Jewish Midrash and Reading Books

Timothy Moore has written a very contemporary and helpful book called Practicing Midrash: Reading the Bible's Arguments as an Invitation to Conversation (2018).  The Gospels and the rest of the NT letters are filled with examples of Jewish Midrash that focuses on the spiritual meaning of the biblical text or the spirit of the Scriptures over the letter and law of Scripture. Jewish Rabbi's love to hear competing stories and place them side by side to hear various echoes and truths coming out from God's Word. We see this with two creation stories put together early on in Scripture or three versions of the ten commandments (Duet.5:9-10; Ex.20:5-5; Ex.34:6-7). There are two versions of the Jacob and David stories and dueling prophets like Amos and Hosea, Isaiah versus Micah and on and on it goes.

Several years ago, I started reading books together on similar subjects to compare and contrast the differences. This has given me a deeper and larger vision of the issues rather than letting one book form one's outlook or one story or version. So I want to list some of the best books I have read together that has given me a grandeur vision of God and I am waiting patiently with fervor for reading books yet to be published on topics I have been interested in or am currently reading.

1.I read Brian Zahnd's beautiful masterpiece, "Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God" with Greg Boyd's magisterial and popular version, Cross Vision dealing with God's wrath, anger, and violence in the Bible. A new book coming out in May which looks a very promising is Jason Byassee Surprised by Jesus Again: Reading the Bible in Communion with the Saints.

2.  For my spiritual and devotional life, I have been reading The Blue Book by Jim Branch which is filled with many beautiful thoughts and Christian writers with Nan Merrill's "Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness. Merrill's book is like reading the Psalms by a contemporary Christian mystic. The translation is beautiful and cosmic.

3.  I have been frustrated for some time over reading Evangelical mistranslations of the Bible that keep people holding onto certain beliefs and doctrines that are neither biblical and unhelpful. So for the New Testament, I love David Bentley Hart's The New Testament: A Translation. This is the most accurate and literal translation of the NT I have read to date. I am also working through John Goldingay The First Testament: A New Translation which makes similar moves of letting the text speak for itself with all its ambiguities and roughness at times.

4.  Two complementary books to read together is Brian Zahnd's Water to Wine which shares his spiritual journey back to the liturgy and ancient Christianity and Bruno Barnhart The Good Wine: Reading John from the Center. Ancient and mystical come together powerfully in these two books.

5. The Best book I have read on Genesis is by the Eastern Orthodox scholar Peter Bouteneff Beginnings: Ancient Christian Readings of the Biblical Creation Narratives. Two new books I have that both look promising is Craig Allert Early Christian Readings of Genesis One and the edited work by Kyle Greenwood Since the Beginning: Interpreting Genesis 1 and 2 through the Ages.

6. I am currently reading and loving Peter Enns new book How the Bible Actually Works. I will have to wait to the end of this year to read Greg Boyd's new book Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible's Problems Enhance it's Divine Authority.

7.  I am also reading Richard Rohr's new book The Universal Christ. I am looking forward to reading two scholarly works coming out September this year, Ilaria Ramelli A Larger Hope? From Christian beginnings to Julian of Norwich and David Bentley Hart That All Shall Be Saved should be like a bomb going off on the Evangelical playground. I just found out Robin Perry's second volume to Ramelli's work came out before Ramelli's work. A Larger Hope, vol.2: Universal Salvation from the Reformation to the Nineteenth Century by Robin A. Perry.

Jewish Midrash as an Invitation to Conversation

The church has not taught the faithful how to read comparative stories in order to form their faith. Have you noticed there are two creation stories noting their similarities and differences? Even the names of God in the original text are different. What about three versions of the ten commandments (Duet.5; Ex.20; & Ex.34)? Some of these promises from God are unconditional and some are conditional.

How do you hold onto that the Lord is a "God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression of sin" (Ex.34:6-7), and also ascribe the idea that "if you seek (God), he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will abandon you forever" (1 Chron.28:9).

God's Word invites us into a conversation with competing ideas and stories. Some Christians will focus on one story and others on an another but what do these stories tell us about God? What circumstances may be behind the words to divergent audiences? Do we silence the dialogue by picking and choosing who we want to listen to? How does the conversation change or progress in the light of God's final revelation---Jesus?