March 30, 2005
Suggested Biblical Reference Books
In Jerusalem Perspective Online's discussion forum "Jimmy" asked: What's needed to correctly understand the words and works of Jesus?... I would like information where a person that has no knowledge of Hebrew, Greek [and ancient Jewish writings], can purchase a Bible or the synoptic gospels that has these kinds of notes?
Forum member "smadewell" responded: For the Average Joe, like myself, I'd recommend you Amazon.com search for and acquire the following basic books:
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Barnes & Noble
Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament: Coded with Strong's Concordance Numbers by H.W.F. Gesenius Barnes & Noble
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Coded with Strong's Concordance Numbers Amazon - Barnes & Noble
The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew/Greek/English by Jay P. Green Sr. Amazon - Barnes & Noble
Some folks like "Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon by Francis Brown", but I personally don't care much for it. Amazon - Barnes & Noble
For a starter set on the rabbinic literature front, I'd recommend:
A. Cohen's - Everyman's Talmud Amazon - Barnes & Noble
A Rabbinic Anthology by Claude Montefiore Amazon
I'd also highly recommend getting and reading "Akiba: Scholar, Saint and Martyr" by Louis Finkelstein. Amazon - Barnes & Noble
Although Akiba (50 C.E. thru 135 C.E.) lived after Yeshua's time, Finkelstein really does an outstanding job of telling the story of this sage's life by gleaning what is recorded about him in the rabbinic literature. It's a very informative book about the culture and personalities of that time. It's an easy read and a nicely done biography (of sorts) and gives one a feel for Jewish life in that period. There is also insight given regarding Akiba's support of Bar Kokba's messianic revolt. More than once I found it helpful in understanding some of what Yeshua might well have experienced in his own time.[end of smadewell quotation]
Posted by David Bivin at March 30, 2005 09:45 AM