Anyone who wants to understand the life of Jesus in the context of his own time needs to read this book. Written by a Jewish scholar in the late 1800s, the book covers geography, politics, clothing, social interactions, family life, education, the role of women, and the various aspects of religion a ...more
I cannot possibly recommend this, or indeed any Edersheim book, highly enough. Though his style is perhaps more academic than might be desirable in a "casual" Theological treatise, with references and footnotes and asides galore, they are worth wading through for the treasure within.
Edersheim sometimes gets bogged down in details from Jewish sources that , for a non-Jew, are hard to understand. Having said that, I loved reading this book because it gives rich cultural background and context for the New Testament and the times of Jesus. ...more
When picking this book up I thought, "This will be a nice addition to the cultural studies we have been doing on Judaism, etc." I was blown away by the content, and this book needs no other addition. It is quite complete in its assessment of social life. The layout was we ...more
Though I'm sure this has been surpassed by other studies, I still enjoyed it and found it quite helpful. Edersheim was a Jew who converted to Christianity. Thus, he understands how Christ has fulfilled the Jewish system, even as he endeavors to explain the historical context of Christ. ...more
Not quite what I expected and very tedious at times. It took me a few years to finish it so it's hard at this point to give a broad overviews but I do have some highlighted pieces:
For, close by Bethlehem, on the road to Jerusalem, was a tower, known as Migdal Eder, the “watch-tower of the flock.” Fo ...more
This needs to be required reading for all Christian leaders, ordained or lay. Good reading for others too. It gives an in-depth picture of life in the first half of the first century CE. When Edersheim writes of the towns it is vibrant and great reading. One can almost see, hear and smell the activi ...more
This lengthy book is filled with innumerable lessons in Judaism, Roman Jude’s history, and Jewish customs as it related to the Jews and their neighbors in Christ’s time. Though it was heavy reading, I was immersed in it. ...more
Great, inexpensive resource on BIble times context. The English is definitely dated so you will have to be prepared to contend with his long-winded sentences and vocabulary but still very interesting. ...more
Very interesting insights into Judaism at the time of Jesus. I've wanted to read this for a number of years, and it was time well spent. Being an older book, the language can get a bit unclear and verbose at times, but the content more than makes up for those slight difficulties. ...more