Flak Magazine: Review of Moses: A Life, 10-1-99

Before Jesus, there was Moses. Revered by the three great monotheistic faiths as a man of God and a leader of his people, Moses is one of the most commanding and memorable characters of the Bible. A man on close terms with God himself, Moses was capable of bringing down plagues on the enemies of the Israelites even while experiencing crippling moments of self-doubt. Like most of the truly interesting characters from history and fiction, Moses is a mass of contradictions, and author Jonathan Kirsch makes the most of this complicated personality by consistently taking the time to explore the conflict that surrounded and filled Moses and his people.

Throughout the pages of "Moses: A Life," Kirsch uses both historical and contemporary sources to make sense of a long, complicated conversation that humankind has been having with itself for thousands of years. The beauty of "Moses: A Life" is its embrace of the interplay between ancient and modern, skeptic and true believer; Kirsch is not a censor, and many voices of commentary shine through the book's pages. It becomes clear that Moses, the man, is not simple; a number of different sources have contributed to his story, and he, himself, has dramatic contrast within his personality. This contrast emerges, vividly, as Moses undergoes his quest of liberation at the behest of the strange and demanding God of the Old Testament.

At the heart of "Moses: A Life" is an examination of the complex and contentious relationship between Moses and this vengeful God. Both emerge from the pages of the Bible as strong-willed, impatient, and vigorous; their give and take forms a prototype of the struggle between man and deity that has informed religious debate for millennia. And while many may imagine Moses to have been constantly beloved by his people, peaceful and humble before the Lord, the pages of the Bible reveal otherwise. Indeed, one of the most consistently fascinating aspects of "Moses: A Life" is its constant willingness to challenge the iconic image of Moses that has been so firmly stamped upon the American consciousness by centuries of Sunday school and the dramatic stylings of Charlton Heston.

Throughout the book, Kirsch also examines the deep contrast between the Bible's penchant for sparse detail, and the rich historical tradition of rabbinical embellishment and commentary. What did Moses do during the 40 years between his exile from Egypt and the dramatic return, which heralded the release of his people from slavery? While the Bible is surprisingly vague, the rabbis fill in the blanks with inspired flights of fancy that detail activities including Moses' triumphant second career as a mercenary in a foreign war. It does, at times, seem as though some of these stories have been brought into "Moses: A Life" because of their novelty rather than their usefulness as commentary upon the life of Moses. However, Kirsch's selection of stories is largely convincing; even the ones that don't appear to be completely relevant to the book as a whole manage to be surprising, and reveal quite a lot about historical interpretations of Moses.

As with Kirsch's earlier work, "The Harlot By the Side of the Road", "Moses: A Life" is an absolute pleasure to read. Its clear, flowing text is supported by a strong foundation of research, commentary and linguistic insight. The events of Moses' life are, whenever possible, pinned down to specific Biblical sources, placed in their original historical context, analyzed from the perspective of a wide range of Biblical scholars and thoughtfully put into perspective.

And if this all sounds terribly boring, it should be noted: It isn't. The charm of "Moses: A Life" is its ability to maintain the tension that naturally emerges from the story of Moses' life. This tension is strong and consistent, running from his escape from death as an infant to the dramatic moment when God granted him a single glimpse of the Promised Land before easing him out of the world.

"Moses: A Life" paints a vivid picture of how a great many of the underpinnings of modern morality were established, and provides a terrific window of insight into the clouded questions that address the writing, editing and canonization of the Bible. More importantly, however, it's a great read. While it might be hard to imagine a page-turner that relies on Biblical scholarship and commentary as the fuel for its fire, "Moses: A Life" is exactly such a book. Those who read it will come away with a fresh understanding of the Bible and one of its most compelling characters.

— James Norton (jrnorton@flakmag.com)