Customer Reviews

Jesus the Jewish Theologian

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having a religious studies minor in college I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. Sometimes scholarship can overpower issues of faith and spirituality. This book is quite revealing - it gives incredible insight into some of the parables and teachings of the gospels. I can honestly say that I will never look at Jesus in the same way. Young responsibly addresses issues of the traditional Jewish faith and their relation to the teaching of Jesus which is something that I've not seen before. Exegetical responsiblity requires that one read and interpret scripture in its original context and Young does this well, not only with the traditionally accepted canon but also incorporates works from Jewish teachers from the era as well, to paint a bright picture that depicts the world in which Jesus lived and taught. This book will provide numerous points of interest for someone who isn't familiar with the first century world in which Jesus lived. On the other side I found it to be a bit dry. Much credit is due to Young for an insightful, thoughtful, and thoroughly researched work, yet I found a bit reminiscent of my religion text books and this is my only criticism.

Recently studying the historical Jesus has been fascinating for me. Young's book is probably a good starter for those wanting to understand Jesus' experience as a Jewish human.

I learned of Dr. Young from reading Dr. David Flusser of Hebrew University. Flusser, who was Jewish, was a philologist and scholar on Jesus and the 1st century church. His book, Jesus, is so widely quoted and respected by NT scholars (e.g., James Charlesworth, E.P. Sanders, etc) that I devoted a lot of time to locating a copy (finally found it via Jerusalem Perspective web site and it is an excellent read!). Flusser quotes Young, so I located this book by Young.

Young was a student and friend of Flusser's and is obviously influenced by Flusser (many references to Flusser, including references to private conversations).

A few things are worth knowing about Dr. Young's book. It is not always smooth reading. It seems to need some editing work.

I found a few thoughts in the book that were not well developed. For example, Dr. Young says that Jesus was more educated than Paul (page xxxiv). This startling (but possibly true?) comment is quoted by Flusser in a footnote in his book, Jesus. I can accept it as a possibility, but this is so different from anything I've ever heard or read that I was looking for more support . There was no support for this comment, and I was left to wonder why Young believes such. I had a few other similar experiences while reading this book.

I was interested in comparing Young's view of Jesus' teaching about divorce. He writes that, according to Jesus:

"Divorce is not adultery. Remarriage after divorce is not adultery." (p 116)

This interpretation is not surprising, though different from others, but the following was for me a new perspective on the meaning of Jesus' words:

"In essence, Jesus says that when one divorces his wife in order to marry the other woman, it is wrong." (p 116)

I think I recall (i.e., not sure and too lazy to look) that the NT scholar E.P. Sanders and others believe Jesus did teach that remarriage after divorce is adultery. (I don't know anything about his personal life, but I wondered if Young's personal life influences his interpretation on this topic.)

A general reader should keep in mind that this is not a work on Christology. For example, he doesn't discuss Jesus being the Son of God as represented in Trinitarian theology.

Based on this book, I bought and intend to read Young's other books (Parables, Paul).

This is a book that belongs beside every bed in the world! What a wonderful thorough look at the Messiah Jesus! Dr. Young explores not only the parables of Jesus, but the historical settings, traditions and manners that are displayed in the Bible that are often overlooked. Dr. Young teaches at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa and travels the world speaking at various conferences. His studies while living in Israel at the Hebrew University have added a vast richness to his insight into teaching these truths. I would encourage every pastor or Bible student to read this book, and Dr. Young's other books: Paul the Jewish Theologian, The Jewish Background of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus and His Jewish Parables, and Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation. Dr. Young is one of the world's foremost scholars of Hebrew and Greek, and when he explains the world of prayer both in the Old Testament and New, a deeper depth of understanding is gained by his students. A must read!

Understanding the Jewish Roots of the Christian faith is a relatively new pursuit. Young's work certainly offers a major contribution in this field; it is clear, easy to understand, and enlightening.

He offers insights into various passages, and the passages come to light, sometimes illuminated by understanding the Jewish background to a teaching or event.

As a pastor preparing a 3 years seromn series on the Life of Christ, this was one book offered me fresh (but conservative)insights. Worth your time.

I wanted to give this book 5 stars, just because the content is so good. However, the style and fluidity of the writing is rather poor. It's like the publisher slapped together a bunch of Dr. Young's articles, did minimal editing, and put a title on the work. Nevertheless, the content of the book is well-researched and remarkable. I'm impressed with the level of insight that Dr. Young has on the Jewishness of Jesus and His teachings. I would recommend that you purchase this book, and battle your way through the chapters, just to gain a better understanding of who Jesus is and how He operated in the first century context of Roman-ruled Israel. 3 stars, but wish I could add a fourth.

Have just completed Jesus The Jewish Theologian and found it to be extremely revealing about the truth behind the words of Jesus. As a Christian I have always been interested in Judiasm and curious about how Jesus would feel today about his words in the Christian world. The book can only bring you closer to God. Whether you be Jewish or Christian. If Christian it will certainly give you "food" for thought.

I have been fascinated by the topic of Jesus as a Jew, and the influence that it has on his teachings and saying. I feel that it is essential to mondern Chrisitanity to understand what we are reading when we attempt to translate scripture and give it hermenutical value. It can not me something to us that it did not to mean to the original writer/reader.

This book did not really break any new ground for me. I did however give new examples from Jewish traditions such as from Midrash, Talmud, and other stories. I was hoping for something more along the lines of Ray Vander Laan or Rob Bell's sermon "Covered in the Dust of the Rabbi" (you can find it on Willow Creek's resource page).

With a little editing to remove needless repetition of ideas and restating of thesis statments the book would probably be about half as long.

If you are completely clueless to any Jewish traditions or think that Jesus was a Christian please read this book. Otherwise there might be a better buy out there.

This is a well written and easily readable book by a scholar and is very usefull for Bible Study and getting a new look at the life, times and teaching of Jesus from a Jewish perspective. After all, Jesus was a Jew.

Great book. Helps you view God in whole different light. It was a big help to me in understanding the bible when I could understand the Jewish thought that was involved. Great reading for any Christian.

I'm still in the middle - but a real eye-opener. How much I've missed of the Biblical accounts by not fully understanding the cultural context OR MISunderstanding it & putting in our western ideas. I recommend it to anyone who wants a deeper, richer understanding of the Bible accounts - or to those who are tired of trite cliches of interpretations of the Bible , especially the teachings of Jesus.