Praying Like the Jew, Jesus: Recovering the Ancient Roots of New Testament Prayer [Paperback]

Timothy Paul Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

Timothy P. Jones opens our eyes to the Jewish background of prayers in the the New Testament, particularly ones that Jesus prayed. Understand the customs and traditions that informed these prayers. Historical vignettes will transport you to the times of Yeshua (Jesus) so you can grasp the full meaning of the prayers. Unique devotional thoughts and meditations, presented in down-to-earth language, provide inspiration for a more meaningful prayer life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Combines imaginative story telling with knowledge of the Land . . . these retellings of gospel stories have color, pathos, and humor." -- James F. Strange, Prof. Dep't. of Religious Studies, Univ. of S. Florida

"Jones bridges the chasm between a Greco-Romanized view of the Lord's prayer life to the . . . Jewish prayer life of Yeshua." -- Rev. Robert Stearns, Exec. Dir., Eagles' Wings

"Old truths become new realities in the inspiring pages of this guide to authentic prayer." -- James W. Goll, author & co-founder of Encounters Network

"Provides insights and layers of meaning to the enterprise of prayer . Historical vignettes bring the prayers of Jesus to life." -- Dr. John Fischer, Exce. Dir., Menorah Ministries; Rabbi, Cong. Ohr Chadash

"Provides insights and layers of meaning to the enterprise of prayer. Historical vignettes bring the prayers of Jesus to life." -- Dr. John Fischer, Exec. Dir., Menorah Ministries; Rabbi, Cong. Ohr Chadash

"Unearths hidden spiritual riches in the New Testament. Jones has done a great service." (from the foreword) -- Mark Galli, Managing Editor, Christianity Today

"Unearths hidden spiritual riches in the New Testament. Jones has done a great service." -- Mark Galli, Managing Editor, Christianity Today

About the Author

Timothy P. Jones, Ed. D. (Doctor of Education, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the author of several textbooks and curricula. His articles have appeared in major Christian magazines and journals. He is Adjunct Professor of Biblical Languages at two universities. Dr. Jones is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Rolling Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Lederer Books (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880226286
• ISBN-13: 978-1880226285
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,235,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Timothy Paul Jones serves as professor of leadership and as associate vice president of Global Campus at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. Before coming to Southern Seminary, Dr. Jones led churches in Missouri and Oklahoma as a pastor and an associate pastor.

Dr. Jones has been widely recognized as a leading writer and researcher in the fields of apologetics, Christian education, and family ministry. Christian Retailing Magazine awarded Jones top honors in 2010 in the Christian education category for his book Christian History Made Easy. Charles Colson listed him as one of "four names you need to know" when responding to the new atheists. Jones has also received the Scholastic Recognition Award from the North American Professors of Christian Education for his research in faith development.

The son of a rural pastor, Dr. Jones earned his bachelor of arts degree in biblical studies at Manhattan Christian College. He holds the Master of Divinity degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City and the Doctor of Philosophy degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has taught biblical languages at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and at Oklahoma Baptist University, as well as lecturing on the reliability of the New Testament Gospels at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) at forums sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Despite his strong academic pedigree, Dr. Jones has shown a unique ability to communicate in an appealing, accessible style that has made him popular with the masses. He has authored or contributed to more than a dozen books, including Misquoting Truth, Trained in the Fear of God, and the CBA bestseller The Da Vinci Codebreaker. Widely sought as a commentator on theological topics, Dr. Jones has been interviewed on numerous radio and television programs, including WGN Morning News, Fox & Friends, Crosstalk America, and Bible Answer Man.

He is married to Rayann and they have two children, Hannah and Skylar.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good hybrid of scholarishp and application that uses Jewish sources, October 30, 2005

By 

Albert Cerussi (Lake Forest, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Praying Like the Jew, Jesus: Recovering the Ancient Roots of New Testament Prayer (Paperback)

Sometimes we pray like phony; we treat God like a vending machine, or we don't pray with intimacy.

This book by Prof. Jones could help. The author discusses ten prayers of Yeshua (Jesus) in a somewhat unique way. He starts each section by citing Jewish prayers, mostly from Jewish sources, and some from the Scripture itself. He then proceeds to describe the situation in which Yeshua uttered the prayer, using very vivid language to make the scene real. He then discusses each element of the prayer, using a partial scholarly and partial devotional style. Finally, the section is concluded with a meditation that nicely summarizes the main points of the prayer.

I am very glad to see a Christian author search through Jewish sources in order to understand the backgrounds of Scripture; this is sometimes desperately missing in Christian books. The book has the feel of Messianic Judaism; use of Jewish sources, the use of Hebrew words (with a glossary), and it is published by a Messianic Jewish publisher (Lederer).

While the book did not go into as much detail as I had been hoping, the author makes up for it with some really inspiring and practical insights. His storytelling descriptions of the backgrounds of the prayers are far from dry, but as with this kind of writing one can go too far and make assumptions that really aren't justified. But I did enjoy the stories.

In all, this book will give you some valuable insight into how Yeshua prayed. Good Biblical points are brought out. The book is a pretty quick read, and could also be useful for a small group study or even as a devotional guide. I would recommend this to those in Messianic congregations or for any Christians who want to explore a little more into the Jewish origins of their faith.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good read but also a stretch at times, August 6, 2009

By 

Fredrick L. Murphy (northeastern Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Praying Like the Jew, Jesus: Recovering the Ancient Roots of New Testament Prayer (Paperback)

First, let me say i enjoyed "reading" this book. The idea of "filling in the blanks" that surround Yeshua growing up and going into ministry, with Jewish culture and tradition, is nice. However, many times the author (as do many Messianic commentators, too quickly) will say that Yeshua, or the Ruach, or another Biblical character said or heard or did "such and such" when the "such & such" is really something that Judaism from the past 1000 years or 1500 years (maybe slighly more SOMETIMES)has made into a practice. We honestly DON'T KNOW if these things really were a full part of Yeshua's life when He was a child or if His mom heard these things, or if other Biblical Brethren from days past heard or said these things or did them. My family likes the rich traditions of Biblical Judaism (verses much of the more Modern Rabbinical Judaism), and my family even uses some of the modern practices that are Biblically encouraging, but to assume that the Master and others did the exact things (or heard, or felt, or said...) is NOT to be treating like fact! Sometimes these "possibilities" are treated as "likelihoods" which is somewhat appropriate, but the chain of events listed in the book are tying what we DO know for sure, with what can be classified as conjecture, forming a thought in your mind as if it were a single unified factual ride thru history all the sudden (when it isn't provable at all).

As for the basic good Torah style love God & neighbor thoughts it presents, they are done well.

All in all this is a good book, but i was personally looking for more of a research oriented, factually stated, background and historical finding on 1st Century prayers. This book is nice, but also has a heavy dose of conjecture. Buy it if you want a good read, but DON'T be confused between fact & lore (a temptation when also reading Modern Rabbinic lore).

5.0 out of 5 stars For everyone who's asked "Why me?", August 9, 2011

By 

Lilly - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Praying Like the Jew, Jesus: Recovering the Ancient Roots of New Testament Prayer (Paperback)

A must read for everyone who claims the title of "Christian."

It brings sights, smells, and sounds to the countryside that got to touch Jesus.

In today's U.S. Christian society, people often try to shrug off pain and make light of prayer. "It's for the best," "It will turn out great for me because I claimed this scripture," or even "I know the plans for you...plans for hope..."

This book helps reveal why prayer is not a magic formula. Life is tough and painful. If it was for Jesus (our Savior, the Word, the SON of God) then what makes us think we deserve better?