Free eBooks The Enigmatic Parables Of A Controversial Rabbi: Short Stories By Jesus Available To Downloads
The renowned biblical scholar, author of The Misunderstood Jew, and general editor for The Jewish Annotated New Testament interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus’ most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively and relevant for modern readers.Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus’ stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives.In this wise, entertaining, and educational book, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus’ narratives. In Short Stories by Jesus, she analyzes these “problems with parables,” taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. Levine reveals the parables’ connections to first-century economic and agricultural life, social customs and morality, Jewish scriptures and Roman culture. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us—and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later.
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: HarperOne; annotated edition edition (September 9, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061561010
ISBN-13: 978-0061561016
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (189 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #57,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > Jewish #84 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Bible Study & Reference > New Testament > Jesus, the Gospels & Acts #137 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Bible Study & Reference > Bible Study > New Testament
The title is attractive.The credentials of the author are compelling. So I read the book, Short Stories by Jesus--the enigmatic parables of a controversial rabbi, as an early morning and late night meditation during the seasons of light this year: Christmas and Hanukkah, 2014. I have been a practicing and observant Christian for 67 years. The stories of Jesus' parables are so intimately familiar to me because they were the tales that fueled my learning to read in the 1940's before I ever went to school. To say I have read and heard each of Amy-Jill Levin's selections of Jesus' short stories 67 times would be an understatement. I thought I had them down cold. As I ploddingly chewed on each morsel this winter I tasted the truths in each mouthful through a whole new culinary window. Some I resisted because of the unfamiliar flavorings. Some were reminiscent of my favorite meals from childhood. Some were bitter in my mouth with what seemed like foreign spices or odd proportions. I suspended judgment and bit-by-bit began digesting Dr. Levine's theological feast. Every bite, those redolent of great meals throughout my life and those bitter in my mouth because of the changed viewpoints they evoked, became sweet as honey and thoroughly, spiritually nourishing in my belly. I am slow in posting this review for 3 reasons: 1. I am still caught up in a glorious reevaluation and deepened appreciation of the foundations of Christianity and its life in my life. 2. Levine's wonderful bibliography and references have led to other books to read which supplement her themes, and for now I just can't stop! 3. The book, literarily very well written, is not a quick-and-easy read.
Amy-Jill Levine is an extremely educated and well-respected scholar. From her profile on the Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion: Amy-Jill Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies, and Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences ... Professor Levine has been awarded grants from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. ... With Marc Brettler of Brandeis University, she has edited the Jewish Annotated New Testament (Oxford), and she has written, with her Vanderbilt Colleague Douglas Knight, The Meaning of the Bible: What The Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach us. (HarperOne)While marshaling a wealth of biblical knowledge, she is able to present her understandings in a way that non-theologians can understand, without being condescended to. With this particular book, she reveals the essential Jewish background necessary to understanding the parables that Jesus, a Jew, told to his disciples and the people around him. It cannot be overstressed how important an understanding of the ancient religious, cultural, and historical culture are to appreciating Jesus' parables in their full and masterful depth.Amy-Jill Levine correctly points out that Jesus used parables to challenge his listeners and move them (hopefully!) into a new way of thinking.
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