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.

It’s Your Kindness

A woman caught in the very act of adultery and was brought to Jesus (funny, wasn’t the guy caught too?); John 8:3-11.  Jewish custom is that she should be stoned to death.   However, what did Jesus do? He knelt down to the ground and with his finger started writing, which some believe He was writing their own sins, in the ground.  In any event, the people left and Jesus was left alone with the woman.  Instead of condemning her, he showed her kindness and a new way of life.

Like my post from yesterday, we should love them and show kindness.

What is in a Name?

A lot of times when you read the genealogy in the Bible, you kind of gloss it over.  So and so became the father of so and so, etc.  Now genealogy is really important especially when you are looking at lineage.  The Messiah needs to come from a certain line; from King David as stated in Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38.

A friend of mine sent me a link regarding the genealogy of Genesis 5.  As you look at the definitions of the first 10 fathers names, from Adam to Noah, you discover there is somewhat of a hidden message.  Below is a list of those names and their definitions:

• Adam -  Man
• Seth – Appointed
• Enosh – Mortal
• Kenan – Sorrow
• Mahalalel – The Blessed God
• Jared – Shall Come Down
• Enoch – Teaching
• Methuselah – His Death Shall Bring
• Lamech – The Dispairing
• Noah – Rest or Comfort
  

Sounds like a summary of God’s plan of redemption, hidden here within a genealogy in Genesis!

Source of where I got this information, click here.

Interviewing the Children of the Mother Suicide Bomber

WOW! They are proud of their mother killing 5 Jews.

Re-enactment of Child’s Mother Suicide Bombing

Daughter of suicide bomber Reem Riyashi sings to her mother: “Now I know what was more precious than us” – your bomb was more precious than your children! Girl then vows to follow in her Mommy’s footsteps and picks up a stick of TNT. Shown regularly on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), 2007-2009

Transcript:
“Mommy, what are you carrying in your arms instead of me?
(Reem prepares bomb)
A toy or a present for me?
(Mother hides bomb)
Come back quickly, Mommy!
(Girl sees news about mother’s bombing)
Instead of me you carried a bomb in your hands. Only now do I know what was more precious than us. My love [for Muhammad] will not be [mere] words. I am following in Mommy’s steps!
(Picks up explosives in mother’s drawer)
My mother! My mother!”

I saw another video which played the above video on a children television show on Hamas TV.

Come Here, Stay

Not Charlie

We have a dog named Charlie.  I always wanted to name my dog, “Ask Him” for a boy or “Ask Her” for a girl.  So when someone asks me what the name of our dog is I could say, “Ask Him”.  I know, lame.  But it would be a conversation starter.

Well,  I have  friend who wanted to name their dog, “Stay”.  So when he would call him he would say “Come here, Stay”.  My kids got a real kick out of this.  Can you imagine what the dog would do when called, “Come Here, Stay.  Come here, Stay.”  Talking about giving a dog a complex.  I think it would be hilarious.

Notice what happened when Jesus called certain men to follow him:

Matthew 4:18-20
“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Matthew 4:21-22
“Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.  They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets.  Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

Matthew 9:9
“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.  ‘Follow Me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

The men immediately stopped what they were doing and followed Him.  They didn’t ask questions or hesitate, they just went.  Some left the family fish business to follow someone who they really didn’t know yet.

We always seem to ask for God’s Will.  Just tell me and I’ll do as you say … honest.  But when we are told are we listening, will we do as He asks … immediately?  Or will we be like my friends dog name, “Come here, Stay”?

“The Adventure is in the Go”

I recently toured Israel with my daughter and visited the sites you read about in the Bible.  On this trip, I had a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and saw the same topography that Jesus saw, baptized with my daughter in the Jordan River, and visited Golgotha (where Jesus was crucified) and the Garden Tomb (where he rose again).  I got to know more about Jesus on that trip.  But I don’t want to stop there, I don’t want to just know about Jesus (like our Jewish tour guide), I want to know Jesus.

The title of this blog entry, “The Adventure is in the Go”, are words of the pastor at the current (and final) institutional church that I am attending has said numerous times.

I have decided that I will begin the transition from the church (the building, the performances) to The Church (the people, the followers of Jesus as in the first century New Testament).  So in this transition, the words of that pastor are resonating with me.  I anticipate that as I go, I am embarking on an incredible adventure!

I have not connected with anyone in my area who are on this adventure.  I’m not concerned about that now, that will happen in His time.  The bottom line for me is to just get going on my adventure and get to know Jesus.

If are in this transition, please share your experiences.  I would love to hear about them.