Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism
The first anthology of Jewish mythology in English, Tree of Souls reveals a mythical tradition as rich and as fascinating as any in the world. Drawing from the Bible, the Pseudepigrapha, the Talmud and Midrash, the kabbalistic literature, medieval folklore, Hasidic texts, and oral lore collected in the modern era, Schwartz has gathered together nearly 700 of the key Jewish myths. The myths themselves are marvelous. We read of Adams diamond and the Land of Eretz (where it is always dark), the...
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The first anthology of Jewish mythology in English, Tree of Souls reveals a mythical tradition as rich and as fascinating as any in the world. Drawing from the Bible, the Pseudepigrapha, the Talmud and Midrash, the kabbalistic literature, medieval folklore, Hasidic texts, and oral lore collected in the modern era, Schwartz has gathered together nearly 700 of the key Jewish myths. The myths themselves are marvelous. We read of Adams diamond and the Land of Eretz (where it is always dark), the fall of Lucifer and the quarrel of the sun and the moon, the Treasury of Souls and the Divine Chariot. We discover new tales about the great figures of the Hebrew Bible, from Adam to Moses; stories about God's Bride, the Shekhinah, and the evil temptress, Lilith; plus many tales about angels and demons, spirits and vampires, giant beasts and the Golem. Equally important, Schwartz provides a wealth of additional information. For each myth, he includes extensive commentary, revealing the source of the myth and explaining how it relates to other Jewish myths as well as to world literature (for instance, comparing Eves release of evil into the world with Pandoras). For ease of use, Schwartz divides the volume into ten books, Myths of God, Myths of Creation, Myths of Heaven, Myths of Hell, Myths of the Holy Word, Myths of the Holy Time, Myths of the Holy People, Myths of the Holy Land, Myths of Exile, and Myths of the Messiah. Library Journal Schwartz (English, Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis) gathers nearly 700 Jewish myths, organized into ten sections, with additional commentary for each selection revealing the source and explaining how it relates to other myths as well as to world literature. This is not exactly new; works by Hayim Bialik and Yehoshua Ravinitzky, Rabbi Yakov ibn Chabib, and Louis Ginzberg also gather Aggadic stories. Schwartz, however, has widened his category of inclusion, drawing not only from Talmudim and midrashim but also from "outside texts" (sefer hitzonim) of the Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha; Gnostic, Samaritan, and Karaite texts; and more mainstream rabbinical works, such as excerpts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hekhalot texts and Kabalistic literature, medieval folklore, and Hasidic texts. Refreshingly, Schwartz also rightly includes Kafka's Vor dem Gesetz ("Before the Law"). Note that some Orthodox Jews may object to the use of the term myths, as Judaism is conceived as a religion of revealed law viewed as truth. Outstanding bibliographies and an "Israel Folktale Archives List" complete this excellent book of wondrous stories. Highly recommended. David B. Levy, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day Sch., Rockville, MD Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
ForewordBk. 1Myths of God1Bk. 2Myths of creation69Bk. 3Myths of heaven153Bk. 4Myths of hell211Bk. 5Myths of the holy word245Bk. 6Myths of the holy time287Bk. 7Myths of the holy people325Bk. 8Myths of the holy land399Bk. 9Myths of exile431Bk. 10Myths of the messiah481AppThe primary biblical myths527AppDiagram of the ten Sefirot529
\ From the Publisher"This remarkable work will be of interest to both the scholar and the browser."--Booklist\ "One of those few books that can be cherished and enjoyed by all readers, whether scholars or merely those interested in good stories.... In this massive work, Schwartz gathers nearly seven hundred myths to show that there is, indeed, a Jewish mythology. His selections are wisely and cleverly chosen.... No one in recent times has even attempted to put together such a comprehensive work. In both the collecting and organizing of his material, Schwartz has done a masterful job."--Josepha Sherman, Parabola\ "Howard Schwartz offers a resounding rebuttal to the old accusation that the Jews have no mythology: hundreds of myths, in an unbroken line from the Tanakh itself to many new, previously untranslated contemporary retellings from the Middle East and throughout the diaspora. Tree of Souls illuminates the mythic elements of stories previously seen as theological or folkloric. Now properly classified as world mythology, they will for the first time be more accurately compared and contrasted with the foundational myths of other cultures. This is that rare book that is both a fascinating read for the non-specialist and a turning point for scholarship." --Wendy Doniger, author of The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was: Myths of Self-Imitation\ "Beyond any of his other books, in Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism Howard Schwartz offers us his masterwork. If only Joseph Campbell had lived to see it. Schwartz has brought the underground streams of Midrash to the surface for the delight and edification of his academic as well as his popular readers." --Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi, author of Wrapped in a Holy Flame: Teachings and Tales of the Hasidic Masters\ "Under the complex, meaning-rich, and culturally important heading of 'mythology,' Howard Schwartz provides a beautifully introduced and annotated collection of essential stories and scenes that help to define Judaism in the classical tradition. Schwartz's careful, erudite method of presentation and his excellent selection of texts reveals fine mastery of the material and the pleasingly comparative orientation of the folklorist." --Susan Niditch, author of Ancient Israelite Religion\ "Tree of Souls promises to shatter the myth that Judaism is mythless. Drawing on primary source texts of the Jewish tradition itself, storyteller Howard Schwartz introduces us to a dimension of this ancient path that has for centuries been overshadowed by attempts at religious correctness and party-line theology. Jewish mythology, Schwartz demonstrates with ample commentaries, is not only a fact, it is the very kernel out of which grew the deepest of Kabbalistic mystery wisdom as well as the most pragmatic of Jewish law and lore. Clearly, Judaism owes its survival to its mythology, and in Tree of Souls Schwartz invites us to discover the mystique, actually the very life force, of this very ancient religion." --Gershon Winkler, author of Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism\ \ \ \ \ \ Library JournalSchwartz (English, Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis) gathers nearly 700 Jewish myths, organized into ten sections, with additional commentary for each selection revealing the source and explaining how it relates to other myths as well as to world literature. This is not exactly new; works by Hayim Bialik and Yehoshua Ravinitzky, Rabbi Yakov ibn Chabib, and Louis Ginzberg also gather Aggadic stories. Schwartz, however, has widened his category of inclusion, drawing not only from Talmudim and midrashim but also from "outside texts" (sefer hitzonim) of the Apocrypha and pseudepigrapha; Gnostic, Samaritan, and Karaite texts; and more mainstream rabbinical works, such as excerpts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hekhalot texts and Kabalistic literature, medieval folklore, and Hasidic texts. Refreshingly, Schwartz also rightly includes Kafka's Vor dem Gesetz ("Before the Law"). Note that some Orthodox Jews may object to the use of the term myths, as Judaism is conceived as a religion of revealed law viewed as truth. Outstanding bibliographies and an "Israel Folktale Archives List" complete this excellent book of wondrous stories. Highly recommended. David B. Levy, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day Sch., Rockville, MD Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \
