Disasters of Biblical Proportions
The Ten Plagues Then, Now, and at the End of the World
$56.60
- Hardcover
352 pages
- Release Date
12 May 2026
Summary
People have been telling and retelling stories about disasters for as long as they have been telling stories. One of the oldest of such stories is the ten plagues in the book of Exodus, the series of disasters that forced the Egyptians to liberate the Israelites. These plagues packed enough catastrophe to fill a series of summer blockbusters – rivers of blood, invasions of frogs and insects, mass disease, fiery hail, smothering darkness, and a midnight massacre of the firstborn.
The s…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780691270463 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0691270465 |
| Author: | Steven Weitzman |
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Imprint: | Princeton University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 352 |
| Release Date: | 12 May 2026 |
| Weight: | 726g |
| Dimensions: | 156mm x 235mm |
You Can Find This Book In
Critics Review
“Shortlisted for the Rabbi Sacks Book Prize, Yeshiva University”
“
The book fun to read, and indeed it is laced with humor… . I hope that Disasters of Biblical Proportions detailed and thoughtful case studies will provide a model for scholars of contemporary Judaism for how to study the modern biblical motifs and stories in a sound historical fashion.
”—Marc Zvi Brettler, Contemporary Jewry“Weitzman skillfully unearths hidden connections between theology and culture, showing how biblical texts have served as sites for thinkers and communities to negotiate identity, persecution, and meaning. It’s a comprehensive overview of a foundational biblical narrative and its complex legacies.” * Publishers Weekly *
“Weitzman shows how God’s punishments of Pharaoh’s Egypt have been understood, envisioned, artistically rendered, reimagined, and politically repurposed from antiquity to modern Hollywood… . A great deal of the fun of Weitzman’s book is in such colorful historical digressions.”—Stuart Halpern, Jewish Review of Books
Steven Weitzman
Steven Weitzman is the Abraham M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also serves as the Ella Darivoff Director of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. He is the author of Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom and The Origin of the Jews: The Quest for Roots in a Rootless Age (Princeton), the winner of a National Jewish Book Award. He is also a coeditor of The Princeton Companion to Jewish Studies (Princeton).
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.