The Syrian Christ: A Lebanese Christian reveals how Near Eastern customs are reflected in the Bible and in Jesus' everyday life

by Dr Abraham M. Rihbany, Rocco A. Errico (Foreword)

In what has been passed down to us about Jesus' life, there is not a single detail that is not in total conformity with the language and mode of thinking of the Near East - a culture completely different from our own. In this book we travel with the author, a Lebanese Christian born in 1869, back into this vanished Biblical world. He had experienced it first-hand, since during his boyhood living conditions were still identical with those of Jesus' time. When Abraham Rihbany tells us about the domestic life of his family and the world of Syrian shepherds and farmers, the Biblical world comes to life with the colorful commotion of the market-place, the discomforts of traveling, the birth of children, the struggle for ones' daily bread, the Eastern manner of speech - in short, Rihbany immerses us in this ancient world, and we see Jesus the man in his own Near Eastern culture. This powerful and warmhearted book will delight the reader with its simplicity of narrative and with its insight into the world of the Near East. With 6 photographs.

Genres: Religion

228 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2007

Reviews

[Heather Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some true nuggets of treasure in this book!

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing as a scholarly study or a simple devotion (for those who can devote all their attention for at least a half-dozen pages). I found the information challenging assumptions I didn't know that I had made about the Bible, its language and the biography of the life of Christ found in the Gospels. Unfortunately the synopsis on this site is misleading, and almost describes the book as pro-orient, which is not the case. This book is the least biased material I can remember reading, and takes the most mature, objective view of both oriental and occidental thought by comparison and contrast. Read it.

[Luaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly for lovers of rational theology and reasonable faith. Plain and simple.