Reading Tips for the Hebrew Bible

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Derek Leman

I’m mostly away this week, speaking and working on a side job. One of the things I am doing is a series of talks at a private school about bringing Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) learning into New Testament faith. How do you in short time introduce high school students to reading the Jewish scriptures? Some I’ve talked to I can already tell have some serious and mature start on matters theological, let me tell you.

I came up with a list of simple talking points and then a few topics to expound on. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Derek's Writings, Hebrew Bible | Leave a comment

Miri writes on her MJ experience and going Kosher …

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Derek Leman

I know Miri since she used to live in Atlanta. So it caught my eye this morning on Twitter when I saw the the Biblically Kosher blog featured her story. I’m glad I read it because it’s about more than just going kosher. It’s also about her journey from what I call Hebrew Baptist to Messianic Judaism (or maybe Hebrew Pentecostal to Messianic Judaism). And the photo of the nice chicken dish made me hungry (sorry, vegetarians). Oh, and it turns out she has her own food blog dedicated to making kosher food “not boring.” See her guest post here (and it links you as well to her own blog).

Posted in messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah | Leave a comment

YIC Blog: “My Son” as Midrash

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Derek Leman

Matthew 2:15. It’s a famous example of what seems to be the unusual, perhaps questionable, use of the Jewish scriptures by the apostles. It occurs in a very noticeable location — the birth narrative of Yeshua in Matthew. Some parts of the Bible get very little traffic, but the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke are pretty much highways and not little goat trails. So people are bound to notice some odd things about Matthew’s “this happened in order to fulfill” sayings.

What’s up with Matthew 2:15? Would it surprise you to know that Matthew is a good maker of midrash? Would it surprise you to find that the gospels are formed within the world of Jewish thought (not only Greco-Roman thought)? Read “‘My Son’ as Midrash” at the Yeshua in Context blog.

Posted in Apostolic Writings (New Testament), Bible, Midrash, Yeshua In Context | Leave a comment

Studying Isaiah

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Derek Leman

Sometimes the benefits of taking time to slowly consider and investigate a passage produces surprising results. This morning I woke to the task of writing my “Daily Isaiah” notes on a few verses that seemed rather uninspiring. I have been reading Isaiah little by little and writing notes with the help of Franz Delitzsch’s commentary and also John Goldingay in the New International Biblical Commentary series.

The daily reading in sequence has been crucial. I grow day by day through this method to understand the range and characteristics of Isaiah of Jerusalem, how he thinks and how he expresses his thought. I can’t wait until year two (when the new Torah cycle starts) as I will start my read-through again, add some more commentaries (especially Radak and looking for another) to the mix.

This morning the breakthrough came when I became convinced that most translations got vs. 23 wrong. What convinced me of this? I noticed first that Delitzsch disagreed with the major translations and then saw that JPS made the same decision. It is a case where the translation could go in two directions with only context to guide between them. The crucial realization is that Isaiah is personifying Jacob and that Judah is being viewed in terms of the promises to the patriarchs. Once I saw that, the formerly dull passage that did not inspire me to write my daily notes actually became one of the most illuminating passages so far. I don’t expect many people will memorize Isaiah 29:22-24, but if you look deeply enough, this passage is filled with meaning. More after the jump . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Isaiah, messianic, Prophets | 4 Comments

“Christ at the Checkpoint”: Joint UMJC-MJAA-IMJA Statement

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Derek Leman

I am so glad to see people better equipped to raise issues of current events than me make this statement. I felt this way myself in the small amount of reading I had done about this conference. But I did not have the confidence to raise the issue. However, I will say, I’d be glad to dialogue politely with anyone who wants to express why they agree or disagree with the UMJC-MJAA-IMJA statement.
Joint Statement on “Christ at the Checkpoint.”

Posted in Current Events, Replacement Theology, Stephen Sizer, Supersessionism | 3 Comments

PODCAST: Review of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Derek Leman

For those who prefer to listen, here is the review on Podcast. And you can subscribe on iTunes to the Podcast called “Yeshua in Context” (note: iTunes has it as a separate podcast from my old “Yeshua in Context Podcast”). GO TO “RABBI DUST” PODCAST.

Posted in Book Reviews, ethics, Podcast, Yeshua | Leave a comment

REVIEW: Tverberg’s Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Derek Leman

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life, by Lois Tverberg, PhD. Zondervan, 2012.

Disclosure: I received a complementary review copy of this book from the publisher.

Lois Tverberg is a biologist, but in our circles she is better know for another occupation: a writer who explores the Jewish context of Jesus’ life. As a Lutheran (at least in background), Tverberg is a writer well-suited to explain the Jewish context of Yeshua to Christian readers. As a scientist she has the energy and passion for research that are required to find connections between rabbinic literature and the gospels. Her portrayal has much substance because of her dedication to learning.

What I like most about this book is its focus on and clear exposition of the ethics of Yeshua. Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, ethics, Yeshua | 7 Comments

Cute Poodles (A Parable)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Derek Leman

In this world of six billion people, nothing gets unanimous agreement. Suppose you were a blogger focusing on the cuteness of poodles. Believe it or not, with the billion plus people (I don’t know the actual number) who are connected to the internet all over the world, there will doubtless be poodle-haters.

Say you are the C.I.A. or Interpol and you need to find a nefarious ring of poodle-haters (maybe one of them is a serial dog-napper). How can you do it?

Simple. Start a blog on the cuteness of poodles. The poodle-haters will find you. The poodle-haters usually will not have their own blog. Few of them have anything interesting enough to say to attract an audience. Their message is mostly negative. But your poodle-adoring blog of pure poodle cuteness is a great platform for poodle-haters. Thousands will adore your poodle photos and get the warm fuzzies when you write sentences like, “After Princess’s bath she shivers while I am drying her off and so I sit sipping cocoa with Princess wrapped in a fleece blanket in my arms for hours watching Bette Davis movies as a reward for her bath-taking bravery.”

Then those fans who wanted a little poodle inspiration will, sadly, look at the comments. All the poodle positivism will be spoiled by the commenters. It will begin to seem like poodle-loving is the most controversial thing on earth. Why hardly anyone seems to agree with poodle-adoration! Poodles, by the look of these comments, will soon join the Brontosaurus as an extinct species.

Which is why . . . Continue reading →

Posted in ethics | 21 Comments

Another plus for the Delitzsch Hebrew-English Version (DHE)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Derek Leman

When the DHE came out, Vine of David (an imprint of First Fruits of Zion), was careful to note that the idea of publishing the gospels in Hebrew is not about a “more original” version of Yeshua’s words and deeds. It is a re-translation from Greek to Hebrew and the Hebrew into English. While many buy into myths about original Hebrew gospels, none have been found (and “Hebrew” in the famous Papias saying and in many NT references means “Aramaic,” by the way). No one claims that the DHE is from earlier texts than the Greek manuscripts of the gospels. On the contrary, the DHE is based on the translation from Greek to Hebrew by the Christian Hebraist and well-known nineteenth century scholar Franz Delitzsch.

So why bother? If the DHE isn’t “closer to the original”? As I said at the time and I will say again — the DHE does not replace the Greek gospels written by the early Yeshua movement, but it is a long-overdue Jewish printing of the gospels. They are Jewish writings and deserve to be treated as Jewish writings, being bound and printed in the manner of Jewish sacred books today. But also, as a great post today by Yahnatan Lasko shows us, those who study Torah and gospels will find the DH useful in making connections. Why? Because Delitzsch was immersed in the Torah and in rabbinic literature and his Hebrew translation from the Greek makes the proper connections (also with adept use of the LXX or Greek Version also known as the Septuagint).

Check out Yahnatan’s article today on how Matthew 5:28 in the DHE corrects and alters an important perception about a very famous verse.

Posted in Bible, Delitzsch Hebrew-English DHE, FFOZ, Vine of David | 6 Comments

The Heschel Files, #6

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Derek Leman

What do we see when we look at the stars? At a mother loving her child? At a thunderstorm? At the placid yet perilous potential of the waters of lakes, seas, and oceans?

Heschel says we see three things: power, beauty, and grandeur. Hashamayim mesap’rim k’vod El, the heavens declare the glory of God, says Psalm 19. Should this idea be important to us? I might point out that this point of view is easily attacked. Someone can respond, “When I see cancer, war, the refuse of human technology littering the ocean, is that also the glory of God?” It is a valid point.

Do we really, as Heschel suggests, have the ability to “surpass ourselves” when we apply our mind and spirit to what we see in the universe? Is this the kind of argument a rational and-or feeling person should take seriously? Some ancient people looked at the universe and said, “It is filled with deities and its power can bless me or curse me.” Abraham saw “the judge of all the earth” who “does justice.” Moses saw the glory in the fire in a desert shrub. Isaiah saw the Holy One above the circle of the earth. Yeshua saw the Father who knows even when a sparrow falls. Continue reading →

Posted in Abraham Joshua Heschel, Faith, Philosophy | 1 Comment