Synopsis: The Egyptian tales witness to some of the great moments in the history of Egyptian literature and represent the earliest beginnings in world literature. Many literary critics do not seem to know the importance of Egyptian prose tales told for entertainment (including C. S. Lewis, who does not know that the "marvelous that knows itself as myth" was alive and well by 1800 BCE). Unlike some other ancient states, both Israel and Egypt wrote epic tales in prose. And these great prose stories are important for the study of the Hebrew Bible. Some of the most exciting narrative prose parallels to the Hebrew Bible are found in the stories from Egypt. The details may vary, but in the setting, the purpose, the vocabulary, and the genre of the stories, one can find many similarities. Contents 1 The Story of Sinuhe: A Wanderer on the Earth 2 The Enchanted Prince 3 The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor 4 The Journey of Wen-Amon 5 A Dialogue between a Man and His Ba Endorsements: "The ancient Egyptians were masters of the prose story, from short-story to novelette. These stories are windows into history, to be sure, and as such informative of the biblical world. They are, at the same time, works of wisdom, magnificent examples of the literary art. They are 'telling, ' in every sense of the word. Loren Fisher has brought the best of them together in an engaging and insightful form, enabling us to read these very old stories as if they were recounting the recent past." -Baruch A. Levine New York University "Fisher is at it again, making the history and literature of the ancient Near East alive for us now. Here are stories from ancient Egypt that transcend historical distance. We recognize our own interests, strengths, and weaknesses in these stories. We see also a deep kinship between the storytellers of Israel and the even earlier storytellers of Egypt. This book is of value both to the ordinary reader and to the scholar." -John B. Cobb, Jr., Emeritus Claremont School of Theology Author Biography: Loren R. Fisher was Professor Hebrew Bible at the Claremont School of Theology and Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at the Claremont Graduate University. He has taught at the University of California at Berkeley and at the University of Montana. He is the author of Genesis, A Royal Epic and the editor of The Claremont Ras Shamra Texts.

Endorsements: "Gift yourself with a tour of ancient worlds. Fisher is a talented scholar in ancient languages and invites the reader into the dynamic world of language and international relations. Once one has read this novel (and hopefully the two previous novels in the series) one will read Old Testament Scriptures with new eyes. Fisher helpfully presents an alternative to a belief in a punishing and rewarding deity." --Rev. Arthur Gafke, author of Strong Ministry: Strengthening Your Pastoral Leadership and Pray the Seasons About the Contributor(s): Loren R. Fisher retired as Professor of Hebrew Bible at the School of Theology at Claremont and as Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at the Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of The Many Voices of Job, Tales from Ancient Egypt, The Jerusalem Academy, and the editor of Ras Shamra Parallels, vols. 1 and 2.

Endorsements: "A novel is a novel way of entering into the world of biblical textual criticism Fisher's novel about the writing of the Job poem and how its message was largely silenced by locating it within the more ancient story is a likely tale that, in any case, brings to life the world of scholars at David's court. It also shows that modern skepticism is not so modern after all " --John Cobb, Emeritus Professor, Claremont School of Theology About the Contributor(s): Loren R. Fisher retired as Professor of Hebrew Bible at the School of Theology at Claremont and as Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at the Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of The Many Voices of Job, Tales from Ancient Egypt, The Jerusalem Academy, and the editor of Ras Shamra Parallels, vols. 1 and 2.

In 1976 I resigned my position as Professor of Hebrew Bible at the School of Theology at Claremont and Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at the Claremont Graduate University at Claremont CA. I was concerned about world food problems, and I wanted to save a ranch. Also I felt the need to take time to smell the roses. After leaving the academic scene I moved to a ranch in Round Valley, CA. These poems point to some important moments from 1976 to 2011 in my life. Also my response to those events and some thoughts about my work are summarized in these poems. For me it was important to work on the land, and as a human, to relate to the other animals in our world. We are all a part of nature.

The Blue Pine Table features metaphorical poems that spring from daily living in the real world. It also contains a few essays and a short story, "Black Clam Beach." The present world provides material aspects for the metaphors. The blue pine table is my metaphor. The story behind it is also a metaphor. It moves us beyond what is describable and comprehensible. It takes us beyond our inadequate language and the literal but never all the way. Thus the metaphor remains forever alluring and beckoning. It can give birth to a new hope of clarity within a future horizon.

Description: Genesis ""was a political document of the state, and its major function was to exalt David and his monarchy, not only with his own people but also among the other states of that world. The scribes of the monarchy used many sources for this work, and certainly the literary criticism of the past has helped us to isolate many of these sources. However, the view presented here is quite different from the older criticism in that the sources that were used in this work must date from before the exile. This is obvious, if the sources were used by the scribes of the Davidic monarchy. None of this can be said with dogmatic zest, but we can at this point discuss some reasons why it seems possible to see Genesis in this way."" --from the Introduction Endorsements: ""Loren Fisher applies what is perhaps the single most valuable method of biblical interpretation to the book of Genesis, the principle of 'multiple voices.' Instead of forcing agreement between clearly distinct units and genres, he allows the differences to speak, and then brings them together to function as a royal epic of leadership and nationhood."" -Baruch A. Levine Skirball Professor Emeritus of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies New York University ""Loren Fisher has produced an elegant and eminently readable translation of the book of Genesis, with helpful literary and comparative notes throughout. The author does an exceptionally fine job of situating Genesis within the world of ancient Near Eastern literature. Both the casual reader and the advanced scholar of the Bible will gain many insights from this well-conceived project."" -Gary Rendsburg Department of Jewish Studies Rutgers University About the Contributor(s): Loren R. Fisher retired as Professor of Hebrew Bible at the School of Theology at Claremont and as Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at the Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of The Many Voices of Job, Tales from Ancient Egypt, The Jerusalem Academy, and the editor of Ras Shamra Parallels, vols. 1 and 2,

Description: In this compelling work, Fisher brings a fresh understanding to the book of Job by highlighting the four main sections of the book that have truly different perspectives: the folktale, the poetic dialogue, the poem on wisdom, and Elihu's speeches. As he says in the Preface, ""the poem and its author were framed in both meanings of that word. The Ancient Folktale of Job formed a frame that was ancient and ornate, and it ruined the inserted poem or dialogue. It caused both books to be misunderstood."" Anyone interested in a fresh translation and a vibrant analysis of Job will want to read this volume. Endorsements: ""Loren Fisher provides a fine translation and an insightful commentary on the book of Job. Over against efforts by ancient editors and contemporary interpreters to force the story into a single, often consoling, message, he highlights the disconcerting and opposing voices within the whole. These voices yield an open-ended debate between God unjust and cruel and God merciful and compassionate--a debate that endures to this day."" --Phyllis Trible author of Texts of Terror ""Many writers seek a single unifying thesis in the book of Job. Fisher uncompromisingly insists that it is not a coherent book. By taking it apart he exposes the contrasting views of God and justice. In particular he frees the angry Job to utter his powerful and unqualified attack on the orthodoxy of his day, and of ours."" --John B. Cobb Jr. author of A Christian Natural Theology ""Loren Fisher proposes an insightful approach to the entirety of the book of Job, enabling us to read this prime exemplar of the biblical wisdom tradition differently. Instead of forcing its parts and speeches into a single mold, he shows how it speaks with different voices like the separate themes of a symphony."" --Baruch A. Levine author of In the Presence of the Lord About the Contributor(s): Loren R. Fisher took early retirement as Professor of Hebrew Bible at the School of Theology at Claremont and Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at Claremont Graduate School. He edited Ras Shamra Parallels (vols. 1 and 2), and he is the author of Genesis: A Royal Epic, The Jerusalem Academy, and The Minority Report.