| Judaism -- Relations -- Christianity |
| Christianity and other religions -- Judaism |
| Bible. Old Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc. |
| Bible. New Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc. |
Available:
Library | Shelf Number | Shelf Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... East Bridgewater Public Library | 220.6 LEV 2020 | NONFICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... New Bedford Francis J. Lawler Branch | 220.6 LEV 2020 | NONFICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... New Bedford Free Public Library | 220.6 LEV 2020 | NONFICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Seekonk Public Library | 220.6 LEVINE | NONFICTION | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
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 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.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
An ecumenical look at the Bible. Biblical scholars Levine and Brettler, editors of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, tackle the worthy yet weighty task of examining the Jewish Scriptures through both Jewish and Christian eyes, seeking to promote further understanding between adherents of both religions. The authors make clear that while both Jews and Christians have similar beliefs regarding what is variously called the Tanakh, the Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible, the lenses through which each religion views these Scriptures--as reflecting either the story of Israel or the story of Christ--are quite different. Additionally, the original hearers and readers of these Scriptures viewed the texts through yet a third type of lens. Demonstrating how these three views of Scripture differ from and interact with each other, Levine and Brettler hope "to foster a different future, where Jews and Christians come to understand each other's positions and beliefs, and at the minimum, respectfully agree to disagree." To perform this task, the authors present 10 passages or themes from the Tanakh and examine how each has been read in different eras and across various faith traditions. These passages all tie in closely with the Christian understanding of its own faith tradition, yet some may not be as essential to Jewish readers--e.g., the story of Adam and Eve, the priesthood of Melchizedek, the Suffering Servant in Isaiah, the story of Jonah. In each case, the authors provide context for the theme based on other Scriptures and on what scholars know of the language, culture, and events of the time. They go on to explain how the Scripture in question has been viewed by both Christians and Jews and why and how modern believers might be able to find a common ground of understanding and tolerance between these interpretations. A thorough, readable addition to the consistently fecund Jewish-Christian conversation. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Levine and Brettler, both well-respected biblical scholars, take on a formidable task here, exploring how Jews and Christians read the same Bible stories but come to profoundly different conclusions about what they mean. The passages they tackle include some of the most controversial in the Bible, narratives that have generated anger, distrust, and even hatred over the millennia. Did the actions of Adam and Eve lead to original sin, which only Jesus could overcome? What were the various translations that led to Christians believing Mary was conceived as a virgin? To whom does the Suffering Servant in Isaiah actually refer? The book goes beyond the surface arguments that have been made forever. For each passage, there is history of the text as it was understood in its time (as well as various contemporary interpretations); discussion of how the theological presuppositions of the two religions influenced the texts' importance; and, given today's knowledge of history and theology, a look at how well these interpretations hold up. The authors sometimes get bogged down in the bulrushes, and readers should come to the book with a fair amount of biblical knowledge and an understanding of the issues raised, but, overall, this is fascinating stuff. 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.
Table of Contents
| Preface | p. ix |
| A Note on Translations and Abbreviations | p. xv |
| Chapter 1 On Bibles and their Interpreters | p. 1 |
| Same Stories, Different Bibles | p. 3 |
| Christian and Jewish Bibles | p. 7 |
| On Interpretation | p. 14 |
| Interpreting Divinely Revealed Texts | p. 21 |
| Jewish Interpretations: Two Jews, Three Opinions | p. 26 |
| Christian Interpretation: Aligned with Belief | p. 32 |
| Chapter 2 The Problem and Promise of Prophecy | p. 41 |
| Prophecy | p. 43 |
| Prooftexts | p. 49 |
| Polemics | p. 54 |
| Possibilities | p. 60 |
| Chapter 3 The Creation of the World | p. 67 |
| In the Beginning | p. 69 |
| Making Order from Chaos | p. 74 |
| Wind, Spirit, Wisdom, Logos | p. 82 |
| "Let Us Make Humankind ..." | p. 88 |
| Later Jewish Interpretation | p. 93 |
| Chapter 4 Adam and Eve | p. 99 |
| Death, Domination, and Divorce | p. 101 |
| The Garden of Eden | p. 105 |
| Eating Forbidden Fruit | p. 112 |
| The Garden of Eden in the Bible Outside of Genesis | p. 119 |
| Original Sin in the Hebrew Bible? | p. 121 |
| Adam and Eve in Early Judaism | p. 123 |
| Later Jewish Tradition | p. 128 |
| Chapter 5 "You Are a Priest Forever" | p. 135 |
| Priesthood in Ancient Israel | p. 137 |
| Jesus the High Priest, After the Order of Melchizedek | p. 141 |
| Genesis 14: The First Appearance of Melchizedek | p. 148 |
| Psalm 110: An Enigmatic Royal Psalm | p. 154 |
| Melchizedek in Later Jewish Tradition | p. 165 |
| The Problem of Supersessionism in the Epistle to the Hebrews | p. 171 |
| Chapter 6 "An Eye for an Eye" and "Turn the Other Cheek" | p. 179 |
| Antitheses or Extensions? | p. 181 |
| But I Say to You... | p. 186 |
| On an Eye for an Eye | p. 201 |
| The Hebrew Bible's Context | p. 206 |
| The Struggle Between Justice and Mercy | p. 212 |
| Chapter 7 "Drink My Blood": Sacrifice and Atonement | p. 219 |
| The Sacrificial Lamb | p. 221 |
| Sacrifices in Ancient Israel | p. 227 |
| Passover | p. 236 |
| Human Sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible | p. 238 |
| Nonsacrificial Atonement | p. 241 |
| Sacrifice in Postbiblical Judaism | p. 245 |
| The Blood of Circumcision | p. 248 |
| The Blood of the Covenant | p. 252 |
| Chapter 8 "A Virgin Will Conceive and Bear a Child" | p. 255 |
| To Fulfill What Had Been Spoken | p. 257 |
| Isaiah in His Context | p. 261 |
| From "Young Woman" to "Virgin" | p. 271 |
| From Prediction to Polemic | p. 275 |
| Chapter 9 Isaiah's Suffering Servant | p. 285 |
| By His Bruises We Are Healed | p. 287 |
| The "Suffering Servant" in His Historical Context | p. 295 |
| The Servant's History in Later Jewish and Christian Traditions | p. 304 |
| Chapter 10 The Sign of Jonah | p. 313 |
| Jesus and the Sign of Jonah | p. 315 |
| The Story of Jonah in Its Earliest Historical Context | p. 320 |
| Jonah in Christian Eyes | p. 332 |
| Jonah in Jewish Eyes | p. 337 |
| Chapter 11 "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?" | p. 345 |
| Jesus and Psalm 22 | p. 347 |
| An Aside: Other Psalms in the New Testament | p. 354 |
| Psalm 22 in the Scriptures of Israel | p. 358 |
| When Psalms Become Prophecy | p. 368 |
| Psalm 22 in Jewish Sources | p. 371 |
| Chapter 12 Son of Man | p. 381 |
| Human and/or Divine | p. 383 |
| In Search of the Son of Man | p. 387 |
| "Son of Man": From Human to Superhuman | p. 393 |
| The Son of Man Elsewhere in the New Testament | p. 404 |
| The Postbiblical Future of the Son of Man | p. 408 |
| Chapter 13 Conclusion: From Polemic to Possibility | p. 413 |
| The New Covenant: "'At That Time,' Says the Lord..." | p. 415 |
| In the Interim | p. 419 |
| What We Learn | p. 423 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 427 |
| Notes | p. 429 |
| Author Index | p. 467 |
| Primary Texts Index | p. 475 |
| Subject Index | p. 485 |