The Jewish Gospel of John

Discovering Jesus, King of All Israel

By: Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg

Narrated by: Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The Jewish Gospel of John is not, by any standard, another book on Jesus of Nazareth written from a Jewish perspective. It is an invitation to the listener to put aside their traditional understanding of the Gospel of John and to replace it with another one more faithful to the original text perspective. The Jesus that will emerge will provoke you to rethink most of what you knew about this gospel.

The book is a well-rounded, verse-by-verse rethinking of the fourth gospel. Here is the catch: Instead of treating it as if it was written for 21st-century Gentile Christians, the book interprets it as if it was written for the first-century peoples of ancient Israel.

The book proves what Krister Stendahl stated long time ago: "Our vision is often more abstracted by what we think we know than by our lack of knowledge." Other than challenging the long-held interpretations of well-known stories, the author, with the skill of an experienced tour guide, puts us in the place of those who most probably heard this gospel read in the late first century. Such exploration of a variety of important contexts allows us to recover for our generation the true riches of this marvelous Judean gospel.

©2015 Dr. Eliyahu Lizorkin-Eyzenberg (P)2016 Dr. Eliyahu Lizorkin-Eyzenberg

A timely revisiting of John's gospel of grace

John in Hebrew is Yochanan or God is gracious".

Is there something about God's grace and the Jews that the New Testament Church has missed for the last 2,000 years? Are these the end times God was referring to when He told Daniel, "...seal the book until the time of the end..."? I think the answer is "yes" and that Dr. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg has hit the nail on the head. A great companion book to this is "When a Jew Rules the World: What the Bible really says about Israel in the Plan of God", by Joel Richardson.

I would strongly recommend the Audio version of the The Jewish Gospel of John. The author does a fantastic job making his book come alive by reading it himself.

Recalibrates your understanding of this Gospel

The author does a wonderful job of presenting his own work. And fascinating work it is! This will completely refresh and reorient the way you read and understand this Gospel. Completely reverses the grotesque misreadings of John that have too often fueled anti-semitism. In fact, the deeply Jewish concerns and construction of the text are revealed in a very convincing way, including Jesus' passion to see all of Israel unified, with a special concern for Samaria. Frequent references to "the Jews" (in English) are shown to refer to the Judean elites who controlled the Temple snd Jerusalem-based religious practice (as opposed to Samaritan or Galilean Jews). Really compelling, and so refreshing! Has really increased my appreciation for and understanding of the Gospel of John!

Looking for something that isn't there???

Prologue:
Author says John 4:22 is pro-Jewish and John 8:44 is anti-Jewish.

Is John 4:22 pro-Jewish? "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews." John 4:22 is not pro-Jewish or anti-Samaritan (Palestinian). If anything pro and anti, it is pro-believer and anti-nonbeliever. To say that Jesus spoke of any particular race in a negative way would make Him a racist and He Himself is Jewish.

Is John 8:44 anti-Jewish? "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44 is saying that the Jewish people Jesus is talking with are not believers in Him. They claim that God is their father; however, they are seeking to kill Jesus, calling Him a liar. This is not anti-Jewish, it is anti-nonbelievers and it is a warning that they are listening to the devil instead of God.

It seems that this author is looking to make a case of racism that is certainly not there. I could not even get past the prologue with this twisted nonsense. If the author were a Christian, maybe he would be able to see the love of Jesus as the Messiah who "came to save the people from their sins" instead of trying to make Him out to be a racist. I DEFINITELY WILL BE RETURNING THIS BOOK OF A FALSE TEACHER.

A good Listen

this is one book I think I got more out of it the second time I heard it. I do not agree with everything he says, but I do think he is right on about much of it. for sure he challenges you to think.

Highly Recommended, Revolutionary in the Best Way

The book fascinates because it is both instructive and enlivening. I enjoyed the book so much that this is my first review.
The author brings considerable insight to the Jewish context of Jesus’ first century. This is a lot here that even a well-educated Christian will find new. Further, the author brings a creative new insight that helps explain John’s distinctive approach. Although John’s Gospel was already my favorite, now I feel that I had been missing a great deal of what we in there.
One difficulty with writers on religious history is that they often seem credulous, either way: either they distrust every claim within the text, certain of their unreliability, or they take everything at face value, emasculating the truth for literalism. This author does a great job of threading this needle. He provides historical evidence for his limited claims and presents countervailing views when appropriate.
To me, the most surprising outcome was that this illumination of the historical Jesus and his mission made the whole story so much more immediate. Not only was this the most interesting and insightful commentary I’ve encountered, it also became an outstanding devotional book.

Outstanding! A deeper understanding of the Gospel

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the real message of Christ and the plan for reuniting the family of believers. Wonderfully written with great detail and knowledge of the people and languages of the land at the time of Christ. I learned a great deal and made connections that the mainstream church unfortunately won't make. I pray that the message of this book travels far and wide. The authors reading of his own work enhances the message as he conveys his points enthusiasticly. I have been studying the bible from the Hebrew prespective for the past couple years and the information presented here not only confirms my understanding but deepens it. Thank you Dr. for your dedication to inform people and pass along your knowledge. Well done!

could not finish

I have a University Degree in Religious Studies, and understood what Mr Eyzenberg was talking about ( anyone who does not have SOME background in RS as an academic discipline I suggest will be totally lost after 4 minutes.....) but even still, this could not keep my interest beyond @5 hours ( and I hate abandoning books). Would have made an interesting 5-10 page article, not a detailed and exhaustive book on his point. Might recommend as a book to be read, but not as an audiobook to try and take in without text

Great Historical Context.

this book gives great historical context to the Gospel of John. it lets you into the minds of the Jewish leaders, Jesus's followers, and Jesus himself. I highly recommend this book for anyone who would want to dig deeper into the gospel story.

An Excellent Resource

Dr. Eli provides an excellent approach to studying the book of John that any pastor, priest, and lay leader should read (or listen to). There is a paradigm shift required, at least for non-Jewish readers (though all people today can benefit), but the revealed nuance and meaning behind this text is not only plausible but probably the most accurate way to understand what John wrote and God is saying.

Inaccuracies abound

I was hoping to view the Gospel through different eyes. I still will let it play in the background and see where the journey leads. However, the author makes innacurate statements about the written word. The author uses lots of "absolutes" and all or nothing arguments. Example, Chapter 1: The author makes the claim that the only time Jesus experienced emotional pain is in the Gospel of John over the death of Lazarus. Jesus' passion is accounted for in all the gospels. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." These lines are really not that open to interpretation. Sounds like emotional distress/despair to me.

Again, if you want to spend your money on a "money grab" of a book...that is your decision.

Don't miss this book if you want to know more ab

brilliant book, I've learned so much more about Jesus and the environment around him dur5 his ministry and crucifixion. t Thoroughly recommend.

A New Light

This was a big surprise to me, new light on my favourite Gospel, John lovingly interpreted and Christ exalted.

Jews for Jesus.

I only managed three chapters . It seems the author is trying to establish the gospel of John from a purely Jewish point of view as the title indicates. I did not pick up any revelational points and belief it's irrelevant if the text can be seen as more Jewish. I see the gospel of John being a universal revelation to all nations from a Christian perspective. I possible could be wrong as I could only listened to three chapters. Disapointing listen.