title: Moses: A Life
author:  Jonathan Kirsch 
description: "A brightly written piece of work that shows how much life remains in [the Bible], even as the twenty-first century presses ever closer to us."<br />--The Washington Post<br /><br />"MOSES IS AS ENTRANCING TODAY AS HE WAS ON THE DAY PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER PLUCKED HIM FROM THE BULRUSHES."<br />--Life<br /><br />"A DEEPLY PROBING SEARCH FOR 'THE REAL MOSES' . . . Kirsch has made uses of an extensive range of sources available in English translation . . . [and] has drawn from them selectively and well. . . . This is the Moses, a man at war with himself and with his world, whose image is enshrined in the hearts of all those inspired by him, whose influence has never ceased, and whose life, struggling against himself, Kirsch is compelled to celebrate."<br />--San Francisco Chronicle<br /><br />"JONATHAN KIRSCH GIVES NEW LIFE AND PERSONALITY TO MOSES, THE GREATEST OF ALL PROPHETS, OFFERING DELIGHT THAT ONE RARELY EXPECTS FROM BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP."<br />--PETER J. GOMES<br /> Plummer Professor of Christian Morals<br /> and Pusey Minister in The Memorial Church <br /> at Harvard University<br /><br />"A LIVELY NARRATIVE . . . There is a figure here looming up through the mists of tradition and folk memory that is of compelling significance, complex and disturbing. In Moses, Jonathan Kirsch picks his way with great skill through traditions, conjectures, legends and known historical facts to produce a plausible . . . account of the life and times of the great lawgiver. . . . The urge to seek a real human figure behind the biblical account is frequently and understandably felt, and we must be grateful to a scholar who has been able to extract and skillfully present virtually all that can now be conjectured about this extraordinary figure."<br />--Los Angeles Times
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  **“[A] PROBING STUDY …**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Unlike the familiar, granite image of Moses, Kirsch sees a man torn by fits of
  violence, prone to arguing with God, marked by physical handicaps, reluctant
  to be a savior.”
  
  
  
  
  
  — _Los Angeles Times_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Kirsch’s book is strengthened by both a close reading of the Torah and his
  intimate knowledge of rabbinic folklore that grew up around the biblical tale,
  to help fill in the famous silences in the Bible.”
  
  
  
  
  
  — _Houston Chronicle_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “In _Moses_ , Kirsch paints a fascinating picture of the biblical Moses as a
  complex man subject to mood swings ranging from compassion to rage, from piety
  to pomposity.”
  
  
  
  
  
  — _The Denver Post_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Even the most learned will find previously unfamiliar material explained in a
  clear, intelligent and accessible fashion.… There is a tremendous amount of
  fascinating material for anyone interested in Moses and his family as well as
  some wonderful insights.”
  
  
  
  
  
  — _Jewish Journa