Gruen, a master historian of antiquity and a sensitive reader of ancient texts, beautifully illustrates “The Inventiveness of Second Temple Jews”-this wonderfully accessible book's subtitle. He shows that even from the earliest period, Jewish Scripture was never stagnant, but through creativity was reinterpreted and reinterpreted to remain ever relevant.

Marc Zvi Brettler, Duke University, USA

In this immensely learned book, Erich Gruen asks an obvious question to which, typically, he provides a surprising answer. How to explain the persistent claim of authenticity by authors such as Philo and Josephus in light of so much inventiveness throughout Jewish-Hellenistic rewriting of biblical tales? Gruen shows how these creative retellings, from Genesis to Esther, often underscored the power of the sacred narrative. This book is a true pleasure to read and will be of interest to scholars of Biblical Studies, Classics, and Jewish Studies alike.

René Bloch, University of Bern, Switzerland

Gruen, an expert on Greco-Roman civilization and Second Temple Judaism, brings his expertise to bear on the literary creativity of the “scribblers” who refashioned biblical stories in this era. He shows, with his own literary flair, how these authors sought not simply to interpret biblical stories, but to entertain and edify, their writings laced with wit and creativity. A must-read for students, scholars, and mavens of the Bible.

Ronald S. Hendel, Berkeley, USA

With his characteristic insight, Erich Gruen regales us with a variety of ancient Jewish retellings of biblical narratives, which use the scriptural text as a springboard for inventing tales that instruct, exhort, critique, correct, and entertain. Challenging the idea of “rewritten Bible” as a genre, Gruen highlights the creativity of these Jewish authors, who simultaneously offer new versions of scripture at the same time that they reaffirm its authority.

Benjamin G. Wright, Lehigh University, USA