Five Biblical Portraits - Softcover

Wiesel, Elie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0268009627 ISBN 13: 9780268009625

Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981

Synopsis

Five Biblical Portraits is a sequel to Elie Weisel's Messengers of God; in this work Elie Wiesel illuminates Joshua, Saul, Elijah, Jeremiah, and Jonah through sensitive readings of the scriptures as well as the Talmudic and Hasidic sources. As a sequel to his book, Messengers of God, this work brings ancient religious figures to literary life and emphasizes the personal struggles within the awesome missions of these men.

About this title

About the Author:

Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) was Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University. He is the author of more than forty books, several of which have won international awards. His work on behalf of human rights and world peace has earned Wiesel the Nobel Peace Prize (1986), the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal, among many other honors.

Review:

This collection of biographies of prophets Joshua, Elijah, Saul, Jeremiah, and Jonah does a masterful job of humanizing these figures. However, in the course of his descriptions, Elie Wiesel does more than inform us about their lives and supposed thoughts. He asks today’s questions in the context of the past. . . . There is no ambiguity or vagueness in Wiesel’s writing. He promises us portraits, and there is not a wasted brushstroke, not a blurred line.” Christian Century

Jonah the unlucky, Joshua the lucky, Saul the complex, Jeremiah the tearful all stride through semi-narrative episodes which the masterful story-teller weaves as a historical vignette of prophetic destiny.” Commonweal

Wiesel’s sketches will stir the imagination in ways that will open readers to new depths in ancient texts.” Religious Studies Review

Deeply moving and enlightening.” Chicago Tribune

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
• Publication date: 1981
• ISBN 10: 0268009627
• ISBN 13: 9780268009625
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 157