A D Levine

The Seeds of Scripture: The Beginnings of the Bible A D Levine

How did the Book of Genesis come to be? Jewish tradition has the Patriarchs studying scripture well before Sinai. What was that scripture? Seeds of Scripture presents a plausible answer to these intriguing questions. The novel opens with Jacob's arrival in Egypt at the behest of his son, Joseph. Pharaoh has expressed an interest in meeting Jacob and perhaps learning about the birthright, the hereditary collection of chronicles accumulated over decades by Jacob's family. The chronicles are in disarray, having been neglected for years. Waiting for his audience with Pharaoh, Jacob resolves to organize the scriptures. More significantly, he wishes to engage his grandchildren by reciting his story. Weaving together ancient wisdom and modern knowledge, Seeds of Scripture is not a re-imagination, but an expansion of the story of Jacob, an expansion that teases out the inner meaning of the biblical text. In his own words, Jacob recounts his arduous struggle to gain freedom for his family and establish the house of Israel. He passes on to posterity the words and scriptures that make up his spiritual legacy. With help from spirits of the past, he brings order to the ancient writings left to him by Abraham...the writings that eventually form the core of the Book of Genesis, the writings that are Seeds of Scripture.