As this year marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, a new English translation might seem a bit late to the game. After all, the KJV is justly celebrated for its eloquence, and the shelves are packed with more recent translations, such as that of the Jewish Publication Society, that…
This essay is closely adapted from a *d’var Torah that the author delivered on the Sabbath of November 12 at Ansche Chesed, a Conservative synagogue in Manhattan.* The text of parsha Vayera is as familiar as any in the Torah. It includes the Akeda, the passage we read not only in the annual cycle, but…
“Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times,” which opened on October 30 at the cavernous Discovery Times Square exhibit space in New York, touts itself as showcasing “the largest and most comprehensive collection of Holy Land artifacts ever organized.” Indeed, a more accurate title for this Bible-themed behemoth of a show, produced in…
Most religious affirmations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have been “negative” ones: They argue that Leviticus (and Romans and Corinthians) doesn’t really prohibit homosexuality, or that ancient prohibitions should be set aside in the age of the iPad. But isn’t there a “positive” case, as well — that biblical religious values support the…
Web-based Christian evangelist and author Ty Adams knows that no housewives were more real than those in the Bible. Infertility, adultery, loneliness, general skankiness – you name it, Biblical women suffered or did it. As an antidote to the “Real Housewives” franchise currently on television, Adams has created “The Real Housewives of the Bible,” a…
Coming soon to an arena near you: the Torah! A big-budget adaptation of the Old Testament will tour the United States starting in late 2012 or early 2013, reports entertainment website Deadline Hollywood. The show, simply called “The Bible,” is being helmed by Philip William McKinley, the director who stepped in to save the massively…
There must be something in the water. A week after The Shmooze noticed a minor surge in Noah’s ark-themed construction, it turns out that one of Hollywood’s biggest directors is floating a movie about the Biblical tale. Darren Aronofsky, an Oscar nominee earlier this year for “Black Swan,” wants to make a big-budget blockbuster about…
Noah’s ark is inspiring a flood of replicas, at least compared to most years. In the Netherlands, amateur shipbuilder Johan Huibers is building a model of the legendary lifeboat according to its Biblical dimensions: 300 cubits (450 feet) high and 50 cubits (75 feet) wide. When completed, the boat will weigh in at 2,970 tons…
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