Michael D. Coogan

Michael Coogan takes a scholarly perspective to the Biblical claims of divine chosenness. He explains how Biblical writers were writing for their times and were influenced by place, politics, and tribalism. That God has chosen any peoples over another, according to Coogan, is a myth. It is a myth that has been used by Jews, Christians, Americans, Israelis, and others throughout history. It is a claim that has been used to justify persecution, slavery, exclusion, and war. Coogan calls for show more abandoning the myth of divine chosenness and, instead, embracing the Biblical call to care for the vulnerable and needy. Adherents of Biblical literalism will not appreciate Coogan’s reading of the Bible. Readers with an open mind, however, will find this an informative and thought-provoking book. show less

Sweeping across broad expanses of time, this book begins with the Upper Paleolithic (43,000-18,000 BCE) and its semipermanent settlements in what we now call the Middle East and ends with the Arab conquest of Jerusalem in 638 CE. Intended to be a survey of archeological, textual, and linguistic scholarship, the book synthesizes scholarly research to help the reader understand the context in which the religion of biblical Israel and later Judaism and Christianity developed.

Whenever I read, I show more recall wise advice from Mortimer Adler in his book How to Read a Book - try to remove yourself from your modern way of thinking and imagine yourself as a person living in the time and place of the characters you are reading about. What would you see and hear? How would you react? When I read the Bible, I felt that I was gaining more knowledge, yet I couldn’t conjure up the sense of relatedness that I felt when reading books like the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Odyssey. There were some biblical stories that moved me either to tears or to anger - but in none was I able to really imagine myself there. I decided to veer slightly off the track of Bloom’s Western Canon and delve into books that provide context for the biblical world. After reading this book, I realized that part of the problem is sweep. The biblical world and its history cover thousands of years and a diverse set of peoples, languages, and religious beliefs. Trying to imagine oneself in the context of the biblical world is like imagining oneself in the expanse of modern time. I could no less imagine myself in the same book as a Renaissance woman and Sally Ride - both of whom lived in a far shorter period of time than the span of the biblical world. In a way, reading The Oxford History of the Biblical World gave a sense of relief.

It is the Israeli religion, which later developed into what we call Judaism that dominates the book. From the earliest creation stories to the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Muslims, the authors show how the religious and legal system of the Jews developed. The book puts each of the Bible’s books in their contemporary contexts. This helps the reader see connections to the broader world in a geography that spanned from Arabia to North Africa and from India to Spain in the Old Testament and from Asia Minor to Italy in the New Testament.

I learned much about the context and development of both Judaism and Christianity. For example, long before Christianity became a separate religion, to the far-away ruling elite in Rome, it would have been indistinguishable from the religion of Israel. If the emperor knew about it at all, and it’s likely that he didn’t, it would have been considered an extremely small, localized movement within the Israeli religion. That it developed into the world’s most popular religion is a testament to the power of its message of redemption and to the brilliance of the early church leaders who codified the texts and built a structure that has endured ever since.

I read this book after I read Robin Lane Fox’s Unauthorized Version. I will review that book separately. But in comparison, the Oxford History is more cut and dry with a serious, scholarly voice. Fox covers similar material but with a twinkle in his eye. For pure enjoyment, his is the superior book. But for sheer breadth and reference, the Oxford book is the one to keep on the shelf. show less

A Review of God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says, a book by Michael Coogan

We are a culture enamored of our own sexuality for both good and bad. For some of us, human sexuality is approached with an extremely liberal laissez faire attitude. For others, the issue of human sexuality, including the roles of gender, is approached from a hyper conservative – and some would say puritanical – perspective. The vast majority find themselves somewhere in the middle but no one is without some show more sort of opinion.

In the midst of this eternal debate, we hear entreaties made to look at these issues in light of “What would Jesus do?” or, “What does the Bible say?” According to a recent study released by the Pew Forum, however, it would seem that a great many of us are illiterate when it comes to religion in general and the Bible specifically. Therefore, it is questionable whether many of us can actually answer these questions as they pertain to either sexuality or any other aspect of human life.

Fortunately, we do have scholars like Michael Coogan who are willing to help us intelligently and unflinchingly look for the answers. In his new book God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says, Coogan boldly leads his readers through the broad scope of the Bible’s sexual content.

Using the best that modern biblical scholarship has to offer, Dr. Coogan incorporates sociological, literary and anthropological insights from the Ancient Near East, enlightening the biblical texts and tradition which we lean on so heavily. The result is an unblushing look into the biblical bedroom as it were. It should also be greatly appreciated that he also makes it a point to discuss the sexual roles of women and men in society in general. In all of this he maintains a wry sense of humor, bringing an appropriate touch of humor to what might be an otherwise dry, academic discussion.

Dr. Coogan has really rendered us quite a service. His book generously confronts both those who wish to lift the bible up as a definitive collection of precepts while challenging those who would generally ignore its importance. Perhaps his most insightful thoughts come in his conclusion.
“…no single biblical text adequately expresses the ideal, and in fact some texts clearly are counter to it from our perspective. Taken as a whole, however, the Bible can be understood as the beginning of a continuous movement toward the goal of full freedom and equality for all persons,…”

It is, in my estimation, an entirely useful one stop shop for those who would seriously ask, “What does the Bible say?” show less

I wanted *more*. Articles on race, class, art, culture, intercultural exchange among Jews and their various neighbors, the drive to conquer/colonize, etc. I'm glad views on women were interrogated, but I wish it had gone much further.

Also, a cultural comparison of diaspora Jews elsewhere in the "biblical" world seems like it would be relevant. At least the bibliography is strong.