The Jewish Annotated New Testament
New book explores a Jewish view of the New TestamentENI-12-0117By Chris Herlinger
New York, 29 February (ENInews)–A new edition of the New Testament has done what none other has done before — explain the core body of Christian writings through the lens of Judaism.
“The Jewish Annotated New Testament,” published by Oxford University Press, takes at its starting point the fact that the central figures in the New Testament — Jesus, Mary, the apostle Paul, as well as the gospel writers — were Jewish and lived in a Jewish cultural milieu.
The new volume, edited by American Jewish biblical scholars Amy-Jill Levine, who teaches at Vanderbilt University, and Marc Zvi Brettler, who teaches at Brandeis University, is being called a landmark for placing the New Testament text in historical and cultural context.
The book “fills a huge gap in the world of biblical interpretation,” said the Rev. William Brosend, who teaches at the School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee, and who heads the Episcopal Preaching Foundation.
As one example of the annotations, the Jewish Annotated New Testament deals squarely with the issue of the Gospel of John and anti-Judaism. The editors note that the gospel has a number of explicit references to Judaism that are hostile, even though the book “draws extensively on Jewish tradition.”
They noted that “while John’s difficult rhetoric should not be facilely dismissed, it can be understood as part of the author’s process of self-definition, of distinguishing the followers of Jesus from the synagogue and so from Jews and Judaism.”
Asked by ENInews to characterize the reaction to the book so far, Brettler said it has been “overwhelmingly positive” across religious traditions, and among both conservatives and liberals. “If there has been any surprise, it is the surprised delight at how enthusiastic the response has been,” he said.
Brettler said he has heard of groups planning on using the book for interfaith study, and some have even suggested producing a study guide for such groups. Most readers and nearly all scholars and journalists seem to “understand the book and its purposes,” he added.
“On Amazon and several blogs there have been some comments by people who never opened the book. These range across a wide gamut, from Jews who feared that the book is a secret attempt at converting Jews to Christianity, and Christians, who had the reverse fear,” he said.
“These comments are the result of the fear and misunderstanding that the book attempts to ameliorate, and we are very happy that those who have actually opened the book have not expressed these reactions,” he said.
The book uses the New Revised Standard Version of the New Testament.
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Wow. Amy-Jill Levine and Mark Zvi Brettler. Ugh! Can you say L-I-B-E-R-A-L? They “believe” the Old Testament the way others “believe” Anne of Green Gables or “A Tale of Two Cities”.
I bought a copy of The Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation [Brettler] some years back. I didn’t make it through all of the commentary in Genesis before being hard hit with the realization that the commentators don’t actually believe the text any more than they believe a fictionalized account of any human experience. Brettler’s own words: “As we have worked on this Bible for the last three years, we have gained even greater respect and appreciation for…the NEVER-ENDING, EVER-RENEWING Jewish interpretive traditions.” (emphasis mine) That’s the same type of language which says our constitution is a “living, breathing document.”
BEWARE!
I agree 100% with the above. I just checked my copy of the Jewish Study Bible (Tanakh) and now that I see the names mentioned, the thought that’they’ will do the same with our Christian Scriptures makes me avoid it like the plague. I cannot consult their JSB/Tanakh for anything genuinely Jewish. For example: Gen. 3:15 gives me no comments on how the Rabbis did see this verse as Messianic, just a bunch of anthrogology on evolutionary humanity. Thanks for the ‘caveat emptor’.
come to think of it, anthrogology ain’t a bad word, combilly-goop for anthropology !
@Walter Mattys
I agree about THE JEWISH STUDY BIBLE being a big disappointment due to its liberal commentary.
I suggest that you look at these books on Amazon instead for commentary based on the Midrash, Talmud and Rabbis both long ago and today. They are from an Orthodox Jewish viewpoint and thus are traditional and conservative. Like you, I wanted to know how Jews saw them.
Tanach: The Torah, Prophets, Writings — The Twenty-Four Books of the Bible, Newly Translated and Annotated (The ArtScroll Series) [Hardcover] by Nosson Scherman
ISBN-10: 0899062695
ISBN-13: 978-0899062693
He has also done separate volumes of annotated commentary (also at Amazon) on:
Judges/Joshua
1 and 2 Samuel
1 and 2 Kings
The Chumash: The Stone Edition, Full Size (ArtScroll) (English and Hebrew Edition) [Hardcover]
By Nosson Scherman
This is the Torah which has more commentary on it than the Tanach. The Tanach above has to accommodate the rest of the Old Testament and their commentary in the same volume.
ISBN-10: 0899060145
ISBN-13: 978-0899060149
I have most of these (not sure about 1 and 2 Kings) and they are informative on the way they see various verses. At least a couple notes I’ve seen are not “Christian-friendly”. I’ve not looked at them in some time since I’ve been studying The Lutheran Study Bible and looking at other Lutheran materials from CPH (and working full-time!).
Just found something new on Amazon:
This came out in 2011–
ENGLISH-ONLY edition of the Stone Edition TANACH with the English text, commentary and other helps but without the Hebrew text by Nosson Scherman. Lower price for both hardback and paperback.
Hardback
ISBN-10: 142261039X
ISBN-13: 978-1422610398
Paperback
ISBN-10: 1422610659
ISBN-13: 978-1422610657
@Karen Keil
Slight correction:
Hardback is midsize at 5.5 x 8.5 inches. There is no paperback edition.
Paperback is pocket size at 4 x 6 inches.
There’s also a hardback pocket size on Amazon at
ISBN-10: 1422610640
ISBN-13: 9781422610640
Binding: Hardcover / Pages: 1400
Dimensions: 4 x 6 inches / Weight: 1.10 LBS
Published: May 2011 by ArtScroll Mesorah Publications
Now I will stop.
Thanks for the info Karen.