The Jewish Annotated New Testament

by Amy-Jill Levine (Editor), Marc Z. Brettler (Editor)

Overview

Although major New Testament figures--Jesus and Paul, Peter and James, Jesus' mother Mary and Mary Magdalene--were Jews, living in a culture steeped in Jewish history, beliefs, and practices, there has never been an edition of the New Testament that addresses its Jewish background and the culture from which it grew--until now. In The Jewish Annotated New Testament, eminent experts under the general editorship of Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler put these writings back into the context of their original authors and audiences. And they explain how these writings have affected the relations of Jews and Christians over the past two thousand years.
An international team of scholars introduces and annotates the Gospels, Acts, Letters, and Revelation from Jewish perspectives, in the New Revised Standard Version translation. They show how Jewish practices and writings, particularly the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, influenced the New Testament writers. From this perspective, readers gain new insight into the New Testament's meaning and significance. In addition, thirty essays on historical and religious topics--Divine Beings, Jesus in Jewish thought, Parables and Midrash, Mysticism, Jewish Family Life, Messianic Movements, Dead Sea Scrolls, questions of the New Testament and anti-Judaism, and others--bring the Jewish context of the New Testament to the fore, enabling all readers to see these writings both in their original contexts and in the history of interpretation. For readers unfamiliar with Christian language and customs, there are explanations of such matters as the Eucharist, the significance of baptism, and "original sin."
For non-Jewish readers interested in the Jewish roots of Christianity and for Jewish readers who want a New Testament that neither proselytizes for Christianity nor denigrates Judaism, The Jewish Annotated New Testament is an essential volume that places these writings in a context that will enlighten students, professionals, and general readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199927067
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/15/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	172,017
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

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 the Divinity School, College of Arts and Science, Graduate Department of Religion, and Program in Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Marc Z. Brettler is Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies at Brandeis University.

Table of Contents

The full text of the New Testament (in the New Revised Standard Version translation), each book introduced and annotated, plus a full selection of essays on historical and religious topics (e.g. the historical background of the Greco-Roman world in the years leading up to New Testament times). Contributors Alan J. Avery-Peck - 2 Corinthians Herbert Basser - James Daniel Boyarin - Logos, A Jewish Word: John's Prologue as Midrash Marc Zvi Brettler - Editor; The New Testament between the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and Rabbinic Literature Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus - 3 John Shaye J. D. Cohen - Galatians; Judaism and Jewishness; Josephus Michael Cook - Philippians Pamela Eisenbaum - Hebrews Michael Fagenblat - Who Is my Neighbor? The Concept of Neighbor in Jewish and Christian Ethics Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert - Judaizers, Jewish Christians, and Others David Frankfurter - Revelation David Friedenreich - Food and Table Fellowship Julie Galambush - 2 John Aaron M. Gale - Matthew Joshua D. Garroway - Jews and Judeans: The Meanings of Ioudaios Barbara Geller - Philemon Gary Gilbert - Acts Martin Goodman - Jewish History, 331 BCE - 135 CE Leonard Greenspoon - The Septuagint Michael R. Greenwald - 2 Peter; The Canon of the New Testament Adam Gregerman - 2 Thessalonians Maxine Grossman - Ephesians; The Dead Sea Scrolls Susannah Heschel - Jesus in Modern Jewish Thought Martha Himmelfarb - Afterlife and Resurrection Tal Ilan - 2 Timothy Andrew Jacobs - Jude Jonathan Klawans - The Law Naomi Koltun-Fromm - 1 Timothy Jennifer Koosed - Titus Ross S. Kraemer - Jewish Family Life in the First Century CE Shira Lander - 1 Corinthians Daniel R. Langton - Paul in Jewish Thought Rebecca Lesses - Divine Beings David Levenson - Messianic Movements

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the first edition:
"A magnificent achievement... The Jewish Annotated New Testament is a marvelously bounteous compilation."
-- Commonweal

"An admirable piece of scholarship... Much contemporary writing on Scripture is faddish or tendentious. This book is a disciplined work of clarification and illumination." -- Marilynne Robinson, Wall Street Journal

"To see the fruits of the ongoing interchange between Jewish and Christian biblical scholars, one need look no further than this volume...this volume shows how the deepening knowledge of late antique Judaism enriches one's view of the New Testament."--CHOICE

"A vivid and thick description of issues, practices, ideas, and events of the Second Temple period, with the Gospels in particular looking more and more like extensions of Jewish life and textuality. The result is a bridge of connection between the cultures, almost to the point of losing sight of the chasms of (mis)understanding that have divided them for centuries." --Common Knowledge

"This unique groundbreaking reference book fills a needed void...A must purchase for any school, synagogue, or university library."--Association of Jewish Libraries

"This new commentary on the New Testament certainly adds an important voice to modern NT commentary and is essential reading not only for biblical scholars but seminarians and preachers."--Catholic Books Review

"A monument to past achievements in New Testament scholarship and a beacon for future study...The Annotated Jewish New Testament should be either a primary text or required accompanying work in every seminary and upper-division course in New Testament and should leave its mark on all preaching."--America

"This comprehensive volume provides a more critical and in-depth look at the Jewish context of the NT for both scholars and laypeople."--Religious Studies Review

"The Jewish Annotated New Testament makes a wonderful contribution to Jewish appreciation of the New Testament, on the one hand, and Christian appreciation of the Jewish dimension of New Testament literature, Jesus, and his disciples, on the other...We owe [the editors and their many contributors] our thanks for putting together such a useful and positive contribution to New Testament interpretation and to much better, more accurate, and fairer Jewish and Christian understanding. I recommend this book enthusiastically and without reservation."--Craig A. Evans, Journal of the Jesus Movement in its Jewish Setting

"An historic volume of extraordinary scholarship that can transform Christian-Jewish relations. . . . A must-read for both clergy and laity. . . . A significant achievement."--Rabbi A. James Rudin, Senior Interreligious Advisor, The American Jewish Committee

"This exciting collection by leading Jewish scholars not only annotates the New Testament but also brings out its themes, context, and interpretation over the centuries. Essential for libraries of scholars in Christian-Jewish studies, academic institutions offering degrees in theology, and dialogue groups at all levels."--Dr. Eugene J. Fisher, Distinguished Professor of Catholic-Jewish Studies, Saint Leo University; Former Associate Director, Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

"One volume must find its way to seminarians, preachers, and other students of Scripture: The Jewish Annotated New Testament. With insightful essays and page-by-page notes and sidebars on each book, this volume fills a huge gap in the world of biblical interpretation, providing an accessible guide to how this most Jewish document from antiquity is understood by Jewish scholars today."--The Rev. William Brosend, School of Theology, Sewanee, TN and Executive Director, Episcopal Preaching Foundation

From the Publisher

In this first ever annotation by Jewish scholars and theologians of the New Testament, editors Levine (New Testament & Jewish studies, Vanderbilt Univ.) and Brettler (biblical studies, Brandeis Univ.) remark, "there is much in the New Testament that we find both beautiful and meaningful." Intended for scholarly and lay readers, Jewish as well as Christian, the volume aims to present the Revised Standard Version from a Jewish perspective and provide historical and literary context. Moreover, these annotations are meant to offer a thoughtful corrective to false notions regarding what the New Testament does—and does not—say about Jews, Judaism, and Jewish practices. Equally valuable are the 30 additional topical essays, such as Jewish responses to the New Testament, history and literature of the New Testament, mysticism, and Jesus in the rabbinic tradition. VERDICT Further enriched by maps, diagrams, and embedded conceptual discussions on topics like parables, law in Jewish practice, and the Pharisees, this very readable work provides much needed historical and literary background to the Jewish roots of Christianity. Highly recommended for New Testament history and literature students.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

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