The Consuming Fire: The Complete Priestly Source, from Creation to the Promised Land

Feldman (The Story of Sacrifice), a Judaic studies professor at NYU, presents the first full translation of the biblical priestly source in this seminal volume. The priestly source, or “P,” is considered to be one of the four main sources of the Bible, and Feldman presents it as a “work of literature in its own right,” having separated it from the other biblical strands by identifying its distinctive literary style and topical concerns, namely “ritual practices, sacrifices, and purity laws.” The resulting account puts forth a perspective that sometimes directly contradicts other biblical textual strands. Aside from its description of sacrificial practices, for example, “P” emphasizes a mobile sanctuary tent for Yahweh that differs dramatically from the one in the Torah; the text also leaves out the Ten Commandments (on Mount Sinai, God instead delivers a set of instructions for the tent’s construction). Feldman’s thorough introduction and translator’s note carefully elucidate her methodology and stylistic choices, such as using “idiomatic modern American English” rather than “Bible-ese.” This standout addition to the World Literature in Translation collection is based in diligent scholarship and provides a readable, modern translation that will be accessible to a broad audience. Anyone interested in Jewish studies will be riveted. (Apr.)