The Bible With and Without Jesus
How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently
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4.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The editors of The Jewish Annotated New Testament 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.
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 Old Testament’s 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 this shared scriptural text as a source of inspiration for any and all readers.
This illuminating work of biblical scholarship reveals the rich layers of meaning within shared scripture:
Jewish and Christian Interpretation: Discover why passages like the creation story and Psalm 22’s “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” are understood in profoundly different ways by each faith.Original Context vs. New Testament Lens: Journey back to what texts like the Suffering Servant of Isaiah meant to their original audiences, and then see how early Christians reinterpreted them to speak of Jesus.Deep Theological Insights: Join renowned scholars Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler as they unpack historical and literary interpretations with clarity and mutual respect.Foundations for Interfaith Dialogue: Explore why key concepts from the Hebrew Bible, quoted directly in the New Testament, became sources of both connection and contention.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Levine (Short Stories by Jesus) and Brettler (How to Read the Jewish Bible), editors of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, aim to foster better understanding between Jews and Christians in this impeccable volume examining well-known passages from Israel's scriptures that are important to the New Testament. Stories they examine include the creation of the world, the Garden of Eden, and Jonah's prophetic mission. For familiar texts such as "an eye for an eye" and "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son," the authors trace how they were interpreted at different times by ancient Israelites, New Testament authors, postbiblical Jews, and later Christians. For example, viewing Adam and Eve as misguided actors requires "a code of conduct, and so we have the Jewish Torah, which helps to harness the evil inclination" but if the story is considered "a narrative of a fall, then we require a narrative of a redemption, and so we have the Christian story." The effect is often one of appreciation of the influence of translation choices for example, Isaiah refers to an "almah," literally meaning a young woman in Hebrew, but the Septuagint, which rendered the Bible in Greek, chose to translate it as "parthenos," a term affiliated with virgin birth. This remarkable, accessible study will appeal to anyone interested in the Hebrew Bible.
