The God Whom Moses Knew

J. Roger Nelson, M.D. Bloomington, Ind.: WestBowPress, 2010. 280 pp. (Paperback).

Have you ever read a passage from the Bible and wished more details were given? You probably have — maybe many times. If one of the characters you have longed to know better is Moses, this is the book for you.

“The God Whom Moses Knew” is a work of historical fiction that makes the story of Moses’ life come alive through the addition of details — some fictionalized — that are not apparent in the biblical account. The author, a physician who practiced internal medicine for 40 years, explained that he took a “portion of the revered text and fleshed it out, all the while being careful not to alter the biblical text.” The author draws from sources as old as the ancient historian Josephus and as new as Wikipedia to tell the story of the man who was called out by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Although the book is categorized as fiction, don’t expect it to be a quick beach read. The narrative is a bit heavy, even lumbering at times, and can bog the reader down in the details. Even so, the book is well written and a worthwhile read, especially for those who love the Old Testament stories.