About the Author

James Kugel: Starr Professor of Hebrew Literature at Harvard University (1982 to 2003), Kugel was Professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University in Israel, where he also served as chairman of the Department of Bible. A specialist in the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Kugel is the author of more than seventy research articles and thirteen books, including The Idea of Biblical Poetry, On Being a Jew, The Bible As It Was, How to Read the Bible (National Jewish Book Award for best book, 2007), and In the Valley of the Shadow. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and Editor in chief of Jewish Studies: an Internet Journal.