2nd out of 100 books
—
4 voters
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels
Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead...more
Paperback, 443 pages
Published
January 1st 2008
by IVP Academic
(first published January 11th 2007)
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This book is amazing! Bailey lived for 60 years in the Middle East, and has literally lived through the Bible story. The book begins with a stunning study, which presents a convincing case that Jesus was actually born in a house (since many poor, Middle Eastern homes actually have mangers in the house!). I won't give away the rest of his argument, but I did want to share another tid-bit that lept out at me.
Speaking of the Magi, and who they might have been, he writes: "In the 1920s a British sch...more
Speaking of the Magi, and who they might have been, he writes: "In the 1920s a British sch...more
Interesting - mostly - analysis of New Testament stories and parables, but adding MIddle Eastern historical and cultural context. Best is chapter 1 on the birth of Jesus. For example, the "stable" might have been a house, and Mary wouldn't have been alone. Peter's calling is also interesting, and so are some of the stories featuring women. The sections on the Beatitudes and the parables are a Big Yawn, I think because they stand pretty well by themselves and don't need much more context to help...more
The sad thing about living in a Western influenced culture is that we rarely have the opportunity to hear and learn from our brothers and sisters in the East. Kenneth Bailey tries to remedy this issue with his book “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies In The Gospels.”
“Middle Eastern Christians have been called the forgotten faithful. The world knows that across the centuries there have been Jews and Muslims in the Middle East. For the most part, however Middle Eastern Christians...more
“Middle Eastern Christians have been called the forgotten faithful. The world knows that across the centuries there have been Jews and Muslims in the Middle East. For the most part, however Middle Eastern Christians...more
I must say that I was somewhat disappointed with this book. I thought that it would give me many new insights in the Gospels and about the person Jesus through its cultural perspective, but I can't say that it gave me much in either way. Bailey goes on about the structure in more or less evey single interpretation, and he is right, but it is so obvious that one doesn't have to mention it every time. The book feels more like a normal biblical commentary than a monograph on Jesus. There are some g...more
Fascinating cultural history of the Gospels by someone who has lived most of his life in the Middle East. Topics include the parables of Jesus (with an explanation of how Middle Eastern stories put the climax in the middle), Jesus and women, etc. Bailey provides many new insights, although I would estimate that about half of his insights on the parables are available in other commentaries and/or do not directly relate to Middle Eastern cultural history.
Nevertheless, the book is filled with insig...more
Nevertheless, the book is filled with insig...more
This book opened up a whole new understanding of Jesus in the Gospels. Kenneth E. Bailey spent many years in the Middle East and studied under many Middle Eastern writers. He presents Hebrew, Greek, and Mideastern thought in this book and documents his sources.
Another thing I like about this book is that Mr. Bailey presents various options to consider in interpreting the Gospels and life of Jesus from a cultural standpoint, but leaves the reader with the freedom of choice as to how view Jesus an...more
Another thing I like about this book is that Mr. Bailey presents various options to consider in interpreting the Gospels and life of Jesus from a cultural standpoint, but leaves the reader with the freedom of choice as to how view Jesus an...more
Brilliant contextualisation of many of the stories in the Gospels - the writer makes it clear that so little had changed from Jesus' day up til very recently that he could see direct parallels between Palestinian life in the 1960s to 80s and the time of Jesus. My favourite is the story of the Samaritan and Jewish friends meeting - the Samaritan can only eat an apple and only that coz he could peel it with his own knife and remove the skin which was unclean as it had been touched by a non-Samarit...more
I highly recommend this book, and it's on my list of books to buy for my library. It's highly readable by the layperson and filled with tremendous insight on Jesus and his teachings from a Middle Eastern perspective. It is a commentary, but without being academic and unreadable like many commentaries: each chapter covers the text, some comments and meditations on the text, and then a summary of take away points. I found it very practical to use in my bible study and devotional time. Great for di...more
Like "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus" this book tries to look at Jesus in the light of middle eastern culture. A bit dry/academic at times, but still fascinating.
"Our Christmas creche sets remain as they are because "ox and ass before him bow, / for he is in the manger now." But that manger was in a warm and friendly home, not in a cold and lonely stable. Looking at the story in this light strips away layers of interpretive mythology that have built up around it. Jesus was born in a simple...more
"Our Christmas creche sets remain as they are because "ox and ass before him bow, / for he is in the manger now." But that manger was in a warm and friendly home, not in a cold and lonely stable. Looking at the story in this light strips away layers of interpretive mythology that have built up around it. Jesus was born in a simple...more
A book the benefits of which have been perhaps oversold (I'm reading Luke commentaries now and it seems Bailey overstates the newness of his insights to western eyes), but which does provide some new cultural framework for Jesus and his times. Unfortunately, I read his discussion of the parable of the unjust manager first and found it unconvincingly removed from the context of subsequent verses about money. That slowed my reading at first, but, Bailey on rhetorical form and especially his sectio...more
This is the book I've been searching for my whole life. It is basically a commentary on the gospels through the lens of Middle Eastern culture, and it is by far the best commentary I have read.
I've always been a bit unsettled by Americanized biblical analysis and have longed for something that focused less on fitting the bible into my frame of reference and more on fitting me into Jesus' frame of reference. Well this is it! Kenneth Bailey has done a masterful job of setting the scene for gospels...more
I've always been a bit unsettled by Americanized biblical analysis and have longed for something that focused less on fitting the bible into my frame of reference and more on fitting me into Jesus' frame of reference. Well this is it! Kenneth Bailey has done a masterful job of setting the scene for gospels...more
This is a fascinating book. Bailey places many of the stories about the life and teachings of Jesus in a middle-eastern context. In most cases this provides a new minor or subtle insight. In a few chapters, such as the story of the nativity, it completely changes the meaning of the narrative. As a friend commented on Christmas eve after reading the first Chapter, "you get a completely different sermon after reading the Christmas story this way." Many of the chapters have little to do with a part...more
How do I describe this one? Worthy words escape me. Maybe delightful, delicious, amazing, awesome, astonishing, incredible, mind-blowing, blissful, joyous, enlightening...
This is a must read for all Christians! If you chose to read it, you will find yourself feasting on a scrumptious spiritual banquet! Mr. Bailey brings out important details that most Christians and many Pastors are unaware of in the West and with such important details it not only adds beautiful color to the stories we've heard...more
This is a must read for all Christians! If you chose to read it, you will find yourself feasting on a scrumptious spiritual banquet! Mr. Bailey brings out important details that most Christians and many Pastors are unaware of in the West and with such important details it not only adds beautiful color to the stories we've heard...more
While this subtitle to this book is "Cultural Studies in the Gospels," it is more accurate to consider this book to be a Scripture commentary, though with a non-traditional organization. Rather than focusing on a specific book of the Bible, instead the author focuses on 40 different stories and parables in the four Gospels, bringing both his own experience living in the Middle East and his understanding of ancient Arabic-language Biblical scholarship to bear. The results aim to shed new light on...more
This may be the greatest Bible commentary ever. For those of us in the western world reading the Bible, we miss so much of its meaning because we aren't from the middle eastern culture. The author is, and uses his knowledge to enhance and explain scripture in ways that were obvious to Jesus' followers, but hidden to us.
In fact, for those who have never read the Bible, I would recommend reading this first, then the Bible. Doing that would make the Bible so much easier to understand, and would br...more
In fact, for those who have never read the Bible, I would recommend reading this first, then the Bible. Doing that would make the Bible so much easier to understand, and would br...more
A great book as regards the cultural insights provided by Bailey. He really helps you to see the contexts of Yeshua's teachings and life in general as they should be seen, from a Middle Easterners eyes.
I liked how he showed the correlations between Yeshua's teachings and the prophets since it is clearly stated throughout the Second Testament that Yeshua, and the Apostles taught nothing but what was stated in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
I could have done without him breaking every sect...more
I liked how he showed the correlations between Yeshua's teachings and the prophets since it is clearly stated throughout the Second Testament that Yeshua, and the Apostles taught nothing but what was stated in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
I could have done without him breaking every sect...more
A very well written book that delves into the cultural surroundings and understandings of things during Jesus' days. It provides many great insights and adds such depth to many scriptures and stories that we "Greek minded" readers would gloss right over. Not for the light reader, as it is small print,many pages, and lots of information. The student of theology and cultural history will find it a gem most likely.
While it is rather interesting to note the writing style and way that stories were wr...more
While it is rather interesting to note the writing style and way that stories were wr...more
Feb 16, 2012
Becky
added it
I'm not giving this a star rating because it wouldn't be fair; I didn't read the whole book. I got bogged down and skipped some sections. The first section, covering American misconceptions about the Christmas story, was fantastic. Some of the subsequent material seemed less so. The criticism a friend gives of Bailey's work is that it's too parochial; he doesn't necessarily see that the gospel stories can be just as easily applicable universally whether you understand Middle Eastern culture or n...more
While not a page turner, Bailey's book is nevertheless brilliant. He spent forty years living and teaching in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem and Cyprus and has extensive knowledge in Semitic languages and the culture of the Middle East. Bailey offers insights into the gospel narratives, parables, and culture that are incredibly insightful. He opens up a whole world of historical eastern interpretation by referencing ancient commentaries written in Arabic. This book is a valuable addition to only one...more
This book did a great job of unpacking the writings in the Bible surrounding Jesus' arrival on Earth as well as His parables. The author himself is middle-Eastern and is able to read middle-Eastern languages in which many documents relevant to that time period were written, so he is able to provide a lot of historical and cultural context that illuminates subtle points of the Bible that an unaided English reader would understand less fully.
Most of this material is 5 star quality -- the early chapters on the historical setting of the Jesus birth, the middle chapters on the Beatitudes and women disciples of Jesus and radical, anti-religious-establishment nature of Jesus that becomes even more stark when viewed through "Middle Eastern Eyes" is pure gold. In the last part of the book, Bailey devotes a number of chapters on the Parables and here, the text falls short, as it struck me that he was shoehorning these into the theme of the...more
I reference this book more frequently than any other book when writing messages for church. Bailey adds so much to the familiar Bible stories that most Westerners would miss because we are so far removed from the Middle Eastern culture and history. I liked this much more than some of his other works. This book is highly accessible to a lay person and enriches the Bible in really powerful ways.
One of the finest aids you can have for New Testament study. Written by a long-term resident and university professor, the book provides critical context and perspective on M.E. culture, language, and history. I know that's generic praise for study books, but this is the real deal. Worth every cent.
This is an amazing book. Dr. Bailey takes many parts of the bible and explores them through Middle Eastern eyes. His insights are profound and will make you change the way you think about some of the most familiar stories and parables in the New Testament. This is a very readable book. This book will appeal to anyone who wants to learn more about the stories of the New Testament. Even if you're not a Christian you will learn from this book.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot and enjoyed the style and approach of Bailey. Definitely interested in reading some of his other works. The only reason for not giving it a five is that it isn't what I thought it was about - it was much more literary and academic. Still a great read.
This book was so awesome! It's totally up my alley in terms of being a book for language dorks, but it clarified so many things that I've felt uncomfortable with about various stories/scenarios in the Bible because it explored the cultural aspects of scripture. I raced through the beginning, fascinated at his approach, and as it went on it felt a little drier, but there were still some great chapters toward the end. I am so glad I was introduced to this book!
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| Christian Support...: Understanding the bible in light of Middle Eastern culture | 4 | 33 | Dec 05, 2012 07:12pm |
After undergraduate and seminary studies, Dr. Bailey completed degrees in Arabic Language and Literature, Systematic Theology and a doctorate in New Testament. Ordained by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Bailey spent 40 years (1955-1995) living and teaching in seminaries and institutes in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem and Cyprus.
For 20 of those years Dr. Bailey was Professor of New Testament and He...more
More about Kenneth E. Bailey...
For 20 of those years Dr. Bailey was Professor of New Testament and He...more
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