Jewish perspective on the Psalms

[Kristin]

I am not sure if this is the right forum, but I have a product question. I really like material put out by the JPS, and Accordance seems to have material by them on the Torah and the Prophets. There does not seem to be anything by the JPS on the Psalms. Is that correct?

 

If what I said is not correct, can someone please show me the link to the product in Accordance?

 

If this is correct, does anyone know of a commentary Accordance has available on the Psalms from a Jewish perspective?

 

Thank you for any help anyone is able to provide.

 

Kristin

 

[ukfraser]

Jps have published rashi's commentary on the psalms but that isnt currently in accordance. It may be worth requesting as a new module. This would be a great addition to the commentators bible set already in accordance. 
 

https://jps.org/books/rashis-commentary-on-psalms/

 

im not aware of anything currently in accordance that is from a jewish perspective Specifically on the psalms.

 

however, you do pick the psalms up spread throughout the jps haftarot but these are arranged around the liturgical readings so not specific or particularly comprehensive. 

 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=JPS%20Haftarot
 

I suppose the nearest thing  Currently would be the jewish study bible assuming you dont already have it which does provide reasonable notes (screenshot of ps 50). (ps If you havent already got this study bible it is a MUST  for any and every library in my opinion!)
 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=Jewish%20SB-2

Edited July 25, 2020 by ukfraser

[JonathanHuber]

The haftarah readings are from the prophets, not psalms. But +1 for the Jewish Study Bible.

[ukfraser]

Thanks jonathan, thats why i included the screen shot because the psalms I have found are referenced quite heavily. Just not specifically and certainly not comprehensively. And to me, they are cross referenced more when compared to the other jps commentaries. (Though i havent got the commentators set.)
 

;o) 

 

its also the resource i havent worked out the best way to use so rely heavily on searching to find passages because there is also a lot of readings listed for the  nevi'im with commentary as well as readings from the torah. But thankfully, the index of readings has been included. 

Edited July 25, 2020 by ukfraser

[Leopold Green]

Jps have published rashi's commentary on the psalms but that isnt currently in accordance. It may be worth requesting as a new module. This would be a great addition to the commentators bible set already in accordance. 

 

https://jps.org/books/rashis-commentary-on-psalms/

 

 

I have this and it would be excellent addition to Accordance!!! It would probably work better as an Accordance module as it is a traditionally laid out work - I have the commentators set in Accordance but it doesn't (can't) replicate the layout of the book which really does bring into english the layout of a Hebrew commentary. The luxury is to have both

[ukfraser]

I have this and it would be excellent addition to Accordance!!! It would probably work better as an Accordance module as it is a traditionally laid out work 

Thanks for the endorsement! I have only seen it on the publishers web site.

 

 Does it need to have its own thread in requested modules so it gets more visibility? (But it doesnt solve kristin's current need)

Edited July 25, 2020 by ukfraser

[accordance_fan]

+1 to any of Rashi's commentaries. 

[JonathanHuber]

Thanks jonathan, thats why i included the screen shot because the psalms I have found are referenced quite heavily. Just not specifically and certainly not comprehensively. And to me, they are cross referenced more when compared to the other jps commentaries. (Though i havent got the commentators set.)

 

;o) 

 

its also the resource i havent worked out the best way to use so rely heavily on searching to find passages because there is also a lot of readings listed for the  nevi'im with commentary as well as readings from the torah. But thankfully, the index of readings has been included. 

Ah, I misunderstood what you were saying. It's not a commentary on the Psalms, rather it refers to the Psalms here and there. I sadly do not have the JPS set yet, but it's high on my wishlist. I do use the Torah Modern Commentary and know what you mean about finding the sections on the Haftarah. It does show up automatically in the Info Pane, so maybe you should reconsider your antipathy for the Big Version. 

Edited July 25, 2020 by JonathanHuber

[ukfraser]

I sadly do not have the JPS set yet, but it's high on my wishlist. I do use the Torah Modern Commentary and know what you mean about finding the sections on the Haftarah. 

I got the torah set first (as well as modern torah) and Was so impressed i kept looking at the complete jps whenever they were on sale and eventually decided to upgrade. I havent used the additional volumes much but the haftarot does fill in some of the gaps In other jps commentaries particularly for the prophets (though its far from complete) and i do find the haggadah useful So im pleased i have them. (I worked out it was only marginally more expensive to upgrade to the full set when on sale than just buy these two volumes which were the ones i was mainly interested in as they tend not to come up on sale.)

 

so keep them on your wish list and one day they will float to the surface. 

Edited July 25, 2020 by ukfraser

[Gedalya]

The following  may be of interest by Rabbi Benjamin Segal:

A New Psalm is a commentary and guide to reading the Book of Psalms as literature. After an introduction, each psalm is interpreted in light of biblical scholarship, ancient and modern, with an emphasis on the poetic presentation. The commentary elucidates the spiritual quests, insights, and struggles of generations of men and women confronting their world and their place in that world, with no subject, be it faith or nonbelief, good or evil, hope or despair, God or man, the individual or the society, the nation or the nations, left unexplored. Sophisticated poets who knew how to speak to both their peers and the masses, the psalmists used words creatively to allow their readers to search their own hearts. The words are ancient, but the questions are immediate and modern. The Psalms has contributed to the thinking and search of people across the millennia. It is truly poetry of the heart. In this commentary, modern research and insight allow the poems to sing once again. No other commentary brings a combination of classical and modern interpretations to the Book of Psalms, along with a real appreciation for the poetic skills of the poets and an acknowledgment of their own struggles and strivings. Uniquely identifying the literary techniques used by the psalmist, the author opens the psalms to the reader through an integrated appreciation of form and content.

 

https://www.amazon.com/New-Psalm-Guide-Psalms-Literature-ebook/dp/B00GMVICFQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=new+psalm+segal&qid=1595701855&sr=8-1

[Kristin]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! This has all been really helpful. Concerning the Jewish Study Bible, I had actually seen this resource before but had not gotten it since the authors seem to be Christians and I really needed a Jewish perspective.

(I greatly appreciate the Christian commentaries I have as well, but I often feel that Christian commentators skip over important cultural and religious issues in the OT in their quest to link it to the NT. I hope this does not come across wrong).

In any case, after ukfraser and JonathanHuber's recommendations for the Jewish Study Bible I went ahead and got it and it has really filled a hole I needed to fill.

Thank you again, and I will make note of the references mentioned on this thread in case Accordance adds them in the future.

Take care,
Kristin

[ukfraser]

(I greatly appreciate the Christian commentaries I have as well, but I often feel that Christian commentators skip over important cultural and religious issues in the OT in their quest to link it to the NT. I hope this does not come across wrong).

 

I totally agree (and i am a Christian) which is why i bought a hard copy of the original version as soon as i saw it!

 

There is also a jewish annotated new testament as well again co-edited by Marc zvi brettler for a jewish perspective on the new testament! 

 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=Jewish%20Annotated%20NT-2

Edited July 25, 2020 by ukfraser

[Kristin]

I totally agree (and i am a Christian) which is why i bought a hard copy of the original version as soon as i saw it!

 

There is also a jewish annotated new testament as well again co-edited by Marc zvi brettler for a jewish perspective on the new testament! 

 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=Jewish%20Annotated%20NT-2

 

Thank you very much for the link! I have actually been looking for a Jewish perspective on the NT and did not realize Accordance had one. Thank you for letting me know.

 

[TYA]

Concerning the Jewish Study Bible, I had actually seen this resource before but had not gotten it since the authors seem to be Christians and I really needed a Jewish perspective.

 

Where did you get this idea that the authors "seem to be Christians"?  Here is the title page:

 

"THE JEWISH STUDY BIBLE

 

Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler

 

EDITORS

 

 

Michael Fishbane

 

CONSULTING EDITOR

 

 

Jewish Publication Society

TANAKH Translation

 

 

OXFORD

UNIVERSITY PRESS"

 

I have actually been looking for a Jewish perspective on the NT and did not realize Accordance had one.

 

You may also be interested in Dr. David Stern's "Jewish New Testament Commentary"

 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=JNT%20Commentary

 

Just do a search in Accordance's store for "Jewish."  That will give you an idea of what is available.

Edited July 26, 2020 by TYA

[Kristin]

Where did you get this idea that the authors "seem to be Christians"?  Here is the title page:

 

"THE JEWISH STUDY BIBLE

 

Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler

 

EDITORS

 

 

Michael Fishbane

 

CONSULTING EDITOR

 

 

Jewish Publication Society

TANAKH Translation

 

 

OXFORD

UNIVERSITY PRESS"

 

 

You may also be interested in Dr. David Stern's "Jewish New Testament Commentary"

 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=JNT%20Commentary

 

Just do a search in Accordance's store for "Jewish."  That will give you an idea of what is available.

Hi TYA,

That is actually a good question. I had previously looked up the editors and had seen they had been involved in some NT studies (which had surprised me, but I didn’t question it). So then for your question I just went to google to find the same thing I had read before and I can’t find it. So obviously I must have been looking at something else.

 

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It is always important to me to know the fundamental starting point and perspective of commentators.

 

Thank you also for the recommendation and link.

 

Kristin

[TYA]

Hi Kristin.  Just for clarification, Marc Zvi Brettler (mentioned in the title page above for "The Jewish Study Bible") is actually one of the editors of "The Jewish Annotated New Testament," which might explain your statement that some of them are involved in "NT" studies.  That would be him.

 

It is a most wonderful and exciting thing (to me as a Jew) that more Jewish scholars are investigating the writings of Yeshua's followers ("NT"), but that most certainly doesn't mean that they recognize Yeshua as the Messiah.  In fact, many almost certainly don't, so don't assume that someone is Christian just because they do "NT studies."

 

It is, however, sometimes challenging to find out some scholar's faith perspectives, because try as you might, they often don't disclose them openly anywhere.  This seems to me just to be a scholarly "way," perhaps to avoid being branded one way or another.  The closest I've been able to find about many scholars is simply that they are a Jew, and where they teach or write, but not their level of observance or particular denomination of Judaism.  Exceptions seem to be rare in the scholarly world.

 

Now, Adele Berlin and Michael Fishbane (also mentioned above) both write for the JPS Haftarot and Megillot series (see attached screenshot), so all these works we are discussing actually have some crossover in terms of authorship.  Note that "JPS" means "Jewish Publication Society," which appears on that title page for "The Jewish Study Bible."

 

So again, there is crossover between the JPS Commentaries, The Jewish Study Bible, and even a little bit for The Jewish Annotated New Testament, with Marc Zvi Brettler.  I own all these, and appreciate them greatly.  Now is a good time to buy with the 25% off storewide coupon.

 

Dr. David Stern, however, is not included in those, as his perspective is Messianic Judaism; and he is the only one of the above (I'm almost certain) who openly professes Yeshua as the Messiah.  I highly recommend his commentary, though it doesn't cover every single verse.  What he does cover is very insightful from the perspective of a native-born Jew who recognizes Yeshua as the Messiah.

 

Now, here is a list of editors and contributors directly from "The Jewish Annotated New Testament."

 

Yaakov Ariel– Messianic Judaism

Alan J. Avery-Peck– The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Herbert Basser– The Letter of James

Meir Ben Shahar– Jewish Views of Gentiles

Gideon Bohak [revision of Geza Vermes]– Jewish Miracle Workers and Magic in the Late Second Temple Period

Alejandro F. Botta– The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy

Daniel Boyarin– Logos, A Jewish Word: John’s Prologue as Midrash

Marc Zvi Brettler, Editor and Contributor– The New Testament between the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and Rabbinic Literature; (with Amy-Jill Levine) Gospels and Acts; Epistles and Revelation; Introduction to the Essays

Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus– The Third Letter of John

Shaye J. D. Cohen– The Letter of Paul to the Galatians; Judaism and Jewishness

Michael Cook– The Letter of Paul to the Philippians

Pamela Eisenbaum– The Letter to the Hebrews

Marc Michael Epstein– The New Testament in the Jewish Arts

Michael Fagenblat– The Concept of Neighbor in Jewish and Christian Ethics

Steven Fine– The Burial of Jesus: Between Texts and Archaeology

Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert– Judaizers, Jewish Christians, and Others

David Frankfurter– The Revelation to John

Paula Fredriksen– Paul and Judaism

David M. Freidenreich– Food and Table Fellowship

Julie Galambush– The Second Letter of John

Aaron M. Gale– The Gospel According to Matthew

Joshua D. Garroway– Ioudaios

Barbara Geller– The Letter of Paul to Philemon

Gary Gilbert– The Acts of the Apostles

David Goodblatt– The Sanhedrin

Martin Goodman– Jewish History, 331 BCE – 135 CE

Leonard Greenspoon– The Septuagint

Michael R. Greenwald– The Canon of the New Testament

Adam Gregerman– The Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

Erich S. Gruen– The Greco-Roman Background of the New Testament

Susannah Heschel– Jesus in Modern Jewish Thought

Martha Himmelfarb– Afterlife and Resurrection

Lawrence Hoffman– Circumcision

Matthew Hoffman– Jesus and the New Testament in Modern Yiddish and Hebrew Culture

Tal Ilan– Gender

Andrew S. Jacobs– The Letter of Jude

Ed Kessler– The New Testament and Jewish-Christian Relations

Menahem Kister– The Dead Sea Scrolls

Jonathan Klawans– The Law

Naomi Koltun-Fromm– The First Letter of Paul to Timothy

Jennifer L. Koosed– The Letter of Paul to Titus

David Kraemer– The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Ross S. Kraemer– Jewish Family Life in the First Century CE

Shira L. Lander– The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Ruth Langer– Birkat ha-Minim: A Jewish Curse of Christians?

Daniel R. Langton– Paul in Jewish Thought

Daniel J. Lasker– Mary in Jewish Tradition

Marcie Lenk– The First Letter of Peter

Rebecca Lesses– Supernatural Beings

David B. Levenson– Messianic Movements

Amy-Jill Levine, Editor and Contributor– The Gospel According to Luke; Bearing False Witness: Common Errors Made about Early Judaism; (with Marc Zvi Brettler) Gospels and Acts; Epistles and Revelation; Introduction to the Essays

Lee I. Levine– The Synagogue

Martin Lockshin– Jesus in Medieval Jewish Tradition

Jodi Magness– Archaeology of the Land of Israel at the Time of Jesus

Naphtali Meshel– Sacrifice and the Temple

Michele Murray– The First Letter of John

Mark D. Nanos– The Letter of Paul to the Romans

Jacob Neusner– A Jewish Reflection on Christian Claims

Isaac W. Oliver– Baptism and Eucharist

Eric M. Orlin– Revolts against Rome

Jack Pastor– Josephus

Randi Rashkover– Christology

Adele Reinhartz– The Gospel According to John

David Fox Sandmel– The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

Michael L. Satlow– Marriage and Divorce

David Satran– Philo of Alexandria

Lawrence H. Schiffman– Pharisees

Daniel R. Schwartz– Jewish Movements of the New Testament Period

Naomi Seidman– The Language of the New Testament and the Translation of the Bible

Claudia Setzer– Jewish Responses to Believers in Jesus

Ruth Sheridan– Scripture Fulfillment

Avigdor Shinan– Prayer

David Stern– Midrash and Parables

Sacha Stern– Time, Calendars, and Festivals

Sarah J. Tanzer– The Historical Jesus

Gila Vachman– The Second Letter of Peter

Geza Vermes [revised by Gideon Bohak]– Jewish Miracle Workers and Magic in the Late Second Temple Period

Burton L. Visotzky– Jesus in Rabbinic Tradition

Lawrence M. Wills– The Gospel According to Mark

Peter Zaas– The Letter of Paul to the Colossians

Edited July 26, 2020 by TYA

[Kristin]

Hi TYA,
Yes, you found my confusion. I had seen that Marc Zvi Brettler had written something about the NT and I declared him a Christian. I am not sure why I didn’t see this again when I had been searching for it on my last reply.

Thank you for the clarification about the authors and the detailed list. Perhaps it was overly simplistic, but I had not thought of Jews who do not believe that Jesus was the Christ as doing scholarly work on the NT, as what would be the point, but I suppose that does not make sense at all since secular scholars do it all the time.

Kristin

[ukfraser]

Kristin,

 

One thing i forgot to mention and not sure if its appropriate but when i bought my hard copy of the Jewish study bible it came with the Tanakh  Which was the first time i came across the jps. For me, one of the greatest things i appreciate about accordance is the tagged version which you cant do in hard copies. The accordance version of the jsb doesnt come with any text and while it can work with any bible,  do you have the JPS Tanakh  (Jewish Publication Society) with Strong's Numbers? If not, i would consider adding this to your library at some time (and i would certainly recommend paying a bit more for a tagged version). 

 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=JPSS

[Kristin]

Hi ukfraser,
Thank you for your message, and I for sure think it fits on this thread. Yes, I do have the JPS Tanakh, and I completely agree that it is a valuable resource and worth getting the Strong’s version.

Similar to your story, I had first become exposed to it since it came attached to a commentary, and it has turned into one of my favorite texts.

Thank you for the recommendation.
Kristin

[ukfraser]

I find this forum useful for being made aware of resources in accordance that had originally passed me by, particularly now that there are virtually no christian book shops you can go in to browse. Especially when they come up on sale!

 

Your original question got me thinking, particularly a comment you made so one other useful resource i have found is "Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament" which for me joins up the dots of how the jewish new testament writers were using scripture knowing what many of their readers would have been familiar with.
 

(When you search there are lots of references to the psalms but the screenshot is from matthew. 

https://www.accordancebible.com/store/details/?pid=Beale-Carson%20Commentary

Edited July 26, 2020 by ukfraser

[Kristin]

Hi ukfraser,
Thank you for the link, and I completely agree with your assessment. I find the Accordance Forum very helpful as well, and I also find it sad that there are not bookstores around anymore. (Though I admit most of the resources I usually use would not have been found in those types of stores anyway, the concept is still sad).

Thank you again for the link and thumbnail.

Kristin

[jlm]

Hi TYA,

Yes, you found my confusion. I had seen that Marc Zvi Brettler had written something about the NT and I declared him a Christian. I am not sure why I didn’t see this again when I had been searching for it on my last reply.

 

Thank you for the clarification about the authors and the detailed list. Perhaps it was overly simplistic, but I had not thought of Jews who do not believe that Jesus was the Christ as doing scholarly work on the NT, as what would be the point, but I suppose that does not make sense at all since secular scholars do it all the time.

 

Kristin

One thing that interests Amy-Jill Levine is that it's one of the few sources on Judaism in the first century C.E. "'In studying the New Testament, I was recovering my own Jewish identity.' For instance, she says that it is because of the New Testament that we know that some first-century Jewish women owned their own homes, had control over their own money, had freedom of travel, went to synagogue—and overall, played a prominent role in the Jewish community" (https://momentmag.com/gospel-amy-jill-levine/). She doesn't fit any stereotypes, so she makes an interesting subject for articles. There are lots about her out there.

[rgallo]

Hello

 

Yeshua as the Messiah. Jesus was Jewish!!! He also drank wine.

Did he teach in Greek in Jerusalem? Did he pay taxes to the Romans?

Doesn't it say in the bible that the first christians were Jews, they are called Messianic Jews today.

 

FYI

I found this on the web:

Messianic Radio and TV

Chavah Messianic Jewish and Hebrew Roots Radio: messianicradio.com

 

Messianic Jewish Hebrew TV: shelanu.tv 

 

 

rg

[Kristin]

Hi Jlm,
Thank you for your comments about Amy-Jill Levine, and I agree completely that people often underestimate the role of women in the first century. Not to be too controversial, but I think that Jesus understood the value of females being educated in Scripture and equipped to help others with it more than many pastors understand today.

Hi Rgallo,
I firmly believe that Yeshua is the Messiah from God. He was certainly Jewish, and for sure drank wine.

Kristin

[markusvonkaenel]

When we talk about David Stern, we should also talk about Joseph Shulam, Netivyah. He has written some very good commentaries. Unfortunately not available in accordance.

 

Further of David Flusser, not a believer in Yeshua, but the books are highly to recommend. Also missing in Accordance.