cover image Voices of Genesis: A Biblical Guide on Our Journey from Birth to Death

Voices of Genesis: A Biblical Guide on Our Journey from Birth to Death

Norman J. Cohen. Jewish Lights Publishing, $21.95 (220pp) ISBN 978-1-879045-75-0

Taking pages from the developmental psychologist Erik Erikson and stories from Genesis, Cohen, the provost of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Midrash, retells familiar stories from the Hebrew Bible. In each story, particular characters from Genesis represent life's many stages. Adam and Eve, for example, represent infancy, while Cain and Abel represent early childhood. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from Erikson's psychology of human growth. Cohen then retells the stories in his own words Finally, he offers a lengthy interpretive section exploring the intersections of psychology and biblical studies. In the story of Isaac, for example, we have an individual struggling to establish his identity by creating his own family structure. Isaac, especially in the moments before his father places him on the altar, also experiences the tensions inherent in striving to understand the difficulties and painful moments of life. Cohen's engaging writing and storytelling bring new life to these familiar biblical stories. Cohen teaches us that these stories continue to help us learn more about ourselves. (Jan.)