Articles
Curiosity drives many of us. Knowledge is often sought after because it opens new opportunities and allows us to comprehend the world around us in a deeper and more nuanced sense. But not all doors we encounter are meant to be walked through. In the Garden of Eden, the offer
Video
Jesus, or as he was known to his family and friends, Yeshua, was a teacher of Torah's wisdom, a first-century rabbi. And he was surrounded by other rabbis with similar and sometimes alternative ideas that the gospels document well. This video is a lecture by Dr. Brad Young,
Video
Anyone familiar with stories about Jesus, even those who have never read the gospels for themselves, has heard of Pontius Pilate, who ordered the crucifixion. Some see him as a villain, others as a calculating administrator of Roman affairs caught between his duties to law and order and religious tensions
Articles
The themes of ruin and restoration are at the core of the Jewish apocalyptic genre. Even the most bitter laments are accompanied by hope when one is tethered to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is precisely what you will find in The Books of Baruch. This edition
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Does the Gospel of John genuinely express anti-Judaic ideas? In his first-century CE narrative, "the Jews" (hoi Iudaioi; οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι) do frequently oppose Jesus. Reading the story as an outsider, one may even feel that Jesus himself is not a Jew, and neither are his disciples. Yet we
Articles
It is wonderful when people are optimistic, and they wish to discover the world, realizing how little they have seen. The world we live in is vast and beautiful, full of wonder. As a result, some set their sight on distant ambitions, on exotic destinations, on exciting places that others
Articles
Some people read the Bible as a codex of religious law, others as ancient moralistic philosophy, and many see it as a book of fairy-tale-like legends and stories. We live in exciting days when, thanks to science, many legends start to look very real. Modern technology allows us to see
The themes of ruin and restoration are at the core of the Jewish apocalyptic genre. Even the most bitter laments are accompanied by hope when one is tethered to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is precisely what you will find in The Books of Baruch. This edition
Over the years of teaching, I have often referred my students to the books of Enoch. But most of the time, I did so with some reservations. I knew that the broadly distributed copies they would likely come across would be littered with archaic and hard-to-digest language. Finally, between 2023
If you like perusing Pshir.com, then what are the odds you might enjoy my books? I invite you to consider the titles I highlight below in print, in digital format, or as audiobooks. Paid Subscribers can flip through full digital versions of all these titles inside the READ section.
Do you like to listen to your books? I am excited to announce that thanks to my partnership with Amazon and Audible, some of my new translations are now available as audiobooks! The Apocalypse of Abraham HERE and The Apocalypse of Moses HERE. I personally love holding paper books in
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This academic volume that reexamines one of the most influential yet often misunderstood groups in Jewish and Christian history - The Pharisees. Long portrayed in simplistic or negative terms, especially through the lens of the New Testament, here the Pharisees are portrayed in a fuller historical, social, and religious context.
No one likes rejection… Our weekly reading from the Prophets, in 1 Samuel 15, tells a tragic tale of how King Saul lost God’s favor. It was a time of war. He defeated the Amalekites, but did not fully follow Hashem’s instructions that he was given. He was
The gospels are filled with ancient rabbinic theological teachings. The reason is simple, Jesus was a Rabbi, a first-century teacher of Torah. The more people understand this, the more they open a door to the depth of his words in their true context. Most of the people with whom he
Not many people have read the Talmud. Why? Because though it is a monumental work of Jewish literature it is comprised of 63 tractates and 523 chapters, totaling around 2 million words. It's like an encyclopedia with various contributions that span more than 1800 years. And its language
The Bible speaks about the spiritual duties of priests and Levites, about the exploits of the prophets, kings, and scribes, but it does not mention the Rabbis. To understand this new class of religious teachers, one has to trace their origins and history. What put Rabbis into the center of
In our reading from the Prophets, Hosea speaks of his deep love for Israel and his people. But the book is not at all simple. Hashem deliberately asked the prophet to marry a wayward and promiscuous woman so that Hosea would understand how God felt betrayed in his love and
Not long ago, an acquaintance of mine, a seasoned gentleman, asked me, "What is sin?" It was an honest question, not a trick one, and without any sarcasm or ulterior motive. He was completely sincere and open-minded to hear my answer. It stunned me for a moment because
If you don't know what shofar is, it's an obscure item, a ritual instrument, and its name comes from ancient Hebrew. It is a special trumpet used in Jewish holiday observance, connected to the Jewish new year and Day of Atonement (Lev 23:24). Shofar (שׁ
If Jesus was indeed a first-century Rabbi, then does that mean he embraced the beliefs, teachings, and conventions other rabbis of his day employed? Consider what it meant to be a teacher of Torah in the first century and explore the language and teaching techniques of ancient rabbis. Learn about
Dr. Brad Young invites readers to explore how rabbinic thought shaped the world of Jesus and the New Testament—and why that same tradition holds relevance for today’s readers of scripture. Rabbinic teachings provide profound insight into how to live meaningfully and ethically in harmony with God and with
Dr. Brad Young is head of the Gospel Research Center and author of several books on Jesus' parables and ministry in their Jewish context. In this lecture, Dr. Young discusses why rabbinic literature is, unfortunately, so often dismissed as a valuable source for understanding Jesus’ teachings. A common response