Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther (People's Bible) - Tapa blanda

SONG OF SONGS with Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther

The Bible is more than history and more than wisdom literature. It is a library of the emotions of the human soul. The yearning of spiritual love reaches its finest expression of eroticism in Song of Songs which unites the innocence of flesh with the freshness of idealistic youth.

The Book of Ruth is perhaps the greatest short story ever told - an agricultural idyllic romance proving that national identities need not be obstacles to the love of individuals, even between a woman and her mother-in-law. An outcast Moabitess Ruth wins over the heart of powerful
Boaz and becomes grandmother to King David.

Lamentations reveals the heartbreak of a prophet over the ultimate disaster of his people - the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes is a philosophical treatise bordering on cynicism but still offers hope that amidst the vanities and tears, youth, love, companionship and wisdom can still bring joy to human life.

Esther is a fantasy comedy giving comfort to a victimised people who are able to turn the tables on their arch-enemy Haman through the beauty and subtlety of their own Queen Esther under the guidance of her cousin Mordecai.

In this interpretative translation, the variety and scope of the Bible comes
to life and proves why it can give pleasure even to non-believing lovers of great literature.

Sidney Brichto is a leading Liberal Jewish Rabbi and theologian who writes and
lectures on Jewish, religious and moral issues.

Cover illustration: Song of Songs I (1960), by Marc Chagall.