Judaism Study

Renowned Masonic scholar and author W. W. Westcott discusses the formula of masonic rituals and why secrets are an important part of that. He discusses the inclusion of the concept of legends in our rituals and why it is important to separate those legends from historical events. He discusses where some of our symbols came from and what part the Jewish Kabbalah played in the formation of freemasonry. He discussed the Tree of Life and the Hebrew letters as they relate to masonry.

Esaias is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew name, Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet. In the Hebrew Bible, the book of Isaiah is considered one of the major prophetic books, so named because of the size of the books. The books of the major prophets are made up of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. This is not to say the major prophets are any more important, but only that the books are larger than books written by other prophets, called the minor prophets.

Before Harriet Tubman or Martin Luther King was identified with Moses, African Americans identified those who challenged racial oppression in America with Samson. In Black Samson: The Untold Story of an American Icon, Nyasha Junior and Jeremy Schipper tell the story of how this biblical character became an icon of African American literature.

The destiny of Israel and the Christian church is bound together, evident in the scriptures. Learning this truth is essential for survival. Jewish Roots: Understanding Your Jewish Faith is an introduction to biblical theology from a Jewish contextual point of view, plus practical evaluation and council for the Messianic Jewish communities and the Christian church. This new edition considers recent biblical scholarship and evaluates the progress of the Messianic Jewish community - a pulsating grass roots movement.

While arguing with the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; . . .” In this book we will examine the Tanakh in order to assess the validity of Jesus’ claim. Hesed Volume One is the first book in a four volume series written for Jewish people who want to know the truth about Jesus.

The topic of neurotheology has garnered increasing attention in the academic, religious, scientific, and popular worlds. But there have been no attempts to explore more specifically how Jewish religious thought and experience may intersect with neurotheology. The Rabbi's Brain engages this groundbreaking area.

The Hiddenness of God addresses the problem of divine hiddenness which concerns the ambiguity of evidence for God's existence, the elusiveness of God's comforting presence, the palpable and devastating experience of divine absence and abandonment, and more; phenomena which are hard to reconcile with the idea, central to the Jewish and Christian scriptures, that there exists a God who is deeply and lovingly concerned with the lives of humans. Michael C. Rea argues that divine hiddenness is not a problem to be explained away but rather a consequence of the nature of God himself.

In Egypt to Canaan, John Ritchie traces the epic journey of the Israelites from their redemption by blood all the way to the promised land. These incidents in Israel's history are illustrative pictures, or "types" (in the book of Hebrews they are called patterns, figures, and shadows), from which God will teach us important spiritual lessons if we are willing to learn them.

During its 2,500-year life, the book of Genesis has been the keystone to almost every important claim about reality, humanity, and God in Judaism and Christianity. And it continues to play a central role in debates about science, politics, and human rights. With clarity and skill, acclaimed biblical scholar Ronald Hendel provides a panoramic history of this iconic book, exploring its impact on Western religion, philosophy, science, politics, literature, and more.

3 Enoch, also called The Third Book of Enoch, The Hebrew Book of Enoch, and The Book of the Palaces, purports to have been written in the second century A.D. by a Rabbi, who became a 'high priest' after he had visions of an ascension to Heaven, 90 AD - 135 A.D. The book is part of the Merkabah tradition, which are writings with the theme of ascension into heaven. The name is derived from a Hebrew word meaning chariot, referring to Ezekiel's vision beginning in Ezekiel 1:4.

Some people believe questioning the Bible, the direction God is going, or even God himself, is blasphemy. Some think it’s a sign of disbelief. Daniel Thornton is one such man. He believes his son, Rusty Thornton, is lost without God and takes him to a faraway place in the early 1950s near Spicewood, Texas, where he would never come in contact with people. He has an old King James Version of the Bible and began to try and cure his son’s affliction of skepticism.

The Bible is the most influential book in Western history. As the foundational text of Judaism and Christianity, the Bible has been interpreted and reinterpreted over millennia, utilized to promote a seemingly endless run of theological and political positions. Adherents and detractors alike point to different passages throughout to justify wildly disparate behaviors and beliefs. Translated and retranslated, these texts lead both to unity and intense conflict.

Travel Israel alongside Harvard-trained biblical archaeologist Amanda Hope Haley and learn about its history, people, and God. Through the memories Amanda brought back from her explorations and excavations, you can witness sites and artifacts that bring the Bible to life. In The Red-Haired Archaeologist Digs Israel, Amanda shares with you her humorous travel stories, including her misadventures with customs agents, eye-opening experiences with international cuisine, and crash-course education on driving in a new culture.

Today, many Jewish Americans are embracing a dual religious identity, practicing Buddhism while also staying connected to their Jewish roots. This book tells the story of Judaism's encounter with Buddhism in the United States, showing how it has given rise to new contemplative forms within American Judaism - and shaped the way Americans understand and practice Buddhism. Taking listeners from the 19th century to today, Emily Sigalow traces the history of these two traditions in America and explains how they came together.

A scientist and former evangelical argues that holding onto a belief in a literal, historical Adam has forced many Christians to reject science and become intellectually isolated from the modern world.

An American, secular, diasporic Jew, Lis Harris grew up with the knowledge of the historical wrongs done to Jews. In adulthood, she developed a growing awareness of the wrongs they in turn had done to the Palestinian people. This gave her an intense desire to understand how the Israelis’ history led them to where they are now. However, she found that top-down political accounts and insider assessments made the people most affected seem like chess pieces.

The Words of Gad the Seer is a text attributed to Gad, the prophet and seer referenced in 1 Chronicles 29:29 as a chronicler of King David’s reign. Comprising historical narratives, prophetic visions, and apocalyptic themes, it offers a distinctive perspective on biblical events and their broader implications. While its authenticity as the original Book of Gad the Seer remains a subject of scholarly debate, this recording aims to present the text faithfully, inviting listeners to explore its historical and spiritual dimensions.

The similarities the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP) shares with the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), as well as many similarities with the Septuagint (LXX), challenge the longstanding view that the Samaritan Pentateuch is a later, borrowed, and altered form of the Masoretic Text (MT). The historical devaluation of the Samaritan Pentateuch requires reevaluation, based upon the contextual cohesiveness of the Samaritan Pentateuch, agreement with the most ancient texts of the DSS and LXX, and the uninterrupted and non-dispersed oral transmission of the Ancient Israelite Samaritans.

A noted biblical scholar explores how the claim of divine choice has been used from ancient times to the present to justify territorial expansion and prejudice.

The Garden in Eden was filled with fruit-producing trees, sprouting plants and grasses, and gently flowing rivers. Adam, G-d's chosen king/priest, was called to cultivate the garden's fertile soil, to guard the sacred space from external enemies, and to rule over the Earth. After breaking covenant with YHWH, his king, Adam was banished to the field, a place of thorns and thistles, where he became a slave to the earth. The Temple Revealed in the Garden: Priests and Kings examines the Garden story from an ancient Near East perspective.