Book Review: Hebrew Yeshua vs. Greek Jesus
I decided to read “Hebrew Yeshua vs. Greek Jesus” after I read another of Nehemia Gordon’s books, “A Prayer to Our Father” (read my book review here). “Hebrew Yeshua” has a very similar format as “A Prayer” in that he draws out meanings to verses that are at times different when 
translated from Greek than from Hebrew.
The author is a Karaite Jew, a scriptualist, and an expert on reading the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has numerous references on each page for you to verify his conclusions.
This book takes some time giving you a high-level crash course into the Pharisee way of thinking, which Gordon formerly was. He also describes customs and traditions that some of those in the Jewish faith practice.
Gordon discusses the fact that the Pharisee’s believe in two torahs; the written Torah that Moses received from God (Yehovah) on Mt. Sinai and an “Oral Torah”, one that evolves over time based on Rabbinical interpretations. In actuality, even though God wrote down the written Torah, the Rabbi’s authority and interpretation (the Oral Torah) supersedes what God has explicitly told us; their manners and customs. If the Rabbi says that your left hand is actually your right hand, you must obey what he has to say even though Scripturally it may say the opposite. Jesus (Yeshua) had a bit of difficulty with Pharisee’s regarding this (Oral Torah) and in reality Jesus had to be killed for not obeying the Oral Torah. It is a rabbinical law.
Gordon uses Matthew 23:2-3 as the basis of this book. In this verse, Jesus said:
“2Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”
This verse sounds likes Jesus is saying that you must observe everything that the Pharisee’s are saying because they sit in Moses’ seat. He goes step by step, explains Moses’ seat, brings in Hebrew translation, and you’ll see that as the original meaning unfolds, Jesus it is pretty much saying the opposite. It really is amazing.
Overall, I think this is a good book and I enjoyed it. I was a little confused with the title, but maybe it was with my expectations. I had expected more comparisons between what the Hebrew translation describes Yeshua to what the Greek translation describes Jesus.
One option that you can do, is to watch the video on the book (see below). It is 2 hours long, but covers the same material as in the book.
Book Review: A Prayer to Our Father, Hebrew Origins of the Lord’s Prayer
This book is absolutely amazing! I loved it!
This was written by two men with different perceptions; a Jew and a Christian. The Lord’s Prayer (The Avinu Prayer) is one which both, those of the Jewish faith and the Christian faith, can apply to their life.
The authors laid the ground work of the biblical text that they were going to use; Hebrew Matthew and the Hebrew Bible. The King James Version (KJV), New International Version (NIV), and others are Greek translations. There is a version of the Gospel of Matthew (Hebrew Matthew) that was written in Hebrew and text within Matthew is consistent with how Hebrew was written.
Six chapters describe the six possible locations of where Yeshua (Jesus) could have taught this prayer to his disciples. They visited each site, described what they saw, and researched Scriptures and other Hebrew materials to draw their conclusion on each location. As I was reading each chapter, it felt like I was in a treasure hunt. In the end, with what they described, I too came to the same conclusion as to where the location was.
The authors then broke down each of the eight statements of the Lord’s Prayer by devoting a complete chapter to each statement. Within each chapter they talked about Hebrew mannerisms and customs in a very understandable fashion. It is truly amazing to see when a word is translated this way or that way (Hebrew vs. Greek), how different the statement means.
This book has caused me to thirst for more. There are other books that the Jewish author has written that also intrigue me. He is an expert in translating the Dead Sea Scrolls and as a researcher deciphering ancient Hebrew manuscripts. In addition, I want to dig into the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament and of the Hebrew Matthew Version.
Below I have included the KJV version and the Hebrew Matthew Version of the Lord’s Prayer. I invite you to read both versions and think about the differences.
King James Version
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever.
Amen.
Hebrew Matthew Version
Our Father in heaven,
May your name be sanctified.
May your kingdom be blessed.
Your will shall be done in heaven and on earth.
Give us our bread continually.
Forgive us the debt of our sins
as we forgive the debt of those who sin against us.
Do not bring us into the hands of a test,
and protect us from all evil.
Amen.
Book: My Father, Maker of the Trees
In 1994, 16-year-old Eric Irivuzumugabe climbed a cypress tree and remained there for 15 days without food or 
water. He wasn’t trying to win a bet with his friends–he was attempting to save his life. Eric is a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed the lives of 1 million people in just 100 days. In the midst of indescribable loss, and without a job, a home, or an education, Eric was determined to start a new life for himself and his two surviving brothers.
My Father, Maker of the Trees is the story not only of his physical survival, it is the story of his spiritual rebirth and the role he is playing in the healing and redemption of his land and people. His incredible account will show readers the reality of evil in the world as well as the power of hope. Eric’s message of God’s relentless love through our darkest circumstances will encourage and inspire.
For more information or to order the book, please visit their website.
Book Review: From Eternity to Here by Frank Viola
For a couple of years I have wondered, “There has to be more to the Christian faith then showing up at church every Sunday for a hour to hour and a half and reading little biblical snipits throughout the week”. That statement is one of the main reasons why, as of the beginning of 2009, I no longer attend a traditional Sunday morning church service. And so began my journey.
I read a couple of Frank Viola’s books, “Pagan Christianity” and “Reimagining Church“, which are awesome books in their own right and serve a very important purpose. Then he came out with “From Eternity to Here“. His claim was that this is his most important piece of material he has ever written. I loved the other two books so this naturally piqued my interest. Once it was available I purchased it.
The first couple of pages contain numerous endorsements of some well-known individuals. Then came the page. It only had one sentence on it, yet, this sentence contained the thoughts that have permeated my brain for years and forefront on my journey. It states:
To every follower of Jesus who knows within their deepest parts that there must be more to the Christian faith
What Viola does in this book is bring to the forefront God’s ultimate desire, passion, and mission for the church (the bride of Christ). He splits this book into three sections; A Forgotten Woman: The Bride of Christ, An Eternal Quest: The House of God, and A New Species: The Body of Christ and the Family of God. He intricately weaves Old Testament Scripture into New Testament Scripture; tying the first two chapters of Genesis with the last two chapters of Revelation. Each chapter of this book unfolds beautifully where you can truly understand that there is more to Christianity than Sunday mornings and daily biblical snipits.
In this book he states,
When we discover that our relationship to the Father is actually Christ’s relationship to His father, it changes everything.
No longer are we saying I have to do this to be a better Christian, I’m working on that to be a better Christian, I, I, I. All about my abilities. Who is at the center of those statements, I. Instead, God is inviting you into the same relationship he has with Christ; not a separate relationship, but the same one!
This really is a must have book. This is one of those books thatI will read numerous times.
In fact, I think so highly of this book that I have decided to use it as a starting point with other believers that I have begun to gather together in community to discuss. Even before “Pagan Christianity” and “Reimagining Church“. I consider this book that important.
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