I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid (BG²). As a #BibleGatewayPartner, I have received a copy of the “Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible – NKJV Translation”  published by Thomas Nelson Publishers at no cost to me in exchange for an honest review here on the Adonai Shalom USA blog. #BG²

“Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible” (NKJV Translation)

Book Review and Description

The Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible – NKJV contains the entirety of the Scriptural text in the New King James Version Bible translation along with devotional passages drawn from Matthew Henry’s commentaries, which are interspersed throughout the text.

The introduction to this devotional Bible gives detail about Matthew Henry’s life. According to the introduction written by Philip Nation, Henry was a 17th century Presbyterian pastor in England. Nation shares background about some of Henry’s struggles, such as frequent childhood illness, loss of his wife and four of his infant children. Henry consistently turned to God’s Word as a source of comfort, making this devotional appropriate to any who likewise seek to draw encouragement and comfort from the Holy Scriptures.

Matthew Henry is well known to many for his numerous and thoughtful commentaries on Scripture. Many of us have relied on his thoughtful analysis of Scripture whether as students or as pastors. Because of my familiarity with Matthew Henry’s commentaries, I assumed this Bible would contain commentary, rather than devotional material – more of a “study Bible.”

The devotions in the Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible relate to the passage on the corresponding page, and they are dated for anyone who would enjoy following a devotional reading plan.

You will find the next day’s devotion listed at the bottom of the page, so you can place one of the two satin bookmarks there, ready for the next day, if you would like.

With this format, one could easily find another interesting passage to read along with the day’s devotional, so I actually like the fact the devotions are spread throughout the Bible rather than arranged in a more traditional format. This allows the reader to spend time prayerfully in the Word and invite the Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit) to truly guide one’s reading and devotional time.

A Devotional Bible

Given the exhaustive nature of Matthew Henry’s verse-by-verse six volume commentary on the whole Bible, I did expect to see more Matthew Henry devotionals in this particular Bible edition.

For anyone interested in a “devotional” introduction to Matthew Henry, this Bible will be very appropriate. It is less scholarly than jumping straight into his Bible commentaries. I could see this being an excellent gift for a young person going off to college or someone considering vocational ministry.

It is important to note that the Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible is aptly named and is not a Bible commentary nor a Study Bible. It is strictly intended as a devotional Bible.

The Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible can encourage any of us to put away the study Bibles for a moment and just focus our attention in a devotional format. With all the apps and electronic means of accessing the Scripture, having an actual book to hold and look through can help us slow down and focus on our personal devotional life with our Heavenly Father rather than studying all the time! The devotions in this Bible are Scripturally-based and free of distraction.

My recommendation:

★★★★★

Rating: 5 out of 5.

My initial reaction was to give the Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible 4 out of 5 stars, but the more I thought about the purpose of this non-study Bible, I decided it is worth 5 out of 5.

This Bible does not purport to give commentary nor to serve as a study Bible. It is intended as a devotional Bible, and it serves that purpose very well. I highly recommend this Devotional Bible to anyone seeking a devotional that can be used all year, and reused every year if desired.

Pastora Jennifer Mieliulis Fuentes, M.Div., Duke University

Book details

Title: “Matthew Henry Daily Devotional Bible – NKJV”
Author: Compilation
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: 10/18/2022
Genre: Bibles/New King James Version/Devotional

ISBN-13: 978-0-7852-4655-8

PURCHASE LINKS:  Amazon | FaithGateway Store

#BibleGatewayPartner

If you are looking for other wonderful Scripture resources, check out my reviews of “Spurgeon and the Psalms: The Book of Psalms with Devotions from Charles Spurgeon” and “Eternity Now: The New Testament Series” (NET) also published by Thomas Nelson.

Interested in more book reviews? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for updates!

I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid (BG²). As a #BibleGatewayPartner, I have received a copy of “NET Eternity Now: The New Testament Series” published by Thomas Nelson Publishers at no cost to me in exchange for an honest review here on the Adonai Shalom USA blog. #BG²

“Eternity Now: The New Testament Series” (New English Translation

The “Eternity Now: New Testament Series” comes as a boxed set of five books. Each cover is appealing and each title captures the essence of the New Testament books contained within them. The titles are creative but remain theologically appropriate. I was particularly struck by the “Now but not Yet” title for John’s writings because it reminded me of one of my seminary professors who always reminded us of this aspect of John’s record. To me, this suggests accuracy and faithfulness to the original texts while tastefully displaying the creativity of those who compiled this series.

The New English Translation (NET)

Of note, the Bible version used here is the NET, the New English Translation. This is a fairly recent translation, completed in 2019. The translators’ aim according to the series’ note to the reader was to “creat[e] an English Bible translation that could overcome old challenges and boldly open the door for new possibilities.”

I’m assuming the “challenges” may refer to moving beyond the archaic language of the King James Version, but I am unsure as to of what exactly consistent the “new possibilities” hoped for by the translators. It seems to me that the New English Translation seeks a more vernacular tone making it easier for modern readers to understand without losing accuracy.

In each book, a letter to the reader explains more about the NET translation. One thing that I found particularly interesting was this claim: “Throughout the NET’s translation process, every working draft was made publicly available on the Internet. Bible scholars, ministers, and laypersons from around the world logged millions of review sessions. No other translation is so openly accountable to the worldwide church or has been so thoroughly vetted” (Eternity Now, viii). Additionally, the NET allows ministries to use the translation freely due to “ministry-first copyright innovations” (Eternity Now, x).

That really is very unique and an awesome use of modern technology for the sake of the Gospel!

Book Review and Description

The “Eternity Now“ series is a compilation of all of the books of the New Testament/B’rit Chadashah arranged in a manner making it read more like a novel. This book set would be a wonderful gift idea for a young person in your life who might not otherwise read the Bible.

Each book contains the writings of the New Testament, still divided into chapters, but verse number superscripts are left out. Again, this makes the text read more like a novel than a traditional Bible, but the Biblical text remains the same and has not been altered. This series would perhaps not be appropriate for traditional “study” due to the lack of verse number indicators, but would work well for any type of personal devotional.

The paperback format makes these books easy to carry. Someone sitting beside another on the metro will not immediately recognize that the person with one of these books is reading Scripture. It is reader-friendly, eye-catching, and somewhat unconventional.

My recommendation:

★★★★★

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I value anything that gets Scripture out to people, especially to people who might not otherwise read the Bible for themselves. This is a useful evangelical tool that I could see placed on coffee tables at clinics and coffeeshops with the hope that someone might pick it up to read and be surprised by the wonderful Good News it contains.

I recommend the “Eternity Now: New Testament Series” and hope that you find it to be a blessing either for yourself personally or for someone who you are praying will come to the saving knowledge of and relationship with our LORD.

Pastora Jennifer Mieliulis Fuentes, M.Div., Duke University

Book details

Title: “NET Eternity Now: The New Testament Series”
Author: Compilation
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: July 2022
Genre: Bibles/Other English Translations/Reading

ISBN-13: 978-0-7852-9127-5

PURCHASE LINKS:  Amazon | FaithGateway Store

If you are looking for another wonderful Scripture resource, check out my review of “Spurgeon and the Psalms: The Book of Psalms with Devotions from Charles Spurgeon” also published by Thomas Nelson.

#BibleGatewayPartner

Interested in more book reviews? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for updates!

I am a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid (BG²). As a #BibleGatewayPartner, I have received a copy of “Spurgeon and the Psalms” published by Thomas Nelson Publishers at no cost to me in exchange for an honest review here on the Adonai Shalom blog.

“Spurgeon and the Psalms” Leathersoft Edition

Few devotionals truly captivate my attention. I find that many of them are full of overly simplistic stories and cutesy platitudes. Certainly, for a new believer or a young person, these types of devotional books may be suitable, but for the serious and mature believer, I often recommend simply turning to the Scriptures themselves because everything else falls short.

That is why this devotional resource is WONDERFUL! “Spurgeon and the Psalms” will get you straight into the Scriptures and focusing on the LORD. That’s the point of having a devotional time, isn’t it!?

It is essentially a “Psalter”: the Book of Psalms published in a lightweight edition. Each Psalm is appropriately prefaced with words written by Charles Spurgeon, a well-known and beloved Christian pastor who lived in England and preached during the 1800’s. His timeless commentary and exhortation will bless you.

Book Review and description

I was struck by the high quality of “Spurgeon and the Psalms” as soon as I took it out of its protective book jacket. The cover is embossed with a simple mountain/nature picture and the quality of the binding is excellent. Keeping with the mountain theme, the inside front and back covers have beautiful gray-toned mountain art.

Like any high quality Bible, “Spurgeon and the Psalms” has gold page-edge gilding.

Interestingly, near the back of the book, you will find a note on the selection of type/font.I found it to be such a nice touch that the explanation was included, as I had noticed the unique font used in this Psalter.

This definitely seems like a book that the publishers want you to treasure. I’m quite certain of that because there is a guarantee printed on the back of the book jacket: Thomas Nelson guarantees their Leathersoft “Spurgeon and the Psalms” for life!

The book contains all 150 Psalms with unobtrusive devotional commentary preceding each Psalm. There are also blank “notes” pages at the back.

The selections from Spurgeon’s own writings help connect the Psalms to the Gospel narrative. If you are unfamiliar with Spurgeon, you will find his writing to be eloquent, detailed, yet exceptionally applicable. There is no doubt he sought the LORD because his writing reflects that type of close relationship with the Father.

My recommendation:

★★★★★

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you are looking for a Psalter, this is your book. As Spurgeon laments in the Preface, God’s people don’t know the Psalms the way they used to – and he was saying that well over 100 years ago! I encourage you to take the opportunity to truly meditate on and learn the Psalms, and this book will truly help you to do that.

If you are looking for high-quality devotional material for yourself or as a gift, you will very likely enjoy the newly published

I wholeheartedly recommend the newly published “Spurgeon and the Psalms” book to everyone! It is appropriate for believers at all stages in life, and quite honestly, is the type of book every follower of our Messiah should own.

This would make a wonderful gift for anyone you love and care about.

Pastora Jennifer Mieliulis Fuentes, M.Div., Duke University

Book details

Title: “Spurgeon and the Psalms”
Author: Compilation
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: May 10, 2022
Genre: Bibles/NKJV/Devotional

ISBN-13: 978-0-7852-5343-3

PURCHASE LINKS:  Amazon | FaithGateway Store

I am always a fan of books that primarily use the Scriptures! Check out my review of the Word for Word Bible Comic’s Gospel of Mark! There are so many wonderful resources that directly refer us back to God’s Word, and I love to recommend them so you can grow closer to the LORD each and every day!

I have treasured Your word in my heart, so I might not sin against You.  Psalm 119:11, TLV

Do you read the Psalms as a daily devotional? Let us know! Leave a comment below!

Check out these Adonai Shalom blog reviews of several recently published books! Each image below is a link to the review!

Review: “Mysteries of the Messiah” by Rabbi Jason Sobel

Review: “Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday” by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine

Review: “The Difficult Words of Jesus” by Amy-Jill Levine

Review: Gospel of Mark: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV

Would you like to know when the next book review is up? Stay informed and up-to-date by subscribing to our newsletter today!

Abington Press has generously provided me with a copy of Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday by Dr.Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in exchange for my honest review. Thank you both to Abington Press and to Audra Jennings for the arrangement.

Last September, I had the privilege of being asked to review Dr. Amy-Jill Levine’s book, The Difficult Words of Jesus (here is a link to that review, if you are interested).

Now, as of December 2021, Dr.Levine has released a new book titled, Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday and once again, I have the privilege of reviewing it for you! It is timely with Passover and the celebration of Messiah’s resurrection coming up so soon.

Background

Witness at the Cross reads like an advanced Bible Study – something aimed at first or second year seminary students, but accessible to anyone willing to look deeply at the Scriptures.

I found the book’s topic intriguing because there are few authors willing to focus specifically on the events of the crucifixion day, since all of us want to jump past that to the magnificent victory of Messiah’s Resurrection. Dr. Levine does not avoid discussing the somewhat unpleasant details related to Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) death and subsequent burial. For example, she explains the significance of when Pilate granted the “corpse” released to Joseph of Arimathea rather than the “body” (Levine, 119) and the Roman tradition that “corpses of people executed by the state could be returned to friends and family as part of the celebration of the emperor’s birthday” (Levine, 120).

As I clarified in my review of The Difficult Words of Jesus, Dr. Levine is a Jewish feminist theologian who teaches New Testament at Vanderbilt. I point this out because Witness at the Cross is aimed at Christian readers, yet Dr.Levine denies the divinity of Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. She offers up some certainly unique and interesting considerations, but there are some serious matters that would need to be addressed if this book were being used in a congregational setting.

Book Review

In the introduction to the book, Levine jumps right into some heavy topics like ethnic cleansing, matters of conscience, and credibility. But she does so in her characteristic style that makes it totally accessible. If her classes are anything like her writing, I’m guessing Levine is a very popular professor with her students! She introduces the reader to the idea of looking to each of the witnesses of the crucifixion to gain greater perspective into the Gospel accounts.

Throughout the book, Levine consistently compares the different Gospel accounts and helps clarify some of the differences between the Synoptic Gospels and John. Levine gives voice to those who often get ignored such as the bystanders and the scoffers who witnessed the events on Calvary’s hill. She begins chapter 2 describing classes she teaches at a prison in Tennessee and talks about the different perspectives of criminals, victims, and the reality that one person might call someone a terrorist who for another is a freedom fighter. Chapter 3 is focused on the soldiers, 4 on the beloved disciple, and 5 on the women.

Chapter 6 discusses Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Most of what Dr.Levine shares here is very interesting. However, let me quote her so you will get a sense of her own attitude toward discipleship. Dr. Levine writes, “Once again, Nicodemus does the right thing, and once again he does not become a disciple. I am liking him more and more” (Levine, 133).

I have sat in Divinity School classes where a comment like this might make us laugh (albeit uncomfortably) and to the right audience, Dr.Levine’s humor and conversational style is attractive. But, as I suggested earlier, a book like this would have to be used with care and in the right context.

My recommendation:

★★★★

If you are looking to supplement your Bible study time with a book that will get you focused on the witnesses of the crucifixion and their roles in the unfolding of history, you will enjoy this book. I would recommend it to mature, discerning students of the Bible.

Pastora Jennifer Mieliulis Fuentes, M.Div., Duke University

About the Author: Dr.Amy-Jill Levine

Title: Witness at the Cross: A Beginners Guide to Holy Friday
Author: Amy-Jill Levine
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Release Date: December 28, 2021
Genre: Religion/Holidays/Easter&Lent

ISBN-13: 978-1-7910-2112-2

PURCHASE LINKS:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Books-A-Million

Thank you for taking the time to read this book review! Have you had a chance to read Dr. Levine’s book yet? What did you think? Leave a comment!

Review: “The Difficult Words of Jesus” by Amy-Jill Levine

Review: Gospel of Mark: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV

Review: “Mysteries of the Messiah” by Rabbi Jason Sobel

Simon Amadeus Pillario, author/illustrator, has generously provided me with an ebook copy of the Word for Word Bible Comic (NIV) in exchange for my honest review. This was made possible through the Bible Gateway Blogger’s Grid. Here is a link to his blog: https://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/blog

Book Review

The Gospel of Mark: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV is available in both in English or Spanish (NVI). Since my husband and I have pastored Spanish language and bilingual congregations, the fact that this is available in both languages right from the start is very appealing. In other words, there’s no need to wait for a publisher to finally get around to offering it in Spanish. My first reaction to seeing the cover was, I need to show this to my tweens and see what they think! So I did. And as expected, they said, “Looks cool, yeah, we’ll read it.”

Getting kids that age interested in the Word is a challenge, so that was a win. This looks to be a very appealing format for many tweens and teens to be introduced to the Gospel of Mark!  ¡Excelente!

I love that the Word for Word Bible Comic series is straight from the Gospel text. I could easily see this book (and others in the series) being used for youth ministry in both English and Spanish language congregational settings.

Cultural accuracy and relevance

I also love the Hebraic-styled font on the cover. Anyone who follows my blog won’t be surprised! I love anything that reminds today’s believers of the Jewish roots of our faith. The illustrations inside the book are tastefully done and colorful and it seems very apparent that care was taken to ensure cultural accuracy and relevance.

Additionally, the faithfulness by the part of the author to provide teenage readers the actual Gospel text should be commended. I personally am not a huge fan of the NIV (New International Version) translation. Nevertheless, I am aware that it is popular, especially for outreach. I would be even more impressed by this effort if a version comes out that uses something like the TLV (Tree of Life Version)! Why the TLV? It restores the Jewishness of the Scriptures, most obviously the name of Yeshua which is Jesus’ Hebrew name. But in the meantime, this graphic novel series is more than adequate to express Gospel Truth.

Age Rating

The Gospel of Mark Word for Word Bible Comic is rated for ages 12+ due to infrequent “bloody violence” and “mild alcohol use.” Given the violent world around us and the images kids are bombarded with every day online and on tv, I don’t think many children would be startled by the illustrations in this book. The author included several pages on how he made his designs which I think would appeal to any young person, especially those with artistic interests!

My recommendation

★★★★★

The Word for Word Bible Comic has the potential to greatly increase the Biblical literacy of young people, and the young-at-heart. This book makes the Good News accessible to those who might not otherwise pick up a Bible. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

PURCHASE LINK:  https://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/buy

Matthew, Mark, and coming soon: Luke!

Matthew is available, now Mark, and the creators of this Bible comic are currently in the process of crowdfunding $20,000 for their forthcoming title The Gospel of Luke on Kickstarter.

Here is the link if you are interested. Moreover, if you are able to support this important work, you can give here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/word4wordbiblecomic/the-gospel-of-luke-word-for-word-bible-comic-niv-and-nvi?ref=424wph

It is very exciting that there will be another book available for the Gospel of Luke!

_{*Note: at 45-49 seconds into the promotional video on the Luke project, I do want to alert my readers that I was initially concerned about the use of sacred heart/Marion imagery in the video, though I had not come across anything like that in the Mark volume.}

_{Mr. Pillario was kind enough to send a picture of the page in question (at right) and personally responded to me, which I also thought was very kind of him. To clarify, Pillario writes: “. . . it is in the context of Mary prophesying that she will be called ‘Blessed through generations.’ It’s an artistic representation to highlight the fact the prophecy is true: you see there’s white Mary and black Mary and even Japanese Mary.” It is certainly true that regardless of our cultural and denominational backgrounds, the prophecy is indeed true. I find Mr. Pillario’s explanation sufficiently reasonable to continue to fully recommend this book.}

Title: Word for Word Bible Comic: The Gospel of Mark (NIV)
Author:  Simon Amadeus Pillario
Publisher: Word for Word Bible Comics
Release Date: March 1, 2022
Genre: Religion/Christian Education/Teen

ISBN: 9781914299063

Pastora Jennifer Mieliulis Fuentes, M.Div., Duke University

Additionally, if you enjoyed this book review, you may want to check out these other reviews. I have reviewed Rabbi Jason Sobel’s, “Mysteries of the Messiah” as well as Dr.Amy-Jill Levine’s “The Difficult Words of Jesus.”

Review: “Mysteries of the Messiah” by Rabbi Jason Sobel

Review: “The Difficult Words of Jesus” by Amy-Jill Levine

Abington Press has generously provided me with a copy of The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to His most Perplexing Teachings by Dr.Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in exchange for my honest review. Thank you both to Abington Press and to Audra Jennings for the arrangement.

Book Review

In The Difficult Words of Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine addresses some of the interpretive challenges presented by what she aptly terms, the “most perplexing teachings” of Messiah Jesus recorded by the Gospels.

One thing that is immediately apparent as the book begins is Dr.Levine’s conversational writing style. She really does make the topic accessible. Having myself studied at Duke Divinity School, I am aware of Dr.Levine’s reputation as a Jewish feminist theologian, and she alludes to this fact throughout the book. It is my understanding that she earned her doctorate at Duke which has probably contributed to her name and work coming up every now and then in classes and conversation. Dr.Levine teaches in mainline Christian seminaries, currently Vanderbilt, but denies the divinity of Messiah Yeshua. She distances herself from the Jewishness of Messiah by referring to Him only by His westernized name as “Jesus;” never as the Hebrew “Yeshua.”

Levine describes Jewish traditions such as bar mitzvah and the High Holidays and compares them to traditional Christian practices. Sadly, she never addresses the continuity offered by Messianic Judaism.

Greek concept of Jesus vs Hebrew Rabbi & Jewish Messiah

According to the book, the majority of Levine’s students participate in Western church traditions such as “Lent” so she is able to remain comfortable talking about the more Greek concept of Jesus without actually encountering Him as Hebrew Rabbi and Jewish Messiah. She does loosely discuss the commandments and other central Jewish teachings. This made reading the book more appealing to me from a Messianic perspective, but it seems that she attempts to teach an inclusive, fairly universalistic message, antithetical to the very exclusive nature of the Gospel’s claim which is that Messiah Yeshua is the one and only begotten Son of God, Equal to God, and is One with God. Messianic and Orthodox Jews alike embrace the Shema. Deuteronomy 6:4‘s exclusive claim: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is One.”

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד

There is One God, and He has made Himself known as Father, as Son, and as the Holy Spirit. We can gain insight to better interpret the more difficult sayings of Messiah Yeshua by trusting in His Spirit, the Ruach haKodesh. This book does not operate under this core belief. Certainly, it is important to point this out if being used for a Bible Study.

Hermeneutical imagination

I enjoyed Dr.Levine’s ability to draw out the characteristics of people described by the Gospel writers. For example, I liked the way she helps the reader imagine the attitude and behaviors of the rich young man in the Gospel of Mark. She demonstrates her sense of humor! She truthfully writes, “I’m not sure I’d want my children to date him” (Levine, 14). I also enjoyed the section that invites the reader to contemplate: if you could stop Jesus in His tracks, what would you ask Him? Dr.Levine’s question inspired me to write a blog post you can find here. As a professor, she has accomplished her charge to inspire others.

What would you ask from Yeshua?

In a chapter analyzing Mark 10:44, “Whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all,” Levine again shares her hermeneutical imagination in a way that is thought-provoking. Her social justice sensibilities help with this as she challenges the reader to ” . . . . think of Paul’s Jewish family in Tarsus as at one time enslaved (it does give Paul a different nuance) . . . ” (Levine, 56). I would definitely agree – that does give Paul a very different nuance and would make for intriguing further study.

Christianity & Slavery

Levine questions why Jesus didn’t teach freeing of slaves. She wonders why He didn’t cite Leviticus 25:10 or Jeremiah 34:9-10. It is clearly a topic of interest for Levine as she describes the usages of the terms “slaves” and “servants” throughout the New Testament (Brit Hadasha). In addition, she points out that Westernized “Christianity” and slavery “traveled hand-in-hand through the Roman Empire” (Levine, 58). While I believe these are issues and topics that should rightfully be addressed through careful study and prayer, I again wondered how the less-Westernized remnants of the Jewish followers of Messiah Yeshua would have interpreted these same issues.

Levine does acknowledge that Jesus “identifies [H]imself as a slave, and so did his followers” (Levine, 63). She connects this in a way particularly meaningful to the believer: “Crucifixion was a punishment associated with slaves” (Levine, 63). I appreciated Levine’s deeper look at the Hebrew “eved” as compared to Greek “oiketes” and “doulos.” (pages 64 and 65). Also, the relationship of the “slave” or “servant” to the “Master” who is God/Elohim. She highlights that “for some, indeed probably for Paul of Tarsus, for the followers of Jesus to think of themselves as slaves to God is the ultimate language of freedom, since it indicates that no one and nothing else is in control” (Levine, 70, emphasis added).

Do the Gospels train listeners to hear anti-Jewish sentiment?

Lastly, Levine finishes her book with an emotive chapter addressing anti-Semitism paired with some of the harsher phrases that Messiah used that seem insultive. I don’t know that it is fair to place both topics in one chapter because at various points in the chapter, Levine seems to insinuate that the Gospels train the listener to hear anti-Jewish sentiment by the way in which it is written. I recommend you decide whether or not you agree – read the book for yourself!

About the Author: Dr.Amy-Jill Levine

Title: The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to His Most Perplexing Teachings
Author: Amy-Jill Levine
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Release Date: August 3, 2021
Genre: Religion/Christian Education/Adult

ISBN: 9781791007577

Did you enjoy this book review? Have YOU read the book? Regardless of your doctrinal positions, reading a book like this can definitely be a great conversation starter! So leave a comment! Share what you hope to find in the book! Or, if you’ve already read it, what YOU thought about it!

PURCHASE LINKS:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Books-A-Million

Pastora Jennifer Mieliulis Fuentes, M.Div., Duke University

Looking for other books to read? Check out this review of Rabbi Jason Sobel’s book, Mysteries of the Messiah

Review: “Mysteries of the Messiah” by Rabbi Jason Sobel