Rating: 
Summary: no elaine pagel
Review: I admit I just love layman books on religion.
I enjoy reading real scholars such as Elaine Pagel and super lay"men" like Karen Armstrong that try to concisely interpret the Bible in a modern way.
This book is written along similar lines, but fails in some ways. It is readable and makes good page turning, but it also makes you realize the scholarship behind other layman oriented books like The Origin of Satan and The History of God. The book is sloppily written, has lots of irrelevant analogies and comparisons, and has the sophistication of...as one other amazon reviewer put it...some college kid doing a paper. It shows that this guy is not a princeton phd, but a journalist, and he writes like one. Even if the writing was less silly, it is still lacking in rigor, even for the general public. In some ways it is heartening that one can recognize the difference between a layman book written by a scholar and a layman book written by...well a layman.
Nonetheless, I didn't see anything inaccurate, and I enjoyed it, being a sucker for these types of books.
Rating: 
Summary: Instructive and FUN to read
Review: I bought this volume with great anticipation, since Kirsch's "Harlot by the Side of the Road" was a five-star winner in every respect. But I was disappointed from page one to the last footnote. Kirsch states that "Compared to David, Bill Clinton is a choir boy." Which is completely true, but Kirsch's story, which relies exclusively upon immediate Bible texts, put me to sleep night after night, until I finally finished. Basically, the book reads like an average seminary student doing a less than brillant term paper on the different aspects of David in Kings and Chronicles, without once encountering the drama of this mass murderer, adulterer, guerrella fighter and betrayer of father, son, loyal Uriah, etc. And even Kirsch's biblical exegesis is sorely lacking: example, Kirsch never explains why David's trusted counselor, Ahithopel, joins with Absalom in Absalom's revolt against Absalom's aged father, David. Think what a decent graduate seminary student could have done by pointing out that Eliam, the father of Bathseba [Samuel 23:34] was the son of Ahithopel, and thus the grandfather of Bathseba. "As David's counselor in the palace, Ahithopel must have burned with rage to know that [David had raped Ahithopel's granddaughter, Bathseba] and killed Uriah, her husband, who was a fellow soldier with [Ahithopel's] son Eliam." {Jeffrey, "The Signature of God," p. 244.} One is sad that the author of "The Harlot by the Side of the Road" was burned out when he chose to do a single volume on a single character, rather than a series of sharp, precise vignettes. David needs much better than this. Even the Gregory Peck Holy-wood treatment is superior to this insipid redaction ad infinitum.
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievable: Kirsh makes David bland & boring
Review: I bought this volume with great anticipation, since Kirsch's "Harlot by the Side of the Road" was a five-star winner in every respect. But I was disappointed from page one to the last footnote. Kirsch states that "Compared to David, Bill Clinton is a choir boy." Which is completely true, but Kirsch's story, which relies exclusively upon immediate Bible texts, put me to sleep night after night, until I finally finished. Basically, the book reads like an average seminary student doing a less than brillant term paper on the different aspects of David in Kings and Chronicles, without once encountering the drama of this mass murderer, adulterer, guerrella fighter and betrayer of father, son, loyal Uriah, etc. And even Kirsch's biblical exegesis is sorely lacking: example, Kirsch never explains why David's trusted counselor, Ahithopel, joins with Absalom in Absalom's revolt against Absalom's aged father, David. Think what a decent graduate seminary student could have done by pointing out that Eliam, the father of Bathseba [Samuel 23:34] was the son of Ahithopel, and thus the grandfather of Bathseba. "As David's counselor in the palace, Ahithopel must have burned with rage to know that [David had raped Ahithopel's granddaughter, Bathseba] and killed Uriah, her husband, who was a fellow soldier with [Ahithopel's] son Eliam." {Jeffrey, "The Signature of God," p. 244.} One is sad that the author of "The Harlot by the Side of the Road" was burned out when he chose to do a single volume on a single character, rather than a series of sharp, precise vignettes. David needs much better than this. Even the Gregory Peck Holy-wood treatment is superior to this insipid redaction ad infinitum.
Rating: 
Summary: How NOT to write a biography
Review: It is very evident that the motive of the author was to debunk the Old Testamentin general, and the biblical David in particular. In doing so, he appears to reference all his material with notated references to the index. Howefver, if you examine these references, many are stated as factual material. In reality, they were previously written by another individual,
and their validity is highly suspect. He uses other versions of the Bible to support his position, and roughly 150 books which he eviscerated passages to support his positions. A fairytale!
Rating: 
Summary: The David few know
Review: Jonathan Kirsch is my favorite type of theological writer. He's not afraid to ask the tough questions about the cornerstones of faith and he's open to a wide variety of possibilities both traditional and liberal. He has a deft hand and obvious faith but his writing lacks the undercurrents (and, often, overtones) of other writers who ram particular points of view down a reader's throat. He is the kind of writer who gets the wheels in your head turning. This time out Kirsch looks at the biblical figure of King David. He examines what we know of a man who is in many ways the key figure of the Bible. For those of us focused mainly on the New Testament, we need to be reminded that David was the pinnacle of Jewish success and the cornerstone of Messianic thought. It is no coincidence that Matthew and Luke are careful to trace the genealogy of Jesus through David. And Kirsch makes a very interesting case that it is possible that the books that carry the story of David (1 & 2 Samuel) may be among the oldest in the Bible around which even much of the Torah may have had its development. Certainly, Kirsch reminds us of how very human David is. He is a virile youth and a successful warrior both for and against his countrymen. He is an anointed shepherd who takes years to secure a kingdom which he eventually must defend against his own sons. He is a servant of Yahweh who breaks nearly all the commandments at one time or another but repents. He is a believer but is steeped in pagan ritual and tradition who ultimately is not allowed to build a temple to his God. In the oldest stories, David gives us a glimpse of a people and religion that is trying to make itself into the Judaism we recognize but is still finding its way despite Abraham and Moses. Ultimately, Kirsch leads us to an understanding of David and his time by fleshing out details and offering explanations for things that get short shrift in the Biblical text. Whether or not you accept all of Kirsch's possibilities, this book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants a clearer picture of the Old Testament world.
Rating:
Summary: Kirsch Always Makes Me Think
Review: Jonathan Kirsch is my favorite type of theological writer. He's not afraid to ask the tough questions about the cornerstones of faith and he's open to a wide variety of possibilities both traditional and liberal. He has a deft hand and obvious faith but his writing lacks the undercurrents (and, often, overtones) of other writers who ram particular points of view down a reader's throat. He is the kind of writer who gets the wheels in your head turning. This time out Kirsch looks at the biblical figure of King David. He examines what we know of a man who is in many ways the key figure of the Bible. For those of us focused mainly on the New Testament, we need to be reminded that David was the pinnacle of Jewish success and the cornerstone of Messianic thought. It is no coincidence that Matthew and Luke are careful to trace the genealogy of Jesus through David. And Kirsch makes a very interesting case that it is possible that the books that carry the story of David (1 & 2 Samuel) may be among the oldest in the Bible around which even much of the Torah may have had its development. Certainly, Kirsch reminds us of how very human David is. He is a virile youth and a successful warrior both for and against his countrymen. He is an anointed shepherd who takes years to secure a kingdom which he eventually must defend against his own sons. He is a servant of Yahweh who breaks nearly all the commandments at one time or another but repents. He is a believer but is steeped in pagan ritual and tradition who ultimately is not allowed to build a temple to his God. In the oldest stories, David gives us a glimpse of a people and religion that is trying to make itself into the Judaism we recognize but is still finding its way despite Abraham and Moses. Ultimately, Kirsch leads us to an understanding of David and his time by fleshing out details and offering explanations for things that get short shrift in the Biblical text. Whether or not you accept all of Kirsch's possibilities, this book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants a clearer picture of the Old Testament world.
Rating:
Summary: The David few know
Review: Kirsch gives us a detailed account of one of the most famous men in history, complete with the good, the bad, the ugly, and the very ugly. The real David is not for Sunday school students. One wonders why he was known as "a man after God's own heart." Kirsch also makes a good point by suggesting that there is almost no extra-biblical evidence for the existence of David or a united monarchy in Jerusalem. Yet the detail and honesty of which multiple books of the Bible speak of David is enough to convince most historians that he existed. However, do not tell your children about him until they are old enough to see an R-rated movie.
Rating:
Summary: Another Quack on the loose!
Review: Kirsch's account of King David's life is highly questionable to say the least. The book is full of conjecture. The flaws in the author's reasoning are apparent on the face of every page. His perception of King David's relationship with God and country is severely unschooled and a danger to follow. Anyone interested in appreciating the true story of "The man after God's heart" would be better off reading the Biblical accounts. Don't waste your money on this quack historian who seems committed to justifying base persuits with the flaws of the great men and women of Biblical antiquity.
Rating:
Summary: A misleading buy
Review: On the back cover this book promises to include biblical archaeology with the traditional stories from the bible - but it does not. I read the first 60 pages and then dipped into some later sections in utter frustration. All this book does is weave together a story based almost wholely on the bible stories. You find out very little that a read of the bible would not provide. I consider the book a waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: A misleading buy
Review: On the back cover this book promises to include biblical archaeology with the traditional stories from the bible - but it does not. I read the first 60 pages and then dipped into some later sections in utter frustration. All this book does is weave together a story based almost wholely on the bible stories. You find out very little that a read of the bible would not provide. I consider the book a waste of money.
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