Voices From Genesis: Guiding Us through the Stages of Life - Hardcover

Cohen, Dr. Norman J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1879045753 ISBN 13: 9781879045750

Publisher: Jewish Lights, 1998

Synopsis

A brilliant blending of modern midrash and the life stages of Erik Erikson's developmental psychology. How can the pain, pleasures, and drama of the great characters in Genesis provide insights for our own life journeys? Many of us feel alone in the struggles and triumphs we face during different stages of our lives. Norman Cohen shows how the pathways of our lives are quite similar to those of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekkah, Jacob, Rachel and Leah, and Joseph. Voices from Genesis brings to life the leading figures of Genesis to speak directly to us, telling of their spiritual and emotional journeys, struggles, frustrations, and confusions―from birth to maturity to death―as if they were in conversation with us right now. Combining midrash (finding contemporary meaning from ancient biblical texts) with the developmental psychology insights of Erik Erikson, a twentieth-century psychoanalytic legend, Cohen explores the great characters of Genesis, letting the wisdom of the ancient text resonate with our own modern lives.

About this title

About the Author:

Dr. Norman J. Cohen is widely recognized as one of the great teachers of his generation. A rabbi, professor emeritus of midrash and former provost of Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, he frequently lectures to Jewish and Christian laypeople and scholars on Bible study and midrash―finding contemporary meaning from ancient biblical texts. Cohen was a participant in Bill Moyers's Genesis: A Living Conversation on PBS. He is author of Self, Struggle & Change: Family Conflict Stories in Genesis and Their Healing Insights for Our Lives; Voices from Genesis: Guiding Us through the Stages of Life; Moses and the Journey to Leadership: Timeless Lessons of Effective Management from the Bible and Today's Leaders; Hineni in Our Lives: Learning How to Respond to Others through 14 Biblical Texts & Personal Stories and The Way Into Torah (all Jewish Lights).

From Publishers Weekly:

Taking pages from the developmental psychologist Erik Erikson and stories from Genesis, Cohen, the provost of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Midrash, retells familiar stories from the Hebrew Bible. In each story, particular characters from Genesis represent life's many stages. Adam and Eve, for example, represent infancy, while Cain and Abel represent early childhood. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from Erikson's psychology of human growth. Cohen then retells the stories in his own words Finally, he offers a lengthy interpretive section exploring the intersections of psychology and biblical studies. In the story of Isaac, for example, we have an individual struggling to establish his identity by creating his own family structure. Isaac, especially in the moments before his father places him on the altar, also experiences the tensions inherent in striving to understand the difficulties and painful moments of life. Cohen's engaging writing and storytelling bring new life to these familiar biblical stories. Cohen teaches us that these stories continue to help us learn more about ourselves.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jewish Lights
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1879045753
• ISBN 13: 9781879045750
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192