Midrash Bible Study - Tools & Resources. 1

#Midrash

Created: Sun 22-June-2025 - 19:11

Recommended Tools & Resources

1. Books on NT Midrashic Methods

These explore how the New Testament authors used Jewish exegesis:

  1. The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ (Daniel Boyarin)

    • Argues that Yeshua’s teachings (e.g., the Son of Man in Mark 2) are rooted in Jewish midrashic traditions.

  2. Midrash and the New Testament (Gary Porton)

    • Academic study comparing rabbinic midrash to NT hermeneutics.

  3. The Scripture of the Environment: A Narrative Agada of the First Century (Jacob Neusner)

    • Examines how 1st-century Jewish storytelling (aggadah) shapes NT parables.

  4. Paul and the Jewish Tradition: The Ideology of the Shema (Adele Reinhartz)

    • Analyzes Paul’s use of midrashic techniques (e.g., allegory in Galatians 4:21–31).

2. Commentaries with Midrashic Insights

These integrate Jewish interpretive methods into NT exegesis:

  1. Jewish New Testament Commentary (David H. Stern)

    • Explains NT passages from a Messianic Jewish perspective, citing rabbinic parallels.

  2. The Jewish Annotated New Testament (Amy-Jill Levine & Marc Z. Brettler)

    • Includes essays on midrashic themes (e.g., how Matthew’s infancy narrative mirrors Moses’ birth).

  3. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Beale & Carson)

    • Tracks OT allusions in the NT, many of which follow midrashic patterns.

  4. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Gospels (Brant Pitre)

    • Shows how Yeshua’s teachings (e.g., the Eucharist) reflect Jewish midrash and typology.

3. Midrashic Studies on Specific NT Books

  1. The Midrashic Impulse in the Gospel of Matthew (Anne Lapidus Lerner)

    • Examines Matthew’s use of fulfillment citations (e.g., Matt 2:15 ↔ Hosea 11:1) as midrash.

  2. The Gospel of John as Midrash (Bruce Chilton)

    • Argues John’s Gospel reworks Tanakh themes (e.g., "I AM" echoes Exodus 3:14).

  3. Midrash and Lection in Matthew (Michael Goulder)

    • Proposes Matthew’s structure follows synagogue lectionary cycles.

4. Midrashic Parables and Teachings of Yeshua

  1. Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Klyne Snodgrass)

    • Compares Yeshua’s parables to rabbinic mashalim (parables).

  2. Rabbinic Parables and Yeshua’s Teachings (Brad H. Young)

    • Side-by-side analysis of Yeshua’s parables and Talmudic parallels.

5. Practical Workbooks

  1. Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus (Lois Tverberg)

    • Teaches how to read the NT with Jewish eyes, including midrashic thinking.

  2. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus (Tverberg & Ann Spangler)

    • Explains 1st-century Jewish context for NT passages.