Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy
A Journey into a New Christianity Through the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel
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Narrated by:
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Bob Souer
About this listen
A man who has consciously and deliberately walked the path of Christ, John Shelby Spong has lived his entire life inside the Christian Church. In this profound and considered work, he offers a radical new way to look at the gospels today as he shows just how deeply Jewish the Christian Gospels are and how much they reflect the Jewish scriptures, history, and patterns of worship.
Pulling back the layers of a long-standing Gentile ignorance, he reveals how the church's literal reading of the Bible is so far removed from these original Jewish authors' intent that it is an act of heresy.
Using the Gospel of Matthew as a guide, Spong explores the Bible's literary and liturgical roots to explain how the events of Jesus' life, including the virgin birth, the miracles, the details of the passion story, and the resurrection and ascension, would have been understood by both the Jewish authors of the various gospels and by the Jewish audiences for which they were originally written.
In Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy, Spong illuminates the gospels as never before and provides a better blueprint for the future than where the church's leaden and heretical reading of the story of Jesus has led us - one that allows the faithful to live inside the Christian story in the modern world.
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- The First Generation
- By: Paula Fredriksen
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In this electrifying social and intellectual history, Paula Fredriksen answers the question of how Jewish missionaries ended up inaugurating a movement that would grow into the gentile church by reconstructing the life of the earliest Jerusalem community. As her account arcs from this group’s hopeful celebration of Passover with Jesus, through their bitter controversies that fragmented the movement’s midcentury missions, to the city’s fiery end in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, she brings this vibrant apostolic community to life.
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nothing to see here, nothing to read here
- By Anonymous User on 12-10-18
By: Paula Fredriksen
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Understanding the Bible
- By: John R. W. Stott
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Understanding the Bible will provide you with a foundational comprehension of the entirety of Scripture with a focus on broadening your vision of Jesus Christ.
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Excellent exposition of the Christian faith
- By GW on 02-25-12
By: John R. W. Stott
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Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist
- Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper
- By: Brant Pitre, Scott Hahn - foreword
- Narrated by: David Cochran Heath
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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In recent years, Christians everywhere are rediscovering the Jewish roots of their faith. Every year at Easter time, many believers now celebrate Passover meals (known as Seders) seeking to understand exactly what happened at Jesus' final Passover, the night before he was crucified. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes.
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I am a Protestant trying to learn more about the significance of the Eucharist and I feel that my eyes have been opened up ..
- By Kim Lank on 03-08-18
By: Brant Pitre, and others
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How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
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Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
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The Lost Gospel
- Decoding the Ancient Text That Reveals Jesus' Marriage to Mary the Magdalene
- By: Simcha Jacobovici, Barrie Wilson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Waiting to be rediscovered in the British Library is an ancient manuscript of the early Church, copied by an anonymous monk. The manuscript is at least 1,450 years old, possibly dating to the first century, Jesus' lifetime. And now, The Lost Gospel provides the first-ever translation from Syriac into English of this unique document that tells the inside story of Jesus' social, family, and political life. The Lost Gospel takes listeners on an unparalleled historical adventure through a paradigm-shifting manuscript.
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Very well-crafted but uses lot of sketchy material
- By Leifen on 01-09-18
By: Simcha Jacobovici, and others
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Don't Know Much about the Bible
- Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned
- By: Kenneth C. Davis
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Lorna Raver
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Bringing to life the world of the Old and New Testaments, the acclaimed creator of the bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series transforms dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts. Relying on new research and improved translations, Kenneth C. Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says: Jericho’s walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line; Moses never parted the Red Sea; There was a Jesus, but he wasn’t born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child....
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decent survey of the topic
- By bookouri on 02-02-14
By: Kenneth C. Davis
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Reasons to Believe
- How to Understand, Defend, and Explain the Catholic Faith
- By: Scott Hahn
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In Reasons to Believe, Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith - drawing from Scripture, his own struggles, and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, as well as nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather, they offer complementary evidence that God exists. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernable and knowable.
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A Catholic for convition and tradition
- By benigno on 05-29-12
By: Scott Hahn
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Desire of the Everlasting Hills
- The World Before and After Jesus
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Brian F. O'Byrne
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.
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Desire Delivers
- By David on 04-18-03
By: Thomas Cahill
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The Day the Revolution Began
- Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion
- By: N. T. Wright
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Day the Revolution Began, N. T. Wright once again challenges commonly held Christian beliefs, as he did in Surprised by Hope. Demonstrating the rigorous intellect and breathtaking knowledge that have long defined his work, Wright argues that Jesus' death on the cross was not only to absolve us of our sins, it was actually the beginning of a revolution commissioning the Christian faithful to a new vocation - a royal priesthood responsible for restoring and reconciling all of God's creation.
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Standard Wright, both the strengths and weaknesses
- By Adam Shields on 12-12-16
By: N. T. Wright
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Excellent questions... wishy-washy answers
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Excellent questions... wishy-washy answers
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Exhilaratng and ultimately frustrating
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I must read for those whose wanting to expand their insight from a single perspective (devotional) to include historical
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Just Okay.
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Understanding Manuscripts
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Despite "Suffer the little children"
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The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs. Some groups of Christians claimed that there was not one God but two or twelve or thirty. Some believed that the world had not been created by God but by a lesser, ignorant deity. Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine, while others said he was divine but not human.
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The Early Church(es)
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In Reasons to Believe, Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith - drawing from Scripture, his own struggles, and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, as well as nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather, they offer complementary evidence that God exists. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernable and knowable.
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A Catholic for convition and tradition
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Many portions of the New Testament introduce a compassionate Jesus who turns the other cheek, loves his enemies, and shows grace to all. But the Jesus we find in Revelation and some portions of the Gospels leads an army of angels bent on earthly destruction. Which is the true revelation of the Messiah - and how can both be in the same Bible? How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian explores this question and offers guidance for the faithful conflicted over which version of the Lord to worship.
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A Brilliant, and Brilliantly Flawed Thesis
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How did early Christians come to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the divine Son of God? This is the central question in this book. When Did Jesus Become God? is a transcribed conversation between Bart Ehrman and Michael Bird, with a helpful historiographic introduction by Robert Stewart that helps listeners understand the conclusions reached by Ehrman and Bird.
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Straight to the point
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Saving Jesus from the Church
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Robin Meyers, a rising star of liberal Christianity, restores the true mission of the faith that captures the heart of Jesus's concern for people over "right belief." Saving Jesus from the Church will resonate deeply with those who enjoy the works of John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan.
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Fantastic book!
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By: Robin R. Meyers
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Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time
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Of the many recent books on the historical Jesus, none has explored what the latest biblical scholarship means for personal faith. Now, in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg addresses the yearnings of those who want a fully contemporary faith that welcomes rather than oppresses our critical intelligence and openness to the best of historical scholarship. Borg shows how a rigorous examination of historical findings can lead to a new faith in Christ, one that is critical and, at the same time, sustaining.
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first thing he did was deny Christ's deity.
- By Amazon Customer on 03-15-19
By: Marcus J. Borg
What listeners say about Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- C. Johnson
- 09-07-22
Interesting, but...
The author never gets to the why then still be a Christian. If his hypothesis is correct, then the new testament, the gospels are just sermons (for want of a better word). What did Jesus actually say and do? What did he actually teach? Why should I believe in a total myth? I didn't get answers to any of that. Buddha's teachings have been more faithfully recorded and they can help a person be kind, compassionate, loving without the rigamarole.
It's an interesting hypothesis but in the end it's all academic.
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- John
- 08-30-18
understanding the jewish thoughts in the Gospels
If you are a Fundamentalist then you'll mark this book with a one star. If you employ your reasoning skills with an open mind to the in-depth studies and work of this Bishop, whose life for 40 years was dedicated to God, you'll see he loves Jesus but he knows what the jewish authors intended in their writings. It's shocking to some but Jesus is built up by Old Testament promises of a jewish Messiah. As Gentiles, we failed terribly in the understanding of the gospels. What this book outlines is backed by scholarly academic researchers. Keeping our faith is a very important human need but we must seek explanations for things we don't fully understand. I have found that if you acquire an easy answer to a biblical question then it is probably false. Try to compare and contrast the explanations cited in this book to other sources in your library- not what you recall from Sunday School or sermons. Even after accomplishing all this, you may find another path for your understanding of God. Bishop Spong provided me with a wonderful understanding of scripture.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Kindle CustomerRosemary
- 11-13-23
liberal Views on the Bible
This was a VERY disappointing summary of the author's view of the Bible and very different view of any Christian church I have encountered. The author's intentions are far too liberal, bordering on atheistic.
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- Kimberly Miller
- 10-03-21
level minded
amazing view. brings a reasonable mind to what is usually an unreasonable subject. in general I think everyone should give this one a read. maybe people will get on the same page and stop being so hateful
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-23-22
Bible perspectives
Very helpful in my study of the kjv of the Bible this year, thank you.
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- Green mama
- 10-17-19
Wonderful book
Another wonderful book by John Shelby Spong. Another book I am recommending to my friends.
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1 person found this helpful
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- CL
- 02-10-22
Preachy
I was disappointed that this book wasn't simply a presentation of scholarship. I was looking forward to learning some interesting ideas I had not heard and I did get that. wow, there's some good material here, some I disagree with. But it was the smug overly preachy parts that I disliked about this book. Just the information please, leave your politics and personal grievances with modern society off the page. And maybe the title should have tipped me to the possibility of this. Anyway, mostly good on information content but it's getting dinged for the preachy-ness.
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- T. J. Gregory
- 12-09-18
Opened My Eyes to the Bible
All my life I have been looking for answers to my questions regarding the Bible. I had always read it literally and not taking into account the Jewish traditions of the Biblical times and that it was written in a way in which the Jews would understand according to their knowledge and traditions. This book is packed with everything I need to understand the book of Matthew and at the same time gain a unique perspective on the Bible in its entirety. I am not a Biblical scholar so I had a little bit of a rough go at first but it paid off to not give up on trying to understand it all. Now I have clear answers and will listen to this book over and over to gain more insight. This book is packed full of knowledge by it’s genius author, and I appreciate him writing this at 84 years old. That’s amazing! He has a lot of Christian love and caring for humanity to work so hard to get this information out to us. I cannot say enough about how this book has helped me. This book is also perfect for Millennials who just don’t quite connect to the literal stories in the Bible. There IS a reason you are skeptical. Now I understand the Bible better on a sane level, and can still be a Christian. At least a more intelligent one Christian. This book is not a casual read but is a great read! The best!
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- Gil
- 12-02-21
Fuzzy Facts
The author has premises that are not supported by archeology. His ideas are based on a discredited 1970s-1980s movement. It is easy to see that his scholarship is simply lazy.
His thoughts though about the de-judaizing of the NT are largely correct
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- Edward E. Grensky
- 08-19-18
A NEW TYPE Christianity for sure.
After the Bio of John Shelby Spong, a list of the differences stated goes against every teaching and self-study I have ever heard of. I stopped listening to the book right after that, this author does not agree with the literal interpretation of most if not all of what I understand to be true by faith.
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2 people found this helpful