I looked forward to reading this book but am left with the feeling its more of a sophomoric essay than a useful guide to interpretation of the gospels. Its repetitive in its statements of evidence that the scriptures were of Hebrew origin, using the tried-and-true 'and this fellow said it was and so did that fellow...'. It has only a few examples that it repeats across several chapters. The whole concept that understanding idioms will help in scriptural analysis is certainly significant but this book lacks the depth required for it to be useful. I am hoping the author someday uses this tool in a serious manner and publishes his work.

I found this perspective to be solid and sensible. I am blessed by it.

The book is based on the premise that Jesus spoke in Hebrew, not Aramaic, and that his words had been first recorded in Hebrew before they were translated into Greek. The authors justify their position by pointing to many expressions in the gospels, which don't make sense either in English or in the original Greek, but which make perfect sense when they are traced back to idiomatic Hebrew. They argue that their translation into Greek, and later into other languages, caused them to lose their original meaning and to become incomprehensible.

They explain away the famous Aramaic "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani," that Jesus supposedly uttered from the cross in Mark's Gospel as having been misheard or misquoted. It should have been "Eli, Eli..." they insist, which is Hebrew for "God, God..." but could also have been understood as a diminutive for Elija. Their opinions are in some agreement with the more recent belief that in Jesus' day Judeans spoke in Hebrew to each other, in Aramaic to people in more distant parts of the Middle East, and in Greek to gentiles in general. On the other hand, each gospel places different words in Jesus' mouth while on the cross, from which we can conclude that all these words are creations of the evangelists, not history. So why did Mark think that Jesus would have spoken in Aramaic? The authors neither ask nor answer this question. In any case, according to them, the strange syntax of the gospels resulted from the translations of earlier Hebrew writings into Greek. But again the authors miss the point that the syntax would have been no different had the gospels been written directly in Greek by people whose mother tongue was Hebrew.

Perhaps a third of this short book is directed to proving the Hebrew origin of the gospels. The rest, and far more interesting part, examines some of the more difficult-to-explain sayings of Jesus, and how they make sense when translated back into the alleged original idiomatic Hebrew.

This short book should be read by all who are interested in what Jesus may have actually said and meant. It could also form the basis of short Bible Study group discussions.

(The writer is the author of "Christianity Without Fairy Tales: When Science And Religion Merge," and of the forthcoming "The Way of the Butterfly: A Scientific Speculation on God and the Hereafter.")

The book is based on the premise that Jesus spoke in Hebrew, not Aramaic, and that his words had been first recorded in Hebrew before they were translated into Greek. The authors justify their position by pointing to many expressions in the gospels, which don't make sense either in English or in the original Greek, but which make perfect sense when they are traced back to idiomatic Hebrew. They argue that their translation into Greek, and later into other languages, caused them to lose their original meaning and to become incomprehensible.

They explain away the famous Aramaic "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani," that Jesus supposedly uttered from the cross in Mark's Gospel as having been misheard or misquoted. It should have been "Eli, Eli..." they insist, which is Hebrew for "God, God..." but could also have been understood as a diminutive for Elija. Their opinions are in some agreement with the more recent belief that in Jesus' day Judeans spoke in Hebrew to each other, in Aramaic to people in more distant parts of the Middle East, and in Greek to gentiles in general. On the other hand, each gospel places different words in Jesus' mouth while on the cross, from which we can conclude that all these words are creations of the evangelists, not history. So why did Mark think that Jesus would have spoken in Aramaic? The authors neither ask nor answer this question. In any case, according to them, the strange syntax of the gospels resulted from the translations of earlier Hebrew writings into Greek. But again the authors miss the point that the syntax would have been no different had the gospels been written directly in Greek by people whose mother tongue was Hebrew.

Perhaps a third of this short book is directed to proving the Hebrew origin of the gospels. The rest, and far more interesting part, examines some of the more difficult-to-explain sayings of Jesus, and how they make sense when translated back into the alleged original idiomatic Hebrew.

This short book should be read by all who are interested in what Jesus may have actually said and meant. It could also form the basis of short Bible Study group discussions.

(The writer is the author of "Christianity Without Fairy Tales: When Science And Religion Merge," and of the forthcoming "The Way of the Butterfly: A Scientific Speculation on God and the Hereafter.")

This is a good start for those just learning that Jesus needs to be seen as a Jew and Hebrew. Bivin's other book on Jesus's Words is better because it goes into fuirther detail regarding what is in this book.

Truely a work based on historic facts that opens your eyes to understanding who Jesus is.

This book is a persuasive argument for the Hebraic background to the gospel writings.

The preliminary argument actually defends the claim that the gospels themselves were written in Hebrew, not Aramaic, and only later translated into Greek. The argument against Aramaic is detailed, and I am not at all versed in Aramaic so as to respond to it. At some points it seems forced, as when the authors argue that Jesus' words on the cross, "Eloi," (Aramaic) were actually "Eli" (Hebrew), leading to the claim that he was calling Elijah (p. 10). It would be just as reasonable to assume that his hearers mistook what he was saying and assumed he was calling Elijah.
Furthermore, the two-page response to the Greek theory (p. 14-16), seems absurd, given that our only extant manuscripts are Greek. That only one counter-argument is given seems like the authors are avoiding the obvious. Furthermore, there are obvious plays on Greek words in the gospels, as with Peter's conversation with Jesus after the resurrection and the play on varying forms of the word "love," only true in Greek. The authors are not arguing merely that the authors were from a Hebrew context, but that their writings themselves were Hebrew. Given that Greek was the standard language of diplomacy in the first century, this seems ridiculous.

Still, the Hebraic background to the texts was clearly in the minds of the authors. Even if they wrote in Greek, that they were translating Hebrew idioms still seems likely (even if not in print). The first few chapters simply belabor an unnecessary argument, while Chapter 5 (p. 53-65), is the most valuable. Here, the Hebrew idioms are exposed and translated. The meaning of offering your peace to a house (p. 57) is infinitely more clear given the Judaic context of the text.

Chapter 6, an analysis of a couple of potential theological errors that can stem from misunderstanding the nature of the text, is fascinating. I like the argument that Jesus was not intending a strict pacifism (p. 67-72) and that he didn't intend an unwise generosity when he talked about giving (p. 72-75).

The appendix is a wealth of sermon material for the particular texts addressed. It plunges into the possible Hebrew intentions to verses which seem senseless in English and even in Greek. Sometimes I am not entirely compelled by their exegesis, since, for instance, the phrase "cast out your bad name" (p. 115) is not radically different than what we assume it meant in the English. Nonetheless, there are some priceless revelations here, such as the meaning of the tittle on the jot, the mark on the top of the yod.

All considered, I like the direction of the book, though it would be more compelling if they had spent more time on theological ramifications and less time arguing for an implausible nature of non-extant texts. In the end, I found myself simply wishing the book was longer.

This book offer a interesting and amazing view about Jesus's difficult words, show us its mean from hebraic perspective. Its argumentation and bibliography are very good. An excellent book to christians that want learn more about The Message of our Savior.

This book is a great little gem to pick up. The price is not prohibitive at all, and it's a great addition to any Christian's bookshelf.

For those of you who love this stuff, and are always looking for another book that introduces a little more Jewish insight into the New Testament, this is a great book to get you thinking about topics you may have never thought of before. In other words, it's a great starting point for further study.

Alternatively, if you're one of those people who are looking for a nominal amount of self-sufficient reading, this book is equally appropriate. It's a pretty thin little thing, and you can cover it in almost no time. However, the things you'll learn on those pages will help the scriptures make more sense that they ever have before.

The short: The book is a great little book that will strengthen your understanding of scripture and will be a great little reference for you. And since it's a short book, you can read it and then decide if you're interested in studying further. You really, REALLY can't go wrong. Highly recommended.

A very enlightening book. If you would like to know more about the Synoptic Gospels you better not miss this book. I am looking forward to a second reading. A must have for any serious Christian library. This work answers several difficult questions about the meaning of Jesus' words. It is the key to deciphering some of the most cryptic passages recorded in the Synoptic Gospels. Worthy of study.

The authors make a very convincing case that the Synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark and Luke) were based on a lost Hebrew text. The translation into Greek was not idiomatic but literal and that is why many of the words of Jesus do not seem to make sense. These Gospels are full of Hebrew idioms and expressions that were taken literally into the Greek and subsequent translations of other languages. Most of the idioms that Jesus used can be understood only in a Hebrew context. The assumption that the entire New Testament was originally communicated in Aramaic has led to significant misunderstandings on the part of both scholars and laypersons.

Firstly, the authors examine the Aramaic and Greek theories. Contrary to the consensus, it now appears that Hebrew was very much alive as a spoken language at the time of Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls also point in this direction. As proof, the authors cite scholars like M H Segal, Matthew Black and Max Wilcox. Many words in the Greek versions are not just poor Greek but actually meaningless Greek, because of the literal translation. The undertext reveals a Hebrew original.

Recent linguistic research confirms that Hebrew was the spoken language of Israel at the time of Christ. This knowledge is enabling scholars to correct the numerous mistranslations in the English text, which was translated from the Greek. Some of the scholars quoted are Jehoshua M Grintz, David Flusser, Moshe Bar-Asher, Pinhas Lapide, Harris Birkeland, William Sanford LaSor, Frank Cross and Abbe J T Milik.

Chapter 4 explores the extra-biblical evidence for Hebrew in the writings of Josephus and the Anti-Nicene Fathers, in the Dead Sea Scrolls, on coins and inscriptions and in Rabbinic literature. The case for Hebrew is overwhelming.

But the most convincing indication of the Hebrew origin of these three Gospels can be found in the text itself. The Hebrew undertext is revealed in the sentence structure and the many literalisms and idioms that are peculiar to Hebrew. The authors provide many examples in which confusing passages immediately become clear when translated back into Hebrew.

Chapter 6 considers the theological error due to mistranslation. Unfortunately there are passages of which the mistranslation has caused significant error and unnecessary theological controversies. Thus, the expression Kingdom of Heaven primarily means the community of believers, not the future kingdom. It also becomes clear that Jesus did indeed claim to be the Saviour, by inter alia referring to himself as the "Green Tree", a messianic title. The book also dispels other myths like the ones about pacifism, martyrdom and giving without discernment.

In the Appendix, David Bivin deals with many particular texts in detail, including Matt 5:3, Luke 23:31, Matt 11:12, Luke 12:49 - 50, Matt 16:19, Matt 5:20, Matt 5:17 & 18 (about the iota and tittle). It is quite disturbing to think that for almost two millennia, believers did not read the true meaning that Jesus intended. How strange that this should only have come to light in the last century, and that most modern translations of the Bible still contain the incorrect and confusing translations!

Black and white photographs and illustrations enhance the text throughout. The book concludes with a bibliography and biographical information on the authors. Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus is a compelling read, but too short. What it reveals has enormous implications for Christianity. Another book that sheds light on this matter is Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church, by Dr Ron Moseley.