A Treasure for Home and Library
Baltimore City Council Adopts
Resolution Honoring Orlinsky
Professor Orlinsky's Acclaimed Classic
F
Understanding Bible Through History
Reviewed by
DR. JOSEPH GUTMANN
Professor of Art History at Wayne State University
Ni book has engendered so many commentaries,
interpretations, evaluations and critiques as the
Bible. Hardly a month passes without a new volume
on some aspect of it. Although mans , books are writ-
ten on the Bible, relatively few Jr , worth serious
consideration due to their dogm .ic, apologetic,
polemic or chauvinistic stances.
An exception to the rule is Understanding the
Bible through History and Archaeology, published
by Ktay. Its author, Prof. Harry M. Orlinsky, is
one of the world's most distinguished Bible scholars.
He occupies the Effie Wise Ochs Chair in Biblical
Literature at the New York school of the Hebrew
Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. Ile is
a.
Prof. Gutmann
DR.
HARRY M. ORLINSKY
The Author
editor-in chief of the new Jewish translation of
The Torah, editor of the Library of Biblical Studies
and has recently served as president of the Society
of Biblical Literature.
What makes this volume so unique' Why has
it already been highly acclaimed as a classic? It is,
in the first place, a brilliant synthesis of a dedi•
cated scholar's many years of teaching the Bible.
It deals with complex scholarly problems in a suc-
cinct and lucid way, and succeeds in conveying a
difficult subject in a readable manner without re-
sorting to popular journalism. It appeals to the eye
by carefully selecting over 200 photograph's of sig-
nificant archaeological finds, and by graphs and
charts which immeasurably illumine the narrative
test. In addition, it incorporates pertinent Biblical
7,0u:oils in vocalized Hebrew, along with their mod-
ern English translation, so that the Bible can speak
for itself.
An exception to the rule is Understanding the
[tilde through History and Archaeology, published
The Torah, editor of the Library of Biblical Studies
and has recently served as president of the Society
of Biblical Literature.
The book begins by discussing such general
problems as what the Bible is and what it is not, the
relationship of archaeology to the Bible, and the
Bible as history.
Chapter I, "The Fertile Crescent: Hebrew Or-
igins." sketches the ancient Near Eastern back-
ground—the structures, cultures, religions of the
great empires out of which the ancient Hebrews
emerged.
Chapter II, "Bondage. Exodus and the National
Covenant," relates what is known about Moses and
the Egyptian enslavement. Orlinsky dismisses the
widely accepted theory of such writers as Freud,
that Moses adapted the Egyptian concept of mono-
theism.
Ile writes: "Two important facts, however . .
disprove this theory. First, in sponsoring monothe-
ism, Moses was actually not introducing a new con-
cept to the Hebrews. He had a familiar, developable
Hebraic idea of monotheism to work with . . . al-
ready to he found in the patriarchal period . . .
Second, Moses could hardly have been affected by
Atonism, since this worship was limited to Akhen-
Alan and his family and was crushed immediately
after Akhen-Aton's death." Chapter III, "Israel in
Canaan: The Period of the Judges," gives a rivul
picture of the conquest of the land, Canaanite civil-
ization, tribal organization, and the role of the
Philistines. Chapter IV, "The Israelite Empire under
David and Solomon," describes the golden era of
ancient Israel in the 10th Cenutry BCE. According
to Orlinsky, Solomon's rule "brought great prosper-
ity and prestige to the land as a whole, but it was
only in a limited degree that the common people
shared with the aristocracy in this new wealth and
status. Forced labor, high taxes, and political cor-
ruption bred a host of enemies for the king's re•
gime, particularly among the heavily burdened low-
er classes."
Chapter V. "The Divided Kingdom: Israel and
Judah," takes the reader through the tangled web
of wars and conflict, Chapter VI. "The Babylonian
Exile and the Restoration of Judah," explains why
Israel survived in Exile and how it came to be
ruled by priests.
Chapter VII, "The Hebrew Spirit: The Prophetic
Movement and Social Justice," climaxes this su-
perb account.
Stein stressed that his view was
based on "minute" internal im-
provements, and that emigration
efforts by Syrian Jews were still
being stifled_
The - discriminatory provi,ions
in the Syrian laws preventing the
right to emigrate." he reportid,
have blocked family reunification
"in many cases."
Stein, citing information received
in private diplomatic meetings.
noted a relaxation in certain harsh
restrictions against Syrian Jews,
which he attributed to a d".z:re
by the 17-month-old governr..ent
A
He is the author of the widely
respected textbook entitled "An-
cient Israel," and his most recent
books are "Notes on the Transla-
tion of the Torah" and - Under-
standing the Bible Through Ills-
tory and Archaeology."
BILL ENTITLED
The first Jewish scholar invited
to take part in an authorized Chris-
tian translation of the Bible into
English, he exercised considerable
influence in the committee that
produced the Revised Standard
Version of the Old Testament Be
it therefore:
City Council Resolution congrat-
ulating Dr. Harry M. Oriinsky nn
the occasion of his being awarded
the degree of Honorary Doctor of
Hebrew Letters.
Dr. Harry M. Orlinsky, world
renowned scholar in the field of
Resolved by the City Council of
Bible studies, was the recipient of
Baltimore, That it extends its ap-
the degree of Honorary Doctorate
of Hebrew Letters on June 8, 1972 preciation to Dr. Harry M. Orlin-
at the annual commencement of sky for his outstanding contribu
lion to Bible study and Hebrew
the Baltimore Hebrew College.
Dr. Orlinsky is a dominant fig- research and the Council further
ure in the research of the Septua- commends to Dr. Orlinsky the pro-
gent and the masoretic text. He nouncement of the sage, R. Jose
has served as editor in chief of (100 C.E.), "Who so honors the
the acclaimed English Translation Torah, will himself be honorer:
of the Torah sponsored by the Jew- by mankind," and be it further
ish Publication Society of America.
Resolved, That the Council
wishes Dr. Orlinsky good healt,
Ile is chairman of the American
Friends of the Israel Exploration and vigor that he may continue
Society and a fellow of the Amer- his valuable contribution to hi-,
ican Academy of Jewish Research. important field of study.
In the years of 1936 to 1944 he
served as professor of Bible and
Jewish history at the Baltimore
Hebrew College. Since 1944 he
has been a member of the ;acuity
of the New York School of the He-
brew Union College—Jewish In-
stitute of Religion where he now
holds the chair in Bible.
Here Orlinsky deftly deals with such difficult
An exciting lecturer. he is a warm
theological problems as how "Jews read into the
and devoted teacher and father
Biblical Books the idea and prediction of a super-
to his students, for as the Talmud
humar Messiah who would bring deliverance to the
Jews at the behest of God. To the Christians this tells us: "He who teaches the son
Messiah was the Christ." He explains how the con- of his fellow-man Torah is as
cept of vicarious suffering and atonement read into
though he had begotten him."
the "servant of the Lord" passage in Isaiah 53 came
to be identified with Jesus. "In reality," states
Dr. Orlinsky received the Frank
Orlinsky, "he was no more a 'suffering' servant L. Well award from the National
than Elijah, or Jeremiah, or Uriah, or Ezekiel. The Jewish Welfare Board for out-
common term 'suffering servant' is wholly unjus-
standing contribution to Jewish
tified and misleading in this context."
culture. In 2 he was visiting
"It is to the prophetic tradition," claims Orlin-
professor at th Hebrew Univer- 1
sky. ,"more than any other source that western
sity in Jerusale and in 1908 he
civilization owes its noblest concept of the legal
and social obligations of the individual human be-
The Hebrew to - lumn
ing."
Understanding the Bible belongs in every home
and library. It is to be highly recommended for use
as a text for courses in colleges, as well as in reli-
gious schools. It addresses itself to the lover of the
Bible, the historian, the archaeologist, the theologi-
an and the linguist. Its up-to-date bibliography in-
vites -further study.
A young Israel synagogue was
Its concisely written text may well serve as a
opened in one of the beautiful
model for scholars on how a complex subject can hills of the "Kings Hotel" in Jeru-
be clearly and objectively presented to the general
salem. This is a new type of a
reader.
synagogue.
If all that were not enough to endorse it, this
This is a place of prayer for
beautiful, profusely illustrated hard-cover volume
youth only. The participants, can- -
sells at a paperback price of only $5.95. A genuine
tors, officers and all in charge are
and rare bargain!
young boys of school age.
-
of President Hafer Al-Assad. a 42-
year-old lieutenant general, to im-
prove Syria's image in the West
and possibly resume diplomatic
relations with the United States.
Stein said internal travel per-
mits for Syrian Jews were still
required, but were becoming easier
to obtain. Jews have been allowed
to travel internally beyond the
previous three-mile limit, compen-
sation has been pledged for a
Jewish cemetery that was de-
stroyed, and Syrian publications
are increasingly emphasizing the
positive aspects of Jewish life.
The Presidents Conference
leader urged continued "Jewish
pressure" on Syria, as, "With-
out the efforts of people and na-
tions from all walks of life and
political persuasions, we could
not report these small gains."
rnn
rg- .)1 1r;
pi,
L??) n'tiwr ,urin
7,41471 -, 4 ni ,i3 crpaivri
Young Israel
Synagogue
Situation of Syrian Jews Linked to Politics
NEW YORK (JTA) — A "cau-
tious note of hope" for Syrian Jews
was voiced here Tuesday by Jacob
Stein, chairman of the Confer-
ence of Presidents of Major Ameri-
can Jewish Organizations.
was appointed a Guggenheim Fel -
low.
On the occasion of a distinct
honor accorded Dr. Harry M.
Orlinsky by the Baltimore Jewish
community, a resolution commend-
ing him was adopted by the City
Council of Baltimore. The resolu-
tion, co sponsortd by Councilmen
Spector, Caplan and Stark, fol-
lows:
Dr. George E. Gruen, Middle
East affairs director of the Ameri-
can Jewish Committee and Syrian
affairs coordinator of the Presi-
dents Conference, said in a report
to the latter's 25 member agencies
that around 20 Syrian Jews have
been released from prison while
three remain jailed on charges of
allegedly trying to leave the coun-
try. The three are Nissim Katri,
Joseph Swed and Isaac Faks.
Also being held, according to
Dr. Gruen and others, is Albert
Elia, secretary general of Leban-
on's Jewish community, who ap-
parently was kidnaped by Syrian
agents last September but whose
detention has been denied by
Syria. Syria's Jewish community
is based in Damascus (3,000),
Aleppo (1,000) and Qamishli (350).
"The idea is not a new one," ex-
plained to me one of the officers,
it is only now that it came into
realization." The organizers have
this purpose: a) to draw the youth
to synagogue. b) Have the youth
participate in the prayers and train
young cantors. c) To organize a
youth group based on a synagogue,
the idea of which they have in
common.
Indeed, to this synagogue come
youth a few times a week to lis-
ten to lectures and enjoy them-
selves together. Each week the
officers decide on the cantor for
the coming Sabbath.
The young cantors generally
speaking have good voices. Actual-
ly this is a "school" for cantors
of the future.
(Translation of Hebrew column,
published by Brith Ivrith Olamith)
411—Fridey, August 1E, 1972
- 71 - trzqa-ri - 71:124 13/7
x*: win p int ,n'-TI73
t3.7risri .-73pr pi in:rip'?
rrintp iya» ti7vi?
11711 r
(rt
-
. 11 t24;1 11';'?si?r)trn
rI L ,rm n'in7471
riPt
tir? U .1Th70? onix Tr-071
vpiprIV ,rvpvp in ri1p7
.713:1 rIppri -rrm xlrr
ritIIPP r).1? , E347Pr
13,7.vp ;Inn al 1173
Erp
- 1 1 '? Erritinl 1713V7 7 1;17.?
trt,;p t7J. ■ I?. max, ,nix*,
- ip cr1;7471 - ni3'l
r•Itril ?iTninrcsnztti ,773 r:r17
-
. 7n$? 71
n.rp az7
.p'1
'4.7P=1 1??4 1 7iP , i,
7r0:,
.1-37;77
Zr-'3? rr
2115T117)
TIE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS