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.

    Providing basic faith understanding, this book will help the user experience Christianity as attractive and inviting, not distant, difficult, or foreboding. (separate leader's guide9780687089284)

    C. Sproul helps us dig out the meaning of Scripture for ourselves. He lays the groundwork by discussing why we should study the Bible and how our own personal study relates to interpretation. Then he presents in simple, basic terms the science of interpretation and gives practical guidelines for applying this science. Here is a basic book for both beginning Bible readers and those who have been at it for a long time.

    The reader will gain a better understanding of Old Testament prophets and prophetic literature.

    The most controversial Jew who ever lived. He has been called a rabbi, a rebel, a reformer, a religious teacher, a reprobate sinner, a revolutionary, a redeemer. Some have claimed he was a magician, others the Messiah. Some say he was a deceiver; others say he was divine. Who is this Jesus-Yeshua, and why are we still talking about him two thousand years later? Recently a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi presented a new version of Jesus, a “Kosher Jesus” that Jews can accept. By reclaiming Yeshua as a fellow Jew and rabbi, he has taken a very major and truly wonderful step in the right direction, but by re-creating Jesus, he has also robbed him of his uniqueness. The Real Kosher Jesus takes you on a journey to uncover the truth. It is a journey filled with amazing discoveries and delightful surprises, a journey that is sometimes painful but that ends with joy, a journey through which you will learn the real story of this man named Yeshua: the most famous Jew of all time, the Jewish nation’s greatest prophet, the most illustrious rabbi ever, the light of the nations—and Israel’s hidden Messiah.

    Seth Postell (our academic dean), Eitan Bar (our media-evangelism director), and Dr. Erez Soref (our president) will deal with these questions. This book is the first to have been published by One For Israel.Review“At a time when there is much confusion about the believer's relationship to the law of Moses, Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus brings clarity, and it does so with light, not heat. What a helpful book for all followers of Yeshua, but particularly for Messianic Jews. Authors Postell, Bar, and Soref maintain a high and respectful perspective of Torah while demonstrating its continued role of pointing to the One of whom Moses wrote. If you want to understand the significance of the Torah and its relationship to those who are followers of Messiah, read this outstanding book. And while reading, keep your Bible at hand, take notes, become enlightened and be transformed.” (Michael Rydelnik, Professor of Jewish Studies and Bible, Moody Bible Institute Syndicated Radio Host and Teacher, Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik Author of The Messianic Hope and Co-editor and contributor, The Moody Bible Commentary)“Most Christians believe the apostle Paul’s assertion to Timothy that ‘all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable’ for disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. But how many Christians truly study the Old Testament in their own devotions, or feel that they really understand the differences in―and the relationship between―the Old and New Testaments? Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in understanding the ‘whole counsel’ of Scripture, the fundamental purpose of the Mosaic law, the power of the Messianic prophecies, and how to engage in effective and fruitful Jewish evangelism and discipleship. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to pastors and lay people alike!”(Joel C. Rosenberg, New York Times best-selling author, Bible teacher and founder of The Joshua Fund)“We are often told that by traditional Jews that they don’t need Yeshua because they have the Torah. Yet Yeshua told the Jewish leaders of his day that, if they truly believed Moses, they would believe in him. How can this be? The authors of this exciting new book, written with humility and clarity, and based on solid academic research, explain just what Yeshua meant, even demonstrating that the ultimate goal of the Torah is to point to him. Your eyes will be opened as you read.”(Michael L. Brown, President, FIRE School of Ministry, author, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (5 vols.))“The one most confusing issue among Messianic Jews (and today, also among many Gentiles believers) is the role of the Torah in the life of the believer. In the movement there are many who claim to be ‘Torah observant’ but fail to read the details of what was commanded by God through Moses, and often as they claim to keep the Torah, they are actually breaking the specific laws involved in keeping the Torah. In the end, while they are preaching Torah, they practice grace. Thus the publication of Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus is a welcome contribution to the discussion that will clearly clarify all the issues from a solid biblical perspective and help many believers reach a biblical balance on the role and purpose of the Torah.” (Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Founder and Director, Ariel Ministries)“The discussion of the law and believers in Messiah has been a topic of discussion ever since Jesus showed up and many Jews and Gentiles proclaimed him as the fulfillment of promise. This is a brilliant little book showing Torah was not just about law but also about the prospect of promise and the need for that Messiah. What Torah promised pointed ultimately of the need for God working from within. That message rings loud and clear in this book with an explanation to match.”(Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director for Cultural Engagement, Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement; Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary)“Christians have discussed and debated for centuries the role of the law now that Christ has come. The authors of this delightful and clear book show that the Old Testament itself teaches that the law cannot save. Indeed, a right reading of the Old Testament points to the Messiah as the one who forgives sins, and thus Christians are oriented fundamentally to Jesus instead of the law. Here we have a biblical-theological reading of the Old Testament that is insightful and instructive, and readers will see the wonderful unity of the whole Bible in this work. I warmly welcome this contribution from Jewish believers in Jesus.”(Thomas R. Schreiner, James R. Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)“Exegetically solid, theologically sound, contemporaneously relevant, eminently readable―all these qualifiers are true and will prove to be vindicated by its intended readership. Especially commendable―and that lends it authenticity―is the fact that its authors are Israeli scholars who embrace messianic faith that names Jesus of Nazareth as Savior and Lord. This is a must!”(Eugene H. Merrill, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies (Emeritus), Dallas Theological Seminary)Review“At a time when there is much confusion about the believer's relationship to the law of Moses, Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus brings clarity, and it does so with light, not heat. What a helpful book for all followers of Yeshua, but particularly for Messianic Jews. Authors Postell, Bar, and Soref maintain a high and respectful perspective of Torah while demonstrating its continued role of pointing to the One of whom Moses wrote. If you want to understand the significance of the Torah and its relationship to those who are followers of Messiah, read this outstanding book. And while reading, keep your Bible at hand, take notes, become enlightened and be transformed.”—Michael Rydelnik, Professor of Jewish Studies and Bible, Moody Bible InstituteSyndicated Radio Host and Teacher, Open Line with Dr. Michael RydelnikAuthor of The Messianic Hope and Co-editor and contributor, The Moody Bible Commentary “Most Christians believe the apostle Paul’s assertion to Timothy that ‘all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable’ for disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. But how many Christians truly study the Old Testament in their own devotions, or feel that they really understand the differences in—and the relationship between—the Old and New Testaments? Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in understanding the ‘whole counsel’ of Scripture, the fundamental purpose of the Mosaic law, the power of the Messianic prophecies, and how to engage in effective and fruitful Jewish evangelism and discipleship. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to pastors and lay people alike!”—Joel C. Rosenberg, New York Times best-selling author, Bible teacher and founder of The Joshua Fund “We are often told that by traditional Jews that they don’t need Yeshua because they have the Torah. Yet Yeshua told the Jewish leaders of his day that, if they truly believed Moses, they would believe in him. How can this be? The authors of this exciting new book, written with humility and clarity, and based on solid academic research, explain just what Yeshua meant, even demonstrating that the ultimate goal of the Torah is to point to him. Your eyes will be opened as you read.”—Michael L. Brown, President, FIRE School of Ministry, author, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (5 vols.) “The one most confusing issue among Messianic Jews (and today, also among many Gentiles believers) is the role of the Torah in the life of the believer. In the movement there are many who claim to be ‘Torah observant’ but fail to read the details of what was commanded by God through Moses, and often as they claim to keep the Torah, they are actually breaking the specific laws involved in keeping the Torah. In the end, while they are preaching Torah, they practice grace. Thus the publication of Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus is a welcome contribution to the discussion that will clearly clarify all the issues from a solid biblical perspective and help many believers reach a biblical balance on the role and purpose of the Torah.”—Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Founder and Director, Ariel Ministries “The discussion of the law and believers in Messiah has been a topic of discussion ever since Jesus showed up and many Jews and Gentiles proclaimed him as the fulfillment of promise. This is a brilliant little book showing Torah was not just about law but also about the prospect of promise and the need for that Messiah. What Torah promised pointed ultimately of the need for God working from within. That message rings loud and clear in this book with an explanation to match.”—Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director for Cultural Engagement, Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement; Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary “Christians have discussed and debated for centuries the role of the law now that Christ has come. The authors of this delightful and clear book show that the Old Testament itself teaches that the law cannot save. Indeed, a right reading of the Old Testament points to the Messiah as the one who forgives sins, and thus Christians are oriented fundamentally to Jesus instead of the law. Here we have a biblical-theological reading of the Old Testament that is insightful and instructive, and readers will see the wonderful unity of the whole Bible in this work. I warmly welcome this contribution from Jewish believers in Jesus.”—Thomas R. Schreiner, James R. Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “Exegetically solid, theologically sound, contemporaneously relevant, eminently readable—all these qualifiers are true and will prove to be vindicated by its intended readership. Especially commendable—and that lends it authenticity—is the fact that its authors are Israeli scholars who embrace messianic faith that names Jesus of Nazareth as Savior and Lord. This is a must!”—Eugene H. Merrill, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies (Emeritus), Dallas Theological Seminary “Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus is a book that will help Jews and Gentiles alike understand what it means to be a Jewish believer in Jesus, or Yeshua. Authors Seth Postell, Eitan Bar, and Erez Soref demonstrate from Scripture that to embrace Yeshua is not to abandon the Jewish people or Israel’s great heritage. On the contrary, to embrace Yeshua in faith is to enter into the blessings of the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah long ago. God has fulfilled his promises to his people Israel in the life, death, and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus shows in a clear and compelling way that God has not rejected his chosen people but continues to love them and seeks to bring them into fellowship with him.”— Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Baptist University “I give thanks to the Lord for the work of ONE FOR ISRAEL and Israel College of the Bible. Their book Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus is a rich and helpful resource for understanding the Torah both literarily and theologically, demonstrating that, by divine design, Moses indeed spoke of Yeshua (John 5:46).”—L. Michael Morales, Professor of Biblical Studies, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Taylors, SC “As a professor and student of the Bible, I found fresh insights in this book that clarified the trajectory of the whole of Scripture. Highly recommended!”—George H. Guthrie, Professor of New Testament, Regent College, Vancouver, BC

    Dorman revises his textbook, which introduces and explains the classic doctrines of the historic Christian faith. While systematic in organization, the book remains written for students, aiming to bring them to an understanding of the central doctrines of the Christian church including the doctrines of Scripture, God, creation, humanity, atonement, salvation, and eschatology.

    The book touches both head and heart, educating every child of God as to who their Lord really is and inspiring them to love and follow Him like never before.

    In this second volume of a five-volume collection of parashat hashavua commentaries, Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks explores these intersections as they relate to universal concerns of freedom, love, responsibility, identity, and destiny. Chief Rabbi Sacks fuses Jewish tradition, Western philosophy, and literature to present a highly developed understanding of the human condition under God’s sovereignty. Erudite and eloquent, Covenant & Conversation allows us to experience Chief Rabbi Sacks’ sophisticated approach to life lived in an ongoing dialogue with the Torah.

    Evidence that Jesus had siblings contradicts Church dogma on the virgin birth, and James is also a symbol of Christian teachings that have been obscured. While Peter is traditionally thought of as the leader of the apostles and the “rock” on which Jesus built his church, Jeffrey Bütz shows that it was James who led the disciples after the crucifixion. It was James, not Peter, who guided them through the Church's first major theological crisis--Paul's interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. Using the canonical Gospels, writings of the Church Fathers, and apocryphal texts, Bütz argues that James is the most overlooked figure in the history of the Church. He shows how the core teachings of Jesus are firmly rooted in Hebraic tradition; reveals the bitter battles between James and Paul for ideological supremacy in the early Church; and explains how Paul's interpretations, which became the foundation of the Church, are in many ways its betrayal. Bütz reveals a picture of Christianity and the true meaning of Christ's message that are sometimes at odds with established Christian doctrine and concludes that James can serve as a desperately needed missing link between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam to heal the wounds of centuries of enmity.

    Yeshua of Nazareth was raised in an observant Jewish family in a culture where the Torah (five books of Moses) was the National Constitution. Yeshua's teachings, which supposedly form the basis for Western Christianity, are now filtered through 2000 years of traditions born in ignorance of the land, language, and culture of the Bible. The issues over which Yeshua wrestled with the Pharisees are simply not understood by modern Christians; nor are his most important instructions followed by those who claim to be his disciples. Former Pharisee, Nehemia Gordon, a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar and Semitic language expert, explores the ancient Hebrew text of the Gospel of Matthew from manuscripts long hidden away in the archives of Jewish scribes. Gordon's research reveals that the more "modern" Greek text of Matthew, from which the Western world's versions were translated, depicts "another Jesus" from the Yeshua portrayed in the ancient Hebrew version of Matthew. Gordon explains the life-and-death conflict Yeshua had with the Pharisees as they schemed to grab the reins of Judaism in the first century, and brings that conflict into perspective for both Jew and Christian alike.

    But for most moderns, taking it at face value is incongruous. And even for many thinking Christians today who want to take seriously the authority of Scripture, insisting on a "literal" understanding of Genesis 2–3 looks painfully like a "tear here" strip between faith and science. How can Christians of good faith move forward? Who were the historical Adam and Eve? What if we’ve been reading Genesis and its claims regarding material origins wrong? In what cultural context was this couple, this garden, this tree, this serpent portrayed? Following his groundbreaking The Lost World of Genesis One, John Walton explores the ancient Near Eastern context of Genesis 2–3, creating space for a faithful reading of Scripture along with full engagement with science for a new way forward in the human origins debate. As a bonus, an illuminating excursus by NT Wright places Adam in the implied narrative of Paul’s theology. The Lost World of Adam and Eve will be required reading for anyone seeking to understand this foundational text historically and theologically, and wondering how to view it alongside contemporary understandings of human origins.

    Using her own translations, Gafney offers a midrashic interpretation of the biblical text that is rooted in the African American preaching tradition to tell the stories of a variety of female characters, many of whom are often overlooked and nameless. Gafney employs a solid understanding of womanist and feminist approaches to biblical interpretation and the sociohistorical culture of the ancient Near East. This unique and imaginative work that is grounded in serious scholarship will expand conversations about feminist and womanist biblical interpretation.

    He offers a new appraisal of Paul's theology of the Christ-event as gift as it comes to expression in Galatians and Romans, and he presents a nuanced and detailed discussion of the history of reception of Paul. This exegetically responsible, theologically informed, hermeneutically useful book shows that a respectful, though not uncritical, reading of Paul contains resources that remain important for Christians today.

    Its central figure, the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), was and is a Jew. Vicarious atonement, salvation, immersion (baptism), the new covenant and the very concept of a Messiah are all Jewish. In sum, the New Testament is built upon and completes the Hebrew Scriptures.Freshly rendered from the original Greek into enjoyable modern English by a Messianic Jew (a Jew who honors Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel), the "Jewish New Testament" challenges Jews to understand that Yeshua is a friend to every Jewish heart and the New Testament a Jewish book filled with truths to be accepted and acted upon. At the same time, while reaffirming the equality of Gentiles and Jews in the Messianic Community, it challenges Christians to acknowledge the Jewishness of their faith and their oneness with the Jewish people.