{"product_id":"9781906055141","title":"Longing For Egypt And Other Unexpected Biblical Tales","description":"Readers of all persuasions have a tendency to privilege simple interpretations over complex, unsettling, readings. The more fraught the issue, the more often we find in the history of interpretation that a simple reading has been generated that masks its complexity.\u003cp\u003e'Longing for Egypt and Other Unexpected Biblical Tales' explores seven cases of textual complexity masked by simple readings. One chapter uncovers a counter-intuitive longing for Egypt alongside the Exodus account of liberation from persecution. Another shows how what appears to be a critical attitude in the Bible towards other gods may reflect inner-Israelite tensions rather than some principled antipathy toward others. Yet another confronts the praise of God as a perfect king with the use of the language of divine kingship as a vehicle for constructive criticism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll seven chapters share a focus on the formation of identity. Arguably the Bible's most sensitive subject, for its authors and for present-day readers, this topic has generated a host of simple readings that conceal immense complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sheffield Phoenix Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47054492434672,"sku":"9781906055141","price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781906055141_p0.jpg?v=1763615771","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781906055141","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}