Stuff I didn't know!

I have been a Christian for many years and there were things in this book that surprised and informed me, while making so much more sense when looked at from the Jewish perspective.

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Eye Opening!

I’ve listened to this 3 times now (twice back-to-back).

I am not learned enough to totally accept or completely decry the content of this book. However, I am sufficiently curious enough to study/research further.

The majority of this text is compelling and truly opens my Western eyes & mind to more fully relate to Jesus the Jewish Rabbi who is the Messiah, who came to Israel and lived there, relating and interacting with the community there - His people - not a Western/English Minister/Pastor/Priest! I think that a great many Christians (irrespective of denominations), would be wise to read (listen) to this!

It’s about time that we stopped thinking that WE created Christianity. It’s about time that we mindfully acknowledged that Jesus Christ was a Jew. Not blond, blue-eyed, sexy and probably often, not clean - no daily hot showers…

Additionally, there’s a recommended daily Bible reading plan programme - which I have already purchased and will start soon.

If nothing else, this book encourages you to study the Bible more! I thoroughly enjoyed it! I’m grateful for the push.
(I have also been introduced to a new Bible translation - CSB).

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Divine wisdom

Very insightful and beautifully narrated. Such a joy and privilege to learn about Jesus Christ from this perspective. Highly recommended

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The Same Old Apologetic Balogne

As an Atheist who is nonetheless deeply fascinated by the Bible and its original, ancient Hebrew context, I've thoroughly enjoyed books like "The Bible Doesn't Say That" and "Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes." Because even when I strongly disagreed with the author's interpretations and believed that they were excessively coloured by their own religious prejudices and/or agenda, I still gained something from the experience. But in this book on the other hand, Gallaty's argument essentially boils down to nothing but a) "Well Actually, My Unsupported Assertions About Ancient Hebrew Culture Prove That Jesus Did Actually Claim To Be God & Was The Messiah Because I Say So! Checkmate Liberal Christian Scholars!" And b) while the author makes a point of directly criticising Supersessionism, the deeply patronising and Jesus-centric belief that the Old Testament is nothing but the build up to the Crucifixion of Christ. And that therefore, Christians must read the Old Testament in order to fully understand how God's plan to save the world by sacrificing his son was set into motion even before he tested Abraham.

Speaking of Abraham in fact, the way that, like so many other Christian apologists before them, Gallaty reduced the story of his sacrifice of Isaac to a mere 'Preview' of the sacrifice of Jesus genuinely made me laugh out loud as they twisted themselves into the same theological pretzels that Christians have knotted themselves into for Millennia in their desperate struggle to depict it as an act of 'Love.' (Never mind the fact that according to recent scholarship, in the original version of the story, Abraham 'DID' sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. And the ending in which an angel stopped him was only added by a later editor because the Israelites had banned human sacrifice in the meantime.)

Beyond the apologetic gymnastics though, the fact that the author didn't even attempt to understand or explain the original, ancient Hebrew meaning and significance of the story in its own context, genuinely believing that the 'ONLY' reason that it was ever told was so that later Christians could see a parallel with Jesus was deeply disheartening. And after that, the author's unquestioning acceptance of Matthew's totally made up 'Prophecy' about Jesus being called 'The Nazarene' (in spite of also making up a contradictory story of him being born in Bethlehem,) and of the long debunked 'Branch' apologetic that was invented to explain it killed any respect that I had left for them, along with any hope that I had left for this book. Because when a Christian gushes about the amazing prophecy fulfilments of the New Testament, asking the rest of us to explain how stories written down decades after Jesus' death by Greek speaking Jews who probably had a copy of the Septuagint open while they were writing (hence mistranslating 'Young/Unmarried Woman' as 'Virgin,' etc,) could possibly echo, reflect and fulfil the prophecies of the Old Testament so completely, (and yet still so inaccurately and messily that they had to literally 'Invent' at least one prophecy that they claimed was fulfilled,) then you know that you're wasting your time.

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3 people found this helpful