January 30, 2009

• To answer the question

  I had someone ask me what I use and what I recommend…… Right now I use the Complete Jewish Bible and The Jewish Study Bible (Tanakh Translation by the JPS), The Scriptures and the KJV.

  I am going to paste my husbands post below this for more information to those who are interested. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask.

  The New Testament was written in Hebrew and then in Greek (For the benefit of Gentile People) it helps if we get a Hebrew perspective to the gospels because the writers of the New Testament were Jewish People. With this in mind I have provided a few Bible resources to help with your search 
  
  At the end of the article I have a example of some of the problems you might have using a Greek mindset.
  

  Complete Jewish Bible
  A New Translation by Dr. David Stern
  Now Available in Large Print! Presenting the Word of God as a unified Jewish book, the Complete Jewish Bible is a translation for Jews and non-Jews alike. It connects Jews with the Jewishness of the Messiah, and non-Jews with their Jewish roots. Names and key terms are returned to their original Hebrew and presented in easy-to-understand transliterations, enabling the reader to say them the way Yeshua (Jesus) did! For readers familiar with the Jewish New Testament, the Complete Jewish Bible is a welcome sight! 1697 pages.

  Jewish New Testament
  The New Testament is a Jewish book, written by Jews, initially for Jews. Its central figure was a Jew. His followers were all Jews; yet no translation–except this one–really communicates its original, essential Jewishness. Uses neutral terms and Hebrew names. Highlights Jewish features and Jewish references. Corrects mistranslations from an anti-Jewish theological basis. Freshly rendered into English using the Greek texts, this is a must for learning about first-century faith. 436 pages. The Jewish New Testament is included in the Complete Jewish Bible

  Jewish New Testament Commentary
  This companion volume to the Jewish New Testament enhances Bible study. Passages and expressions are explained in their original cultural context, the way 1st century Jewish writers meant for them to be understood! Over fifteen years of research and study went into the JNTC to make the New Testament more meaningful! 960 pages.

  The Jewish Study Bible
  

  Now, readers of the Bible who are interested in studying Jewish traditions have an unparalleled resource specifically tailored for their needs.

  The Jewish Study Bible presents the center of gravity of the Scriptures where Jews experience it (i.e., in Torah). It offers readers the fruits of various schools of Jewish traditions of biblical exegesis (rabbinic, medieval, mystical, etc.) and provides them with extensive supplementary materials that aid in bringing the ancient text to life. The nearly forty contributors to the Jewish Study Bible represent the cream of Jewish biblical scholarship from the world over. No knowledge of Hebrew is required for one to make use of this unique volume.

  The JSB’s content reflects both contemporary biblical scholarship and the richness of Jewish tradition. Anyone interested in acquiring a fuller understanding of the riches of the Bible will benefit from reading the Jewish Study Bible.

  KEY FEATURES:

  • Section and book introductions that deliver insights into the background, structure, and meaning of the text.
  • Running commentary beside the biblical text that provides in-depth theological interpretation of it from the Jewish perspective.
  • 24 informative essays on topics that relate to Judaism’s use and interpretation of the Bible through the ages.
  • 25 in-text maps and diagrams.
  • 6 tables and charts.
  • 21-page Glossary of technical terms found in the study notes and commentary.
  • 38-page Index to the volume’s study materials.
  • 11 pages of authoritative, full-color New Oxford Bible Maps, with index.

  About the translation used in The Jewish Study Bible: A committee of esteemed scholars and rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism movements produced the TANAKH translation (1985) for The Jewish Publication Society.
  

  The Scriptures

  This is a literal translation of the Bible in English. This translation differs significantly from most common English translations in that it has restored the original book order of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanakh, and restored the Name of the Most High, YHWH / throughout.

  

  The Names of all the books in the Tenakh are now restored to the original Hebrew, including the books of the Torah: Bereshith (Genesis), Shemoth (Exodus), Wayiqra (Leviticus), etc, also the books of, Tehillim (Psalms), and Mishle (Proverbs) etc.

  The traditional rendering of the word “Law” has been restored with “Torah” throughout the translation, retaining the richness and full meaning of this word in the Hebrew language.

  The Scriptures translation is available in Hard Cover, Soft Cover, Large Print or limited Leather Edition, with the following improvements:

  • Hard cover / Soft Cover in Skivertex finish.
  • Head and tail bands (Hardcover only)
  • Satin book ribbon (Hard Cover only)
  • Increased ridged binding
  • Gloss-art bookmark reflecting the Hebrew and traditional names of books and page numbers. (While stocks last)

  

  The Scriptures is a literal translation of the Tanakh and the Messianic Scriptures.

  The divine Name (the tetragrammaton), YHWH / , appears in Hebrew characters throughout the translation in the Tanakh (Torah, Nevi’im, Kethuvim) and also in the Messianic Scriptures. The name by which the Messiah was known, Y’hoshua / Yeshua, is restored in Hebrew as well and appears in the text as such, .

  The original Hebrew personal names of people and places are restored throughout the Scriptures, such as “Yirmeyahu” for Jeremiah, “Yeshayahu”, for Isaiah and “Mosheh” for Moses and in the Messianic Scriptures, “Mattithyahu” for Matthew etc.

  Words and names, as far as possible, have been corrected in order to eliminate any names of idolatrous origin.

  The books in the Tanakh are arranged according to the original order of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings.

  Difficult phrases in the Scriptures are explained in footnotes and the explanatory word list.

  

  Download the following files in PDF format and see exactly what the inside looks like. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system.

  The Preface to The Scriptures (113K)
  A portion from Debarim (Deuteronomy) (328K)
  The Book of Mattithyahu (Matthew) (184K)

  Download The Scriptures for Bible Programs
  

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  The Scriptures is available for the excellent Bible program, e-Sword. This Bible program is available from e-Sword here: www.e-sword.net
  

  Download The Scriptures for the e-Sword program, ver 1.13.
  (For Windows OS only)

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  The Scriptures is also available for The Sword Project. This is the CrossWire Bible Society’s free Bible software project and is available from: The Sword Project
  

  Download The Scriptures for The Sword Project.
  (For Windows OS only)

  An example of a proof for an original Hebrew text, is Matthew 6:19-24:

  “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

  In these verses we have Yeshua speaking about money, and not making it more important than God. Note that He begins speaking about money, then says something about “an evil eye,” then finishes His statement about money. If this were penned in Greek originally, you would have to ask, “Why this odd verse about an “evil eye” in the midst of a money topic?” It makes no sense. However, if you happen to know that having an “evil eye” is a Hebrew idiom of that time for “being stingy with your money,” then, a) the passage makes sense, and b) you realize it HAD to be written in Hebrew first, then whoever translated it into Greek, (unaware of the idiom), simply took it word-for-word from Hebrew into the Greek.

  There are many “New Testament” verses that are very hard, if not impossible, to understand without knowledge of the deeper teachings of the Judaism of that day. There are also many places where Yeshua and Paul quote from Jewish literature as shown elsewhere in this study.

  It is important to note who these letters were originally meant to be read by “leaders” in the Messianic community (most likely Jews), who were well versed in the Judaism of the first century and its understanding of Torah.. (Note Peter’s concerns about Paul’s letters being hard to understand and often twisted about by “lawless” people — “lawless” meaning not knowing or respecting Torah, the “Law.”)

  Nothing in the “New Testament” was ever meant to be read out of context, by people from another culture ignorant of the Hebrew meaning to the words and the concepts behind them, and replacing this with their own personal meaning. Nor were any of the “New Testament” documents ever meant to stand on their own, apart from being interpreted in the context of the Torah (God’s direct revelation/instruction), which of course came first.

  • 10:22 am
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