Bibles Bible Studies Books

NICE AND CONCISE.Scott Hahn is an exellent resource for finding the truth and developing your spiritual life! He's a wealth of information!

Dr. Scott Hahn has done Catholics (and anyone seeking greater understanding) a great service by writing this pocket guide to the Bible. It is small enough to carry around with you, but packed with tons of useful information on the most sacred book of Christians.
The book is organized in a very usable manner, what the Bible is, what its made up of,who wrote it,how it relates to the Church, how to understand the Bible, a reading program for reading the Bible, an overview of all the books that make up the Bible, and an excellent topical reference section in the back of this compact 80 page book. This like the other Pocket Guide's published by Our Sunday Visitor are the perfect solution for those who want a quick update or explanation of the the Catholic Faith. A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics andA Pocket Guide to Purgatory (A Pocket Guide to) (A Pocket Guide to) by Patrick Madrid offer great tools for those seeking the Biblical background of the Faith, Dr. Peter Kreeft's A Pocket Guide to The Meaning of Life (Pocket Guide Series)gives an insightful teaching on what life is all about, Fr. George Kosicki's A Pocket Guide to Divine Mercy (A Pocket Guide to)presents the most popular devotion to arise within the Catholic Church during the last century and finally my own contributions to the series A Pocket Guide to the Mass and A Pocket Guide to Confessionseek to answer all the questions that someone might have about both Sacraments.

An easy yet thorough read of what the Bible is and is not from an authoritative professor of scripture. It can be read quickly over the course of an hour or two. It's an excellent primer for the novice. I like the last few pages with topical references. I have already given this book away!

This book has been uniquely encouraging for me through recent difficulties. I have given away several copies to friends who are facing different types of trials. They, too are finding encouragement and passing copies of this valuable book along. I originally heard of the book in Chondra Pierce's book about battling depression, Laughing in The Dark. God used the book to help her through difficult times. This book is easily digestible in devotional-like paragraphs and chapters. It's not as intimidating or heavy as many books that seek to encourage, but tend to overwhelm, seem to be.

i liked: these 10 promises can be lived by during both challenging times and good times. author does an excellent work of outlining god's desire of moving us out of weakness away from him to boldness near him through his promises. each chapter begins with a red sea rule, a promise, then quotes a bible passage from exodus as its foundation. then through the chapter and sub-chapters you are taken on a journey of experiences and stories to illustrate the meaning of each promise. every chapter and sub-chapter is filled with scripture quotes and quotes from historical persons. a wonderful little book packed with great reading. i disliked: none found.

God used this book to bring me thru a hard time in my life. God showed me that,when there seems to be no way thru or around a problem, He will make a way. He did just that for me. I have given about 2 dozen "Red Sea Rules" books away, most of the people I give them to come back and say "God did a wonderful work in my life thru this book" Jackie Wolf

This is a wonderful book. Following the biblical pattern of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea the author helps you look at life's difficult problems in a new light and gives you guidelines for "getting thought" tough times.

I keep this book by my bedside and read it whenever I am troubled.

I shared this book with a couple that were going through a crisis. They liked it so much they gave my book back and bought their own!

It's a must read for any christian.

A Reader's Hebrew Bible is produced by A. Philip Brown II (PhD, Bob Jones University) and Bryan W. Smith (PhD, Bob Jones University) with Zondervan. Its designed purpose is "to facilitate the regular reading of the Scriptures in Hebrew and Aramaic." The reader assists students of the Bible by lessening invested time browsing through a lexicon, while improving and maximizing students' previous acquired skills in the target languages .RHB also "allows students to focus on learning Hebrew and Aramaic vocabulary in its literary context rather than in isolated word lists." The reader is also useful for teachers of Hebrew and Aramaic intending to "remove the necessity of creating new gloss lists when one wants to have students read different sections of the OT" (xiii). RHB provides necessary help to students to become more familiar with the Hebrew and Aramaic Texts; as well as improving (their) reading proficiency respectively.

The Book includes the authors' prefaces, a quick user's guide on how to access the Text. An informative introduction recounting the genesis of this edition is included. A section summarizing the Hebrew and Aramaic Verb Stem Abbreviations (e.g. hif = hifil, nif = nifal, pal = palal; af = afel, hishtaf= hishtafel, itpa= itpael, shaf=shafel) & Sigla (`marks words where WLC and RHB read L differently than BHS) substantiates the usefulness of RHB.

The Quick User's Guide aims to provide a quick reference to readers on how to navigate through the texts of the Jewish Bible both in its original tongues (Hebrew and Aramaic respectively). The A Reader's Hebrew Bible uses the Westminster Leningrad Codex 4.4. All words, excluding proper nouns occurring less than 100 times, are footnoted. The Glossary includes all Hebrew words, excluding proper nouns, occurring 100 times or more; whereas Aramaic words, excluding proper nouns, and those that occur less than 25 times are also footnoted. An Aramaic glossary is not preserved.

The reader contains significant glosses which are taken primarily from HALOT (Koehler, Baumgartner and Stamm's The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament) and BDB (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon) . For example, Appendix A includes a glossary of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or more; and all Aramaic vocabulary occurring less than 25 times.

RHB is similar to the text of Biblia Hebraicai Stuttgartensia (BHS) and Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ) with minor changes. Textual criticism decision is not a priority of RHB.

What A Reader's Greek New Testament (Zondervan, 2007) does for students of NT and Greek is what A Reader's Hebrew Bible will do for students of the OT and Hebrew and Aramaic. Together students of the Bible have two enduring "twin resources" to study the Word of God in its original written texts.

A Reader's Hebrew Bible is a tool that will not disappoint you." Bible students and pastors cannot afford not to own a copy of A Reader's Hebrew Bible. RHB is user friendly, elegant, leather bound, convenient, and eye-catching.

Purchased this as a gift for my husband and found it to be a beautiful bible and very closly accurate to the original hebrew. He Loves It !

The Reader's Hebrew Bible has been on the market for only a few months and looks set to become a "must" for everyone who has covered the basics of the language and wishes to progress to "real" Hebrew. You need, though, to have a good working vocabulary for it to enable you to read in extenso with fluency. The grey-scale shading of proper names is a good idea. The price is also exceptionally cheap for a product of this quality.
What would be really helpful is a Grammatical Analysis of the Old Testament similar to "Max and Mary" for the New.

I've got both the first and second editions of the Reader's GNT companion volume. Either is a great value for the money, but neither comes close to the quality and usefulness of the Reader's GNT published by UBS -- the real deal. So I was a bit hesitant to purchase Zondervan's Reader's Hebrew Bible.

My hesitation was overcome by the fact that I use my UBS RGNT on a daily basis for devotional use, but don't read the Hebrew text in the same way as frequently because of the need for a lexicon nearby. A reader's lexicon helps, but it's still a clunky way to read, and because Hebrew vocabulary is so much larger than NT Greek, there are few of us who will ever be able to simply read with no lexicon around. So seeing what a reader's GNT did for me, I ordered this.

I'm very pleased. It hast the same cheap binding and paper as the companion RGNT, but the fact that it's duo-tone (basically PVC plastic) does mean that despite being flimsy, it should hold up for a long time. They seem to have overcome the typeface problems present in both editions of the RGNT. This font is very easy to read. I have not found the proper names being in gray instead of black to be a problem -- they're not that light and the purpose is to make proper names used less than 100 times stand out so that the newbie doesn't waste time trying to parse them. That's the whole point: to gloss the words so the reader doesn't have to. The more you read, the more you learn, and the more often you read and learn the more Hebrew sticks in your mind.

The fact that this text is that of the Westminster edition of Leningradensis is great. They essentially cut and pasted from Bibleworks 4. There are minor variants between this and BHS/BHQ, but nothing significant and all differences are listed in the appendix. I also like the way they've dealt with Kethib-Qere readings -- something that should serve good training for the student just learning his way around the Hebrew Old Testament.

If Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft ever prints a readers edition of BHS or BHQ it will probably leave this in the dust just as the UBS RGNT leaves the Zondervan RGNT in the dust, but until then this is a great tool.

I received A Reader's Hebrew Bible with great anticipation and was not disappointed. I have found it to be a very well conceived and thoughtfully delivered Hebrew tool. It is perfect for someone like me who is trying to intergrate the Hebrew scriptures into my life in a practical manner. This tool has already allowed me greater ease of access and I recommend it to all.

Interesting to read Lewis' journey through some of the more difficult Psalms. Definitely written after his conversion to Christianity.

C.S. Lewis' thoughts on the Psalms are, like the rest of his writing, very carefully thought out. He finds nuggets of wisdom in places most commentators overlook. Over all, a very enjoyable & thought provoking work.

In this intriguing book, C.S. Lewis explains the general themes of the songs (and the particulars of some psalms) in ways that examine a variety of important issues for the lay reader. Included in this easily readable analysis is an examination of the type of Judge God is portrayed at in the Psalms, the way in which the Psalms have to be judged as poetry (and not as essays or sermons, something easy to forget), the contrast between the psalms of Israel and the psalms of the pagans, the allegorical meanings of the Psalms, and such issues as the imprecatory nature of some psalms. Overall, this is an excellent work, a worthy read among C.S. Lewis' stellar body of work, and especially useful for readers of the Psalms who are not theologians. The only criticism I would make of the work is that he assumes his audience is Anglican, which makes some of his references puzzling for those of us who are not (his use of Whit Sunday for Pentecost and his use of the Anglican psalm cycle is a bit distracting).

This was a lovely book: not what I thought it'd be and all the better for it. Lewis's clear and reassuring insights into Christianity here combine with his adroit literary criticism, making this one of his most "formal" books--this is true despite his typical disclaimers about its seriousness or depth at the beginning. It is not so much a set of "postcard" or fortune cookie reflections, as might be found in various mediation books, as a thoughtful pondering of the Psalms' formal characteristics.

Beginning with the elements and characteristics of the Psalms that he finds most troublesome--"to polish off the nasty things first and leaves the titbits for the end"--Lewis looks at themes and recurring subjects without ever forgetting that the Psalms are poems, and Jewish poems at that. He weaves historical contextualization and a keen understanding of poetics into his frankly Christian assessment. For my money, the late chapters in the book on "Second Meanings" and "Scripture" are worth the price of the book. Lewis is very helpful on "reading too much" into scripture, and on appreciating the subtleties of scriptural interpretation generally.

It ends raggedly and abruptly, and there were plenty of things I wish Lewis had discussed more fully. But so excellent and helpful was the book that what I really wish is that he had done this kind of examination with more books of the Bible. Lewis had such a remarkable gift for articulating the common misgivings and doubts of believers, and for finding memorable and plausible ways of answering them.

In most, if not all, of Lewis' non-fiction works, he, at some point, refers and appeals to "real theologians", perhaps, in an attempt to distinguish the framework of his opinions, thoughts, and understanding from individuals that have been formally educated in theology. While Lewis certainly appeared to dedicate a great deal of his time to theology, he continually reminded readers that he was not a formally educated theologian, nor did he consider himself an expert. In Reflections on the Psalms, however, it can be recognized that his authoritative disclaimer is a little more direct, adamant, and deliberate than that which might be considered typical within his work. Having been written towards the end of his life and career, it almost appears as if Lewis is pleading with the reader to remove any preconceived perception of higher authority on the matter that he might maintain in one's mind. That is, it seems as if Lewis' purpose was genuinely that of sharing thoughts and resulting conclusions that he, as a layperson, had found himself reflecting upon. He goes so far as to compare this work with schoolmates sharing and comparing notes in an effort to better comprehend how a problem is worked out, as opposed to appealing to an instructor who might only offer a solution without ever actually explaining the intricacies of how a particular difficulty is overcome. Lewis claims that this work might be beneficial to the unlearned reader because he, considering himself equally unlearned in comparison to some, had only recently met these particular difficulties and, therefore, could still remember what it was like to not understand, in contrast to the expert that has known the answer for so long that they have forgotten the difficulty altogether. While the authoritative disclaimer might be more persuasive in this work, after reading it throughout, it will likely be difficult for many readers to swallow the reality of their own understanding if Lewis is, as he claims to be, lacking in comparative understanding on the theological spectrum of knowledge.

Reflections on the Psalms, as is the case so often with this author, is an enlightening undertaking for those that have experience similar thoughts and struggles as those outlined within. This work is not the comprehensive study on the Psalms that the title might indicate but rather Lewis' actual reflections on the Psalms. Not attempting to compose a comprehensive study, Lewis has selected topics based on his own interests and approaches them systematically, beginning with those topics which he found most difficult and less pleasant to contemplate and progresses upon those foundations. That which one might find most enjoyable about this particular work is that it is not apologetic and, as such, Lewis replaces what might otherwise be argument with fluid, acute, contemplation. In this fashion, Lewis, almost casually, sheds brilliant light on some of the most difficult issues that might arise in a Christian's mind.

Surprisingly, this, one of Lewis' lesser known works, might be one of his very best. What might be considered more surprising by the unsuspecting reader is the depth of truth and understanding woven into what, if literally judged by its cover, could be interpreted as a comparatively shallow study on the Psalms. Some, like this reviewer, might have had their interest directed after reading the essay published in Christian Reflections that anticipates this work, but very little comparison should be made. Reflections on the Psalms is exactly what it is in content, not necessarily in title. This work should be recommended, at least for consideration's sake, to any Christian.

"A man can't be always defending the truth; there must be a time to feed on it." - C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

I have several of "The....Bible" series & so far like them all. This one has been really neat & helpful.

I lead a class on the Chakras & am just completing a 8
months work on my Reiki Masters.

&nd the point is?
That is what I like about these guides.
(I purchased the Crystal, Feng Shui & Psychic Bibles.

I can find the information I am looking for easily.
The pictures & drawings are detailed enough to understand.
I'm sorry I did not discover these books, before I spent money,
on several other ones.

I plan on getting more in this series.

Linda22

This is a great overall intro to the world of Chakra. Has a little of everything..something for everyone and a lot of information. I found it entertaining, informative and easy to read.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with lots of color photos, charts and exercises. It has a wide variety of subjects such as crystal healing, different types of yoga, chakra balancing, reflexology, nutrition, spirituality, aromatherapy and many other topics. This is an excellent book to add to your home library.

I'm just beginning to learn about Chakras, energy work, and crystals. This was a very straight-forward explanation with colorful pictures; easy to read; easy to use. It probably isn't the best for those who are very knowledgeable about the subject, but for beginners or as a quick reference guide, I would recommend it.

The book came on time with great condition (new) and Im very pleased with it..thank you.

This summer I read several Old Testament books for possible use in the Seminary course I would teach for the fall and spring semesters. I found that "Encountering the Old Testament" Christian Survey 2nd Edition, more than met the reqirements for our Freshman and Sophomore Classes. The reading material is most informative and held my interest during my research. As an instructor, the layout, text, chapter outlines and source materials listed proved most accurate and helpful when preparing my syllabus and additional course assignments. This book will be an excellent reference book and a book for any biblical library. I would recommend this book as a source of study for students in Bible College, Seminary and persons interested in Biblical Studies.

Study questions of this OT survey are helpful, but the content is on the shallow side. Be aware that the interpretive slant is very conservative.

When I received my book it was in top condition. The delivery was prompt. I was pleasantly surprised with my purchase and the delivery.

Good overview of each book of the OT -- BUT there were a LOT of mistakes (verse references and illustration references) in the book, which I believe decreases its integrity as it certainly takes away my respect of its credibility. For example, on pg 214, the citation for 2 Sm 6:6-8 should actually be 2 Sm 5:6-8. Another example, on pg. 242, "Jotham of Israel" should actually be "Jotham of Judah". These are only a few of the mistakes I've seen, and it makes me wonder what other mistakes there are. Seems like it needs a good editor's eye.

Other issues I had with this book: the key terms are never defined in the book. You have to look it up in the accompanying CD to find the definitions. Also, I found that often times, the point/message that the authors are trying to convey in their paragraphs and sections are never clearly stated (they beat around the bush and go in circles). Lastly, the attempts at application/contextualization seem to have been added to the ends of sections almost as an afterthought, and they stood out like a sore thumb as not belonging to the train of thought.

I am disappointed with the quality of this book. The pictures and color are very appealing in comparison to other Old Testament survey books, however, the other issues with the book make it a less than desirable textbook.

i've only read some of the book so far, but i love it. i think it's great for preschool age kids. May God bless you when you read it with your little ones.

I love this book! The illustrations are beautiful and the messages are wonderful. I especially like the way the devotions are written for the small child. They are easy for them to understand and relate to everyday situations that they have probably experienced.

Preschoolers can relate to the stories in these devotionals and have often experienced something similar in their lives. The stories are short, so a little one can pay attention throughout. The prayers fit the stories very well and again, are short and sweet. I also like that actual the Bible Verse is included in each devotional.

I read this book to my daughter every night. The messages and illustrations soothe us and help us connect with each other.

Of the fifty-some children's books I own, this is one of three I actually enjoy reading. :)

This book was given to my 3+1/2 year old for Christmas, 2007. We have been reading the one page devotions every night before going to bed. I really enjoy the short sweet messages, prayers and scriptures. My daughter talks about Parker, Zoe, Kaitlyn and Jack as if they are a part of our family now! The illustations are adorable. A few words of caution...some of the readings bring up subject matter that might prompt a few questions from your little one (Holy Spirit, Heaven, death etc.) I would certainly recommend buying this for a parent and child to share together.

It's addition to several bible studies that already in the market.
Different look at the bible.
Still prefer the conservatives Zordivan or Thompson's.

Having recently finished reading the NIV Study Bible for the second time I was looking around for a different translation and study bible to read and came across the promotional literature for this one on the internet. I welcomed the fact that it included the Apochrypha/Deuterocanonical books including some I have not read before. I was concerned it would be too American (I am writing this from Scotland) in its language and comments but have not found this to be the case. I welcome its insightful comments that relate to the contemporary world. I am not a theologian, simply a Christian who has been reading bibles and bible studies for over thirty years and I have no hesitation in recommending this one.

Anyone who's been involved in mainline churches and/or the emergent church movement knows: study Bibles are either overbearingly conservative and focused on personal piety or so terribly full of historical-critical details that the average reader would certainly give it all up in frustration. This is an excellent balance for mainline Protestants, Catholics, Anglicans, progressive Christians and Evangelicals and yes, even conservatives. It has a strong emphasis on issues of social justice and service while also respecting the importance of personal spiritual growth, a combination that both speaks from- and to- both the liberal and conservative ends of the church.

Besides that, I also appreciated that it came with colored maps (something the Renovaré Bible didn't have) and a good amount of concordance. The paper quality is decent and while there's a little text bleed-through, it's not too bad.

Before this, my Bible of choice was the Renovaré Spiritual Formation Study Bible, but it was still not quite what I was looking for. Thankfully, the Discipleship Study Bible fills a much needed gap that'll be great for all followers of Jesus.

I am glad to be the first reviewer of this study Bible. I have New Interpreters, HarperCollins, Oxford, Zondervan NIV, Spiritual Formation and other study Bibles; but this one is now my personal favorite. It lacks the academic technicality of New Interpreters and HarperCollins, which is a plus for nonscholars. There is no serious focus on documentary sources nor on historical criticism. Questions of historicity ( Were the patriarchs real people? Did Moses lead Hebrews out of Egypt?) and authorship are left up to the reader with only minimal guidance. The annotations deal with the final form of the Biblical text, and focus on theology and life-application. The commentators are obviously left-leaning thinkers as they comment frequently on socio-political, economic and ecological issues. Issues of personal piety and response to Scripture are not left out, however. And there is little in these annotations that would offend any reasonably open-minded conservative. As far as I can tell so far, the commentators have avoided abortion and capital punishment, and deal very diplomatically with homosexuality. However, these commentators are very concerned about exclusion, religious snobbery, global warming, poverty, etc. This book is published by WJK Press; in other words, the Presbyterian Church USA. I totally recommend that you read this regardless of your social or political views. I have many conservative or fundamentalist study Bibles and commentaries, so give this one a shot, regardless of where you stand.

I would also like to comment on the physical attributes of the book: very light weight, unlike most study Bibles, and almost personal size.

A study Bible such as this, beautifully rendered as to readability, paper quality and binding, must ultimately be assessed according to the nature of its study apparatus. The Discipleship Bible's treatment of the commandment to "not kill/murder" (Exodus 20:13) illustrates the risk of maintaining that no significant question remains regarding a text, when in fact it does. Commentator Nancy Bowen claims herein that capital punishment and war may not be addressed with the Ten Commandments, because elsewhere in the Bible they may be sanctioned as of God, though she does not mention Jesus' own prohibitions against violence.


On the other hand, Wilma Ann Bailey argues in her study-book on the question ("You Shall Not Kill" or "You Shall Not Murder"?) that the alteration by most modern, Protestant Bible translation committees of KJV's "thou shalt not kill" is based not on any shift in lexical understanding of the underlying Hebrew, but rather in response to shifting American political attitudes. It would be intriguing to see a discussion on this by Bailey, Bowen, and the Discipleship Bible commentator on Genesis, Terrence Fretheim, who, in his stand-alone commentary on Exodus, expressed a preference for translating "no killing" over "no murder" himself.

The overall thrust of this bible, however, seems one born of an earnest effort to illuminate the word for today, while recognizing (to some extent) the textual and societal complexities of the world in which it was produced. In some ways it accomplishes what the Oxford Annotated Bible did in its day, without the over-abundance (for most readers) of notes provided by, say, the HarperCollins or New Interpreters study Bibles. Three-and-a-half stars.

This is a book that can be read over and over and always gives peace and comfort that comes from Psalm 23. Jesus is our Shepherd, and this book is written by a man who actually owned a sheep ranch and raised sheep. Through his experience of caring for his flocks, he is able to reveal why Jesus called us "my sheep" and why he is called "the good shepherd." In the past few years, I have given nearly 100 of these books away - to friends and strangers - and have asked them to pass the book along to a friend or stranger when they finish reading it. It is a true blessing and a lovely, well-written little book.

Don't miss out on this little book. It may be small in size, but it's big in impact. The correlation between a Shepherd and his sheep, and what we mean to God, is uncanny. In this book, you're given a glimpse into the true dept of Gods love for us. I also learned some amazing things about Shepherding and sheep. I was so taken by this book, that I bought several copies to share with others, not wanting them to miss out on this great message.

The intricacy with which the author compares his job as a sheep farmer with the love of God opens one's mind to the all-incompassing work of the heaven Father on our behalf. However, just as he used his experiences to describe the shepherd's work which gives the reader a broader prespective of the attributes of God, I would have liked a little more of the mini steps that we, as sheep, can use to gain spiritual growth and be overcomers in the faith.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 This is a wonderful book. I have always loved Ps 23 and this book gives a clear meaning to what David was writing. I highly recommend.

The 23rd. Psalm is certainly one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. Despite that fact, author W. Phillip Keller adds new depth and meaning to it as he shares his experiences as a shepherd as they relate to Psalm 23. He shows us that a good shepherd is sufficient for all of a sheep's needs if he will but follow and obey him. He describes how a shepherd sets up a cast sheep (one who has fallen on his back)on his feet just as our Good Shepherd can set us up on our feet after problems. He tells the reader the importance of the shepherd providing water and good food for a sheep just as God provides us with physical and spiritual nourishment. I would recommend this book to anyone--believer and non-believer alike, and to anyone who is going through tough times and needs reassurance of God's love and guidance.

Good background information on the Jewishness of the first-century church. Commentary is not as in-depth as some others, but it does help us read the text through Jewish eyes.

'Complete Jewish Bible' goes with
'Jewish New Testament Commentary'.
After I found the commentary on
(Luke 17:20-21) 'The Kingdom of God'
between 'among you' and 'within you',
as is (Mattew 27:25) 'His Blood Be On Us...'
note is a beaut.
Round here it seems like during
lynching of Jesus Christ
when i start talkin 'Jesus'
I am not welcome...younger
neighbours are 'not interested'
...
Commentary made five stars.

Book arrived promptly and in great condition. The Jewish perspective and background on the Bible has become for me absolutely indispensible to my study of the Word. Much of the understanding of the Bible has been lost to us because our lack of understanding of this perspective.

This is one of the most carefully researched commentaries that I have ever used. More importantly, it reveals the actual source of the Bible unlike most other commentaries that ignorantly assume a Greek mindset. I am able to understand concepts so clearly that I had trouble understanding. Misconceptions have also been cleared away.

I bought the New Testament Commentary at the same time as the Complete Jewish Bible, both works by Dr. Stern. The Commentary is a good reference and I look forward to using it. But I found a few things that disappointed me.

The author, Dr. Stern, is a Messianic Jew. In that light, I was hoping for some real insight into the Jewish Messianic thought. To the contrary, Dr. Stern mocks the distinction between Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David, even though the former strengthens his position. And he never connects the Book of Daniel's Son of Man idea with Messianic thought, even though Jesus repeatedly mentioned it.

From a historical perspective, Jesus did not meet the job description of Messiah. This is one of the reasons Jewish people have little interest in Christianity.

The Messiah was to be a human descendant of King David. We have genealogies in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that show this lineage, although they conflict with each other. Some say one is Mary's, but her name is not mentioned. The Gospels also say that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit falling upon the Virgin Mary. OK, so which is it? Joseph or Holy Spirit? No Jewish person I know would leave that issue unchallenged.

The Messiah was to lead the armies of Israel to victory and to restore the kingdom of Israel and put David's descendant to the throne. Jesus preached about God's Kingdom, not a human one. Jesus never raised an army or confronted even one Roman soldier. Forty years after his death, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. One hundred years after his death, Israel was wiped off the map, not to reappear until 1948.

Prior to Israel's reappearance in 1948, the British, who held Palestine after the fall of the Ottoman empire following World War I, arranged with the neighboring Arabs to open the territory as a Jewish homeland. The Americans and other nations helped, too. The Jewish people who immigrated put in the work and sacrifice to make the desert blossom as a rose. But Jesus never showed up. So how can Jesus be Israel's Messiah? If anybody, the people of Israel are Israel's Messiah. Dr. Stern does not even mention it.

One comment Dr. Stern made that really infuriated me is found in a list of complaints he made about Christians who do not live up to the ideals of their faith. His list was mostly valid, until it comes to the Holocaust. The Holocaust is a hot-button issue for all Jewish folks, their feelings are intense, though the points of view vary considerably. Dr. Stern says that the Christians did nothing even when they knew the Jews were being burned alive. In reality, the Christians, with Jews right beside them, were fighting a World War against the perpetrators of the genocide. None of the Allies, the Americans, British, or Russians, really understood what was happening in the death camps until their armies reached them. Then they were appalled beyond belief. If Dr. Stern were an aging camp survivor with a failing memory, I would have let his comment go. But Dr. Stern is an intelligent man who knows truth from exaggeration. He discredited himself and his otherwise valuable work.

The book is worth reading. The hyperbole and diatribe are not.