Reviews
"Hillel's contribution is truly distinctive, insightful and provocative." -- Sandee Brawarsky, The Jewish Week, " The Natural History of the Bibleis One Beautiful Book." -Jeanne Kay Guelke, Environmental Ethics, Daniel Hillel has done a magnificent job and contributed substantially both to Biblical scholarship and to the understanding of the ecology of the area. But he goes much deeper than simply interpreting the Bible's ecological setting. Hillel allows us to understand better the minds of those who were recording the events in Egypt, the return to Canaan, David and Solomon, and the various interpretations of Jerusalem, as well as the meaning of these events. So well presented and so informative., "A refreshing, detailed and stimulating account of an important aspect of ancient Israelite development." -- Hilary Marlow, Journal of Jewish Studies, "Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way." -- Publishers Weekly, "An informed and readable entrance into a profound world." -- Harvey E. Goldberg, The European Legacy, For anyone concerned about the origins of the Hebrew Bible... this is a fascinating book that can be highly recommended., "Hillel... offers us a quintessential resource for understanding the role of nature in Jewish cultural and religious movements." -- Daneil Orenstein, "Jerusalem Report", Hillel... offers us a quintessential resource for understanding the role of nature in Jewish cultural and religious movements., [ The Natural History of the Bible ] should be of equal interest to the student of ecology and the student of theology., Daniel Hillel's The Natural History of the Bible is a very good read and deserves a place on the shelf., Hillel's rational accounts of natural phenomena in the Hebrew scriptures and his thesis about the formation of montheism will assist anyone who wishes to extend understanding of the Bible as a foundational text for Western civilization and to comprehend the relationship between faith formation and place., "Daniel Hillel's The Natural History of the Bible is a very good read and deserves a place on the shelf." -- Alon Tal, Environmental History, "[ The Natural History of the Bible ] should be of equal interest to the student of ecology and the student of theology." -- Sir Ghillean Prance, The Times Higher Education Supplement, "That environmental factors affect our daily lives is disputed by no one. But can environment, climate and topology play a part in the development of a religious community? Hillel, professor emeritus of environmental studies at the University of Massachusetts and senior research scientist at Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research, says yes. He comes to the subject immersed in the lore of ancient Israel, from his grandfather's instruction to his own years living in modern Israel. He sees the Jewish belief system as an amalgam of ideas emerging from an interplay of human beings with both the land and its peoples, "absorb[ing] all the cultural strands... from all the ecological domains of the ancient Near East... and assimilat[ing] them into their own culture." He divides sacred history into seven "domains," dispensations based not on some theological construct but rather on the terrain in which the Israelites lived. What emerges is a largely naturalistic explanation of Israel's beliefs and laws, with a strong emphasis on the impact of culture and environment on the evolving Jewish religion. Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way. (Jan.) " -- Publisher's Weekly, " The Natural History of the Bible is one beautiful book." -- Jeanne Kay Guelke, Environmental Ethics, Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way.Publishers Weekly, With all the commentaries and books on the Hebrew Scriptures that have appeared over the years, it would seem nearly impossible to write something unique and illuminating. Yet this is precisely what Hillel has done by providing an environmental and ecological analysis of the text., "Daniel Hillel has done a magnificent job and contributed substantially both to Biblical scholarship and to the understanding of the ecology of the area. But he goes much deeper than simply interpreting the Bible's ecological setting. Hillel allows us to understand better the minds of those who were recording the events in Egypt, the return to Canaan, David and Solomon, and the various interpretations of Jerusalem, as well as the meaning of these events. So well presented and so informative." -- Peter H. Raven, Home Secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "A highly stimulating new take on an old question, and deserves to be widely read." -- John Barton, Times Literary Supplement, "It definitely belongs on the shelves of those interested in the development of biblical culture." -- Rabbi Rachel Essermang, The Reporter, This is a book to supplement and fill in details of natural history that are generally absent or neglected in standard hisotrical studies. It is well illustrated and the bibliography is extensive., "Daniel Hillel's "The Natural History of the Bible" is a very good read and deserves a place on the shelf." -- Alon Tal, "Environmental History", Hillel takes a fresh and invigorating approach to biblical exegesis... A detailed ecological analysis of the Bible., "Hillel takes a fresh and invigorating approach to biblical exegesis... A detailed ecological analysis of the Bible." -- Josie Glausiusz, Forward, A refreshing, detailed and stimulating account of an important aspect of ancient Israelite development., That environmental factors affect our daily lives is disputed by no one. But can environment, climate and topology play a part in the development of a religious community? Hillel, professor emeritus of environmental studies at the University of Massachusetts and senior research scientist at Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research, says yes. He comes to the subject immersed in the lore of ancient Israel, from his grandfather's instruction to his own years living in modern Israel. He sees the Jewish belief system as an amalgam of ideas emerging from an interplay of human beings with both the land and its peoples, "absorb[ing] all the cultural strands... from all the ecological domains of the ancient Near East... and assimilat[ing] them into their own culture." He divides sacred history into seven "domains," dispensations based not on some theological construct but rather on the terrain in which the Israelites lived. What emerges is a largely naturalistic explanation of Israel's beliefs and laws, with a strong emphasis on the impact of culture and environment on the evolving Jewish religion. Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way. (Jan.), "Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way." -- "Publishers Weekly", "With all the commentaries and books on the Hebrew Scriptures that have appeared over the years, it would seem nearly impossible to write something unique and illuminating. Yet this is precisely what Hillel has done by providing an environmental and ecological analysis of the text." -- Library Journal, Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way.
