Exodus for Normal People

About this book

Behind the scenes of movies like The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt, or Exodus: Gods and Kings is a complicated, and at times, messy biblical story. In this short guide to the book of Exodus, Biblical scholar Peter Enns doesn't just break down the story for the average person to understand but takes us behind the story-to the history and traditions that led us to the story as we have it today. By asking the important questions like, "What kind of book are we reading?" and taking us along Moses's and the Israelite journey, Enns brings the best in biblical scholarship to us everyday people. And, as we have come to expect from Pete Enns, he does it with his usual humor and wit."Pete Enns does it again! In Exodus for Normal People, he provides us with a roadmap for understanding the book of Exodus through the lens of what concerned ancient people. He makes accessible the best of biblical scholarship with humor and insight, reminding us to respect Scripture in all its complexities. A hard task that Pete makes look simple."Richard Rohr, author of The Universal Christ, Falling Upward, and Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality"Enns is a gem! And actually quite abnormal: he's equal parts brilliant and witty, wise and humorous. He's exactly the kind of guide the rest of us, far more "normal people" need when it comes to the Bible, the Book of Exodus included."Brent A. Strawn D. Moody Smith Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Professor of Law, Duke University"Enns helps readers to understand Exodus as responding to ancient Israel's questions of identity, theology, and history, to raise their own questions, and frequently to laugh out loud."Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt Divinity School; coauthor of The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us"The title says it all-this is a wonderful introduction to the text, themes, and meaning of the Bible's second book for normal people-those who are curious about the Bible, but never dove deeply into the text. In a clever, chatty, and casual style, Pete Enns interprets Exodus as 'mythicized history, ' written in 'the religious language of a tribalistic, Iron Age society, ' making contemporary biblical scholarship, based on archeology and study of the ancient Near East, interesting and accessible."Marc Brettler, Ph.D, Professor in Judaic Studies, Duke University; author of How to Read the Bible"Pete Enns is a real scholar who doesn't write like one-thank heavens. He writes with knowledge of the scholarship but in the language of a thoughtful layperson. Reading Enns one feels like the author is having a personal chat with his reader. He is smart, learned, and witty. In a word: normal."Richard Elliott Friedman, Ph.D, Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Georgia; author of The Exodus and Who Wrote the Bible?"Entertaining and informative! A seasoned biblical pro-Pete Enns-knows Exodus as well as anyone. Enns communicates one of the most important biblical stories in such a manner that even "normal" people can enter its pages and wrestle with the challenges critical biblical scholarship poses. Moreover, he does so with humor and grace. Thisis a gift!"Emerson Powery, Ph.D. Professor of Biblical Studies, Messiah University