Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

by Kenneth E. Bailey

Paperback, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

Jesus Bai

Genres

Religion & Spirituality

Nonfiction

All Topics

History

Collection

Your library

Pages

443

Publication

IVP Academic (2008), 443 pages

Description

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, and Jesus' relationships with women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context. With a sure but gentle hand, Bailey lifts away the obscuring layers of modern Western interpretation to reveal Jesus in the light of his actual historical and cultural setting. This entirely new material from the pen of Ken Bailey is a must-have for any student of the New Testament. If you have benefited from Bailey's work over the years, this book will be a welcome and indispensable addition to your library. If you are unfamiliar with Bailey's work, this book will introduce you to a very old yet entirely new way of understanding Jesus.… (more)

Media reviews

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

The insights provided by Bailey from ancient Arabic or Syriac translations and commentaries on the Gospels are a breath of fresh air after the stale speculative aridity of much of what is called "Jesus research." This most recent book may very well establish Bailey's legacy beyond dispute.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Wheatland

This book is a compilation of the author's previously published studies over a career lifetime of mostly New Testament passages. As such, it is rich with learning and insight. The reader should start with the introduction to learn the author's general approach and then dip into any part of the book

to study a NT passage of interest: there are several parables, passages on women, the Beatitudes, and Lord's Prayer, and the Christmas story to choose from. Preachers seeking new angles on familiar passages, adult Bible Study groups, and the curious Bible reader will all find gems in this collection. At the conclusion of each passage exegesis, which is anywhere from 5 to 15 pages, the author provides a list of questions for Christians to think about and discuss. A college reading level and grounding in the Christian tradition are assumed. The author has lived his adult life in the Middle East and has scholarly resources at his fingertips. He is enthusiastic about his subject and conveys his passion well. He argues at various point that his readers would do well to learn the venerable and profound perspectives on scripture of Middle East Christians, perspectives that should be better known. However, the author's enthusiasm sometimes exceeds what can be reasonably claimed. He rightly advocates that contemporary Christians will benefit from how Middle Eastern eyes see traditional passages, but to state as he often does that this is the only right way to understand the passages, or that his interpretation is surely the best, goes too far.

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LibraryThing member StephenBarkley

Anyone’s who is convinced they understand the life and times of Jesus need to read this book. I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the gospels after a lifetime of reading and 7 years of post-secondary education. Even so, I found something on almost every page—certainly in every chapter—that

challenged me to rethink various texts.

Bailey’s insight comes with his familiarity with Middle Eastern culture. After spending the majority of his life there, he deeply understands various customs and traditions. Also, his knowledge of little-known Arabic commentators on the gospels adds a layer of insight we tend to miss in the West.

I only had one problem with Bailey’s work. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was anachronistic in the way he used his experience in Middle Eastern culture to interpret the life of Jesus. That said, I would still highly recommend this book to any serious disciple of Jesus.

Thanks to Brian Lachine for recommending this read.

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LibraryThing member adamtarn

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 with a love for biblical studies.

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LibraryThing member librisissimo

The author's experience of living in the middle East informs his understanding of the New Testament, and it was interesting to see how the stories of Jesus, especially the parables, would have "played" to the local audience.
However, it is somewhat depressing that he can draw inferences almost

directly from the culture today to 2000-plus years ago.
I also think he speculates beyond both the texts and his knowledge to impose a psychiatric character on Jesus that I personally don't always agree with.

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