The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently

The editors of&nbsp;The Jewish Annotated New Testament&nbsp;show how and why Jews and Christians read many of the same Biblical texts - including passages from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Psalms - differently. Exploring and explaining these diverse perspectives, they reveal more clearly Scripture's beauty and power. &nbsp; Esteemed Bible scholars and teachers Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler take readers on a guided tour of the most popular Hebrew Bible passages quoted in the New Testament to show what the texts meant in their original contexts and then how Jews and Christians, over time, understood those same texts. Passages include the creation of the world, the role of Adam and Eve, the Suffering Servant of Isiah, the book of Jonah, and Psalm 22, whose words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me," Jesus quotes as he dies on the cross. Comparing various interpretations - historical, literary, and theological - of each ancient text, Levine and Brettler offer deeper understandings of the original narratives and their many afterlives. They show how the text speaks to different generations under changed circumstances, and so illuminate the Bible's ongoing significance. By understanding the depth and variety by which these passages have been, and can be, understood, The Bible With and Without Jesus does more than enhance our religious understandings, it helps us to see the Bible as a source of inspiration for any and all readers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

History

Levine, Amy-Jill

Brettler, Marc Zvi

World

HarperOne

Review “Jews and Christians read the Bible with different histories, interpretations, contexts, and emphases. How can the two understand each other better? No two persons are better suited to answer this question than Brettler and Levine. It requires expertise in the Bible itself and in the history of interpretation. These two respected scholars bring that dual expertise with style, clarity, wit, and visible honesty. They replace ignorance with mutual respect, and replace polemics with possibilities. Truly a book for everyone.” -- Richard Elliott Friedman, author of The Exodus and Who Wrote the Bible?“Fascinating . . . The chapter on the original meanings of sections of the Sermon on the Mount is alone worth the price of admission. A rich and important offering.” -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Incisive and accessible in content and welcoming in tone, the book express very well a point I sought to convey throughout my career: ‘The more one knows of Israel’s scripture, the more meaningful the New Testament becomes.’” -- Christian Century“A Top 10 Notable Book of the Year” -- Center for Hebraic Thought“This new project…[looks] at the various reinterpretations of the text in the first centuries BCE and CE, how they diverged according to Christian and Jewish belief, and the subtle and not-so-subtle polemics that were then developed…effectively showing how the separate interpretations may never converge, but the integrity of each can be appreciated.” -- Library Journal"In an age where polemics and talking past one another is common, the appeal to respectful interpretation and dialogue is refreshing and helpful. Perhaps it is not too much to expect that we see ourselves as others see us or see our sacred texts as others see them. Highly recommended." -- Dr. Ben Witherington, III, Amos Professor of NT for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary“This exploration invites both Jews and Christians to look at texts whose meanings we take for granted and see them from the other side. It is a delightful read through a mind-opening adventure that will do more for Jewish-Christian relations than many official documents." -- Carolyn Osiek, author of A Woman's Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity“Tackles the worthy yet weighty task of examining the Jewish scriptures through both Jewish and Christian eyes, seeking to promote further understanding between adherents . . . A thorough, readable addition to the consistently fecund Jewish-Christian conversation.” -- Kirkus“A must read for all concerned with peace and well-being in our civil societies in their rich diversity.” -- Kathy Ehrensperger, Executive Editor of The Encyclopedia of Jewish-Christian Relations“A real gem of a book and badly needed. Scholars of the highest caliber, they lay out the logic and consistency of each religious interpretation, thus nurturing mutual, informed respect and dialogue. Highly recommended.” -- Steve McKenzie, Professor of Religious Studies, Rhodes College“The authors seek to open a dialogue that will allow everyone to have a better understanding of the text. [The book is] easy to read, perfect for Jewish-Christian dialogue groups, and will appeal to anyone interested in understanding the Bible.” -- The Reporter"How can Jews and Christians read the Scriptures they share without denigrating each other’s interpretations? This book is an extraordinary effort to guide us through our readings of the Bible while respecting the differences of our traditions. The world has been waiting two thousand years for this book!" -- Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor, Dartmouth College"Seeks to offer insight into how two faiths can have such disparate understandings of the same text [and] can help Jews and Christians understand each other better." -- The Times of Israel“Imbued with the best of modern biblical scholarship, which particularly shines in the moving treatment of the Sermon on the Mount, and written clearly and beautiful

Can the Bible be approached both as sacred scripture and as a historical and literary text? For many people, it must be one or the other. How can we read the Bible both ways? The Bible and the Believer brings together three distinguished biblical scholars--one Jewish, one Catholic, and one Protestant--to illustrate how to read the Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament critically and religiously. Marc Zvi Brettler, Peter Enns, and Daniel J. Harrington tackle a dilemma that not only haunts biblical scholarship today, but also disturbs students and others exposed to biblical criticism for the first time, either in university courses or through their own reading. Failure to resolve these conflicting interpretive strategies often results in rejection of either the critical approach or the religious approach--or both. But the authors demonstrate how biblical criticism--the process of establishing the original contextual meaning of biblical texts with the tools of literary and historical analysis--need not undermine religious interpretations of the Bible, but can in fact enhance them. They show how awareness of new archeological evidence, cultural context, literary form, and other tools of historical criticism can provide the necessary preparation for a sound religious reading. And they argue that the challenges such study raises for religious belief should be brought into conversation with religious tradition rather than deemed grounds for dismissing either that tradition or biblical criticism. Guiding readers through the history of biblical exegesis within the Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant faith traditions, The Bible and the Believer bridges an age-old gap between critical and religious approaches to the Old Testament.

The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously

Enns, Peter

Harrington, Daniel J.

Religion & Spirituality

Oxford University Press

In his new book, master Bible scholar and teacher Marc Brettler argues that today's contemporary readers can only understand the ancient Hebrew Scripture by knowing more about the culture that produced it. And so Brettler unpacks the literary conventions, ideological assumptions, and historical conditions that inform the biblical text and demonstrates how modern critical scholarship and archaeological discoveries shed light on this fascinating and complex literature. Brettler surveys representative biblical texts from different genres to illustrate how modern can read these texts. He guides us in reading the Bible as it was read in the biblical period, independent of later religious norms and interpretive traditions. Understanding the Bible this way lets us appreciate it as an interesting text that speaks in multiple voices on profound issues. Although the emphasis of How to Read the Jewish Bible is on showing contemporary Jews, as well as Christians, how they can relate to the Bible in a more meaningful way, readers at any level of religious faith can benefit greatly from this comprehensive but remarkably clear guide to interpreting the Jewish Bible.

How to Read the Jewish Bible

Christian Books & Bibles

Bibles

Judaism

This is the first textbook written for the purpose of teaching biblical Hebrew to college-level students who already know some modern, Israeli Hebrew. Marc Brettler provides a clear, comprehensive book with numerous well-constructed exercises to help students either make the transition from modern Israeli Hebrew to biblical Hebrew or deepen their understanding of biblical Hebrew. The book is also ideal for individuals who might like to study independently, and for serious Jewish adult-education programs. Biblical Hebrew for Students of Modern Israeli Hebrew is unique in its emphasis on phonology, based on the conviction that a strong grounding in phonology makes it possible to learn biblical Hebrew grammar in a much more systematic fashion. This method also allows verbal conjugations to be taught much more quickly and systematically. Although the text is not inductive, it uses authentic biblical texts throughout to illustrate fundamental points, and it contains many biblical texts in the exercises. Students progressing through the book will quickly be encouraged by a sense of accomplishment as they encounter and understand well-known biblical passages.

Biblical Hebrew for Students of Modern Israeli Hebrew

Yale University Press

The Creation of History in Ancient Israel

The Creation of History in Ancient Israel demonstrates how the historian can start to piece together the history of ancient Israel using the Hebrew Bible as a source.

Ancient Civilizations

Routledge

The Book of Judges has typically been treated either as a historical account of the conquest of Israel and the rise of the monarch, or as an ancient Israelite work of literary fiction. In this new approach, Brettler contends that Judges is essentially a political tract, which argues for the legitimacy of Davidic kingship. He skilfully and accessibly shows the tension between the stories in their original forms, and how they were altered and reused to create a book with a very different meaning. Important reading for all those studying this part of the Bible.

The Book of Judges (Old Testament Readings)

Argues that the Book of Judges is essentially a political tract and not a historical account of the conquest of Israel and the rise of the monarch, or an ancient Israelite work of literary fiction.

The Creation of History in Ancient Israel demonstrates how the historian can start to piece together the history of ancient Israel using the Hebrew Bible as a source.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brettler, Marc Zvi. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Brettler, Marc Zvi

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brettler, Marc Zvi. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently

The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently

The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously

How to Read the Jewish Bible

The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously

Biblical Hebrew for Students of Modern Israeli Hebrew

The Creation of History in Ancient Israel

The Book of Judges (Old Testament Readings)

The Book of Judges (Old Testament Readings)

The Creation of History in Ancient Israel