The Bible is the most important and influential work ever. And nothing has been more influential on the development of the English language over the last 500 years than the translation of the Bible into English. And whether from literary, political-institutional, cultural or religious perspectives, the Bible has been deeply formative in shaping the West as we know it.

So how should we engage with this text? Some say we should heed its commands; others that we should try to understand it in the context of ancient history; still others say we should examine how it has influenced the world we live in. But probably the most underrated way to engage the Bible is just…to read it.

So what would it look like to attune our ears to the Bible’s literary character?

To unpack this Ari spoke with the most influential living Biblical scholar, and author of a magisterial translation of the entire Hebrew Bible, Robert Alter. In this epic conversation they spoke about what makes translation different than other types of interpretation; Biblical terms for physical relations; the King James Version of 1611; various “untranslatable” phenomena; the Biblical concept of “soul”; Samuel and Saul; whether the Bible thinks political order is possible; reader questions (!); Rashi; rabbinic midrash; Franz Kafka and Jewish mysticism; Moby Dick; and much more!

Good Faith Effort is a production of Bnai Zion and SoulShop.