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Short Stories by Jesus : The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi by Amy-Jill Levine (2015, Trade Paperback)
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherHarperCollins
ISBN-100061561037
ISBN-139780061561030
eBay Product ID (ePID)208736123
Product Key Features
Book TitleShort Stories by Jesus : the Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi
Number of Pages352 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicSpirituality, Biblical Studies / Jesus, the Gospels & Acts, Jewish
Publication Year2015
GenreLiterary Criticism, Religion
AuthorAmy-Jill Levine
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height0.9 in
Item Weight9.5 Oz
Item Length8 in
Item Width5.3 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2014-012012
Dewey Edition23
ReviewsIn this brilliant book Amy-Jill Levine invites her audience to read the parables of Jesus through a Jewish lens. The result is a series of stunning new insights into our religious heritage. Levine, a Jewish New Testament scholar of enormous depth, powerfully illumines both Jesus and the Christian story., In Short Stories by Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine revisits the parables with an eye to how even these simple and straightforward stories unsettle and challenge., Amy-Jill Levine offers new translations of the parables, recovering the sense of provocation and challenge they would have presented to their first-century audiences. The Jesus we see here came up with inventive ways to challenge his listeners, and didn't allow them easy answers or room for self-congratulation., Those who view parables as easy nuggets of feel-good sentiment need to think again. Levine shows how despite their brevity, Jesus's tales have disturbed from the very beginning [and] she shows how the biblical stories' defiance of narrow understandings and application is reason for celebration., As subversive as any parable, this shakes the faithful where we most need to be shaken, showing how close we have come to disarming some of Jesus' most potent teachings. Every new book from Levine startles me with its brilliance and pluck, but this one goes next to my Bible., You will close the [book's] back cover with far more questions than you dreamed possible. And that's a very good thing. This highly esteemed Bible scholar… clearly loves these short stories by Jesus and wants readers to treasure the mufti-faceted reflections that Jesus intended to provoke in his listeners., Levine tackles the more controversial parables Jesus spoke, making an effort to put these stories back in their first-century Jewish setting. If this isn't Levine's best, it's close., Well crafted and ably supported, Levine's touching and scholarly readings…should be fodder for rich discussion in church groups and also deserve a place on library shelves., What made me shudder was discovering that many of us have unwittingly been passing along anti-Jewish stereotypes. Levine recovers a robust sense of what Judaism was and wasn't in Jesus' day, and she does so without chiding . . . totally absorbing., Levine will change how you think about Jesus and the stories he told. With her characteristic wit and learned, iconoclastic imagination, Levine presses readers of the parables-especially Christian readers-to question their assumptions, curb their biases, and read Jesus's words afresh with ancient eyes. A provocative read., An erudite scholar who writes in an accessible and engaging prose, [Levine] is a wise sculptor who first chips away at the 'complacent anti-Judaism' of traditional interpretations of the parables . . . a remarkably generous book . . . a profound work of mercy., Jesus's parables have been sanitized, spiritualized, and allegorized for so many generations that it can only be called Good News when another wise Jewish teacher calls a halt. In this wonderfully readable book, not only could Jesus spin a yarn, he could challenge whole world views in the process., Short Stories by Jesus is a valuable work of criticism that asks us to reimagine Jesus as teacher who is concerned about the lives and the conditions of his followers, not merely in the condition of their souls in an afterlife., This is probably the best book on parables available today: brief, informative, witty, and very interesting. A perfect introduction for the merely curious, but even passionate readers who have lived with these stories for decades will find their eyes and hearts opened by Levine's provocative insights., Levine's volume doesn't simply challenge standard readings, it demolishes them. It wittily and carefully and thoroughly and relentlessly rips the parables from our 'all knowing' hands and un-domesticates them and gives them back to us in a form which Jesus himself doubtlessly intended., For those who hope to engage the New Testament perceptively . . . you may not agree with all of Levine's conclusions. But you'll never hear a parable again quite so complacently.
Dewey Decimal226.8/06
SynopsisThe renowned biblical scholar, author of The Misunderstood Jew , and general editor for The Jewish Annotated New Testament interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus' most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively and relevant for modern readers. Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus' stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives. In this wise, entertaining, and educational book, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus' narratives. In Short Stories by Jesus , she analyzes these "problems with parables," taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. Levine reveals the parables' connections to first-century economic and agricultural life, social customs and morality, Jewish scriptures and Roman culture. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us--and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later., The renowned biblical scholar, author of The Misunderstood Jew, and general editor for The Jewish Annotated New Testament interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus' most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively and relevant for modern readers. Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus' stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives. In this wise, entertaining, and educational book, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus' narratives. In Short Stories by Jesus, she analyzes these "problems with parables," taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. Levine reveals the parables' connections to first-century economic and agricultural life, social customs and morality, Jewish scriptures and Roman culture. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us--and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later.
LC Classification NumberBT375.3.L48 2014
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Ratings and Reviews
Most relevant reviews
- Aug 05, 2020
Not what I expected - difficult reading!
I'm a college graduate and I had to get my thesaurus out to look up word, after word, in order to understand or interpret what the author was saying. It was not smooth, interesting, or enjoyable reading experience for me and others in my Bible study.. Everyone in my Bible study bought a copy of this book but we're not using it directly for our study of parables. I'm sure the author probably has some good insights and interpretations from a Jewish, feminist perspective but we were looking for something less complicated that made for easier reading. Sorry, but this book just wasn't what I expected from reading other 4 and 5 star reviews.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Sep 08, 2021
Don't expect a clear understanding
Levine is a highly regarded Jewish scholar of the New Testament, and I was looking forward to reading one of her books. This one was a disappointment. My Sunday school class chose it for discussion. We are a college educated and fairly liberal group; one is a retired sociology professor. There are nine stories. We struggled through four of them and called it quits. Comments: she goes in circles, she makes mountains out of molehills, its pedantic, she could have said that more clearly in half the space, she contradicts herself, it's boring, etc. I expected more insight into Jewish culture and thought in Jesus' time; instead it appeared more like a lawyer arguing a case by presenting evidence over and over again from different perspectives -- most seemed like straw men that she then proceeded to dismiss. I personally did not get any clear insight into the four parables we discussed based on her book. In fact, our group thought we understood the parables better before we read her book.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Dec 07, 2022
Amy Jill rocks.
Ms Levine digs into the context of these 2000-year-old stories. Jewish laws were about a thousand years old when Jesus used stories to explain them. Do not expect to hear 21 century explanations - this study book goes into alternative meanings based on old testament customs and teachings as they were in first century Palestine. Find out what Jesus really taught.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Sep 18, 2018
Title is catchy and appropriate
Levin makes the parables of Jesus far too complicated for Jesus' hearers. A parable should njot require a Ph D to get its meaningVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Nov 29, 2022
Captivating
Excellent resource for my studies!Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
- Jul 06, 2021
Flipping the parables of Luke
Helping us to hear with different ears!Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Nov 22, 2023
Student
good book, deep contemplationVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
