ISJL's Southern States Jewish Literary Series

PRESENTS JOEL HOFFMAN

Bible Scholar and Author of AND GOD SAID: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning

Hoffman contends that for centuries, translations of the Bible have obscured our understanding and appreciation of the original text.
His new book identifies and corrects those significant mistranslations.

Join us in the Temple Social Hall for a fascinating lecture and discussion on Thursday, February 11th at 7:30 p.m. Signed books will be available for sale.

The presentation is co-sponsored by Heska Amuna Synagogue and is free and open to the public.

And God Said uncovers the often inaccurate or misleading English translations of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that quotes from it. Sometimes the familiar English is just misleading. Other times, the mistakes are more substantial. But the errors are widespread. The book tackles such issues as what's wrong with the Ten Commandments (starting with the word "commandments"), the correct description of the "virgin" birth and the surprisingly modern message in the Song of Solomon.
Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, calls And God Said
"[a] wise and important book, and a lot of fun to read." The Very Rev. Dr. James A. Kowalski, Dean of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York, says the book "retrieves what the Bible really was and what it can be for us now."
Dr. Hoffman is an expert in translation, Hebrew and the Bible. He holds a doctorate in linguistics and has served on the faculties of Brandeis University and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is the chief translator for the 10-volume series My People's Prayer Book (winner of the National Jewish Book Award) and My People's Passover Haggadah. He is the author of the critically acclaimed In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language. He spoke about that book in a Southern States Jewish Literary Series tour to four cities in 2009. He lives in Westchester, N.Y.

The Southern States Jewish Literary Series presents talks and book signings by distinguished authors. The series is coordinated by the Jackson, Miss.-based ISJL, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational and rabbinic services to Jewish communities, documenting and preserving the rich history of the Southern Jewish Experience and promoting a Jewish cultural presence throughout a 13-state region.
For more information or to order And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning, contact the local synagogue or ISJL Director of Programming Andy Muchin, (601) 362-6357 or amuchin@isjl.org.