Jewish New Testament: Blue Leatherette [Paperback]

David H. Stern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1989

Why is this New Testament different from all other New Testaments? Because the Jewish New Testament expresses its original and essential Jewishness.

The New Testament is a Jewish book--by Jews, mostly about Jews, and for Jews as well as Gentiles. Its central figure, the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), was and is a Jew. Vicarious atonement, salvation, immersion (baptism), the new covenant and the very concept of a Messiah are all Jewish. In sum, the New Testament is built upon and completes the Hebrew Scriptures.

The Jewish New Testament brings out Jewishness in three ways:

- Cosmetically--by using neutral terms and Hebrew names: "execution-stake," not "cross"; "Ya'akov," not "James."
- Culturally and Religiously--by highlighting Jewish features: "Chanukkah," not "the feast of dedication"; "tzitzit," not "fringe."
- Theologically--by correcting mistranslations resulting from anti-Jewish theological bias; for example, at Romans 10:4 the Messiah is "the goal at which the Torah aims," not "the end of the law."

Freshly rendered from the original Greek into enjoyable modern English by a Messianic Jew (a Jew who honors Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel), the "Jewish New Testament" challenges Jews to understand that Yeshua is a friend to every Jewish heart and the New Testament a Jewish book filled with truths to be accepted and acted upon. At the same time, while reaffirming the equality of Gentiles and Jews in the Messianic Community, it challenges Christians to acknowledge the Jewishness of their faith and their oneness with the Jewish people.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David H. Stern, born in Los Angeles in 1935, is the great-grandson of two of the city's first twenty Jews. He earned a Ph.D. in economics at Princeton University and was a professor at UCLA. In 1972 he came to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. He then received a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary, did graduate work at the University of Judaism, and was active in the Messianic Jewish movement. In 1979 the Stern family made aliyah (immigrated to Israel); they now live in Jerusalem. Dr. Stern authored the "Messianic Jewish Manifesto". His highly acclaimed English translation, the "Jewish New Testament," restores the New Testament's Jewishness. His "Jewish New Testament Commentary" discusses the many Jewish issues found in the New Testament. His fresh translation, the "Complete Jewish Bible", expresses the unity of the Tanakh ("Old Testament") and the B'rit Hadashah ("New Testament"). This outstanding, scholarly work offers Bible readers a thorough, biblically Jewish version of God's word. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. (March 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9653590146
• ISBN-13: 978-9653590144
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,493,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David H. Stern, born in Los Angeles in 1935, is the great-grandson of two of the city's first twenty Jews. He earned a Ph.D. in economics at Princeton University and was a professor at UCLA. In 1972 he came to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. He then received a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary, did graduate work at the University of Judaism, and was active in the Messianic Jewish movement. In 1979 the Stern family made aliyah (immigrated to Israel); they now live in Jerusalem. Dr. Stern authored the "Messianic Jewish Manifesto." His highly acclaimed English translation, the "Jewish New Testament," restores the New Testament's Jewishness. His "Jewish New Testament Commentary" discusses the many Jewish issues found in the New Testament. His fresh translation, the "Complete Jewish Bible," expresses the unity of the Tanakh ("Old Testament") and the B'rit Hadashah ("New Testament").

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much closer to the first century origins..., August 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Jewish New Testament-OE (Paperback)

I highly reccommend this book, the Complete Jewish Bible, and the Jewish New Testement Commentary, all by Stern.

It is in intriguing peculiarity of Western European and American cultural bias that so many people reviewing this product on Amazon.com write that other editions, such as the Authorized Version of the KJV, are "more reliable." What arrogance!

To presume that an outdated English translation of the original Hebrew and Greek is somehow MORE authoritative is laughable when you consider the KJV translators were living 1,500 years after the time the New Testement was written, and by a group of men who were, primarily, antiSemitic Christians.

It is important to remember that the New Testement was a product of first century Jews (just as our Messiah was a first century Jew).

So you must ask yourself, who is more reliable to turn to when seeking to understand the mind of first century Jewish authors... a 20th century Jew, or a bunch of 15th century antiSemites?

This is not meant as an attack upon Christians or even the KJV translators, but simply a challenge to divorce oneself from the cultural bias, completely baseless, that the KJV translation is somehow flawless, holy and uniquely inspired. It is not.

Stern makes no pretensions of this edition of the New Testement being the result of a "committee of translators" as one reviewer on here charged. He freely admits it is solely his own work.

But does single-authorship of a translation make it less valid? If so, perhaps King David, Moses, Paul and other Bible authors should never have set pen to paper without calling together a meeting of all the Biblical apostles.

Now, I'll admit the tone of this review is a bit combative, but I was reacting primarily to certain other reviewers. Do not let that affect how you approach this fine work; although he is the sole author, Stern's Jewish New Testement has its basis in millenia of Jewish thought and really does away with some "commonly accepted truths" embraced by Christians worldwide that are actually textual misunderstandings lost over the centuries due to the widening crevice separating Christians from the Jewish roots of their faith.

Definitely worth your time and serious study.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Work... Ignore the Criticisms, April 8, 2004

By 

"talmidofmessiah" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jewish New Testament-OE (Paperback)

You are going to hear strong Criticisms from certain groups in regard to this translation... Ignore them. They revolve around the contemporary Pauline debate which most Christians are ignorant of...

While I am not inclined to follow Stern in many places in regard to his Pauline interpretation, he does give a new angle to think about. By the way the Greek kartegeo in Ephesians 2:11-16 is a very technical term meaning to nullify the impact not abolish. Messiah nullifies the impact of the separation caused by Purity laws.

Stern takes does take liberties in places but honestly not any more than the NIV does from a Gentile Evangelical perspective. ALL TRANSLATION INVOLVES AT LEAST SOME ELEMENT OF INTERPRETATION. Certainly there are more "literal" translations but Stern's translation emphasizes often ignored or glossed background. Don't stop here though buy the commentary, start reading up on the New Perspective on Paul and start challenging your friends.

After that Learn Greek and Hebrew....

May the Shalom of God rest upon you

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good translation, July 24, 2000

By 

Geoffrey S. Robinson (Haddon Heights, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jewish New Testament-OE (Paperback)

Unless one is using the original Greek, which I don't, one should try to have a few translations at hand. This is one I fully recommend having, because it will bring out the inherent Jewishness that is already in the text. This is long overlooked, and it is great that this translation exists. One should be warned that it is only one translator, so bias can more easily creep into the translation. But for what it does, it does well. I would not use it as my sole New Testament, but I would and do use it. I especially love reading the four gospels in this translation.