The Bible With & Without Jesus: Understanding Jewish and Christian Interpretations - w/ Amy Jill Levine

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2020

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How Jewish and Christian communities read the same scripture differently, and how embracing these distinct interpretations can deepen both scholarship and spiritual formation. Mike Erre and Tim Stafford sit down with renowned Jewish New Testament scholar Dr. Amy-Jill Levine to discuss themes from her book, "The Bible With and Without Jesus," co-authored with Marc Brettler. AJ brings warmth, brilliant storytelling, and scholarly insight as they dive into how texts like Genesis, Isaiah 53, and Jonah have been interpreted historically and theologically by Jews and Christians alike.

Key Takeaways: • Understanding Contextual Lenses – How the way we read scripture is shaped by the "glasses" we wear—our religious traditions, cultural assumptions, and theological expectations. • The Bible as a Multi-layered Text – Why the Bible supports multiple interpretations and how that opens doors to richer understanding, not confusion. • Reframing Original Sin – Exploring the Jewish view of Genesis 3 as an "original opportunity" rather than a catastrophic fall, and what that tells us about human nature and divine relationship. • Why Sacrifice Isn't Always About Sin – How the ancient Jewish sacrificial system was about more than atonement, and how Second Temple practices differed from Christian readings in Hebrews. • Wrestling as Worship – How wrestling with scripture—through community, conversation, and study—is how Jews and Christians can both approach the divine.

Guest Highlights: Dr. Amy-Jill Levine – World-renowned Jewish New Testament scholar, Vanderbilt professor, and co-author of "The Bible With and Without Jesus." AJ's unique perspective bridges faith traditions, helping Christian audiences rediscover the Old Testament while honoring its Jewish roots. With equal parts depth and humor, she offers a liberating vision of how interfaith learning can lead to deeper faithfulness.

Resources Mentioned: • "The Bible With and Without Jesus" by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler – [Link] • "The Jewish Annotated New Testament" – [Link] • Luke Commentary by Amy-Jill Levine & Ben Witherington III – [Link] • "Short Stories by Jesus" by Amy-Jill Levine – [Link] • Genesis 1–3, Isaiah 53, Jonah (referenced throughout) – Bible Gateway

Dive deeper into the practice of wrestling with scripture and embracing the tensions that arise from differing views—and discover how that journey can actually lead to a stronger, more resilient faith.

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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody. Welcome to the box.
0:05.0	Welcome to the box podcast.
0:08.0	Mike and Tim coming at you from the epicenter of Christianity, Central Ohio, Northern California.
0:20.0	Yeah. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. And what Central Ohio, Northern California.
0:21.8	Oh, yes.
0:23.0	Oh, yes.
0:30.2	And what a welcome to the podcast and say thank you for tuning in.
0:33.3	We are always grateful to play a part in your day.
0:38.2	Today we've got a returning guest, Dr. Amy Jill Levine.
0:39.5	One of my favorite. And she's a bit of a spitfire.
0:41.8	She is, she's just delightful and opinionated and smart.
0:47.5	And we're looking at her new book.
0:51.1	It's called The Bible With and Without Jesus,
0:55.4	how Jews and Christians, I'm adding this. This is not the subtitle,
0:59.0	but how Jews and Christians can read the same text differently. That's kind of where she's
1:02.2	going for. You did segue straight into it like it was the... I know, I did. I did. I did. I did.
1:07.1	I did. That's how good and professional this whole operation is.
1:10.8	I love that she is a brilliant scholar. She's Jewish and her like emphasis, her, like her specialty is the New Testament.
1:23.6	Right. Yes. So fascinating. It is absolutely fascinating.
1:29.7	And today we get into all sorts of trouble.
1:33.4	We, if at some point you're listening to that you're like, what in the world?
1:41.1	Just stick with it.
	...

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