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Jacob & the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel's Story
Israel, the community to which Jesus belonged, took its name from their patriarch Jacob. His story of exile and return was their story as well. In the well-known tale of the prodigal son, Jesus reshaped the story in his own way and for his own purposes. In this work, Kenneth E. Bailey compares the Old Testament saga and the New Testament parable. He unpacks similarities freighted with theological significance and differences that often reveal Jesus' particular purposes. Drawing on a lifetime of study in both Middle Eastern culture and the Gospels, Bailey offers here a fresh view of how Jesus interpreted Israel's past, his present and their future.
225 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2003
42 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth E. Bailey
32 books120 followersAfter undergraduate and seminary studies, Dr. Bailey completed degrees in Arabic Language and Literature, Systematic Theology and a doctorate in New Testament. Ordained by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Bailey spent 40 years (1955-1995) living and teaching in seminaries and institutes in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem and Cyprus.
For 20 of those years Dr. Bailey was Professor of New Testament and Head of the Biblical Department of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut where he also founded and directed the Institute for Middle Eastern New Testament Studies. From September 1985 to June 1995, Dr. Bailey was on the faculty of "The Ecumenical Institute for Theological Research" in Jerusalem, with the title of Research Professor of Middle Eastern New Testament Studies.
In 1990 Dr. Bailey accepted the additional responsibility of Canon Theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, residing in Nicosia, Cyprus and returned a third of each year to Jerusalem to continue teaching at the Ecumenical Institute.
Dr. Bailey's area of specialty is the cultural background and literary forms of the New Testament. In addition to more than 150 articles in English and in Arabic, his writings include:
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008)
“Open Hearts in Bethlehem (A Christmas Musical)” (Louisville: W/JK, 2005)
The Cross and the Prodigal [Revised edition] (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2005)
Jacob and the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel’s Story (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003 )
Finding the Lost: Cultural Keys to Luke 15 (St. Louis: Concordia, 1992)
Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, l980)
God Is ... Dialogues on the Nature of God [Revised Edition] (Toronto: FFM, 2005)
Dr. Bailey has authored the scripts for two professionally produced feature length films and has also professionally recorded more than 100 video lectures on a variety of New Testament themes. He has taught at Columbia and Princeton and was for a time an adjunct professor at Dubuque, McCormick and Pittsburgh theological seminaries as well as at Fuller Seminary. Dr. Bailey has lectured in theological colleges and seminaries in England (Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol) Ireland, Canada, Egypt, Finland, Latvia, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and Jerusalem. He is active as a Bible teacher for conferences and continuing education events in the Middle East, Europe and North America. His writings have been translated and published into more than 20 languages. He is a member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas and is listed in Who's Who in Biblical Studies and Archeology (Washington: Biblical Archeology Society, 1992). In March 1995, at the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Bailey was the Bible teacher for the triennial meeting of the Archbishops of the Anglican Communion. In 1999 he received the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary “Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Academics.” In 2003, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, he participated in a Muslim-Christian dialogue conference held in Doha, Qatar.
The Baileys now reside in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Dr. Bailey continues his ministry of lecturing, writing and recording in the field of New Testament. In June 1997, he was installed as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church, USA.
Mrs. Ethel Bailey was a research assistant to Dr. Jonas Salk at the time he discovered the polio vaccine. She taught microbiology (in Arabic), raised a family, and typed a number of Dr. Bailey's manuscripts. In Beirut she was the recording secretary for the board of the American Community School. While in Jerusalem she was active in the leadership of daily worship at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute and in various other aspects of the life of the community. The Baileys have two children.
For 20 of those years Dr. Bailey was Professor of New Testament and Head of the Biblical Department of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut where he also founded and directed the Institute for Middle Eastern New Testament Studies. From September 1985 to June 1995, Dr. Bailey was on the faculty of "The Ecumenical Institute for Theological Research" in Jerusalem, with the title of Research Professor of Middle Eastern New Testament Studies.
In 1990 Dr. Bailey accepted the additional responsibility of Canon Theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, residing in Nicosia, Cyprus and returned a third of each year to Jerusalem to continue teaching at the Ecumenical Institute.
Dr. Bailey's area of specialty is the cultural background and literary forms of the New Testament. In addition to more than 150 articles in English and in Arabic, his writings include:
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008)
“Open Hearts in Bethlehem (A Christmas Musical)” (Louisville: W/JK, 2005)
The Cross and the Prodigal [Revised edition] (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2005)
Jacob and the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel’s Story (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003 )
Finding the Lost: Cultural Keys to Luke 15 (St. Louis: Concordia, 1992)
Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, l980)
God Is ... Dialogues on the Nature of God [Revised Edition] (Toronto: FFM, 2005)
Dr. Bailey has authored the scripts for two professionally produced feature length films and has also professionally recorded more than 100 video lectures on a variety of New Testament themes. He has taught at Columbia and Princeton and was for a time an adjunct professor at Dubuque, McCormick and Pittsburgh theological seminaries as well as at Fuller Seminary. Dr. Bailey has lectured in theological colleges and seminaries in England (Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol) Ireland, Canada, Egypt, Finland, Latvia, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and Jerusalem. He is active as a Bible teacher for conferences and continuing education events in the Middle East, Europe and North America. His writings have been translated and published into more than 20 languages. He is a member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas and is listed in Who's Who in Biblical Studies and Archeology (Washington: Biblical Archeology Society, 1992). In March 1995, at the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Bailey was the Bible teacher for the triennial meeting of the Archbishops of the Anglican Communion. In 1999 he received the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary “Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Academics.” In 2003, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, he participated in a Muslim-Christian dialogue conference held in Doha, Qatar.
The Baileys now reside in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Dr. Bailey continues his ministry of lecturing, writing and recording in the field of New Testament. In June 1997, he was installed as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church, USA.
Mrs. Ethel Bailey was a research assistant to Dr. Jonas Salk at the time he discovered the polio vaccine. She taught microbiology (in Arabic), raised a family, and typed a number of Dr. Bailey's manuscripts. In Beirut she was the recording secretary for the board of the American Community School. While in Jerusalem she was active in the leadership of daily worship at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute and in various other aspects of the life of the community. The Baileys have two children.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 22, 2020
I really appreciated this book of theology. Bailey's unpacking of Jesus' story of the prodigal sons is attentive and illuminating, and it helped me recognize dimensions I hadn't seen before. Sometimes he belabors a point, but I didn't mind. Well worth the read.
March 14, 2017
Kenneth Baily’s book Jacob & the Prodigal overlaps with important sections of my own book Moving and Resting in God’s Desire: A Spirituality of Peace. In using the thought of René Girard and his colleagues to explore ways of renewing Christian spirituality, I comment at length on the stories of fratricidal strife in Genesis and Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke. (The Parable is better titled something like “The Prodigal Father and His Two Sons.”
Wee both see Jesus’ Parable as seeking to resolve the strife between brothers although, like the story in Genesis, the Parable is left open, leaving the possibility of resolution open but not fulfilled in the text. Having grown up in the Near East, Bailey has much knowledge of Semitic culture that many of us in the West do not have. As a result, Bailey offers many important insights into the Parable and the earlier narrative that pass many of us by. For example, Bailey emphasizes the foolishness of the Father in the Parable in running to meet his son at the edge of the village. For a grown man to run for any reason was considered shameful and to run for such a purpose especially so. This is just one example among many of the new insights Bailey has to offer us. Bailey treats the Parable as the climax of a trilogy of parables in Luke 15 which begins with the Parable of the Lost Sheep and continues with the Parable of the Lost Coin before concluding with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. By studying the parables together, Bailey explores the Christology of the Parables where the shepherd, the woman searching for her coin and the father all become images of Jesus Himself as he reveals how overwhelming and unimaginable the Love of God is.
The final portion of the book is a comparison of the Parable with the Saga of Jacob and Esau. Many of the parallels are contrasts which are at least as illumining as the likenesses. In both cases we have two brothers in strife. Isaac, however, in his in ineptness in being tricked is a huge contrast to the father in the Parable. Another contrast is that Jacob does well in the foreign country while the Prodigal Son does not. Another likeness is that neither Jacob nor the Prodigal Son repent of wrongdoing. (Bailey explains at length that the Prodigal Son is only scheming to get set up in a craft to get enough money to live on; he is not repenting of asking his father for half the estate, brutal as that was to his father.) Bailey argues that Esau doesn’t really forgive Jacob as I argue in my take on the story. The number of armed men Esau brings could suggest an aggressive meeting but it could be a defense measure, not knowing how many armed men Jacob might have. Bailey argues that the vowels of the Hebrew word for “kiss: are the same as the vowels for “bite,” leaving open the possibility that Esau bit Jacob. I can’t argue the linguistic case but it seems to me that so aggressive an act would have led to a more violent reaction than we have. In any case, I see Jacob not believing in Esau’s forgiveness and rather than a reconciliation, the story ends in a permanent separation.
In the Parable, the two brothers are separate at the end, thus keeping up the conflict that I see between them dating back to before the younger brother leaves. In the Parable, however, the central separation is between each of the brothers and their father. The younger son does seem to have accepted his father’s welcome, although we don’t know if he persevered in his gratitude. The older son is at odds with his father as well as with his brother. The challenge is whether or not the older son will accept his father’s love for his younger son. In like manner, Bailey demonstrates that this challenge is thrown out to the scribes and Pharisees who criticized Jesus for eating with “sinners.”
Bailey’s book is a valuable source of new insights that deeply refresh our understanding of a Parable that we think we understand so well that we have let it go stale. Most important, Bailey’s study makes the Love of God revealed in Jesus “full of sap, still green.”
Wee both see Jesus’ Parable as seeking to resolve the strife between brothers although, like the story in Genesis, the Parable is left open, leaving the possibility of resolution open but not fulfilled in the text. Having grown up in the Near East, Bailey has much knowledge of Semitic culture that many of us in the West do not have. As a result, Bailey offers many important insights into the Parable and the earlier narrative that pass many of us by. For example, Bailey emphasizes the foolishness of the Father in the Parable in running to meet his son at the edge of the village. For a grown man to run for any reason was considered shameful and to run for such a purpose especially so. This is just one example among many of the new insights Bailey has to offer us. Bailey treats the Parable as the climax of a trilogy of parables in Luke 15 which begins with the Parable of the Lost Sheep and continues with the Parable of the Lost Coin before concluding with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. By studying the parables together, Bailey explores the Christology of the Parables where the shepherd, the woman searching for her coin and the father all become images of Jesus Himself as he reveals how overwhelming and unimaginable the Love of God is.
The final portion of the book is a comparison of the Parable with the Saga of Jacob and Esau. Many of the parallels are contrasts which are at least as illumining as the likenesses. In both cases we have two brothers in strife. Isaac, however, in his in ineptness in being tricked is a huge contrast to the father in the Parable. Another contrast is that Jacob does well in the foreign country while the Prodigal Son does not. Another likeness is that neither Jacob nor the Prodigal Son repent of wrongdoing. (Bailey explains at length that the Prodigal Son is only scheming to get set up in a craft to get enough money to live on; he is not repenting of asking his father for half the estate, brutal as that was to his father.) Bailey argues that Esau doesn’t really forgive Jacob as I argue in my take on the story. The number of armed men Esau brings could suggest an aggressive meeting but it could be a defense measure, not knowing how many armed men Jacob might have. Bailey argues that the vowels of the Hebrew word for “kiss: are the same as the vowels for “bite,” leaving open the possibility that Esau bit Jacob. I can’t argue the linguistic case but it seems to me that so aggressive an act would have led to a more violent reaction than we have. In any case, I see Jacob not believing in Esau’s forgiveness and rather than a reconciliation, the story ends in a permanent separation.
In the Parable, the two brothers are separate at the end, thus keeping up the conflict that I see between them dating back to before the younger brother leaves. In the Parable, however, the central separation is between each of the brothers and their father. The younger son does seem to have accepted his father’s welcome, although we don’t know if he persevered in his gratitude. The older son is at odds with his father as well as with his brother. The challenge is whether or not the older son will accept his father’s love for his younger son. In like manner, Bailey demonstrates that this challenge is thrown out to the scribes and Pharisees who criticized Jesus for eating with “sinners.”
Bailey’s book is a valuable source of new insights that deeply refresh our understanding of a Parable that we think we understand so well that we have let it go stale. Most important, Bailey’s study makes the Love of God revealed in Jesus “full of sap, still green.”
May 6, 2015
Много добра както почти всичко от Бейли.
Забележително е как след няколко книги работещи с Лука 15 все още успява да намери нови, интересни и важни неща.
Забележително е как след няколко книги работещи с Лука 15 все още успява да намери нови, интересни и важни неща.
November 22, 2020
Kenneth Bailey was known for his work on the parables of Luke 15, especially the parable of the prodigal son, in Middle Eastern context. In the first half of this book he summarizes that work, showing how Jesus built upon Psalm 23, Jer 23, and Ezk 34 in these parables to portray himself as the Good Shepherd and thus as God incarnate.
In the second half of the book he compares the prodigal son parable to the saga of Jacob in Gen 27-35, discussing 51 elements from Jacob's story that seem to repeated, revised, or reversed in the parable of the prodigal son. He makes a case that Jesus may have been using these elements of the Jacob saga to build a new story with himself at the center. He also gives a friendly critique of N.T. Wright's interpretation of the parable presented in the book Jesus and the Victory of God.
I do not agree with some parts of Bailey's reading the Jacob story, which he seems to interpret in such a way as to heighten some of the contrasts he is trying to make. But this book is a rich work of biblical theology and definitely worth reading
In the second half of the book he compares the prodigal son parable to the saga of Jacob in Gen 27-35, discussing 51 elements from Jacob's story that seem to repeated, revised, or reversed in the parable of the prodigal son. He makes a case that Jesus may have been using these elements of the Jacob saga to build a new story with himself at the center. He also gives a friendly critique of N.T. Wright's interpretation of the parable presented in the book Jesus and the Victory of God.
I do not agree with some parts of Bailey's reading the Jacob story, which he seems to interpret in such a way as to heighten some of the contrasts he is trying to make. But this book is a rich work of biblical theology and definitely worth reading
January 4, 2023
It is an interesting book but everything having to do with the title is in the last section of the book. It reminds me of an online recipe where the cook has to tell you their life story before they get to the ingredients.
Bailey often relies on less traditional authorities in his interpretations and this will lead to some disagreements.
The parallels are certainly present and interesting, but I think he may read too much into the parable. Especially when he assigns meaning to characters and ideas that are not present or even mentioned.
Bailey often relies on less traditional authorities in his interpretations and this will lead to some disagreements.
The parallels are certainly present and interesting, but I think he may read too much into the parable. Especially when he assigns meaning to characters and ideas that are not present or even mentioned.
July 28, 2017
I really wanted to love this book. Like Bailey's other books quite a bit and have several of them. But this book could have been less than One-half its length. Very redundant. Also, I do not think he proved his main thesis. Yes, there are some similarities between Jacob/Esau and the parable but not enough to write a book about it. The 3 stars are for Part One where he exegetes the Prodigal Son brilliantly. Unfortunately he has done this in other books as well.
December 24, 2016
The history, analysis of the passages and the comparative analysis of the three parables from Luke are fine but Bailey never convincingly proves that Jesus is extrapolating upon the Jacob and Esau narrative with His parable of the prodigal son. The lack of Godlike figure in the Jacob story and the incomplete reconciliation reduce the comparison to a series of interesting parallels only.
December 3, 2020
A remarkable book on so many levels. Bailey explores the similarities between the story of Jacob and Esau and the Parable of the Lost sons. he believes Jesus was using the parable to retell the story of Israel. A must read for any serious Bible student.
June 12, 2017
One of the best books I've ever read. Incredible.
July 3, 2014
The author brings his formidable knowledge of life in the Middle East at the time of Christ to bear on the story of the prodigal son. It turns out that those listening to the story from Jesus would have understood it very differently to the way it seems to us and Mr Bailey explains why. Reading this book made me realise how many false assumptions I made when reading the story.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you think you know the story of the prodigal son, read this and it will help you to think again!
I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you think you know the story of the prodigal son, read this and it will help you to think again!
February 19, 2013
Bailey's take on the story of the Prodigal son is intriguing, and well worth the study. I thought the arrangement of the book was a little drawn out though. Once I finished the book, I thought he could have made his point much sooner, therefore leaving the book a bit shorter. After the first 50 pages, the book starts to get interesting. After 100 pages, it gets really interesting. And the book is only a couple hundred pages long.
December 16, 2015
Tremendous exegesis linking the parables of Luke 15 to the Old Testament -- especially the Isaac-- Jacob -- Esau saga. Bailey spent a number of years in the near east; is fluent in ancient and modern languages; thoroughly knows the cultural traditions of the region. He provides the valuable perspective of how the teachings of Jesus would have been interpreted by the initial audiences of Palestine.
September 13, 2016
Very detailed. Jesus took the story from the OT of Jacob (has a brother, disrespects the father) and changes/adds to the theology for his audience. So many parallels. But mainly, the prodigal is about the Father! who has 2 disrespectful sons. He takes on embarrassment to go out to each of them. What will the older brother (pharisees) choose to do? The story doesn't say...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2013
I appreciate Dr Bailey's scholarship. The reason why i didn't rate it higher is because parts of conclusion that the three parables found in Luke 15 are reinterpretations of the Jacob saga in Genesis seemed forced and stretched.
September 28, 2013
Great interweaving of the story of Jacob with the parables of Luke 15 as "Jesus ... borrows from the old story (Jacob) as he creates a new saga that has meaning both for the children of Jacob and for the children of Adam"
January 13, 2015
Jacob and the prodigal
A masterpiece by Dr Bailey. His understanding of scripture the cultural context is superb. Layers of meaning are unveiled like a Christmas gift being unwrapped.
A masterpiece by Dr Bailey. His understanding of scripture the cultural context is superb. Layers of meaning are unveiled like a Christmas gift being unwrapped.
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May 8, 2008i love this book. it gives a completly different take on the story of the prodigal son, which i've learned is too often misinterpreted.
March 16, 2014
Do you want to know how Jesus the theologian retold Israel's story in the light of God's grace? Read this book.
Thank you Dr Bailey!
Thank you Dr Bailey!
May 29, 2015
A very interesting way to look deeper into the Bible and not be satisfied with the easiest interpretations.
September 18, 2016
Not sure that I agree with Dr, Bailey's final conclusion, but everything else is superb and will show that Luke 15 almost reads as the summation of Jesus' teachings.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews