Exodus is the second book of the Hebrew Bible, but it may rank first in lasting cultural importance. It is here that the classic biblical themes of oppression and redemption, of human enslavement and divine salvation, are most dramatically expressed. Joel Baden tells the story of this influential and enduring book, tracing how its famous account of the Israelites' journey to the promised land has been adopted and adapted for millennia, often in unexpected ways.

Table of Contents

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER 1 Before the Bible
• CHAPTER 2 The Exodus Story Outside the Book of Exodus
• CHAPTER 3 Exodus as Ritual
• CHAPTER 4 Sinai and the Law
• CHAPTER 5 Social Formation and Communal Identity
• CHAPTER 6 Exodus and Civil Rights
• CHAPTER 7 Liberation Theology
• SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY