Sacred Editors

Sacred texts didn't emerge from divine dictation-they were shaped by human choices across millennia. For three thousand years, Jews have treasured the Torah as the unchanging Word of God. But behind every verse lies a hidden history of decisions: which sources to weave together, how to preserve oral traditions in writing, whose interpretations would become authoritative-and whose voices would be silenced forever.

Sacred Editors reveals the remarkable human story behind Judaism's most sacred texts. From ancient priests combining competing creation stories to medieval Masoretes adding vowels that changed meanings, from Babylonian rabbis creating the Talmud to modern movements reinterpreting ancient laws-this is the story of how Jewish scripture came to be.

Discover:

How the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed alternative versions of biblical books Why entire traditions disappeared when the Second Temple was destroyed How medieval censors forced Jews to edit their own texts What happened to women's voices systematically erased from rabbinic literature

Drawing on the work of leading biblical scholars, archaeologists, and historians, Kevin Meyer weaves together discoveries and insights that reveal the profound human dimensions of textual preservation. This isn't a book that diminishes Judaism's sacred texts-it celebrates the extraordinary collaboration between divine inspiration and human stewardship that preserved the world's oldest continuous textual tradition. Thoughtfully synthesized and accessibly written, Sacred Editors offers both believers and curious readers fresh insights into how ancient wisdom survived through centuries of persecution, exile, and renewal.