Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies In The Gospels

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Enter Kenneth Bailey's new book "Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians." Bailey has a gift of clear, lively expression; he takes advantage of his personal experiences, interest in Hebrew poetic structure, and knowledge of Arabic to bring insights into NT interpretation." Ruth B. Edwards Bailey has a gift of clear, lively expression; he takes advantage of his personal experiences, interest in Hebrew poetic structure, and knowledge of Arabic to bring insights into NT interpretation."

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies In The

I particularly enjoyed his egalitarian insights on men and women as partners in marriage and leadership of the church. In this section, he interspersed deft analysis with personal anecdotes of his experiences working among Mediterranean people. His perspectives on the commands for silence, and what that command did in fact mean were both intelligent, and easy to pass on to others as I teach this passage. A rich and fascinating anthology of exegetical essays reflecting on gospel texts through the lens of Middle Eastern culture and rhetoric. Bailey's exegetical discussions offer a treasure trove of cultural insights into the Jesus traditions of the Gospels. His essays highlght such issues as nationalism, violence, political oppression, inter-ethnic conflict, and joblessness. Bailey's christological insights are power and poignant." Dorothy Jean WeaverThis is another solid contribution to the field of New Testament studies from Kenneth E. Bailey. Not quite as enjoyable or as potentially useful to the working pastor as his fine "Jesus through Middle-Eastern Eyes," it nonetheless contains several very helpful passages. So how does Bailey use his Middle Eastern experience and sources to help give us a sharper, crisper reading of 1 Corinthians? Look at some examples: Kenneth Bailey is a minister that served in the Middle East for more than 40 years and taught New Testament in theological seminaries and institutes... Did you design a participatory project that helped Christians from different cultures—including Middle Eastern ones—talk about their faith practices? Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School I have long been an admirer of Kenneth Bailey’s helpful insights. As in his earlier works, his breadth of knowledge of Middle Eastern culture sheds rich light on numerous points in the Gospels, providing fresh perspectives and often illumining details we have rarely considered. He provokes those of us who depend mostly on ancient written sources to consider new approaches, often cohering with but often supplementing such research.

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the

Few Western Christians have discussed Christmas with Middle Eastern Christians. “Middle Eastern Christians are surprised to learn we make such a big deal of Christmas. The gospels have only 5 chapters about Christmas and about 30 on Holy Week and the resurrection. So the big feast for Christians in the Middle East is for the cross and resurrection, not Christmas,” Bailey says. Kenneth E. Bailey on Jesus as Theologian The two primary markers of the path that Bailey forges in regards to his cultural studied approach (which are the markers that set him apart from many or most other commentaries on 1 Corinthians) is: Now imagine yourself at a Christmas play, where, in the opening scene, the narrator says that Bethlehem is too small to support an inn. You watch a family lead farm animals inside their house. Mary and Joseph arrive, move in with this family and their beasts—and, three weeks later, still no Jesus. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, by Gregory Beale and D. A. Carson, is a one-volume commentary on how New Testament writers understood and interpreted the Old Testament. Kenneth Bailey writes a commentary on 1 Corinthians, leveraging his decades of experience in the Eastern hemisphere and his research of Arabic and Near Eastern textual witnesses to at least give this commentary a niche. This is unfortunately offset by superficial lexical analyses, monochromatic rhetorical analyses, over-reliance on a few commentators, and misapprehension of the weight of Arabic textual witnesses.

This book could serve as material for an adult or student Sunday School class. Laid out in simple format for easy absorption by readers, the author's explanations of his findings require no formal training to follow and understand them. Particularly helpful are the summaries provided at the conclusion of each chapter.This book may very well establish Bailey's legacy beyond dispute." Gene R. Smillie Shared Intentions? Reflections on Inspiration and Interpretation in Light of Scripture’s Dual Authorship by Jared Compton Kenneth E. Bailey brings an extensive knowledge of middle eastern culture to his commentary on 1 Corinthians, most importantly his experience in middle eastern village life. He previously wrote "Jesus through Middle-Eastern Eyes", which I think is a good representative of his passion and area of interest. Here he expands this focus to apply the same sort of “cultural studies” approach to the world from which (he understands) Paul to have penned this letter. Bailey argues that with the East/West discussion much attention has been given to the emergence of Christianity in the global south, but very little attention has been given to the Middle Eastern part of the world from which his passion and experience and knowledge is formed, and from which this text would have been formed. His earlier work on Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes was so amazing that I have recommended it to lots of my students. A couple of weeks ago I received a promotional catalog promoting forthcoming books that were due to be released. I saw Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes and I had to have it.