The Birth of God
The Bible and the Historian
256 pages | 2 maps | 6 x 9 | 2000
ISBN 978-0-271-02060-0 | cloth: $53.95 sh
ISBN 978-0-271-02061-7 | paper: $28.95 sh
"Bottéro's book is fascinating for its clarity, its rigor, the character of his language, the splendor of the translations he puts before us, and for the mastery of the learning that underlies everything, but without a trace of ostentation. . . . It is a book for every educated reader, whether believer or unbeliever, who recognizes the Bible as the common good of all human beings."—Gérard Rochais, Science et esprit
"This book is unpretentious and full of interesting insights. . . . It is the product of a mind that can appreciate Israel's intellectual contributions and theological originality precisely because it has thought deeply about the Mesopotamian creative genius."—Jack M. Sasson, Religious Studies Review
For many people today, the Hebrew Bible is the one supreme channel through which the Word of God was transmitted to humanity. In The Birth of God, Jean Bottéro, one of the great figures in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, approaches the Bible from a different perspective. He sees in it an astounding variety of documents that reveal much of their time of origin, historical events, and climates of thought. Therefore, we owe to the Bible at least the same respect we give to Homer, Shakespeare, and other classics of world literature.
Jean Bottéro, a scholar of rare abilities, is Director Emeritus of Assyriology in the Department of Philology and History at the École Pratique des Hautes Études. Internationally respected for his work as a philologist, literary critic, and historian, he is also adept at writing for a popular audience. The Birth of God has been widely read in France, where it appeared in two editions. Bottéro's other books include Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods (1992) and a volume on ancient Mesopotamian cuisine.