Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Christianity    3. Christianity - History - General    4. Church History    5. History    6. Judaism (Christian theology)    7. Judaism - History    8. Origin    9. Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600    10. Religion    11. Religion - Church History    12. Biblical Studies: General Studies, Biblical Studies: New Testament Backgrounds/Historical Studies/Archaeology    13. Religion / Antiquities & Archaeology   

Reviews (10)

GET VIDEO VERSION OF JESUS DEBATE
GET VIDEO VERSION OF JESUS DEBATE
What about the Tombs
Hey all you people that say that Jesus did not claim to be God what about the tombs dated to no later than 42 A.D.One of them says Yeshua and right next to it says Yhwh which would be the name of God.Another example is the one that was translated that said (Jesus the Redeemer) sounds like a divinity claim to me.Check the site out Jerusalem Christian Review for more on these tombs.

Great Starter for Historical Jesus Research
Dr. Jeffery's book is a great beginning book for anyone who is interested in understanding the historical Jesus controversy. Unlike most authors who are trying to support the under-informed Jesus Seminar, Dr. Jeffery's writes from an evangelical perspective which is inviting and encouraging. If you are searching for a book to intrigue you while also educate you, this is the book for you. May the Holy Spirit use his book for the ultimate glory of God and the furtherance of the Kingdom. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - General    2. Christianity - History - General    3. Faith    4. History    5. Judaism - History    6. Religion    7. Theology - Christology    8. Religion / Bible / Prophecies   

Subjects:  1. History    2. Jewish camps    3. Jewish religious education    4. Judaism - History    5. Judaism - Reform    6. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    7. Organizations & Institutions    8. Reform Judaism    9. Religion    10. Religion - Judaism    11. United States    12. United States - 20th Century    13. Educational visits & field trips    14. Judaism    15. Religion / Judaism / Reform    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Customs and practices    2. History    3. History Of Judaism    4. Intellectual life    5. Jewish - General    6. Jews    7. Judaism    8. Judaism - History    9. Religion    10. Religion - Judaism   

Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Bibles - Hebrew    3. Dead Sea scrolls    4. Judaism - History    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Hebrew    8. Judaism    9. Old Testament    10. Religion & Theology | Judaism    11. Religion / Judaism / History    12. Sacred texts   

Reviews (1)

Understanding Judaism
This is supposed to be a Judaism 101 for the basically ignorent Jew.It needs a glossary to translate all of the Hebrew used throughout the book.The authors should not assume that the readers went to Hebrew school.Otherwise it's a great easy to read book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Judaism    2. Judaism - General    3. Judaism - History    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (28)

Fascinating, but Not Quite Satisfying
This book should be read if for no other reason than its fascinating subject.In portraying a series of Jewish communities, Samuel Freedman powerfully portrays both the diversity and the passionate divisions within modern American Jewry. It would be difficult to read this book and then attempt to answer a question like "What do Jews believe about _____" or "What's the Jewish perspective on _____." Typically, the most honest answer would be that while Jews disagree as to how they'd respond, each of us is quite confident that we can speak authoritatively for our people and those who disagree with us do not represent "true" Judaism.It's a sad state of affairs, but Freedman's study demonstrates that this is where we're at.
Superficial Writing
Freedman intends to study how American Jews differ on how they should interpret religion. For example, some Jews believe in strict adherance to Jewish doctrines, while some favour relaxation, such as letting women participate in religious services.
An engaging communal portrait
It has been thirty years or more since I left America , but I do have some sense of what has gone on with the American- Jewish community in that time. And I believe that Samuel Freedman accurately describes many of the processes, including the assimilation, intermarriage, strengthening of the Haredi world, decline of a kind of ethnic secular Judaism. Freedman has also suggested a decline in the kind of consensus within the community, and an increase in conflict over vital issues of identity and self- definition.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Jewish Studies    3. Jews    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - History    6. Minority Studies - Ethnic American    7. Religion - Judaism    8. Social Science    9. Social conditions    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. History / General    14. Sociology, Social Studies   

Subjects:  1. 1135-1204    2. Christianity - Theology - General    3. God (Judaism)    4. History Of Judaism    5. History of doctrines    6. Jewish Theology    7. Judaism - General    8. Judaism - Theology    9. Maimonides, Moses,    10. Philosophy, Jewish    11. Religion    12. Religion - Judaism    13. Contributions in the doctrine of God    14. Judaism    15. Maimonides, Moses    16. Nature & existence of God    17. Religion & Theology | Judaism    18. Religion / Theology   

Reviews (2)

A worthy study in the ancient writings....
Before I give the high's of this book, let me express what the book of Enoch 1 isn't.First off, the book is not some great secret that the early church fathers wanted to hide away...as you might hear from the Dan Brown and Elaine Pagels crowd.The reason this book was not added to the early canonization of the full Bible (i.e. OT and NT) is the same reason why it wasn't included in the early Greek traditions and translations of the OT (somewhere around the time, maybe a bit after the book of `Ezra-Nechemyah)...the book of Enoch does not hold up to the sacred truths of what Biblical Holy Scripture is, that is, it doesn't hold up against the measure that the Scripture should have an in-depth and cohesive revelation of who God is...in other words, in simplistic terms, unlike books like B'resheet,Yesha'yahu, Mattityahu, Mark, Luke, and Yochanan, along with the Sha'ul's letters et cetera, the book of Enoch cannot be trusted as a primary source of revelation toward the truth that is God through Yeshua (considering that the OT aims toward the Messiah as seen in the Torah and the Histories and the Prophets and the NT reveals the Messiah as seen in the four Gospels, letters, and the Revelation An invaluable work and a welcome addition to Biblical Studies
The collaborative effort of George W. E. Nickelsburg (Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa) and James C. VanderKam (John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, University of Notre Dame, Indiana), 1 Enoch: A New Translation is an invaluable work and a welcome addition to Biblical Studies. Based on the Hermeneia commentary, 1 Enoch is divided into five sections, followed by two brief appendices: The Book of the Watchers, The Book of Parables, The Book of the Luminaries, The Dream Visions, The Epistle of Enoch, The Birth of Noah, and Another Book by Enoch. Different sections portray the evolution of stages of Enochic tradition, which are linked by a common world view that considers the present world incurably corrupt and unjust, in need of divine judgment and renewal. Claiming to transmit divine revelation, as given to Enoch in primordial times and made public in the last days to perpetuate the community of the chosen, 1 Enoch is translated with every effort to present ancient writings as clearly and intelligibly to the reader as possible. Extensive footnotes, annotations and reference allow this complex script to be comprehensible to lay readers (with effort), and 1 Enoch: A New Translation is an enthusiastically recommended primary source for religious studies and reference shelves.
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Subjects:  1. Bible - Apocrypha    2. Bibles    3. Judaism - History    4. Religion    5. Spirituality - General    6. History of religion    7. Judaism    8. Religion & Beliefs   

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - History    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. History of religion    8. Religion / General   

Subjects:  1. Antiquities    2. General    3. History and criticism    4. Jerusalem    5. Jewish - General    6. Judaism - History    7. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    8. Rabbinical literature    9. Religion    10. Religion - Judaism    11. Temple Mount (Jerusalem) in rabbinical literature    12. Christianity    13. Devotional theology & objects of veneration    14. Judaism    15. Palestine   

Subjects:  1. Judaism - General    2. Judaism - History    3. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    4. Judaism - Theology    5. Personal & Practical Guides    6. Religion    7. Religion - Judaism    8. Wills    9. Wills, Ethical    10. Judaism    11. Moral theology   

Reviews (10)

How Times Have Changed
I've followed David Stern for some time and read much that has come out of the Messianic Jewish movement.I've also read many books by traditional Jews about Jesus and/or Christianity (Geza Vermes, for instance).50 years ago, Jews didn't dare write about Jesus.Now, many traditional Jews are trying to reclaim Yeshua (Jesus) as part of the Jewish rabbinic tradition, and rightly so.How times change.
Misleading. This is a Christian book not a Jewish one
Mr. Stern ispracticing deception. He was born as a Jew and has converted to Christianity.
Lies and cheats its way to gull you into buying Jesus
This book is designed to help convince people that Jesus is Messiah. It's nothing more than a front for Christianity, to "save the Jewish soul". It is fraudulent. There is no real Judaism in Messianic Judaism. Go consult your Orthodox Rabbi - see how much shrift he gives this kind of nonsense. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - General    2. Judaism - History    3. Judaism - Theology    4. Reference    5. Religion    6. Religion - Theology    7. Theology   

Reviews (1)

3.4 stars; Exile can be fun
Erich Gruen's book on the Diaspora offers a major new reinterpretation of the Jewish experiences from Alexander the Great to the Jewish rebellion of 66 CE.Historically, both Othodox and Zionist Jews view the diaspora as a curse, whose denizens are perenially threatened by anti-Semitism. Gruen argues a rather different case.Jews, the vast majority of whom lived outside of Palestine, thrived in the diaspora.While taking advantages of the symposiums and civic institutions of the Hellenic and Roman worlds, they also established a plethora of synagogues and regularly paid the half-shekel temple tax to Jerusalem.By examining certain deuterocanonical and apocryphal works of literature, Gruen finds a confident sense of humor.There was no contemporary angst and agony over the diaspora.Read more

Subjects:  1. 586 B.C.-70 A.D    2. Ancient - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Jewish diaspora    7. Jews    8. Judaism    9. Judaism - History    10. Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D    11. Europe    12. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    13. History / Ancient / General    14. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    15. Jewish studies   

Subjects:  1. Baal Shem Tov,    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. General    6. Judaism    7. Judaism - Hasidism    8. Judaism - History    9. Leadership    10. Magic, Jewish    11. Mysticism    12. Religious    13. Religious aspects    14. ca. 1700-1760    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. Religious & spiritual leaders   

Reviews (3)

Bad judgment as historical injustice
Elliot Horowitz tries to make a new reading of Jewish history as a whole. He wants to argue for the idea that violence on the part of Jews has been in the Diaspora an important and predominant factor. However the number of illustrations he can muster to prove his point is few. And what he does instead is provide a skewed misreading of Diaspora Jewish history as whole.
A brilliant book by a prodigiously creative historian
Horowitz is one of the most original historians of Jewish cultural and intellectual history writing today. This book is in turn surprising, unnerving and enchanting, and disposes of pious presuppositions about the changing image and force of violence in Jewish religious thought.A tour de force.

A new perspective on Purim and Esther
This book, subtitled Purim and the Legacy of Jewish Violence, everything is viewed through the prism of the violence inflicted by the Jews upon their enemies at the end of Esther.
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Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. History    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - History    5. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    6. Judaism - Theology    7. Purim    8. Relations    9. Religion    10. Religion - Judaism    11. Religious aspects    12. Violence    13. Jewish Studies    14. Religion / Judaism / History    15. Violence in society    16. World History/Comparative History   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Converts from Christianity    3. History    4. History Of Judaism    5. Judaism    6. Judaism - General    7. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    8. Judaism And Christianity    9. Proselytes and proselyting, Jewish    10. Religion    11. Jewish studies   

Editorial Review

"Positive, upbeat, practical, deeply rooted in Jewish history. That's our language. That's Yiddish." These words refer to the first recognizable Yiddish sentence extant, dated 1272, translated as "A good day will happen to the person who brings this Read more

Reviews (5)

Yiddish Language
A wonderful history of the language which some are trying to tell you is a dying one.However, it is alive and well and living as is mentioned in this account, particularly at the National Yiddish Book Center.This is a great account of how the language evolved and originated and where it is headed.It helps to clear up the erroneous impression that it is a street language but shows that it has a history of a culture and a marvelous literature.

Part History, Memoir and Phrasebook of a Glorious Tongue
I admit to being surprised by this book, knowing that it was the first effort from a former journalist. (I have found that most writers coming from the worlds of journalism or academia lack the ability to communicate on the same level as those of us outside of the twin ivory towers.) But here is an utterly delightful, at times moving, history of one of the most unique languages on the planet.Part history, part memoir, part dictionary and phrasebook, this book could not have been put together with greater love and craft.I especially loved the frequent garnishment of Yiddish proverbs and "Sprichworte" throughout the narrative. The best ever historyof Yiddish for the general reader
Yiddish: A Nation of Words is the kind of book you don't want to put down once you've started. Weinstein has the perfect touch for getting across the facts about this almost lost language, neither weighing the reader down with the terrible sadness of the story nor degrading the story with humorous cliches. The research the book is based on is thorough and trustworthy. You will learn a lot about the Jewish diaspora, about Europe and the Middle East, about America in the last century--and enjoy doing it. Anyone from an immigrant family is going to resonate to the pressures that eventually saw the end of American Yiddish--and to the wisdom that is still preserved in the words.Read more

Subjects:  1. Judaism - History    2. Religion    3. Religion - Judaism    4. Yiddish    5. Judaism    6. Language & Linguistics    7. Religion / Judaism / History   

Reviews (10)

An Egypt tour leads to an unforgettable adventure in Egyptian Religion!
Interesting, but largely unsupported
Based primarily upon oral Egyptian traditions from one source, the author creates an integrated set of hypotheses to form a "theory" of human & religious development in direct opposition to academic Egyptologists, written records from Manetho, Josephus, etc. (which the author dismisses out of hand), & conflicting stories, legends, myths from other traditions around the world (read some Joseph Campbell & study comparative mythology).He provides precious little & highly ambiguous data & some Rosicrucian, scientific, & unsupported "alternative researchers."The bulk of the book is highly speculative & moot.True, Egyptologists are rightfully uncertain about much of ancient Egypt since there's insufficient data & information for accurate knowledge of such ancient times.The book strongly reminds me of Erich von Daniken's "Chariots of the Gods" except that von Daniken had more data--though his interpretation of it was somewhat suspect & there are alternative, less dramatic explanations for much of it.And, there's the "Da Vinci Code" & "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" for comparison.I'd give more credence to Edgar Cayce's explanation (though from a totally psychic source) since he did perform spectacular physical cures.Also, Ignatius Donnelly's "Atlantis, the Antediluvian World," though speculative, made a reasonable case (by a U.S. Congressman); indeed, scientists today are giving his thesis support.Mehler says himself, p. 176: "This may sound like philosophical meanderings or `New Age woo-woo."
True vision of the evolution of modern religions in ancient Egypt
This second book by leading world Egyptologist Stephen Mehler is as fundamental as his first book The Land of Osiris. This one is also based in many aspects on analysis of long discussions Mehler had with Abd'El Hakim Awyan, a keeper of oral tradition of the indigenous people of Egypt. In the book Mehler discloses ways that brought ancient people to different religions known today as ancient Egyptian religion, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He shows that from the pre-historic period to the beginning of the dynastic one Khemitians (the original name of Egyptians) followed pure spiritual practices when people were looking for fusing of their thoughts and the ascension of their spirit. Then Mehler gives a detailed explanation of the appearance of first churches and priests. He accounts for ways and methods, which those priests used to turn people to new ideas when main aspects of nature and spirit became transformed to notions of gods. A very subtle analysis! Mehler could puzzle out very difficult events that took place in Egypt around 1500 BC, which allowed him to present us persons who decided to resuscitate prehistoric spiritual Khemitian traditions. That dramatic period of ancient Egypt resulted in the migration of 12 tribes of Khemitians to a new land known today as Israel. Mehler uncovers those events to the smallest detail, which so far have been unknown even for researchers.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. Comparative Religion    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Judaism - History    7. Mysticism    8. New Age    9. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries   

Subjects:  1. Jewish - General    2. Judaism - History    3. Religion