According to author Lois Tverberg, each of us reads the Bible with cultural eyes that shape how we interact with the text. Her goal in writing Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus is to help the reader “mentally transport yourself back in place and time to read the Bible afresh, as one of Jesus’ first-century disciples.”
Tverberg shows “some ways we can mentally bridge the culture gap between [Jesus’] Middle Eastern, Jewish world and ours in order to read the Bible as natives.” She explores topics such as the difference between what she frames as the Greek brain and the Hebrew brain, why biblical genealogies are necessary and significant, learning to think small, and listening for echoes in the text.
This informative, insightful book includes tools and questions for reflection at the end of each chapter which can be used for individual or group study. (Baker)
Related article: Reading the New Testament with Jewish Eyes
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.