The Jewish Annotated New Testament 1st vs 2nd editions

[Kristin]

I really thought this was a discussion somewhere on the forum but I have been looking and can't find it anywhere. I would appreciate clarity from anyone who owns BOTH the first and second editions of "The Jewish Annotated New Testament”.

 

I had bought the 2nd edition awhile ago since I had been looking for a Jewish perspective. (Aka, not a “messianic” Jewish perspective, but rather the perspective of someone who only acknowledges the OT). I have found it helpful since they make certain OT connections which other resources are not making.

I thus have the following questions:

 

1) The authors of the first and second editions seem to be completely different. I also noticed that David H. Stern (who is a messianic Jew) wrote on the first edition (and not the second). His other book seems to read the OT in light of the NT, so I assume he does on the Jewish Ann. NT also? Do people who own both see the 1st edition as more focused on messianic Judaism (compared to the 2nd edition), or is it about the same?

 

While looking for the thread I could not find, I stumbled on another thread of someone saying that they, as a Jewish believer, were “insulted” since they felt the authors of the 1st edition did not view the apostles' writings to be historically reliable and accurate. This surprised me since, again, David H. Stern is on the 1st edition. So I am just confused.

 

2) Given that this is dealing with a first and second edition, and not two different books per se, is owning both of them fairly redundant? Or is it worth owning both if you want a Jewish non-believer perspective?

3) Concerning Jewish perspectives on the NT, are there any other resources people would suggest?

 

Thank you for any clarity anyone can provide.

Sincerely,
Kristin

[ukfraser]

Hi, i have attached the list of editors and contributors from both editions. The David stern article on Midrash and Parables is in both and is his only contribution. I have upgraded to the second edition and havent noticed a difference in tone between the notes BUT i havent done a detailed comparison of the notes. I havent noticed much difference between the authors of the various books between the two volumes but only did a quick comparison.

 

My main focus has been on the additional articles and i tend to use the notes from the second edition instead of the first purely because its been updated and the formatting is better. For example, the in text articles are in place in the second edition similar to the dead tree version where as they are at the back in the first edition so you miss them.  
 

so i dont think its worth getting the first as you already have the second unless you want for example cohen's article on josephus or greenwald on the second letter of peter. But its worth doing a detailed comparison to make your own mind up.

 

outside of accordance, i have some of amy jill levine publications which are very good, particularly her one on the parables! And i would also consider any of brettler's works which have also been requested but worth getting. But im still searching and rely on contributions on this forum to become aware of other authors or resources or recomendations. 
 

From the first edition

EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

 

Alan J. Avery-Peck – The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Herbert Basser – The Letter of James

Daniel Boyarin – Logos, A Jewish Word: John’s Prologue as Midrash

Marc Zvi Brettler, Editor – The New Testament between the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and Rabbinic Literature

Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus – The Third Letter of John

Shaye J. D. Cohen – The Letter of Paul to the Galatians; Judaism and Jewishness; Josephus

Michael Cook – The Letter of Paul to the Philippians

Pamela Eisenbaum – The Letter to the Hebrews

Michael Fagenblat – The Concept of Neighbor in Jewish and Christian Ethics

Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert – Judaizers, Jewish Christians, and Others

David Frankfurter – The Revelation to John

David M. Freidenreich – Food and Table Fellowship

Julie Galambush – The Second Letter of John

Aaron M. Gale – The Gospel According to Matthew

Joshua D. Garroway – Ioudaios

Barbara Geller – The Letter of Paul to Philemon

Gary Gilbert – The Acts of the Apostles

Martin Goodman – Jewish History, 331 BCE–135 CE

Leonard Greenspoon – The Septuagint

Michael R. Greenwald – The Second Letter of Peter; The Canon of the New Testament

Adam Gregerman – The Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

Maxine Grossman – The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians; The Dead Sea Scrolls

Susannah Heschel – Jesus in Modern Jewish Thought

Martha Himmelfarb – Afterlife and Resurrection

Tal Ilan – The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy

Andrew S. Jacobs – The Letter of Jude

Jonathan Klawans – The LawNaomi Koltun-Fromm – The First Letter of Paul to Timothy

Jennifer L. Koosed – The Letter of Paul to Titus

Ross S. Kraemer – Jewish Family Life in the First Century CE

Shira Lander – The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Daniel R. Langton – Paul in Jewish Thought

Rebecca Lesses – Divine Beings

David B. Levenson – Messianic Movements

Amy-Jill Levine, Editor – The Gospel According to Luke; Bearing False Witness: Common Errors Made about Early Judaism

Lee I. Levine – The Synagogue

Martin Lockshin – Jesus in Medieval Jewish Tradition

Michele Murray – The First Letter of John

Mark D. Nanos – The Letter of Paul to the Romans; Paul and Judaism

Adele Reinhartz – The Gospel According to John

David Fox Sandmel – The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

David Satran – Philo of Alexandria

Daniel R. Schwartz – Jewish Movements of the New Testament Period

Naomi Seidman – Translation of the Bible

Claudia Setzer – The First Letter of Peter; Jewish Responses to Believers in Jesus

David Stern – Midrash and Parables in the New Testament

Geza Vermes – Jewish Miracle Workers in the Late Second Temple Period

Burton L. Visotzky – Jesus in Rabbinic Tradition

Lawrence M. Wills – The Gospel According to Mark

Peter Zaas – The Letter of Paul to the Colossians

 

From the second edition

EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

 

Yaakov Ariel– Messianic Judaism

Alan J. Avery-Peck– The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Herbert Basser– The Letter of James

Meir Ben Shahar– Jewish Views of Gentiles

Gideon Bohak [revision of Geza Vermes]– Jewish Miracle Workers and Magic in the Late Second Temple Period

Alejandro F. Botta– The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy

Daniel Boyarin– Logos, A Jewish Word: John’s Prologue as Midrash

Marc Zvi Brettler, Editor and Contributor– The New Testament between the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and Rabbinic Literature; (with Amy-Jill Levine) Gospels and Acts; Epistles and Revelation; Introduction to the Essays

Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus– The Third Letter of John

Shaye J. D. Cohen– The Letter of Paul to the Galatians; Judaism and Jewishness

Michael Cook– The Letter of Paul to the Philippians

Pamela Eisenbaum– The Letter to the Hebrews

Marc Michael Epstein– The New Testament in the Jewish Arts

Michael Fagenblat– The Concept of Neighbor in Jewish and Christian Ethics

Steven Fine– The Burial of Jesus: Between Texts and Archaeology

Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert– Judaizers, Jewish Christians, and Others

David Frankfurter– The Revelation to John

Paula Fredriksen– Paul and Judaism

David M. Freidenreich– Food and Table Fellowship

Julie Galambush– The Second Letter of John

Aaron M. Gale– The Gospel According to Matthew

Joshua D. Garroway– Ioudaios

Barbara Geller– The Letter of Paul to Philemon

Gary Gilbert– The Acts of the Apostles

David Goodblatt– The Sanhedrin

Martin Goodman– Jewish History, 331 BCE – 135 CE

Leonard Greenspoon– The Septuagint

Michael R. Greenwald– The Canon of the New Testament

Adam Gregerman– The Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

Erich S. Gruen– The Greco-Roman Background of the New Testament

Susannah Heschel– Jesus in Modern Jewish Thought

Martha Himmelfarb– Afterlife and Resurrection

Lawrence Hoffman– Circumcision

Matthew Hoffman– Jesus and the New Testament in Modern Yiddish and Hebrew Culture

Tal Ilan– Gender

Andrew S. Jacobs– The Letter of Jude

Ed Kessler– The New Testament and Jewish-Christian Relations

Menahem Kister– The Dead Sea Scrolls

Jonathan Klawans– The Law

Naomi Koltun-Fromm– The First Letter of Paul to Timothy

Jennifer L. Koosed– The Letter of Paul to Titus

David Kraemer– The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Ross S. Kraemer– Jewish Family Life in the First Century CE

Shira L. Lander– The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

Ruth Langer– Birkat ha-Minim: A Jewish Curse of Christians?

Daniel R. Langton– Paul in Jewish Thought

Daniel J. Lasker– Mary in Jewish Tradition

Marcie Lenk– The First Letter of Peter

Rebecca Lesses– Supernatural Beings

David B. Levenson– Messianic Movements

Amy-Jill Levine, Editor and Contributor– The Gospel According to Luke; Bearing False Witness: Common Errors Made about Early Judaism; (with Marc Zvi Brettler) Gospels and Acts; Epistles and Revelation; Introduction to the Essays

Lee I. Levine– The Synagogue

Martin Lockshin– Jesus in Medieval Jewish Tradition

Jodi Magness– Archaeology of the Land of Israel at the Time of Jesus

Naphtali Meshel– Sacrifice and the Temple

Michele Murray– The First Letter of John

Mark D. Nanos– The Letter of Paul to the Romans

Jacob Neusner– A Jewish Reflection on Christian Claims

Isaac W. Oliver– Baptism and Eucharist

Eric M. Orlin– Revolts against Rome

Jack Pastor– Josephus

Randi Rashkover– Christology

Adele Reinhartz– The Gospel According to John

David Fox Sandmel– The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

Michael L. Satlow– Marriage and Divorce

David Satran– Philo of Alexandria

Lawrence H. Schiffman– Pharisees

Daniel R. Schwartz– Jewish Movements of the New Testament Period

Naomi Seidman– The Language of the New Testament and the Translation of the Bible

Claudia Setzer– Jewish Responses to Believers in Jesus

Ruth Sheridan– Scripture Fulfillment

Avigdor Shinan– Prayer

David Stern– Midrash and Parables

Sacha Stern– Time, Calendars, and Festivals

Sarah J. Tanzer– The Historical Jesus

Gila Vachman– The Second Letter of Peter

Geza Vermes [revised by Gideon Bohak]– Jewish Miracle Workers and Magic in the Late Second Temple Period

Burton L. Visotzky– Jesus in Rabbinic Tradition

Lawrence M. Wills– The Gospel According to Mark

Peter Zaas– The Letter of Paul to the Colossians

Edited April 7, 2021 by ukfraser

[markusvonkaenel]

i doubt thats it's D. H. Stern, the messianic jew. there are many jews around wiht the same name. It's written by Jews for "curious jews" without christian background. And of course for believers too.

[ukfraser]

I couldnt find any bibliography on the authors but david stern has also written an essay titled midrash and jewish interpretation which are included in both editions of the jewish study bible. 
 

neither edition of the jsb included a list of authors and editors in the accordance version and i have sold my dead tree version of both jsb and jant so cant compare to see if it had been included in them.

 

there is a david m stern listed as an author on the jps site But jps and jant are not listed under his name though he is referred to as david stern in the forward of the jps Haggadah commentary. 

https://jps.org/bookauthors/david-m-stern/

Edited April 7, 2021 by ukfraser

[JonathanHuber]

I don't think it's the same person, either. I think it's David Stern who's a professor at Harvard (formerly U Penn) and has written introductions to a few JPS publications. https://nelc.fas.harvard.edu/people/david-stern

 

I also agree that if you have the second version of the Jewish Annotated NT, you don't need to buy the first. 

[Gedalya]

Unquestionably, JonathanHuber is correct about the identity of David Stern. 

 

 

[Kristin]

Thank you everyone for the clarification and advice. I really appreciate it. Thank you also ukfraser for the author recommendations!