The Consuming Fire

Uncovering an ancient foundation myth, and literary tour de force, obscured within the modern Bible. 
 
Embedded within the Bible lies a largely unknown story of the founding of ancient Israel and its religion, interwoven with other ancient tales more than two thousand years ago in the process of creating the Torah. Generations of scholars have painstakingly worked to recreate the “Priestly Source,” also known as “P.” The complete text has not appeared until now on its own in either Hebrew or English.
 
Beginning with the creation of the world and ending at the edge of the promised land, the Priestly Source offers a distinctive account of the origins of the people of Israel and a unique perspective on their relationship with their god, Yahweh—one in stark contrast to what is found when we read the Bible now. With a translation by Liane Feldman, an authority on the text, The Consuming Fire reveals the mythical foundation for the practice of sacrifice in ancient Israelite and Jewish religion. By presenting this fascinating material on its own, The Consuming Fire offers an opportunity to expand our understanding of ancient traditions and to find something new and beautiful at the source.

Liane M. Feldman is Assistant Professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. She is author of The Story of Sacrifice: Ritual and Narrative in the Priestly Source.

Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Translator’s Note

Introduction 

1. Creation and the Flood 
2. The Era of the Patriarchs 
3. The Descent to Egypt 
4. At Mount Sinai
5. Building Yahweh’s Dwelling 
6. The Eight-Day Inauguration of Yahweh’s Dwelling Place 
7. Leaving Mount Sinai 

Appendix: Possible Materials from the Priestly Narrative in the Book of Joshua 
Selected Bibliography 
About the Author