New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin

New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin ISBN-13: 9780974948225 Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: En-Gedi Resource Center Released: Sept. 1, 2005

Source: I bought this book.

Book Description from Goodreads:
What if we could step back into the first-century world of Jesus and walk on a dusty road with him as one of his first Jewish disciples? Here we examine Jesus' lifestyle as a first-century Jewish rabbi and look at how his words would have been understood within the larger framework of first-century Judaism. His words will grow in clarity and depth when seen in the light of their original setting.


My Review:
New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus looks at the first century, Jewish context of Jesus to better understand his teachings. Each chapter explored a specific topic, like what a rabbi was, what was expected of their disciples, what Jesus meant by his "yoke" or his reference to not destroying but fulfilling the Law. The author looked at cultural contexts unknown to modern Christians, idioms that have lost their meaning in translation, and Scripture references made by Jesus which we might have missed. He referred to rabbinic sayings that originated from around that time and Second Temple-period Jewish literature. The book was very informative, especially if you haven't read similar books. I have read this type of book before, and I learned some new points that I hadn't heard before.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.