was released on 1998 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first books of the Bible describe powerfully but briefly the creation, the first generations of humanity, and the early history of the Jews. In addition to their power to inspire thought and worship, they inspired imagination. Much of the richness of Jewish belief and wisdom comes from the many legends that answered questions raised by the silences of the Bible. From the second to the fourteenth centuries, the Talmud, Midrash, and their Targums incorporated apocryphal views of Biblical persons and events to help explain scripture. Other legends found their way into the Kabbalah, into Biblical commentaries, and into Christian literature.