The Complete Jewish Study Bible

The Complete Jewish Study Bible comes to us with the theme of “Insights for Jews & Christians” and the goal of “Illuminating the Jewishness of God’s Word.” What a treasure this provides in one volume – something I’ve been hoping for since my husband bought me The Complete Jewish Bible and separate commentary, which I reviewed a few years ago.

This hardback edition published by Hendrickson Bibles, who kindly sent me a copy to review, offers “Features Unique to The Complete Jewish Study Bible” (CJSB) such as “New Bible Book Introductions” from a Jewish perspective and “Study Notes” in the bottom margins “to help readers understand the deeper meanings behind the Jewish text.”

Additionally, over 100 color-coded articles in sidebars throughout the text focus on these twelve significant themes:

Anti-Jewish Scriptural Interpretations
Covenant
Jewish Customs
Jewish-Gentile Relatons
Messianic Prophecy
The Name of God
The Sabbath (Shabbat)
Salvation and Atonement
The Holy Days of Israel
The Land of Israel
Torah
The Tabernacle (Mishkan)

In his introduction, translator and scholar David H. Stern, who provided us with this biblical text in English, begins by asking “Why is this Bible different from all other Bibles?” bringing to mind a traditional question, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” asked by the youngest person at the Passover Seder.

And why is this Bible different? The CJSB “restores the Jewish unity of the Bible,” giving Messianic Jews the opportunity to see Jesus’ Jewishness in the New Covenant and Christians a fuller view of Jesus in the Torah.

For example, a footnote to Genesis 2:15 comments on the phrase “To cultivate and care for it” as coming from “The Hebrew word for ‘work,’ avodah,” which “is the same for ‘manual labor’ and ‘worshipping God.’ The picture we see here of the human’s work is that it was also a form of worship.”

To give you an example of the importance of Jewish insight into the New Testament, Nicodemus was more confused by Jesus statement “You must be born again” in John 3:3 than most of us Christians ever realized. According to Pharisaic Judaism, a person had six ways to be born again:

Converting to Judaism
Becoming bar mitzvah
Marrying
Being ordained as a rabbi
Heading a rabbinical school
Being crowned king

Since (Nicodemus) “Nakdimon had gone through every process available in Judaism to being ‘born again’….” Jesus (Yeshua) had “the opportunity to explain some spiritual truths to this already ‘born again’ teacher of Is’rael, primarily that he still needed to be spiritually ‘born again’.”

I would be delighted to give you more and more examples of how the CJSB blesses readers who love God’s Word, but I pray you’ll see for yourself. Since I'm posting this review on the last day of National Bible Week, it's a great time to find out!

Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, reviewer

The Complete Jewish Study Bible, hardcover



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Bible for our Shared Heritage

Previously we discussed The Complete Jewish Bible – a translation by David Stern that shows the connection between the Jewish family of God to which Jesus belongs and Christianity, which began as a sect within the Jewish community. These deep roots remain and entwine us like a vine, so the more we understand our Jewish heritage in the Christian faith, the more we understand Jesus as Messiah or Mashiach, Jesus as The Anointed One, Jesus as the Passover Lamb, Jesus as The Vine.

With the Shared Heritage Bible, an impressive team of scholars gives us insight into Hebrew Scriptures and also the New Covenant, newly translated as the Tree of Life Version (TLV) from a Messianic Jewish perspective. This helps us to see, for example, that the Holy Spirit, Who descended on us and the church at Pentecost (a Jewish holy day) was also present in the beginning of creation as Ruach ha-Kodesh, the Spirit of God or Holy Breath. And, we begin to see the Glory of God, manifested as the guiding cloud during Exodus or over the Ark of the Covenant where the Ten Commandments were kept or in the Temple, is the same Glory Who visited the virgin Miriam, prior to Yeshua’s birth.

“And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:14, TLV.

Other Features: A Glossary at the back of the book gives key words in English and Hebrew with pronunciation clarified and definitions so enlightening that readers might want to just sit down and read these perceptive pages. The stark white paper, highly readable font, and contemporary language make this a pleasure too.

Another feature I’ll most likely return to again and again is the section “Welcoming the Sabbath” with traditional and Messianic blessings for the candle lighting as Shabbat begins and ends. I also welcomed the original maps of the Promised Land as shown during Jesus’ time and the Land of Israel as measured today.

One feature, however, may be slightly confusing if you take this reader edition to a church Bible study group and have to look up verses quickly as the arrangement follows the traditional Jewish presentation of the Torah (first five books) followed by the Prophets and then the Writings. This differs from the sequence most Christians have become accustomed to - i.e., the Torah, historical books, wisdom books, and then the books of prophecy. For example, the Writings begin with Psalms and end, not with Malachi, but with I and II Chronicles, concluding the First Testament or Hebrew Bible with "Whosoever there is among you of all His people - the LORD his God be with him - let him go up," II Chronicles 36:23. From there, we go up to the New Covenant as we seek Jesus, Yeshua, Messiah, the Holy One, the Son of God, and also the Jewish Son of Man.


©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler

Reader edition of the Shared Heritage Bible from Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.


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