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New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context
What if we could step back into the first-century world of Jesus and walk on a dusty road with him as one of his first Jewish disciples? Here we examine Jesus' lifestyle as a first-century Jewish rabbi and look at how his words would have been understood within the larger framework of first-century Judaism. In this stimulating collection of writings, David Bivin will be your personal tour guide through the multi-hued Jewish landscape that frames the words of our Lord. His words will grow in clarity and depth when seen in the light of their original setting. Very readable, but includes scholarly footnotes that make the book a valuable help to those who want to study in more depth.
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 26, 2015
Amazing resource.
As somebody who makes my life's work about Jewish hermeneutics and first-century models of discipleship, I am constantly bombarded with questions about authoritative resources that can be used. I am usually drawn to answer the the conversation is far too broad to be located in a source or two, that the sources that are useful are not well footnoted, etc. etc.
Well, now I have an incredible resource to turn to for so much of this information.
First of all, it is authoritative, as the editor of "Jerusalem Perspective" Bivin has access to some of the best material coming out of scholarship. It is packaged in a very concise format with only the essentials.
In addition to this, the book has some of the best footnotes often linking you DIRECTLY to the oral tradition or the history that is being used in the conversation. Multiple footnotes within the same paragraph, over and over again.
But in spite of all of this — the book is incredibly readable. It is not heady or overly academic. It is easy to understand and invites the reader into a conversation with very little equipment. The accessibility of this book is just great.
As somebody who makes my life's work about Jewish hermeneutics and first-century models of discipleship, I am constantly bombarded with questions about authoritative resources that can be used. I am usually drawn to answer the the conversation is far too broad to be located in a source or two, that the sources that are useful are not well footnoted, etc. etc.
Well, now I have an incredible resource to turn to for so much of this information.
First of all, it is authoritative, as the editor of "Jerusalem Perspective" Bivin has access to some of the best material coming out of scholarship. It is packaged in a very concise format with only the essentials.
In addition to this, the book has some of the best footnotes often linking you DIRECTLY to the oral tradition or the history that is being used in the conversation. Multiple footnotes within the same paragraph, over and over again.
But in spite of all of this — the book is incredibly readable. It is not heady or overly academic. It is easy to understand and invites the reader into a conversation with very little equipment. The accessibility of this book is just great.
April 30, 2012
Having just the other day finished what I guess is the first book on this topic by the author, Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, this one seemed like an easy transition to move right into. I will say though that this one flowed a bit better and was a bit more cohesive of a story, even though it appeared this book is mainly made up of individual writings by the author that have appeared over time on their web site.
While the last book opened with the first portion attempting to make a case for the idea that the gospel books were most likely originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek, this one did not seem to push that idea as much. Instead, to me it seemed more to be stating that the gospel message of Jesus was most likely spoken in a combination of Hebrew and Aramaic, and was therefore filled with Hebrew thought, cultural understandings, idioms, and the like; and that when these sayings, etc. were then decades later written into Greek, the translation into that language caused some things to get lost and misunderstood from the original intent and understanding. This idea is a bit more acceptable than the former, in light of the scholarship and evidence of the early manuscripts.
This book then goes on to lay out an amazing story of Jesus, the culture, his position, the people around him, and the way some of his "difficult" sayings were in fact fairly common in light of their culture. At times I felt like I was walking the streets beside Jesus, seeing what he saw, hearing what the disciples heard, and experiencing much of their culture.
I just felt more engrossed in the happenings of the day, and began to get a whole new sense of the happenings and sayings of our Lord. Understanding Jesus in his day to have been more of a fairly typical Rabbi of the time (though with a more powerful twist to his message), and understanding the rabbinical thoughts, sayings and understandings of that time, allows so much of what he said and did to shine forth in a more clear way.
Section one focuses on Jesus the Rabbi and looks at his education, what it meant to be a disciple of a Rabbi, taking on the yoke of a Rabbi, and the preservation of a Rabbi's teaching.
Section two looked at Jesus in his first century context, and explored the Jewish practice of the day, the dress and traditions of the Rabbi, the name of God, the typical prayer to God (and how it influenced the Lord's Prayer we know), the non-marriage of Jesus and the miracle on the sea of Galilee.
Section three discussed various teachings of Jesus, like the rich man who rejected the kingdom, the Essene vow of hatred (the us versus them mentality), the discussion of Jesus and the jots and tittles of the law, Jesus versus pacifism, poverty, divorce and remarriage.
Section four ends the book with a great look into the Kingdom and it's presence in the first century, what it meant, how it was known, how Jesus was the "prophet" and "olive tree" promised, and what it took for the Gentiles to come in to the root.
Great stuff that really helps clear things up when seen in light of the full-blown Hebrew culture of Jesus' time. This book is a great introduction to understanding the Hebrew roots that assist in making the message of the New Testament much more understandable.
While the last book opened with the first portion attempting to make a case for the idea that the gospel books were most likely originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek, this one did not seem to push that idea as much. Instead, to me it seemed more to be stating that the gospel message of Jesus was most likely spoken in a combination of Hebrew and Aramaic, and was therefore filled with Hebrew thought, cultural understandings, idioms, and the like; and that when these sayings, etc. were then decades later written into Greek, the translation into that language caused some things to get lost and misunderstood from the original intent and understanding. This idea is a bit more acceptable than the former, in light of the scholarship and evidence of the early manuscripts.
This book then goes on to lay out an amazing story of Jesus, the culture, his position, the people around him, and the way some of his "difficult" sayings were in fact fairly common in light of their culture. At times I felt like I was walking the streets beside Jesus, seeing what he saw, hearing what the disciples heard, and experiencing much of their culture.
I just felt more engrossed in the happenings of the day, and began to get a whole new sense of the happenings and sayings of our Lord. Understanding Jesus in his day to have been more of a fairly typical Rabbi of the time (though with a more powerful twist to his message), and understanding the rabbinical thoughts, sayings and understandings of that time, allows so much of what he said and did to shine forth in a more clear way.
Section one focuses on Jesus the Rabbi and looks at his education, what it meant to be a disciple of a Rabbi, taking on the yoke of a Rabbi, and the preservation of a Rabbi's teaching.
Section two looked at Jesus in his first century context, and explored the Jewish practice of the day, the dress and traditions of the Rabbi, the name of God, the typical prayer to God (and how it influenced the Lord's Prayer we know), the non-marriage of Jesus and the miracle on the sea of Galilee.
Section three discussed various teachings of Jesus, like the rich man who rejected the kingdom, the Essene vow of hatred (the us versus them mentality), the discussion of Jesus and the jots and tittles of the law, Jesus versus pacifism, poverty, divorce and remarriage.
Section four ends the book with a great look into the Kingdom and it's presence in the first century, what it meant, how it was known, how Jesus was the "prophet" and "olive tree" promised, and what it took for the Gentiles to come in to the root.
Great stuff that really helps clear things up when seen in light of the full-blown Hebrew culture of Jesus' time. This book is a great introduction to understanding the Hebrew roots that assist in making the message of the New Testament much more understandable.
September 5, 2015
Since early 2012, I have been pulling at every loose thread I can find in order to unravel what it meant to Jesus to be a rabbi with disciples. I wanted to know why he said what he said when and how he said it. I wanted to understand where he was coming from. I wanted to see his humor and passion.
I've read many great books in pursuit of understanding Jesus' 1st Century Jewish background.
This book is the one I will be recommending to any of my companions looking for a starting point in this pursuit.
The writing style is clear and concise. The footnotes are enough to support assertions, but not enough to fully explain them; I view this as a positive since curiosity is the best recommendation to further research.
Bivin covers a myriad of topics with short essays. This is the shallow end of the ocean that is the context of Jesus' earthly ministry.
For me, 90-95% of the content of this book was review of ideas and connections the I had read from other authors (including: Brad H. Young, David Flusser, Joachim Jeremias, David H. Stern). And that was precisely what I was hoping to find (matters are established by multitudes).
If you even the slightest interest in discovering background to Jesus' teachings and life, read this book.
I've read many great books in pursuit of understanding Jesus' 1st Century Jewish background.
This book is the one I will be recommending to any of my companions looking for a starting point in this pursuit.
The writing style is clear and concise. The footnotes are enough to support assertions, but not enough to fully explain them; I view this as a positive since curiosity is the best recommendation to further research.
Bivin covers a myriad of topics with short essays. This is the shallow end of the ocean that is the context of Jesus' earthly ministry.
For me, 90-95% of the content of this book was review of ideas and connections the I had read from other authors (including: Brad H. Young, David Flusser, Joachim Jeremias, David H. Stern). And that was precisely what I was hoping to find (matters are established by multitudes).
If you even the slightest interest in discovering background to Jesus' teachings and life, read this book.
December 24, 2024
This was super fun to read. A bunch of essays on the world and teachings of Jesus that are great for helping read the gospels on their own terms. Even challenged some of my own thinking in certain ways! Would recommend for any Christian interested in the world of Jesus.
March 20, 2018
This book a a quick and easy read that can add much insight to anyone interested in finding a more accurate meaning in Jesus words in light of the culture and context he comes from. I will be using this for references in the future and need to re-read it soon.
November 26, 2024
Bivin seems to have either matured or tempered himself over the twenty years since Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus was published. The bombastic claims that characterized that book are largely absent from this one and it is much better sourced. There are some genuinely interesting things contained in the book, such as background on how fishing was done on the Sea of Galilee. Still marred by the implicit denial of the sufficiency of Scripture and the idea that Christians must read Rabbinic literature if they are going to understand who Jesus is. And while it is not stated explicitly, the assumption that there is a Hebrew original that needs to be reconstructed for correct translation to be done still underlies some of the chapters.
So while learning the Jewish background of Jesus is often helpful, the problem I see is that it essentially leads to a denial of the universal application/accessibility of Scripture. Bivin writes, "the New Testament was written by Jews for Jewish readers" (ch. 6). I think he may have meant the Gospels" and not "the New Testament," but that is still an overstatement; the New Testament, Gospels included, was written to Jews and Gentiles alike, for by the time it was written, the church was composed of Jews and Gentiles. These writings are the apostolic deposit handed down to the church (i.e. to all believers), not just to Jewish believers. Understanding original context is often of immense importance, but we must be careful to avoid insinuating that the text is inaccessible without advanced study into the background of Scripture.
So while learning the Jewish background of Jesus is often helpful, the problem I see is that it essentially leads to a denial of the universal application/accessibility of Scripture. Bivin writes, "the New Testament was written by Jews for Jewish readers" (ch. 6). I think he may have meant the Gospels" and not "the New Testament," but that is still an overstatement; the New Testament, Gospels included, was written to Jews and Gentiles alike, for by the time it was written, the church was composed of Jews and Gentiles. These writings are the apostolic deposit handed down to the church (i.e. to all believers), not just to Jewish believers. Understanding original context is often of immense importance, but we must be careful to avoid insinuating that the text is inaccessible without advanced study into the background of Scripture.
April 12, 2020
Good book
This is a good book with much helpful information, but I never believe or disbelieve what I read . I ponder things and ask God for help in understanding . One thing in this book leaves me with more questions than answers. This author said that Jesus said you should hate your family and even yourself. In all the Bibles I have and that includes one translated by a Messianic Jew , it says your family and your own life as well .Does this mean you should hate your family's lives. This makes more sense to me since the people were said to be like sheep without a Sheppard and that the Pharisees laid heavy burdens on them and did nothing to help them. This means to me that if you are happy with what you and your family are taught and believe ,it will do no good to be taught anything else . I was surprised to learn that many Christians know very little about the Bible. They let their church tell them what they can believe and not believe and Heaven help you if you try to tell them anything different . To me this means that they have a personal relationship with their church and not with so much with Yesuah (Jesus).
This is a good book with much helpful information, but I never believe or disbelieve what I read . I ponder things and ask God for help in understanding . One thing in this book leaves me with more questions than answers. This author said that Jesus said you should hate your family and even yourself. In all the Bibles I have and that includes one translated by a Messianic Jew , it says your family and your own life as well .Does this mean you should hate your family's lives. This makes more sense to me since the people were said to be like sheep without a Sheppard and that the Pharisees laid heavy burdens on them and did nothing to help them. This means to me that if you are happy with what you and your family are taught and believe ,it will do no good to be taught anything else . I was surprised to learn that many Christians know very little about the Bible. They let their church tell them what they can believe and not believe and Heaven help you if you try to tell them anything different . To me this means that they have a personal relationship with their church and not with so much with Yesuah (Jesus).
July 25, 2018
This book looks at the first century, Jewish context of Jesus to better understand his teachings. Each chapter explored a specific topic, like what a rabbi was, what was expected of their disciples, what Jesus meant by his "yoke" or his reference to not destroying but fulfilling the Law. The author looked at cultural contexts unknown to modern Christians, idioms that have lost their meaning in translation, and Scripture references made by Jesus which we might have missed. He referred to rabbinic sayings that originated from around that time and Second Temple-period Jewish literature. The book was very informative, especially if you haven't read similar books. I have read this type of book before, and I learned some new points that I hadn't heard before.
July 24, 2020
Enlightening. But too short. Many more questions beg such insightful, contextualised comments
February 24, 2023
Excellent.
September 9, 2023
Excellent resource for pastors, Bible study leaders, or any student of the Bible. This will remain in my personal library for future reference!
September 5, 2025
If you want to learn things you never knew (because you just aren't Jewish and you didn't live in the first century), this book will absolutely blow you away!
September 10, 2019
Outstanding
I so enjoyed reading Mr. Bivins’ work. It has breathed new life into my bible study. I’m profoundly grateful for all that he and the members of his team have done to clarify the holy scripture.
I so enjoyed reading Mr. Bivins’ work. It has breathed new life into my bible study. I’m profoundly grateful for all that he and the members of his team have done to clarify the holy scripture.
June 13, 2012
This is another helpful book giving Rabbinic information to help understand how life was lived during the time of Christ. this goes a long way in helping us understand the various Jewish idioms Jesus used and also gives good background concerning the theology of the Jewish people during the time of Christ. Jesus was a typical Jewish Rabbi, that is explained in this book. There is an interesting take on what Jesus meant by "take my yoke upon you & learn from me" and there is new light shed on the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of his (Jesus) garment.
This is a very interesting read, short chapters make it easy so as not to be overwhelming and again this will serve as a great resource. I highly recommend it.
This is a very interesting read, short chapters make it easy so as not to be overwhelming and again this will serve as a great resource. I highly recommend it.
August 20, 2012
The basic premise of the author, David Bivin, is that much of what Jesus said in the Gospels takes on a slightly (and sometimes entirely) different meaning when we understand the world of first century rabbis and their teachings. When we do our homework, there are many Hebraisms to be found in the Gospels. Hebraisms are sayings found in rabbinic writings that are not immediately recognized because the New Testament was written in Greek and not Hebrew. When we take certain teachings from Jesus and translate them back into Hebrew, we discover that Jesus was often commenting on the commonly held rabbinic thought of the day. Despite the complexity of the premise, the book is easy to read and understand.
For my full review, go here: http://wp.me/p149jw-12
For my full review, go here: http://wp.me/p149jw-12
September 28, 2020
David Bivin carefully examines the difficult and misunderstood sayings of Jesus from the contemporary Jewish context. He examines the Jewish oral tradition and history written in the Mishnah for understanding of the customs and sayings of the rabbis of Jesus' time.
Mr. Bivin also looks at the Dead Sea scrolls for further insight. He takes some unusual Greek phrasing used in the gospels and renders it in Aramaic or Hebrew to show its meaning in its original Hebrew context.
All these techniques amplify and clarify Jesus' teachings in the four gospels.
Recommended for any serious student of the gospels.
Mr. Bivin also looks at the Dead Sea scrolls for further insight. He takes some unusual Greek phrasing used in the gospels and renders it in Aramaic or Hebrew to show its meaning in its original Hebrew context.
All these techniques amplify and clarify Jesus' teachings in the four gospels.
Recommended for any serious student of the gospels.
January 10, 2008
Second book written by David Bivin who is part of the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research. Deals with difficult passages in the Gospels by looking a background and possible Hebrew translations to better understand the text from a Jewish perspective during Jesus’ time. Very good study, thought provoking.
September 18, 2013
This book had some helpful information and clarification on what the original text says versus our English translations. It also sheds light on the differences in Greek, Hebrew and English in regards to language and sentence structure. It is definitely not a pleasure reading book, more of a resource to learn from when studying and reading the Bible.
November 4, 2008
An excellent analysis of Hebrew phrases in Jesus' sayings and what those would mean to a 21st century reader. This type of analysis is growing in popularity and helps us find the Truth in His Jewish-ness.
January 8, 2017
Fantastic.
This book will turn your world upside down. While I wish it was longer, that's not much of a reason to complain (I got it for free). I enjoyed it immensely and will share it with others.
This book will turn your world upside down. While I wish it was longer, that's not much of a reason to complain (I got it for free). I enjoyed it immensely and will share it with others.
January 14, 2009
Absolutley awesome! Rob Bell's teachings have encouraged me to explore the Jewish context of our Jewish heritage in Christ, and this is a great resource to do so.
July 29, 2009
Good. Jewish roots of Scripture
February 23, 2016
Most Excellent Read
This book clarifies many questions about the life of our Savior...a Jewish boy and man. Very informative for all readers!
This book clarifies many questions about the life of our Savior...a Jewish boy and man. Very informative for all readers!
November 10, 2016
3.5 stars. Some chapters were great, very insightful, while a few seemed clunky and I had trouble either following or seeing their importance. Overall good though.
June 14, 2017
David Bivin summarizes the views and beliefs prevalent among Jesus' audience, enriching the meaning of many of Jesus' well known teachings. In many cases, these insights correct some common Christian misinterpretations (or at least misapplications) of the words of Christ. It is important to understand that Christ came to fulfill Judaism, not to replace it.
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