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chelsea_taylor's review against another edition
5.0
This book will forever be one of my favorites for its presentation of heart and soul alongside historical insights that illuminate the words and actions of Jesus.
Following this book, I have a deep hunger for more of Jesus and I long to follow Him so closely that I am covered in His dust.
Following this book, I have a deep hunger for more of Jesus and I long to follow Him so closely that I am covered in His dust.
bekaaaah's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first experience with Lois Tverberg's works and it was just delightful. Jam packed with helpful information, I would recommend to any looking for a deeper, thought-provoking read. She really has a lot of knowledge to share about Jewish culture and the Old Testament. It was SO interesting. I would really love to read Tverberg's first book as well!
pixie_hallows's review against another edition
3.0
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It’s the sequel of sorts to a previous book by the same author, "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus", which I loved. The point of both books is to enlighten the reader with things from a historically Jewish perspective, giving new meaning to the text that we “Western-minded” might not have seen or understood before by putting things in the historical context of what it would mean for the Jews during the days of Christ. Frankly, the first book blew me away. I loved it. So I was expecting great things from its successor.
This book, "Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus", focused more on linguistics than the first book. It discussed the roots of certain words and the history they had in the context of Jewish laws and traditions. It explained from a Jewish perspective that when Christ spoke certain things, there was much more to the meaning than what we would see just from the English translation we read today. I found the book interesting and enlightening, but it didn’t blow me a way as much as the first book. I’m not sure if it’s because of the digging into the words and their meanings is more academic, or just that the first book enlightened me to such a new world that it left such a profound impression on me.
I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, and I definitely would recommend it to others.
This book, "Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus", focused more on linguistics than the first book. It discussed the roots of certain words and the history they had in the context of Jewish laws and traditions. It explained from a Jewish perspective that when Christ spoke certain things, there was much more to the meaning than what we would see just from the English translation we read today. I found the book interesting and enlightening, but it didn’t blow me a way as much as the first book. I’m not sure if it’s because of the digging into the words and their meanings is more academic, or just that the first book enlightened me to such a new world that it left such a profound impression on me.
I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, and I definitely would recommend it to others.
amandabostic's review against another edition
5.0
Its been a long time since a book both challenged and energized my faith as much as this one did. Our Western world is so vastly different than the one Jesus lived in and Tverberg presents an eye opening case.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
5.0
The author starts by saying:
In a sense, as we study the Bible, we must temporarily leave our twenty-first-century culture and our Western attitudes and go back to another time and place … to the land of Israel, the birthplace and home of Jesus. We must enter an Eastern culture that was passionately religious and that longed for God’s great redemption. The Jews of Jesus’ time knew their story and fiercely debated how God wanted them to live it out. The Hebrew Bible was their daily bread, and discussion of it dominated their lives, as it would Jesus’ life. Paradoxically, stepping back into that setting makes the Bible even more relevant to our own culture and time.
Which made so much sense to me! It seemed outrageous to think that Jesus was using words and meanings that would speak only specifically to our 21st-century American, white-centric culture.
She notes how much our language focuses on belief, rather than actions - which is different than Hebrew.
You often see this unhappy disconnect online, when Christians respond to what they consider theological error with rude, ugly insults, feeling innocent of wrongdoing as long as they are outing a “heretic.” Knowing the right thing is paramount; obeying Christ’s command to “love your neighbor” is irrelevant.
I found this to be true! Believing the right thing was WAY more important than DOING the right thing!
The logic of Hebrew (and other languages) realizes that an action should result from what is in our minds. If you “remember” someone, you will act on their behalf. If you “hear” someone, you will obey their words. If you “know” someone, you will have a close relationship with them. Hebrew realizes that the longest twelve inches that your faith has to move is from your head to your heart. And once your faith makes that move, it naturally comes out through your hands and feet.
Plus, to the ancient Jews, love was an action:
This nuance of ahavah [the Hebrew word for love] solves another puzzle. How could God order people to “love” him in the sense of having a certain emotional response toward him? Actually, he didn’t. When the Israelites were commanded to love God as part of their covenant, we can read it as not so much about passionate feelings as much as an utter commitment to loyalty toward God, the one they obeyed.
They had another word for love, too, and this one can be found in Isaiah 54:10:
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
The author discusses this “unfailing” love, translated from the Hebrew word hesed:
Hesed is a love so enduring that it persists beyond any sin or betrayal to mend brokenness and graciously extend forgiveness.
and
Hesed is love that can be counted on, decade after decade. It’s not about the thrill of romance, but the security of faithfulness.
She taught me that even a few decades before Jesus said something similar, Rabbi Hillel stated:
“Whatever is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow; this is the whole Torah and the rest is commentary.”
The author expresses how much more important showing love is than feeling it:
Showing love to the people around us is actually a lot harder than feeling a lofty, vague affection for the whole world. As Charlie Brown’s friend Linus used to say, “I love mankind! It’s people I can’t stand.”
She quotes Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz, focusing on what caused me to leave my church:
She quotes Rabbi Ya‘akov Yitsḥak Horowitz who sums up why I left my church, but 200 years before the fact:
Better a sinful person who knows that he has sinned, than a righteous person who knows that he is righteous.
Another quote, this time from Rabbi Schelke of Nicholsberg in the 18th century:
“When a poor man asks you for aid, do not use his faults as an excuse for not helping him. For then God will look at your offenses, and he is sure to find many.”
This flies in the face of our Western Capitalist Christianity.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many ways that our faith can be impacted by understanding Jesus in his day.
In the chapter Thinking with Both Hands, she addresses how we look at scripture and how our modern reasoning may not make sense. She quotes Bible scholar Marvin Wilson:
“The Hebrew knew he did not have all the answers…. He refused to over-systematize or force harmonization on the enigmas of God’s truth or the puzzles of the universe…. The Hebrew mind was willing to accept the truths taught on both sides of the paradox; it recognized that mystery and apparent contradictions are often signs of the divine.”
This helps us understand obedience:
Doing what Jesus commanded is not about earning one’s salvation, but about discipleship. Salvation is a free gift, but discipleship is a lifelong journey of dedicating ourselves to becoming more like Christ.
Like Rabbi Nachman of Braztlav said: “If you are not going to be better tomorrow than you were today, then what need have you for tomorrow?
It makes so much sense to understand the context of Biblical teachings. Check out this book that has such a wealth of knowledge.
thistleheather's review against another edition
4.0
This book grew on me as I read it. I think part of that was due to my expectations - it's not meant to be a deep, academic work that addresses all the basic questions of Jesus and the Jewish dimension of His teachings, but an introduction. And it is a very good introductory book.
I haven't read Tverberg's previous book "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus," co-written with Ann Spangler, but this book definitely doesn't require having read the previous volume.
It strikes a good balance between being an easy read and exploring some challenging issues in a new way.
While I wasn't always "right there" with Tverberg - for example, she says that most depictions of the binding of Isaac portray him as a small child or toddler, which I've never seen before; in the famous Carvaggio painting (and in our Sunday school book - we use Rod & Staff), he's a young man - I found her insights helpful and edifying.
I appreciated the Jewish quotes peppered throughout and the knowledge of Hebrew that she draws on - I even found that I appreciated the introductory anecdotes, something I didn't think I'd like. The discussion questions in the first chapter or two seemed a little repetitive and extraneous (rehashing ideas that she had specifically addressed), but after that seemed to improve. I like that Tverberg directs the reader to do a lot of Scripture reading - it can be tempting to simply quote a few smatterings here and there that bolster one's case, but I like that Tverberg kept the focus on God and His word, and brings the reader back to that.
It also speaks well of her that while she purposefully puts an emphasis on familiar aspects of Christianity (even going so far as to use "Jesus" instead of "Yeshua" and "Old Testament" instead of "Hebrew Bible" for the sake of familiarity - she discusses both of these choices in the book or notes) and Scriptures most Christians will know (the Flood, Job, the Prodigal Son, etc), she also draws on more obscure passages, like prophecies from Hosea and Malachi.
This book is an excellent introduction to the Jewish background of Jesus' teachings - I would recommend it to people with no knowledge of Judaism, but there is also much here for the more knowledgeable, and would be a profitable read for them as well. This book left me hungry for more - I think some of Abraham Joshua Heschel's books are next on my list - and provided me with more spiritual food than I would have thought.
I haven't read Tverberg's previous book "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus," co-written with Ann Spangler, but this book definitely doesn't require having read the previous volume.
It strikes a good balance between being an easy read and exploring some challenging issues in a new way.
While I wasn't always "right there" with Tverberg - for example, she says that most depictions of the binding of Isaac portray him as a small child or toddler, which I've never seen before; in the famous Carvaggio painting (and in our Sunday school book - we use Rod & Staff), he's a young man - I found her insights helpful and edifying.
I appreciated the Jewish quotes peppered throughout and the knowledge of Hebrew that she draws on - I even found that I appreciated the introductory anecdotes, something I didn't think I'd like. The discussion questions in the first chapter or two seemed a little repetitive and extraneous (rehashing ideas that she had specifically addressed), but after that seemed to improve. I like that Tverberg directs the reader to do a lot of Scripture reading - it can be tempting to simply quote a few smatterings here and there that bolster one's case, but I like that Tverberg kept the focus on God and His word, and brings the reader back to that.
It also speaks well of her that while she purposefully puts an emphasis on familiar aspects of Christianity (even going so far as to use "Jesus" instead of "Yeshua" and "Old Testament" instead of "Hebrew Bible" for the sake of familiarity - she discusses both of these choices in the book or notes) and Scriptures most Christians will know (the Flood, Job, the Prodigal Son, etc), she also draws on more obscure passages, like prophecies from Hosea and Malachi.
This book is an excellent introduction to the Jewish background of Jesus' teachings - I would recommend it to people with no knowledge of Judaism, but there is also much here for the more knowledgeable, and would be a profitable read for them as well. This book left me hungry for more - I think some of Abraham Joshua Heschel's books are next on my list - and provided me with more spiritual food than I would have thought.
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