Bound by the Bible

"This is a magisterial treatment of the Akedah, which intervenes helpfully and judiciously in a well-established and sometimes fraught debate. The volume will be a pleasure to read for those who know the literature as well as for beginners in the field."
-Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion, Bard College, New York

"In the clash of civilisations, texts can become weapons in a war of words. Ed Kessler has taken a key biblical text -- the binding of Isaac -- and shown how early Jewish and Christian interpretations were closer than has hitherto been thought. This richly documented study is a landmark in the necessary journey from disputation to dialogue."
-Dr. Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth

"...on the whole this is a very instructive and sympathetic book, richly documented and a pleasure to read."
-Pieter W. van der Horst, Utrecht University W. van der Horst, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Kessler's work is a valuable contribution to the literature. Many studies of Jewish-Christian relations in late antiquity have mainly approached the subject from other angles, including that of polemics, proselytism and studies of individual church father. Kessler, however, offers another approach. His approach is exegetically rooted."
-Marvin R. Wilson, Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts

"Bound by the Bible is rich in exegetical detail and attentive to the original biblical text, in part because of the verse-by-verse examination that K[essler] undertakes. Yet, the book captures the reader's imagination...K[essler] presents a very plausible case for a two-way interaction between Jewish and Christian exegetes of the first six centuries CE."
-Sarah J. Melcher, Xavier University, The Classical Bulletin