"Whose Bible Is It?" by J. Pelikan

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BayCityRickL

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This book is a must read for the “history of the Bible throughout the ages.” Viking, 2005, ~250 pages.

The chapters are very dynamic and perhaps you will be pleasantly surprised as he gives you some highlights of the history of scripture in past centuries-- which tells you a lot about where we are today.

Fer instance, he tells you whose idea it was to put together a New Testament in the first place. And, what an accomplishment it was to actually do that.

He tells you why you should be interested in the Talmud.

p.198-199 in particular, he tells you about the modern emergence of skepticism about the Bible among Jews, Protestants and Catholics. May help explain that hollow feeling you may get in church sometimes, why the air seems to be sucked out of the preaching at times.

He repeatedly tells you why to feel upbeat about the scriptures.

And, last but not least, he tells you whose Bible it is.
 
Thanks for your suggestion about J Pelikan’s “Whose Bible is it?”
I hope many of us follow your very good advise.
 
I have the utmost repsect for Jews, but they can keep their Talmud.

One example of why is right here:

“Those who read the Gospels are doomed to Hell”. (Sanhedrin 90a, 100b, pp.601-602, 680).
 
Axion,
While not necessary, some understanding of the Talmud can be helpful for several reasons. The Talmud, Jewish commentaries on the Torah and other books of our OT was being developed at the same time our canon of scriptures was being formed. In the Talmud we find an prevalent understanding of scripture of the predominent Jewish teachers who were, at this time, in constant tention with the Christian Community and when many Christians believed we were the fulfillment of the prophecy and Jewish Law - that is Christians were Jews. We see this tention reflected in the passage you qouted but we also find it, from a Christian perspective, through out the Gospels and the letters of Paul. Also, the tention between Christians and Jews, as reflected in the Talmud, effected the formulation of the Jewish and Catholic Canon of Scriptures and the Canon accepted by Luther.
 
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UnworthySoul:
I have the utmost repsect for Jews, but they can keep their Talmud.

One example of why is right here:

“Those who read the Gospels are doomed to Hell”. (Sanhedrin 90a, 100b, pp.601-602, 680).
Click to expand...
Well, of course, we’re not going to like everything printed there. Perhaps Pelikan’s book can tell you why Catholics should look at it anyways, just like he thinks they should take a serious look at the Christian testament and writings.

I don’t want to give away too much of Pelikan’s intellectual property, except to give you something to think about.

And, who am I kidding, the Talmud is large, is it not? It is probably not easy to find or get through. It’s nowhere in our local public library or book loan system.
 
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Hegesippus:
What is the Talmud
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According to Pelikan, the Talmud is a document that corresponds to the New Testament, to explain the Hebrew Scriptures. It is thus an alternate explanation of the Hebrew Scriptures. That’s how Pelikan views it, not sure if the Rabbis would explain it that way.
 
Jaroslav Pelikan is one of the most useful writers, IMHO, to help us get a real grasp of lots of things historical concerning the Church. A few years ago the University of Chicago Press published, in succeeding years, a 5 volume history of the development of Christian doctrine. It ia a wonderful and enlightening work. It is heavily footnoted and annotated with many, many references. Excellent resource if you care about good history of such things.
 
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Hegesippus:
What is the Talmud
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Literally, teaching. Compendium of discussions on the Mishnah (the earliest codification of Jewish religious law, largely complete by 200 AD), by generations of scholars and jurists in many academies over a period of several centuries. The Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud mainly contains the discussion of the Palestinian sages. The Babylonian Talmud incorporates the parallel discussions in the Babylonian academies.

I respectfully disagree that it is the Jewish equivalent to the New Testament or that it corresponds as such. :o
nianka
 
Nianka,
I may be wrong, but when I saw the word “Corresponds” to the New Testament, I understood the word to mean it was a comtempotary document with the NT, both were formulated around the same time. Also, building on your explanation, the “Talmud” is composed of two books, the “Mishnah” as tou explained and the “Gemara” which are commentaries of the Mishnah. Traditionally, when we hear of the Talmud, it is the Gemara that is being refered to.
 
Servant,
I couldn’t agree with you more on J Pelikan’s “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine”.
 
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