A Review
Note: I’m
passionate about studying the Bible and learning to follow our
Messiah, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review
this book.
In today’s world, we recognize the need to understand and respect cultural differences. Besides being necessary, it’s hugely enriching! How much more, then, should Christians become more familiar with the culture and viewpoint of the people for whom the Bible was first written? It would help us better understand the Word of God that we live by. Lois Tverberg’s book is a compelling path into the Hebraic culture of Bible times, enjoyable and accessible for readers at all levels of biblical knowledge. It’s perfect for Bible study groups because each chapter has questions for further discussion at the end, as well as recommended reading for further study.
First and
foremost, Tverberg’s book is significant because it puts Jesus back
in His Jewish context while fully upholding the tenets of our faith.
It explores Messianic prophecies, how they were viewed in His time,
and how He fulfilled them. (I got chills reading about Isaiah 53.)
This book explains how He claimed to be the Messiah in ways that
non-Jews might miss.
The book also
shows how understanding the cultural context and historicity of the
Bible is faith-affirming. If there’s something that our Western
minds can’t grasp, we’re apt to dismiss its veracity. But when we
get a glimpse of the radically different mindset of non-Euro-American
civilizations, we realize that what we questioned makes perfect sense
to the other half of the world’s population. I enjoyed learning
about the differences, especially the ones that explain some
confusing parts of the Bible (such as why the “begat” sections
are important).
I loved how
Tverberg examined the full meaning of the Hebrew words behind terms
that are pivotal to our faith, such as Christ, gospel, king, and
fear/reverence. There’s an appendix called “Thirty Useful Hebrew
Words for Bible Study,” a wonderful resource that curates the words
she talked about in the book as well as words she didn’t cover.
The section on how
Jews read the Bible was also very enlightening. As the book depicts,
adopting some of their methods would be beneficial to Christians in
our search to better know God’s Word and understand our Messiah.
It’s amazing how they memorized it, how they connected it, how they
quoted from it … and what a sophisticated scholar Yeshua was.
There’s so much
more I could say in praise of this book, but probably the best thing
I could do is encourage you to read it. It will deepen your
appreciation for God’s message to humanity and for His chosen
people, and it will remind you of His greatness!
(I was graciously provided a copy of this book for my honest review.)
