(This is the official press release for my book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus)
Wrinkles and gray hair in the mirror. Rain in the forecast. Gaining a clothing size. Modern Bible readers view all of these as negatives, but in the biblical world, just the opposite would have been true.
Old age was an advantage when elders were chosen as leaders, and rain was an occasion for rejoicing in the parched Middle East. Beauty was associated with gaining weight because hunger was a common struggle. Cultural differences large and small separate modern readers from how the Bible “thinks.”
In her new book Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: How a Jewish Perspective Can Transform Your Understanding, bestselling author Lois Tverberg digs into a rich repository of knowledge to shed light on many puzzling passages whose cultural meaning would otherwise escape us.
By illuminating the language, culture and imagery of the Bible, Tverberg equips modern readers to read the Bible as Jesus and his disciples would have. In the process, she helps readers realize that the Bible speaks with a “Jewish accent.”
By opening reader’s eyes to the way Middle Eastern people would have understood Jesus, Tverberg takes them on a journey that will deepen their love of this very Jewish book, enriching their lives in the process.
“God often expressed his truth to ancient listeners in ways that shepherds and desert wanderers would understand,” writes Tverberg, “in metaphors that escape the modern reader. Sensitizing ourselves to the Bible’s age-old imagery will allow us to read it with new eyes. Often this perspective brings into focus the merciful, self-sacrificing Father whom Christ knew and loved rather than the harsh caricature of a God many see there.”
From exploring the meaning of Hebrew words to examining Jesus’ Jewish way of making bold messianic claims, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus is a cultural guide that helps readers grasp how Middle Easterners approached life, God and each other.
Full of fascinating insights drawn from research and her own experience, Tverberg equips readers to experience the Bible in ways that will enrich their lives and deepen their understanding.
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Publicity Contact: Brianna DeWitt | bdewitt@bakerbooks.com | 616.676.9185 x 395
To download the full publicity release, use this link.
Visit the Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus overview page.
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Monk of YHVH says
This is all so true: Context of context indeed! When reading scripture, it’s all about who, where, when, and why: Context! I encourage people all the time to read (anything really) from another perspective than your own; to get out of your own box now and then; to experience culture shock because it’s good for you. I go further and suggest that to fully understand the life of Messiah, one must not be money-dependent, grocer-dependent, car-dependent, and, well I think you get the point. We obviously cannot replicate First Century Israel, but we can mirror the lifestyle of Messiah Yeshua. E.g. I’m a carpenter by trade (retired), and a disciple of Messiah Yeshua, now & forever.