Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew And English Text With New Essays And Commentary

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew And English Text With New Essays And Commentary
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Another winner for the Chief Rabbi

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew And English Text With New Essays And Commentary
Jonathan Sacks
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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From Optimism To Hope: Thoughts For The Day

ASIN: 0826418287

Book Description

"The seder service on Pesach is the oldest surviving ritual in the Western world, dating back some 3,300 years....Through the Haggadah more than a hundred generations of Jews have handed on their story to their children....Few texts have received more attention than the Haggadah. There are thousands of commentaries, and more are published each year. Anyone who contemplates adding to this number must ask not 'Why is this night different?' But 'Why is this edition different?' My answer is that I wrote this commentary because, amongst all the many I have read, I could not find one that explained in their full richness and scope the fundamental themes of the Pesach story: the Jewish concept of a free society, the role of memory in shaping Jewish identity, and the unique connection that exists in Judaism between spirituality and society, giving rise to what I have called elsewhere 'the politics of hope.' Nor could I find a Haggada that told me in detail about the role of Pesach in shaping Jewish identity through the millennia, or its influence on Western thought as a whole."

-Jonathan Sacks This Haggadah is actually two books in one. At what would be the back of an English-language book is the Haggdah in large, beautiful Hebrew typography, with an English translation adapted and with a running commentary by Rabbi Sacks. The Hebrew text and accompanying English translation are carefully arranged so as to be easy to use at the seder table. As such, this book is an ideal companion for use at the Passover meal. At the other end of the book are Rabbi Sacks's Essays on Passover. The 21 short essays demonstrate the qualities that make Rabbi Sacks one of the world's foremost religious leaders: keen intelligence, acute moral sensitivity, and a wide-ranging historical and literary imagination. In passage after passage, Rabbi Sacks celebrates the magnificence and uniqueness of Judaism and shows how the Pesach story is not primarily about a distant past and an equally distant future but about the present and the values by which we should strive to live.

Customer Reviews:

Another winner for the Chief Rabbi.......2007-02-21

This haggadah--the outline used at the special ceremonial meals marked each of the first two nights of Passover (one night only in Israel)--is relete with explanations of the rituals, historical insights and the uniquely mellifluous and felicitous style that marks all of the Chief Rabbi's written work. Traditionalists are sure to discover innovative perspectives while the newcomer will be drawn to Rabbi Sacks' easy transitions from classical Jewish commentary to modern literature, philosophy and current events. Complete with the traditional Hebrew and Aramaic text and an accesible English translation, Rabbi Sacks' Haggadah is complemented by nearly two dozen compact essays which develop the meaning behind the Seder, and its role in transmitting Jeweish values across the generational divide.

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VERY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTANDING JESUS IN HIS TIME
Wonderful, eye-opening
Mr. Chilton's Jesus
Strains the very limits of credulity
Author does not know

Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography
Bruce Chilton
Manufacturer: Image
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385497938
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Amazon.com

Bruce Chilton presents Rabbi Jesus as "the first comprehensive, critical biography of Jesus to date." Though historical Jesus scholars have "demolished the secularist myth that Jesus was a figment of faith," and have begun to describe his ministry in the context of first century Judaism, Chilton (a professor of religion at Bard College and an Episcopal priest) believes they have not gone far enough. He argues that Jesus was "an inspired rabbi with an exclusively Jewish agenda." Thus, "everything Jesus did was as a Jew, for Jews, and about Jews." Rabbi Jesus patiently explores these notions in a straightforward, accessible style, drawing on a wealth of Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Coptic, and Syriac texts. Many of his arguments are new, and many of them are convincing. Most of them will also make the majority of both Christians and Jews sufficiently uncomfortable as to justify Chilton's striking description of his own work, taken from the book's Foreward: "I sometimes feel as if I am cross-dressing: transgressing basic categories that define who we are [as Christians and as Jews] and how we differentiate ourselves in the world." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Beginning with the Gospels, interpretations of the life of Jesus have flourished for nearly two millennia, yet a clear and coherent picture of Jesus as a man has remained elusive. In Rabbi Jesus, the noted biblical scholar Bruce Chilton places Jesus within the context of his times to present a fresh, historically accurate, and revolutionary examination of the man who founded Christianity.

Drawing on recent archaeological findings and new translations and interpretations of ancient texts, Chilton discusses in enlightening detail the philosophical and psychological foundations of Jesus’ ideas and beliefs. His in-depth investigation also provides evidence that contradicts long-held beliefs about Jesus and the movement he led. Chilton shows, for example, that the High Priest Caiaphas, as well as Pontius Pilate, played a central role in Jesus’ execution. It is, however, Chilton’s description of Jesus’ role as a rabbi, or "master," of Jewish oral traditions, as a teacher of the Cabala, and as a practitioner of a Galilean form of Judaism that emphasized direct communication with God that casts an entirely new light on the origins of Christianity.

Seamlessly merging history and biography, this penetrating, highly readable book uncovers truths lost to the passage of time and reveals a new Jesus for the new millennium.

Download Description

Interpretations of the life of Jesus have flourished for nearly two millennia -- from the Gospels to scholarly investigations by theologians and historians, to fictional portraits by novelists like Nikos Kazantzakis and Norman Mailer. Despite this long history, a clear and coherent picture of Jesus as a man and a teacher has remained elusive. Now, Bruce Chilton puts the pieces of the puzzle together in an extraordinary biography that sweeps readers into first-century Palestine and re-creates the world as Jesus knew it.

Chilton draws on recent archaeological findings to paint a vivid portrait of the social customs, political forces, and religious beliefs and practices of the period. Examining new translations and interpretations of ancient texts against this fresh, historically accurate background, he offers a revolutionary look at Jesus' early life and the philosophical and psychological foundations of the ideas he promulgated as a young man. Chilton provides evidence that contradicts long-held beliefs about Jesus and the movement he led. He shows, for example, that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Galilee, not Nazareth or Bethlehem of Judea, and that the High Priest Caiaphas, not Pontius Pilate, played the central role in Jesus' execution. It is his description of Jesus' role as a rabbi, or "master," of Jewish oral traditions, a teacher of the Kabbalah, and a practitioner of a Galilean form of Judaism that emphasized direct communication with God, however, that casts an entirely new light on the origins of Christianity. By placing Jesus within the context of his times, Chilton uncovers truths lost to history and reveals a new Jesus for the new millennium.

"A dynamic book by a penetrating thinker. Bruce Chilton has added enormously to the contemporary development of Jesus scholarship by placing Jesus inside the Jewish tradition that illuminates both his words and his deeds. This volume will be a major contributor to the growing Jewish-Christian rapprochement that will be so essential to the development of both faith traditions."
   JOHN SHELBY SPONG, WILLIAM BELDEN NOBLE LECTURER, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, AUTHOR OF LIBERATING THE GOSPELS: READING THE BIBLE WITH JEWISH EYES

"Once again Professor Chilton shows his imaginative power in challenging the received wisdom about the historical Jesus. His new book, Rabbi Jesus, is sure to be a catalyst for much discussion and controversy in the years ahead. One can only be grateful for his fresh and innovative views on the teacher from Nazareth."
   JOHN MEIER, PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, AUTHOR OF A MARGINAL JEW, VOLUMES I AND II

"The most original approach to the life of Jesus since David Friedrich Strauss's The Life of Jesus Critically Examined, published in 1835. Chilton's biography offers the first authentically Christian Jesus -- and therefore the most profoundly Judaic Jesus ever."
   JACOB NEUSNER, DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, AND RESEARCH PROFESSOR OF RELIGION AND THEOLOGY, BARD COLLEGE

"Bruce Chilton's Rabbi Jesus offers an imaginative yet very informed and plausible account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Chilton's masterful knowledge of Jewish Palestine and Jewish custom and his penetrating insight into the development and meaning of Jesus' teaching and experience of God form the backdrop of a compelling and stimulating narrative. Readers will find it hard to put this book down!"
   CRAIG A. EVANS, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR, GRADUATE PROGRAM IN BIBLICAL STUDIES, TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY, BR

Customer Reviews:

VERY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTANDING JESUS IN HIS TIME.......2007-09-10

I suppose the fact I am an engineer causes me to carefully select the historical Jesus books I read in order to be confident the author is worthy of the subject. I try to take nothing for granted. I read this book three times, underlining passages, etc. I rarely do that with any book. This book was worth the effort.

This author makes it clear he has not written something to conform to religion, but rather to conform to recorded facts of history. Since there are not enough recorded facts available for any author to be certain of every aspect of his understanding of Jesus, this author uses his own logic to fill in the blanks between researched facts, and most often makes clear when assumptions are used. I found this book to be just right for me, because it helped me to tie together the other reading I have done. The search for the "real" Jesus never ends, but this book was a big step forward, and I thank the author for it.

Wonderful, eye-opening.......2007-06-26

I enjoyed this book immensely. Jesus came alive for me as a real person in the context of his time and his community. The author has the unique skills needed to accurately interpret the life and times of Jesus as recorded in the original language as well as to identify where the original intent was distorted in later interpretations. There are insights provided here not to be found anywhere else.

Mr. Chilton's Jesus.......2007-02-10

Only if you can conjure up an image of a fat, bald-headed guy that for most of his unhappy life had no clue what his purpose on earth was all about will you enjoy this book.

Strains the very limits of credulity.......2007-01-31

I purchased this book because, as a person from an indigenous group of the Middle East/North Africa region who has studied at an institutional level the three Abrahamic-desert religions, I was interested in learning more about the Jewish culture and traditions of Yesua'/Yeshua/Jesus. I expected and hoped to read an account that placed Jesus and his Jewish followers, friends, and family in their original Middle Eastern cultural context. However, in Bruce Chilton's Rabbi Jesus, I got far more than I bargained for.

Here is a breakdown of Chilton's goals and methods: Chilton is not only, like me, interested in highlighting Jesus' indigenous Jewish culture, but in challenging the veracity and alleged biases of the four canonic Gospels and their writers--indeed, in redefining Jesus' ministry and theology in a manner that refutes "traditional" (his word) Christian teachings. His sources include non-canonical early Christian writings and the written and oral Rabbinic literature (Mishnah, Talmud, and Targumim) of the fourth and fifth centuries A.D./C.E. Note that Chilton's "creative" (publisher's word) depiction of Jesus and his teachings contradicts the basic tenets (as expressed in the Nicene Creed) of all major Christian denominations, whether Orthodox (both Eastern and Oriental), Catholic (both Roman and Eastern rite), or Protestant (both "mainstream" and Evangelical). For example, Chilton categorically rejects Jesus' virgin birth, divinity, and (literal, that is, corporeal) resurrection.

It is not so much the contradiction itself that I find at fault; I'm always ready to debunk a long-held supposition or two. And, in fact, Chilton does succeed in fully orienting Jesus in an indigenous Jewish culture, hence the two stars. The reader predisposed to endorse (or dismiss) Christianity as a "White man's religion" and Jesus and his followers as Hellenized Mediterraneans will be left in no doubt of the religion's deep roots in Middle Eastern and Judaic beliefs and practices. Chilton states in his acknowledgments that he never meant for this to be a scholarly book, but rather, a popular one. In fact, he has written other works that are scholarly and include due citations and academic references.

But good heavens, he has taken this reader's sizable stores of charity and, not only depleted them, but strained the very limits of my credulity.

Other reviewers have, quite rightly, chastised Chilton's many sweeping, poorly substantiated claims that amount to little more than conjecture. These claims range from the intriguing but ultimately unverifiable--Jesus and John the Baptist were engaged in a mystical study of "the Throne" and "Chariot" of God's Kingdom--to the stuff of unqualified fiction (e.g. Mary and Joseph were irresistibly attracted to one another and hopped in bed at first glimpse). Yes, they are the inferences of a clergyman who teaches and publishes at the university-level and who reads several Middle Eastern and Greco-Roman languages, but they are inferences and conjecture all the same.

But I won't lie to you: Chilton's breathless, energetic prose has high entertainment value, if only because it is often supremely silly. I needn't remind you that, having cheerfully resigned himself to writing a "popular" book, Chilton hasn't bothered with the usual line-by-line parenthetical or foot/endnote citations demanded by academia. The book instead is written in the immediate past-tense, third-person POV of popular English-language fiction. Chilton occasionally drops in the (MUCH-needed) qualifiers "it seems that," "it may have been that," and even "I have come to the conclusion that," but not often enough; if he qualified every unverified statement, ¾ of the book would consist of qualifiers!

Have a look at some of these prose-gems: "But when Caiaphas was in the zone, fully engaged in the sacrifical act, he hardly noticed the Pharisees yelling" (218, paperback); "[Jesus's] paunch was gone. He was fit, lean, his face etched by the sun" (225, in one of Chilton's myriad references to Jesus's apparently fluctuating physique); "[Jesus] had lucked into a sweet situation...He had come from the poor mud villages of Galilee and had jumped class" (120, and my personal favorite).

But what bothers me about Chilton's book in light of his current status as an Episcopalian/Anglican priest is the marked absence of any supernatural force, whether manifest in Jesus, or in the Judaic sacrifices at Temple, or even of a general godhead. I operate under the assumption that the world is "more than we know," and I take that approach when studying the claims of the various world religions. Chilton has, in this book, stripped the New Testament (and even ancient Judaic narratives) of every supernatural ascription: Jesus raised Lazarus from a "near-death" state that no one noticed before they before they wrapped him up and put him in a cave for four days; the many demon-possessed people Jesus exorcised of unclean spirits were all crazies; Jesus didn't calm the storm with his words--rather, the boat had "drifted into" a calm spot; the "more than five hundred" witnesses to Jesus after his crucifixion were all tapping into the same mystical visionary technique Jesus had taught them through transcendent Kabbalic meditation rituals. Likewise, Chilton's traditional (non-mystical) Jews appear as superstitious townsfolk making fervent, bloody obeisance to a remote non-deity--not the deeply spiritual faithful of G-d who pioneered the world's enduring monotheistic tradition.

It strains the limits of my credulity that a Christian clergyman could believe in so many earthly coincidences and en-masse psychosomatic maneuverings, none of which, in Chilton's "theology," have a supernatural source. (The same goes for people who say Muhammad didn't receive any teachings from Allah, and the Black Hills of South Dakota aren't really a spiritual center for the Lakota Creator--I don't have any insider info proving such accounts false, and in the case of Christianity, neither does Chilton). Further, it strains the limits of sound scholarship to, using cobbled-together bits and pieces of various texts and oral traditions, leap to inferences which, when we get right down to it, are no more than the author's own wishes or inventions.

Given Chilton's antipathy toward the idea of Jesus-as-divine savior of the world, it remains unclear to me why indeed Chilton is still pursuing a vocation as a Christian priest. From what I understand of the Messianic/Christian religion, Jesus's divinity and resurrection are the central rallying points. It seems apparent to me (there go my qualifiers) that Chilton would be better served by joining a liberal and/or mystical branch of Judaism that would accept Yeshua as one in a line of Jewish prophets, and as one who was trying to bring about a revolution in understandings of Jewish purity and ritual sacrifice.

I recommend Rabbi Jesus to individuals already well-read in ideologically diverse academic studies of Christianity and Judaism and who will not take as "gospel-truth" everything they read either in religious texts themselves (Bible, Torah), or in alternative-creative reinterpretations (such as this one) of world religions. I cannot recommend this book to university students doing Religion or Divinity school research projects (unless it is on Jesus Seminar-type phenomena); nor can I recommend it to non-Christians interested in learning more about Christian doctrine or mainstream Christian beliefs about Jesus. Finally, there exist more measured, more adeptly written books for Middle Eastern Christians, Muslims, and Jews looking for reconciliatory literature stressing the three religions' common cultural roots--Feiler's "Abraham," for example.

Author does not know.......2006-12-09

It is very clear that the author does not know of whom he writes. Bruce Chilton has Jesus imbraceing Judaism before Judaism even existed. Althought it is true that Judaism came from the oral teachings of the Pharisees, Jesus condemed the teachings of the Pharisees. It is clear that the author does not know what he is talking about and is fabricating a story. Book should be listed as Fiction!

The Children's Bible: The Old Testament, The New Testament

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I DID OWN THIS GREAT BIBLE, BUT IT WAS THROWN AWAY UNFORTUNATELY!EVERY CHILD WHO IS CHRISTIAN SHOULD OWN THIS BIBLE!
Not Suitable for Catholic Children
Excellent Children's Bible!
Childhood memories

The Children's Bible: The Old Testament, The New Testament

Manufacturer: Western Publishing, Inc. / Golden Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000CPYJKU

Product Description

The world's greatest book, simply written and beautifully illustrated in full color, has been approved by an editorial board of leaders in the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faiths. Beautifully illustrated, this is the book you grew up with and will want for your young reader, too. The print is large-sized and easy to read for ages 8 and above. THE CHILDREN'S BIBLE is a wonderful introduction to the teachings of the Bible and is presented in a straight-forward and easy to understand manner.

Customer Reviews:

I DID OWN THIS GREAT BIBLE, BUT IT WAS THROWN AWAY UNFORTUNATELY!EVERY CHILD WHO IS CHRISTIAN SHOULD OWN THIS BIBLE!.......2007-01-01

.....I REMEMBER WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER USE TO SIT US DOWN BRIGHT & EARLY

EVERY SUNDAY JUST TO READ THIS BIBLE...SO THAT WE CAN BETTER OVERSTAND

THE ADULT'S BIBLE! EVEN AS A CHILD THERE WERE CERTAIN STORIES THAT STUCK

WITH MORE SUCH AS:"RICH MAN POOR MAN", THE STORY OF LAZARUS, THE BOOK OF

MATTHEW WHEN satan CHALLENGED JESUS & JESUS SIMPLY SAID "GET THEE HENCE

satan"!WHOO IT GIVES ME CHILLS EVEN NOW! 1 REVIEWER WROTE THAT THE

PICTURES OF JONAH & THE WHALE WAS GRAPHIC & SCARY... WELL I THINK THAT WAS

THE POINT, A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS! I'M THANKFUL FOR THE IMAGES

CHILDREN CAN RELATE TO COLORFUL PICTURES, IT GETS THEIR ATTENTION (IT GOT

MINE) *I WILL BE PURCHASING THIS BIBLE AGAIN, I LOVE IT! OH & FOR THE

PARENTS THAT WANT TO EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT THE WORD, LET THEM SEE

"THE MIRACLE MAKER, THE STORY OF JESUS CHRIST"!!
______________________________BOTTOM LINE________________________________

Not Suitable for Catholic Children.......2006-10-12

The Golden Children's Bible is recommended by some Catholic homeschooling curriculum providers. This children's book is supposedly a collaborative effort between Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant scholars. However, I did not see any evidence of input from the Catholic scholars. In skimming over the text, I noted a number of areas that would be problematic for Catholics:

The first red flag is the translation of Genesis 3:15. The Latin Vulgate reads:

"inimicitias ponam inter te et mulierem et semen tuum et semen illius ipsa conteret caput tuum et tu insidiaberis calcaneo eius."

In the Douay-Rheims Bible, this is translated as:

"I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel."

The reference is to Mary, the new Eve, and the symbolism is a rich and important part of our faith. Think of Our Lady of Grace crushing the snake with her heel. I love that image! Now in the Golden Children' Bible it says:

"I shall make the woman your enemy and her children the enemies of your children. They shall wound you in the head and you shall wound them in the heel."

It just doesn't have the force (or fidelity) of Mary crushing the head of the snake. It loses all of the symbolism of Mary as the new Eve. Eve brought sin into our lives by yielding to the snake, whereas Mary carried our Salvation in her womb and hence through her yielding to God's will she metaphorically stomped on the head of the snake (which symbolizes evil).

Another red flag is the beginning of St. Luke, where the Archangel Gabriel appears to Mary. In the Golden Children's Bible the angel says, not "Hail, full of grace," but rather, "Hail, most favored one." Again, a seemingly small change, but it makes a big difference as to whether children can discern that the opening words to the Hail Mary came from this passage. It also diminishes the teaching that Mary was not just most favored among women, but literally full of God's grace.

Finally, in Matthew 6 where Our Lord teaches us to pray, the Golden Children's Bible tacks on a doxology to the end of the Our Father, so that their version of the prayer ends with "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Catholics should need no comment on the impropriety of inserting these words into the text.

Those three errors were enough for me to rule out this text. There might be more errors contained within; I did not feel I needed to read more. There are beautiful pictures and it's a huge book, but it's not worth exposing children to the errors. Children should be able to trust that their "Bible stories" should contain only truth. I don't know why anybody would recommend this book for Catholic children. There are better choices.

Excellent Children's Bible!.......2006-09-27

I was given one of these as a young girl many years ago, and still enjoy reading it as an adult.
The artwork is wonderful, and the text easy to read and understand..I highly recommend it as beginning reading or listening for young people and a gift that will be cherished through the years.

Childhood memories.......2006-04-22

When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to read me bedtime stories out of this book, a favorite of mine was the story of King Solomn. To this day I remember all of the feelings that I had as a child when my grandmother read this book to me. She passed away several years ago, but I talk to her in my prayers and thank her for teaching me the value of reading, of which this book was a big part in.

The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist

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93
Fantastic
FIVE-STAR Book On Qabalah For Beginners
I love this book!
GOD HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR TOO!

The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist
Lon Milo Duquette
Manufacturer: Weiser Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578632153

Book Description

A unique and humorous—and also uniquely practical—approach to the increasingly popular study of Qabalah. This is a seriously funny book! Learn the basics of Qabalah in spite of yourself! Traditional Qabalistic (or Cabalistic, or, indeed, Kabbalistic—read this book to find out what the difference is…we know you've always wondered) sources tend to be a bit, er, dry. DuQuette spices up the Qabalah and makes it come alive, restoring the joy of learning the fundamentals of this admittedly arcane system by using simple, amusing anecdotes and metaphors. This account, written psuedepigraphically (fictitiously attributed to a supposed authority), allows DuQuette as Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford to soar to outrageous heights and, when necessary, stand apart from the silliness to highlight the golden eggs of Qabalistic wisdom nested therein. Sure to be a revelation to those all who think that teaching about the Qabalah needs to be tedious and serious, DuQuette shows that great truths can be transmitted through the medium of laughter.

Customer Reviews:

93.......2007-10-22

I got my money's worth and much, much more with this book! I think this will be my new "Bible" for a while! It is well packed with golden nuggets of illumination! It is especially appropriate for the profane, ignorant, esoteric "dabbler" such as myself, who does not have the time, energy or inclination to completely immerse into the all encompassing, confusing world of the orthodox. Duquette made it humerous and simple so that even irreverent, simple-minded people like myself can get something out of it! I can see myself referring back to this masterpiece as my understanding increases as I am sure I will pick up something different each time I read it! This is a keeper!

Fantastic.......2007-09-21

The most accessible and best place to start to study this oft confusing and difficult topic.

FIVE-STAR Book On Qabalah For Beginners.......2007-09-18

Archbishop DuQuette has been teaching Qabalah for many years; he explains this complex Hebrew magical system in clear and straightforward language. I have heard many of my friends say that this book really taught them Qabalah when they could not figure it out from other sources. Any student of Jewish Mysticism will appreciate this book. Lady Janestra

I love this book!.......2007-02-07

I've read a couple of books on Qabalah and I thought I knew quite a lot on the subject so I put off buying this book for a long time. I like Lon Duquette so eventually I got around to reading it anyway.

Wow! This is a very good look at Qabalah, the Tree of Life, and the Tarot. If you like Lon be sure you get this book, you won't be disappointed!

The DVD "Tarot, Qabalah, and Oracles" is basically this book on DVD. If you like the book I recommend you check out the DVD too.

GOD HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR TOO!.......2006-11-06

In this oddly-named work, Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford (the alter ego of occult author-humorist, Lon Milo Duquette) proves that illumination can be achieved by appreciating the "Universal Joke". Anyone who has ever attempted to plumb the depths of the esoteric study of the Kabbalah (Cabala? Qabalah?) already knows that it is obscure, complex, boring and hardly something you could describe as 'funny'. Yet, it is the golden esoteric essence of Judism. The best comedians in the world have been (and ARE) Jews. Spiritual comedy is in our souls. Ben Clifford not only makes practical qabalistic principals understandable, he does so through the medium of profoundly (and sometimes corny) outrageous humor. Just take a look at the reviews from the Qabalah snobs who prove Ben Clifford's point by not getting the point. If you can't unveil the Divine humor in your own spirituality, my friends, how do you expect to ever unravel the mysteries of the universe? Sorry guys. I'm a Jew too! and this is hands down the best first book on Kabbalah (Cabala, Qabalah ..... it doesn't matter) ever written. Six stars if I could!

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew and English Text With New Essays and Commentary by Jonathan Sacks

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Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew and English Text With New Essays and Commentary by Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Sacks
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0826428258

Book Description

"The seder service on Pesach is the oldest surviving ritual in the Western world, dating back some 3,300 years....Through the Haggadah more than a hundred generations of Jews have handed on their story to their children....Few texts have received more attention than the Haggadah. There are thousands of commentaries, and more are published each year. Anyone who contemplates adding to this number must ask not `Why is this night different?' But `Why is this edition different?' My answer is that I wrote this commentary because, amongst all the many I have read, I could not find one that explained in their full richness and scope the fundamental themes of the Pesach story: the Jewish concept of a free society, the role of memory in shaping Jewish identity, and the unique connection that exists in Judaism between spirituality and society, giving rise to what I have called elsewhere `the politics of hope.'"-Jonathan Sacks

This Haggadah is actually two books in one. At what would be the back of an English-language book is the Haggdah in large, beautiful Hebrew typography, with an English translation adapted and with a running commentary by Rabbi Sacks. The Hebrew text and accompanying English translation are carefully arranged so as to be easy to use at the seder table. As such, this book is an ideal companion for use at the Passover meal. At the other end of the book are Rabbi Sacks's Essays on Passover. The 21 short essays demonstrate the qualities that make Rabbi Sacks one of the world's foremost religious leaders: keen intelligence, acute moral sensitivity, and a wide-ranging historical and literary imagination.

Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus
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Finally, someone has come to shed light ...

Great book for novis and scholar

Helpful

Understanding Jesus.

Great work for understanding history

Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus
Brad H. Young
Manufacturer: Hendrickson Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565634055

Book Description

Meet the Rabbis explains to the reader how rabbinic thought was relevant to Jesus and the New Testament world, and hence should be relevant to those people today who read the New Testament.

In this sense, Rabbinic thought is relevant to every aspect of modern life. Rabbinic literature explores the meaning of living life to its fullest, in right relationship with God and humanity. However, many Christians are not aware of Rabbinic thought and literature. Indeed, most individuals in the Western world today, regardless of whether they are Christians, atheists, agnostics, secular community leaders, or some other religious and political persuasions, are more knowledgeable of Jesus' ethical teachings in the Sermon the Mount than the Ethics of the Fathers in a Jewish prayer book. The author seeks to introduce the reader to the world of Torah learning. It is within this world that the authentic cultural background of Jesus' teachings in ancient Judaism is revealed. Young uses parts of the New Testament, especially the Sermon on the Mount, as a springboard for probing rabbinic method. The book is an introduction to rabbinic thought and literature and has three main sections in its layout: Introduction to Rabbinic Thought, Introduction to Rabbinic Literature, and Meet the Rabbis, a biographical description of influential Rabbis from Talmudic sources.

Customer Reviews:

Finally, someone has come to shed light ..........2007-09-06

We live in a time where it is okay to address certain issues about Cristianity and the Jewishness of Jesus. A couple of decades ago (the other day for that matter) It was not okay. The book that Dr. Young has written is outstanding, most all of the issues that he tackles can not be better said. I've known this for a long time and I know many people did too, but if you don't have the proper credentials (degrees) most of your claims are blown into the wind. But I knew it was just a matter of time, and that time is now. If you are a Christian, be it Catholic or Protestant or any other denomination. THIS BOOK IS A MUST.
By the way, one other very important thing I must add is that this book is NOT a religious tug of war between Judaism and Christianity. He simply and in very understandable language shows you the Jewishness of Jesus. Thank you, Dr. Young.

Great book for novis and scholar.......2007-09-03

This is a Great Book. Although it is easy to read it is not written in a way to insult the reader's intelligence. Moreover, the citations he gives open a door to many other valuable resources.

Helpful.......2007-07-16

There seems to be a flood of books in the market currently on Jewish thought and the origins of Christianity. Young does a good job of bringing academia to the field and closing the gap of uncertainty that's surrounded Christianity's roots and essence within Judaism.

Understanding Jesus........2007-07-14

The truth of it is, you will never really understand Jesus or the New Testament until you at least become acquainted with Rabbinic thought. You will be amazed to find a lot of what Jesus said had already been said by one of the earlier Rabbis before him. For example the Golden Rule was first quoted by Rabbi Hillel only in the negative form "don't do to others what you would not want them to do to you". Christians have been debating over the method of Baptism and how it was to be performed for over a century. If only Christians where familiar with the Mishnah they would have known all along how it was it be performed, why it was performed and when it was to be performed. I highly recomend this book.

Great work for understanding history.......2007-07-11

First, it is important to understand a bit of scholarship that has been published. There has been a lot of scholarship inventing Jesus as being a gentile philosopher. Notably within that movement, the Jesus that is most authentic is the Jesus of the Gnostic (so called) "gospels". However, Brady Young's scholarship has been firmly rooted in a Jewish scholarship which subverts those lies and reinforces Jesus the Jew addressing His contemporary Jewish community.

This book is meant to be an introduction to Jewish religious traditions which are Jesus settings. It is not a comprehensive approach to all the various rabbis, but brief introduction to their views and practices. The book is broken up into three main parts with a fourth that serves as an appendix:

Part I: Introduction to Rabbinic Thought
1. Introduction to Rabbinic Thought
2. Master Teachers and Their Disciples
3. Torah is More Than Law
4. The Great Sanhedrin
5. Parallel Rabbinic and New Testament Texts
Part II: Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
6. Introduction to Early Jewish Writings
7. Ethics of the Fathers
8. The Amidah Prayer
9. Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith
10. Hillel's Seven Principles of Bible Interpretation
Part III: Introduction to the Rabbis
11. Meet the Rabbis
12. Both Torah's Were Revealed on Mount Sinai
13. Utopia or Plan of Action?
Part IV: Study Helps
Of Books, Commandments, Laws, Holy Days, and Lineage
Glossary of Terms
Bibliographic Helps
Index of Modern Authors
Index of Subjects
Index of Ancient Sources

In Part I, Brad Young discusses key Hebrew ideals and Jesus within His contemporary settings. One of the most valuable aspects to Part I is found in Chapter 5 where Jesus teachings are shown nearly identical to other rabbis who came before and after His ministry. Nearly all of Part I is discussing topics discussed in the Sermon of the Mount.

In Part II, he introduces the reader to the Mishnah and Talmud; the Oral Tradition. Likewise, the author gives an introduction to the approximate dates for the rabbinic texts. Chapters 8 and 9 are valuable for understanding foundational rabbinical theology and prayer. Next Chapter 10 though only being 7 pages long is a great resource to understanding how the rabbis interpreted the Bible. But the greatest resource in Part II is Chapter 7, Ethics of the Fathers. This chapter is Brad Young's translation (interpretation) of one of the divisions within the Mishnah. "The Ethics of the Fathers is a moral code of conduct, filled with vivid, larger-than-lie personalities. For Christians, it is a valuable source of Jewish teachings that links the spiritual world of the Old Testament with the New Testament era."

In Part III, Chapter 11 is self explanatory. The author is giving a quick introduction to a great many rabbis and a known characteristic for each of them, many of which he has already mentioned. In Chapter 12, there is a bit more of an explanation of the Oral Tradition. And the most valuable Part III is the last chapter where the author is making it known that the Sermon of the Mount is more ethical and moral faithful redemptive obedience in action than wishful thinking of utopia.

Brad Young's book is great work for anyone looking to understand Jesus within His historical settings.

Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism

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A unique encyclopedia devoted entirely to Jewish mysticism and folklore
A wonderful addition to any library

Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism
Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0738709050

Book Description

How are alchemy, astrology, magic, and numerology related to Jewish mysticism? The fabulous, miraculous, and mysterious are all explored in this comprehensive reference to Jewish esotericism-the first of its kind!

From amulets and angels to the zodiac and zombies, the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism features over one thousand alphabetical entries. Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis offers a much-needed culmination of Jewish occult teachings that includes significant stories, mythical figures, practices, and ritual objects. Spanning the Bible, the Midrash, Kabbalah, and other mystical branches of Judaism, this well-researched text is meant to trigger insight, spark inspiration, and illuminate one of the oldest esoteric traditions still alive today.

Customer Reviews:

A unique encyclopedia devoted entirely to Jewish mysticism and folklore.......2007-05-10

Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis' THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWISH MYTH, MAGIC AND MYSTICISM provides a unique encyclopedia devoted entirely to Jewish mysticism and folklore. Jewish esotericism is the oldest continuous occult tradition in the West, but this encyclopedia represents the first comprehensive treasury of such teachings drawing from Jewish scripture, Talmud, Kabbalah and other esoteric Judaic branches. Over a thousand alphabetical entries include extensive cross-referenced notes, plus a complete bibliography and glossary of terms.

A wonderful addition to any library.......2007-01-05

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism provides a much needed accessible reference resource for the crowded field of Jewish mysticism. Although it is an encyclopedia Rabbi Dennis' book is also an entertaining read. It is scholarly in its approach to the material but clearly written for a wide audience. Anyone who enjoys learning about Judaism, mysticism or magic should own a copy. It is a wonderful resource on its own and an invaluable companion for those who are engaged in deeper study.

Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land

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Fantastic Journeys Through the Old Testament
Mining Torah's Riches
If you think "Torah doesn't relate to me or contemporary life", read this book!
How the Torah text reflects the text of our own lives

Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land
Rabbi Shefa Gold
Manufacturer: Ben Yehuda Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0976986264

Book Description

Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land promises to turn the year-long cycle of Torah reading into a journey of personal spiritual growth.

The first book by Rabbi Shefa Gold, the popular teacher of chant and meditation, Torah Journeys is designed to be meaningful for those at any spiritual level.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Journeys Through the Old Testament.......2007-04-10

Anyone who has ever wanted to read the Old Testament but found it too difficult to understand or to apply to will discover Rabbi Shefa Gold's new book, Torah Journeys, the perfect tool for comprehending and using the messages hidden there. Her book provides a portal from a surface reading into the deeper significance of the stories and their relevance to our lives today.

The Old Testament, also called the Five Books of Moses, the Bible or the Torah, is read by many religions. Although written from a Jewish perspective and set up to be used as a guide to the weekly Torah portions traditionally read by Jews, Torah Journeys easily can be used by Jew and non-Jew alike to make their reading of this holy text a fulfilling experience. Rabbi Gold has a unique ability to get to the core of a portion and to make it applicable to our lives here and now. Beginning readers of the Torah often complain that the stories within its pages seem removed from modern life. They tend to ask, "What does this have to do with me, now?" Rabbi Gold points them towards the answer to this question with insightful interpretations and useful suggestions on how to use the text in a personal context. For each parsha (portion), Rabbi Gold offers readers the chance to glean both the blessing and the challenge of the text as well as a practice to apply the lesson in a concrete manner. The practices range from meditations to visualizations to chants, all of which are meant to foster spiritual and transformative experiences.

I often have perused Rabbi Gold's website to glean insight into Torah portions. Now, I use her book, a more detailed version of her website information, as a handy guide. I also have had the pleasure and honor of knowing Rabbi Gold, an approachable and inspirational teacher and leader, for several years. She has helped me create Shabbat services based on her lovely chants, offered me insights into subjects I am researching and taught me about chant and meditation. Thus, I can personally recommend her work. So, if you want to bring the Old Testament to life in your own life, read Torah Journeys. In its pages Rabbi Gold shares her wide range of knowledge of Judaism, Torah and other religious and spiritual traditions as well as her insightful and practical approach to Bible study.

Mining Torah's Riches.......2006-12-26

Torah Journeys represents Rabbi Shefa Gold's life work--not only the specific work of her own life, but also her template for a life of spiritual work based in the quintessential Jewish text, the Five Books of Moses, Chumash, or Torah, as it is variously known. As a student and teacher of Torah myself, I have long relied upon Rabbi Gold's fresh, embodied visions and powerful chants to take me deeper into Torah text, and then to turn me outward, back into my own life, with expanded awareness and with new spiritual tools.

Now she has gathered her years of teaching into a beautifully conceived and lovingly executed volume. Her writing is carefully crafted, poetic and evocative, bringing alive the spiritual qualities embedded in the Biblical text in a way that is both accessible and deep. Moving us through the year-long cycle of Torah readings, Reb Shefa reveals how, each week, we might wrest blessing, accept challenge, and receive guidance from words of sacred scripture that often seem, to our modern sensibility, opaque or even repulsive. There is great hope and great joy in this work, for it is predicated on the assumption that we human beings can grow, can expand our awareness, and move through difficult and painful patterns by mining layers of resonance already held in suspension within our own, time-honored traditions.

In fact, these pages dance alive the true meaning of the word "tradition"--from the Latin tradere, to "carry forward" or to "carry across." Indeed, Torah Journeys does carry us, again and again, into sparkling lands of clarity and grace, vast mind-spaces in which students and spiritual practitioners, Jew and non-Jew alike, can come to appreciate anew the riches of an ancient text through a lens that seeks always to transform challenge into blessing and questing into practice. This book can become a life companion, to be read and cherished year after year.

If you think "Torah doesn't relate to me or contemporary life", read this book!.......2006-11-10

I am amazed at how perceptive,thought provoking and user friendly this book is. If you or someone you know thinks Judaism and Torah are outdated & don't relate to contemporary life, then this book is just what you (or they) need to read. It makes the Torah accessable, understandable and relevant. Finally, it also connects to spiritual aspects of Judaism and shows how all these things can come together in today's world and life.

How the Torah text reflects the text of our own lives.......2006-10-10

For about two decades, Rabbi Gold has been gifting the world with memorable sacred songs and chants. This is her first book, and it's been worth waiting for. In it, she relates to Torah with the same artistic sensibilities that have infused her music. She has a gift for articulating inner conversations, giving voice to the Work of being true to one's highest self. Perhaps this is why the prose is relatively vivid for a book dealing with Torah, and why it excels in its genre.

This book looks unblinkingly at Torah through the eyes of an earnest and experienced traveler on spiritual paths. She does not set herself up as a guru telling us what to think; rather, she models for us a process of textual encounter and introspection that we can make our own. With the highest respect for Torah and with a straightforward style that is never preachy, she shows us how to employ the biblical text as a mirror that we can turn on our inner selves, to help us see more clearly what we sometimes hide from our own view.

Many urbane, contemporary Jews find certain parts of the Torah boring, unredeemably sexist, or otherwise primitive; it is most instructive to see what Rabbi Gold makes of those aspects: she challenges herself to embrace all of Torah, to read it in such a way that makes the text sacred to her. One anecdote that she relates (p. 18) sums up well the noble goal of this book. One afternoon, she was describing to a friend what the ongoing discipline of writing this book was like: "You can't sit back and criticize . . . what you don't like in the Torah. Instead, you must search for those same difficulties in yourself and then engage in a process of healing and purification. Instead of blaming, you have to take responsibility." And as she was expounding thus, she heard "a voice speaking every so gently yet firmly" in her ear: "And you could live your whole life that way."

The book is at the same time a highly personal interpretation of Torah and a spiritual manual. It contains one chapter for each of the fifty-four "parashot" (the Hebrew term for the traditional segments of the Torah nominally studied and read by Jews according to an annual cycle). Each chapter distills from that biblical passage both a blessing and a spiritual challenge for one's life; it also offers concrete guidance for spiritual practice(s) that promise to help us appreciate the former while facing the latter. A multi-layered introduction and several practically oriented appendices round out the book.

Although the author often draws upon concepts from other faith traditions, and although she has academic training in Bible, this book's enterprise is thoroughly Jewish and religious in both language and scope. For example, it engages "the Torah" rather than "the Pentateuch." And it pays no regard to questions of the historical origin or development of the biblical text, which it takes as a given.

The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic

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An excellent study on the Four Gospels
The 4 story tellers of Christianity
Surprisingly Interesting
Four Views of Truth, Amplified
No bueno

The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic
Robin Griffith-jones , and Jesus 2000 Ltd.
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0062516485
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Amazon.com

The Four Witnesses by Robin Griffith-Jones, Master of the (Anglican) Temple in London, attempts to clarify the distinctions among the four gospels' quite different visions of Jesus. The four witnesses, as Griffith-Jones describes them, are the rebel (Mark), the rabbi (Matthew), the chronicler (Luke), and the Mystic (John). Griffith-Jones asks, "Who were these four writers? Where did they write and when? For whom?" and proceeds to give straightforward, balanced, intelligent answers. The Four Witnesses is most intent on making the point that each gospel was first written to speak to the situation of a particular religious community. For many readers, that will come as very good news, because it will help them to hear the particular messages that the gospels hold for their own communities today. For this reason, The Four Witnesses will also be a useful resource for Christian education programs in churches of many denominations.

Book Description

"Who Do You Say I Am?"
Four Witnesses Offer Strikingly Different Testimony to the Life and Death of Jesus

Bringing the stories of Jesus to life for the contemporary reader, Robin Griffith-Jones revives the origional power and intent of each of the four gospels. He presents a lively discussion of how and why each gospel was written, considering the substance and style of the testimony itself as well as the unique context of each story. Mark's gospel tells the rebel's story of Jesus as a failed revolutionary whose mission mysteriously succeeds. For the rabbi Matthew, Jesus is the long-awaited fulfillment of Jewish expectation. For Luke, Jesus is a heroic, compassionate social revolutionary who confidently and mercifully dies on behalf of all humanity. John's gospel is a mystic's interpretation of the divinity of Jesus told in powerful poetic language.

"Who do you say I am?" Each gospel offers its own answer to Jesus' question, influenced by the context of its writing and the personality of its writer. All four gospels taken together provide what one alone could not: a remarkably full and compelling presentation of Jesus and his message.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent study on the Four Gospels.......2007-03-15

I believe that this is one of the most informative and honest looks at the Four Gospels I have yet to see. It seems that most of the time, you get either one of the two extremes in the spiritual community: the right-wing conservatives who discourage any "new" interpretation of Scripture, or the conspiracy theorists who more often than not, attempt to "balance" the teachings by trying to make it appear more ultra-feminist. Fortunately, the author takes that elusive middle ground, attempting to remain true to the Greek translations of the Four Gospels (thus the unusual names for the various books, such as "Visions" in place of "Revelations", etc.), while at the same time, critcally viewing each of the Four Gospels as they were meant to be viewed--separately and on their own merits.

It is in fact a long read (even though it is only 300 pages long), mainly due to the fact that there is such a huge amount of fascinating information to cover. And as for some others' criticisms that he never "gets to the point", I believe he is trying to let the reader come to their own conclusions concerning each of the Four Gospels, and the central question of each: "Who do you say I am?" Not an easy question to answer for any of the four, and least of all, for the laymen who have joined this ever-growing "new sect" since those early days nearly 2,000 years ago. As the author constantly pointed out, in the case of the Four Gospels, we are to decide what Jesus meant in that seemingly simple question...WE are the jury who must weigh the evidence for or against this teacher from Galilee. I would recommend it for ANYONE who is interested in studying the Four Gospels more intensely. Read this book, and then go back and read the actual Four Gospels. It will take more than one sitting to soak it all in...

The 4 story tellers of Christianity.......2006-12-22

Prof. Robin Griffith-Jones is an Anglican Church Chaplain in presenting his research on the four Gospels in answering Jesus's question "Who do you say I am?". He is a knowledgeable powerful scholar in connecting the Testaments of Old with New in defining Jesus as the expected Messiah against the unjust, unequal and brutal Roman oppression on Jewish people.

He showed Mark: The Rebel's story, Matthew: The Rabbi's story, Luke: The Chronicler's story, John: The Mystic's story. The Tao of the Gospels works well in the mysterious way of life and death, winning and defeat, hope and despair. His powerful epilogue ended the book.

He uses the term witness as the title of the book. Jesus movement ended in his crucifixion in 30s. The oral tradition kept the epic story alive with Paul, the missionary and the first Pope Peter in Jerusalem. Jesus Seminar scholars concluded that Mark was the first Gospel written by 80s followed by Matthew and Luke. John was believed written a decade later. Did the four witnesses get CNN to record every detail? Can we qualify any visitor to the hi-tech Lincoln Museum in Springfield Illinois to be the witness of Civil War?

The four Gospels are records collectively remembered so that you will believe. The post Easter belief of resurrection created Christianity that in a mythical way succeeds the failed revolution.

Lao Tzu said in Tao Te Ching Chapter 33: One who died but does not perish, has everlasting life. Jesus certainly achieves this status.

Christmas question - what would happen if it had been three wise women instead of men?
Answers:
1. They would have asked for directions
2. They would have arrived on time.
3. They would have brought a hand made quilt crib
4. They would have cleaned the stable
5. They would have delivered the baby
6. They would have made a casserol and chicken soups
7. They would have given motherhold guidance
8. There would be PEACE ON EARTH!

Surprisingly Interesting.......2004-10-11

Even though I rarely read religious books, I picked this book up on a recent trip to the US. I was very pleasantly surprised: I thought the contents extremely interesting. We all know that each story of the gospel was written in a different context, but I have never understood just how much this affects our image of Jesus and his life and death. I found this book simply gripping. The author spends much time bringing back the atmosphere of these early Christian communities when the gospels were written, and he does it in a very colourful style. This may be unconventional, but it is certainly effective. This is a world that is so easily lost otherwise, and it prevents a challenging book from simply being dry and monotonous. This is a book that I think I will want to read again. Having read it from start to finish, I think that over the coming months I will want to dip into different chapters: because this is a book that has changed my understanding of the gospel as such, but each chapter also has so much to say about individual parables and stories.
In short: I found this a great book to deepen my understanding of Christ, and one that has encouraged me to go back and re-read the gospels from a fresh perspective.

Four Views of Truth, Amplified.......2004-02-18

Here is a book to sink your theological teeth into. Robin Griffith-Jones takes the reader on a journey of discovery as he compares and contrasts the four chief sources of our understanding of Jesus Christ.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all answer Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am?" And they present us with Jesus in such a way that it demands a response from us. Even so, each of the Gospel writers answers with a distinct voice. We are so used to hearing bits and pieces of all the Gospels; we often merge their messages.

Griffith-Jones invites us, instead, to see Jesus in the distinct ways he is presented in each.

The subtitle of the book tells us we will look at Jesus as: the Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic. If these are attributes of Jesus you have not yet considered, you will want to read more about each.

The author is a former chaplain and professor of New Testament at Lincoln College, Oxford, now serves as Master of the Temple Church in London, one of the most influential positions in the Church of England. He gives us the state of the world and the state of the fledgling Christian community, so we may better understand the concerns each Gospel writer addresses in their individual portraits of Christ.

Just as artists have cast light on particular aspects of Jesus ministry and message, so too, says Griffith-Jones, those inspired witnesses. The Rebel who turned the world upside down, the Rabbi who taught in the tradition of Judaism yet with an authority unlike any other, the Chronicler who told the wonders of God's kingdom, and the Mystic who helped us the eternal realities behind everyday living.

If you want to delve into these aspects of our Lord, you will find Griffith-Jones the perfect guide. The book is not a quick read; and you will want to keep your New Testament open as you study the contributions of the Gospel writers.

No bueno.......2003-12-26

While I learned some things about what it was like in Rome and surrounding communities when the early church was forming, I will second, third, fourth and fifth the other reviewers who say he would tell us what he was going to say and then not tell us. He was long-winded, and I found no real conclusion to the entire book, though it felt like he was trying to lead up to one. Perhaps I missed it.

Fallen Angels in Jewish, Christian and Mohammedan Literature

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Fallen Angels in Jewish, Christian and Mohammedan Literature
Rabbi Leo Jung
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Angels | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0766179389

Book Description

The present study on Fallen Angels is reprinted with revision and additions from the "Jewish Quarterly Review." This is the first exhaustive study of the subject which has been made in this department of research and the book contains some important excursions into by-paths of the main subject. In order to fit himself for this study and not be obliged to rely upon secondhand material, the author went to the trouble of studying Persian and Anglo-Saxon, and indication of the thoroughness of his method. Contents: nature of angels; two satans; satan; objection to the creation of man; fall of man; Ashmedai; fall of the angels.

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"Who Do You Say I Am?" Four Witnesses Offer Strikingly Different Testimony to the Life and Death of Jesus

"Who Do You Say I Am?"
Four Witnesses Offer Strikingly Different Testimony to the Life and Death of Jesus