Robert Alter: The Bible Through Literary Eyes

[@gabriellebaalke6704]

I could listen to Robert Alter lecture and speak all day long. He's a fantastic teacher and scholar. Thank you for uploading.

[@holenewman]

Fascinating, insightful lecture by the brilliant Robert Alter.

[@Romogi]

I host Torah studies with people (I am Jewish). Using his translation makes consensus on meaning much easier because the poetic themes are intact.

[@patbiggam8138]

Thanks for this...I have great respect for Robert Alter's work...was introduced to him by Dr Tim Mackie, The Bible Project, classrom studies.

[@felixwalne3494]

Me too

[@MM-jf1me]

Thank you for sharing the recording of this lecture! I learned a lot from it.

[@thegougeman]

A master. He dedicated his life to doing this, and I hope the world appreciates all of Robert’s efforts to see the Hebrew Bible with fresh eyes of wonder and mystery.

[@Exiro]

Regarding Rebecca's omission of the phrase "in the way that I like it", I think I have a simpler explanation. She herself is the one who's going to cook and prepare the food, so she doesn't need to bother Jacob about that. In a sense, it was indeed omitted so as to be economical, but it is not the writer that wants achieve that effect towards the audience, but rather Rebecca towards Jacob.

[@jstaversky]

Awesome!... I'm too far along in life to change tracks, learn Biblical Hebrew and do this kind of study so I sure do appreciate a lay lecture on this topic (but with enough detail so I feel at least a little bit like I'm an amateur exegete!)

[@okrajoe]

Interesting presentation

[@velvetvideo]

I appreciate this a lot. Thank you. If there is a similar author for the Greek New Testament, I'd love to know about it. I think modern translations sterilze the text. I'd also love to know Mr. Alter's thoughts on the passages referring to "dinosaurs" (tannin/behemoth/dragon)

[@garlandjones7709]

Hewouldnt translate that word as dinosaurs, nor would any Hebrew speaker I'm aware of.

[@kirkbowyer3249]

GOD BLESS ROBERT ALTER

[@oweneldridge9060]

The conflict of this story is that all of the characters in the story trully believe that the blessing could be given by Issac and could not be revoked. It's a religious/legal act done before God. Gods word is law. God said the younger would inherit the first born blessing. Isaac didn't understand. He had no power to bless anyone but Jacob in this situation. In fact Jacob was blessed the moment he was born. Issac didn't have the power to bless anything if God didn't will it. A core lesson of the story is no one understood God or his will.

[@drjeremywilliams]

12:20

[@goyensjonathandjalmoztfr33]

His Hebrew Bible 3 book box set is excellent.

[@holenewman]

Robert is the form for today Narrative or Poetry?

[@EliezerPennywhistler]

Yet life goes on.

[@benjaminlquinlan8702]

That phat track at the start!!!! Yeeeeee boiiii

[@theman77777777232]

no comments?

[@HopeandI]

The Bible shouldn't be Altered🤯

[@clintgolub1751]

I used to think this do, but every subsequent edition and translation always changes (typically a little at a time) until whichever one that we grow up with seems like the “de facto” version, but in reality is verrry far off from what the original authors intended. This was what Robert Alter is referring to in the preface of this lecture with some of the poetic ‘conventions’ that have been lost over time. He uses the easy analogy of when we hear “once upon a time”, we immediately think it’s probably going to be a fairy tale we’re about to hear, not non-fiction because of culturally being exposed to many fanciful stories that start this was in the Western world. Our family used to use an English KJV that my mom believed was literally “god-breathed” each and every word. It wasn’t until one of my best friends taught himself classical Hebrew and showed me there’s extremely different styles and themes in the O.T. (such as Genesis for example which more than likely had multiple authors) that are only apparent in the original Hebrew, that I realized I had a very narrow view of ‘my own version of Christianity’. Indeed the KJV was heavily adapted from William Tyndale’s Latin-to-English translation but was NOT sanctioned by the Church of England, hence KJV gets a lot of credit for a beautiful translation that should have went to Tyndale.

[@HopeandI]

@@clintgolub1751 I hear you I just thought it was a funny play on the word/name. "Alter"

[@NWLHPaediatrics]

. Alter hasn’t altered, and Robert hasn’t robbed. He has added a novel understanding though.

[@jeremywilliams3465]

Too late! It is translated not Altered

[@jeremywilliams3465]

From which version?

[@LabakiTurbo]

It's incredible how every video with the word "Bible" in its title has thousands of amazingly long and utterly boring comments. (Just like this one)

[@masterprophet8378]

Only a person with a dwarf intellect would call Alter's lecture boring. Facts!

[@MM-jf1me]

@@masterprophet8378 They said boring comments, not boring lecture....

[@P.H.888]

Your comment is long though 🧐 Boring totally 😁

[@abooswalehmosafeer173]

why Bangladesh?A land of Sanscritic literature.....

[@MM-jf1me]

Sanskrit and Sanskritic literature are world treasures. I can't speak for Alter, but I really think he was just picking a non-European country off the top of his head. He wasn't commenting on the literature of the country, just that European fairy tale conventions may not be recognized in a non-European country if translated into the local languages verbatim (before colonization and globalization, I presume). If a piece of Sanscritic literature were translated into English word for word and given to an American who presumably is unfamiliar with it and only knows English, would you assume that American would understand immediately what makes that piece distinct from all other Sanscritic texts and what parts of it are conventions shared with other texts? I understand your affront if he were insulting Bangladesh and its literature, but he was more making a statement on cultural shorthands and how it's important to understand the culture of ancient Israel to be able to fully understand its religious literature.

[@abooswalehmosafeer173]

@@MM-jf1me Thanks.Its amazing how I instinctly get sensitive and vexed. I live and hopefully I learn.

[@MM-jf1me]

@@abooswalehmosafeer173 I was sad to see you felt insulted so I'm glad we're all on the same page. I think we all get defensive sometimes and we're all always (hopefully) learning and growing.

[@k0smon]

@BIBLEisMARKofBEAST ::: How can we be separated from God when He is everywhere present?

[@stefanmathew872]

Yes he is present everywhere. But we need to do our part of reaching out to him in our personal prayer so that we develop a relationship with him in our most private being. It takes two hands to clap.

[@P.H.888]

When we were sinners Christ Jesus died ✝️ for US 🕊 He took our separation 🙏🏻 payment in Full ♥️

[@CntrBrdr]

@theman77777777232 nope

[@anastasiaplaydressup]

He totally fucked up putting the bible in its wonderful sleeve.

[@EliezerPennywhistler]

Don't worry. It isn't a Bible. It is an English translation - Alter's.

[@sharonlee7111]

God is not a man. Worshipping Jesus as the Messiah is idolatry Jesus is not God there is no Trinity. There is only one God and he cannot be seen and he is not human. The New Testament is one big crime scene

[@MM-jf1me]

Your comment is completely irrelevant here as the topic is the Hebrew Bible.

[@P.H.888]

The Hebrew Scriptures are incomplete without THE NEW COVENANT ✝️🕊 Jesus Christ fills THE HEAVENS GOD CAN DO ANYTHING EVEN COMING AS A MAN ~ MESSIAH TO PAY THE PRICE FOR ADAM AND EVE’s Rebellion ✝️ The SEED of The Woman will crush The Head of The Serpent ‼️ Thank You Heavenly Father for Your Son 🙏🏻 JESUS CHRIST 🕊

[@ryanfristik5683]

If u have seen Jesus u have seen the father.

[@kaungkaung6035]

GOD BLESS ROBERT ALTER