You have miracles [in the Hebrew Bible], yes, but they're not the work, normally, of demons.

[The story of Adam and Eve] it's poetry. One must interpret it as poetry. The first 11 chapters of Genesis [the Primeval History] are absolutely remarkable.

My father was a Social Gospel, far-left liberal, and to some degree a mystic. But we did not have Bible readings; we had prayers.

The Garden of Eden presents the same story: If you want to make yourself gods, you'll find you're akin to the animals.

There was certainly an old law code which stands behind the earliest form of Deuteronomy. Presumably that is what was lost.

I find it exciting to get any historical material from the ground. As you know, I love to put ancient Israel and its literature into their ancient contexts. And to rebuild - that is, to me, a very exciting historical task.

In fact, we're both [with Elie Wiesel] engaged with the text. We search for different things, we find different things. There is a side of what he does that I'd like to do, a bit more privately. I'm not sure he is as interested in history, as I am.