Anyone
who has been to Sunday school will recognize the stories in Jonathan Goldstein's
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible! Adam
and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Samson and Delilah - all the Bible's greatest
hits are covered.
But
rather than retell each familiar story, Goldstein embellishes them with
humanity and humor. In Goldstein's depiction, Adam was a dullard who couldn't
arouse any interest from Eve, and God "feared for Adam's broken heart as
though the whole universe depended on it." Cain was jealous of his carefree
brother and resentful of his parents "as though they had gambled away his
inheritance." Grumpy "old-school" Noah saw the value of hard
work and craftsmanship and feared his children, members of the 'pre-flood
generation," would end up "eating daisies and making out with
dolphins."
In the
final chapter called "My Troubles (A Work in Progress by Joseph of N -), Joseph
is depicted as a somewhat jealous boyfriend who realizes "it's flattering
to think that your girl-friend is good enough for God" but still feels
like "your garden-variety guy who's been cheated on. Sure, you've been
cheated on with the Lord, but still."
I
personally found the book to be clever and poignant and respectful of the
source material. You may not want to give a copy to your devout mother-in-law
but it's definitely good as an amusing and provocative retelling of the
familiar Bible stories that over the years have become rote.
