David Instone-Brewer
Author of Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities
About the Author
The Rev. Dr. David Instone-Brewer is a research fellow at Tyndale House, a research library in biblical studies located in Cambridge, England. He previously served as a Baptist minister. His books include Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible, Divorce and Remarriage in the Church, and Traditions of show more the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament. show less
Series
Works by David Instone-Brewer
Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities (2003) 296 copies, 3 reviews
Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament, Volume I: Prayer and Agriculture (2004) 59 copies
Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament, vol. 2A: Feasts and Sabbaths: Passover and Atonement (2011) 31 copies
The Jesus Scandals: Why He Shocked His Contemporaries (and Still Shocks Today) (2012) 30 copies, 5 reviews
Techniques and Assumptions in Jewish Exegesis before 70 CE (Texte Und Studien Zum Antiken Judentum) (1992) 15 copies
Church Doctrine and the Bible: Theology in Ancient Context (Scripture in Context Series) (2020) 13 copies
Science and the Bible: Modern Insights for an Ancient Text (Scripture in Context Series) (2020) 11 copies
Moral Questions of the Bible: Timeless Truth in a Changing World (Scripture in Context Series) (2019) 10 copies
Temple and Priesthood 1 copy
Associated Works
The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts (2013) — Contributor — 194 copies
Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash: Volume 1, Matthew (1978) — Introduction, some editions — 26 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 20th century
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- Baptist minister
- Nationality
- UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
An excellent brief exploration of the key questions about the integrity and authenticity of the Bible as we have received it. Focussing almost exclusively on the NT (as the OT has far fewer questions), Instone-Brewer asks all the sensible questions (anything added? anything removed? anything changed? anything censored?) and then very clearly and accessibly gives what we need to know. He gives some contemporary illustrations too, including Doctor Who, but you'll have to read it to find out show more why and how :-)
Highly recommended. show less
Highly recommended. show less
The Jesus Scandals: WHY HE SHOCKED HIS CONTEMPORARIES (AND STILL SHOCKS TODAY) by David Instone-Brewer
David Instone-Brewer has made scandal his business. He is a Baptist minister, biblical scholar and Senior Research Fellow at Tyndale House, Cambridge. As scandalous as ministry and academia may be, it is not his profession which provides scandal. Scandal is his professional interest. In particular, he reads the Gospels with an eye for what sort of scandals are evident in the life of Jesus, his followers and his teaching. Why? Because scandals self-authenticate Christian truth claims. As show more Instone-Brewer writes:
Many of these 'coffee-break-length' chapters first appeared as columns in Christianity magazine (the rough UK equivalent to Christianity Today). So while Instone-Brewer is a scholar by day, this book is written for a popular audience. I will enthusiastically recommend this book for anyone interested in Jesus (i.e. Christians, seekers, apologists, evangelists, exegetes, the Doobie Brothers, etc.). I found it eye-opening.
The book's three parts discuss the different realms of scandal which surround Jesus: his life, his friends, and his teaching. Instone-Brewer brings his knowledge of first century Judaism and Roman culture to bear on New Testament texts and is able to uncover scandal in texts which contemporary readers may miss, which reveals fresh insights. For example, Instone-Brewer discusses how Jesus' illegitimate birth actually made him an ineligible bachelor, or nearly so. He also discusses the ways in which his healing miracles, his table manners, his 'alcohol abuse,' and the way his triumphal entry was socially suspect by the religious establishment, his confrontation of the temple money lenders and the events surrounding his crucifixion. I especially liked his discussion of Jesus' arrest warrant (preserved in Jewish literature) and the ways in which subsequent Jewish generations censored and rewrote the warrant. Instone-Brewer makes the case that the original warrant, describing the execution of Jesus on Passover for sorcery and enticing Israel, has the ring of truth to it but various additions by the rabbis seek to alleviate the scandal of it being an illegal trial, on one of Judaism's high holy days, and ways in which a charge of sorcery added validity to claims that Jesus' miracles were genuine.
Instone-Brewer's insights into Jesus' scandalous friendships were likewise revealing. Yes he talks about the way Jesus was friends with tax collectors and sinners (i.e. prostitutes) and he spills some ink clarifying Jesus' relationship to Mary Magdalene (not a prostitute but formerly possessed or possibly mentally ill). One aspect which I found interesting was his comparison of Jesus' disciples (who were at best second rate) with the disciples of the great rabbis which were extolled for their virtue and understanding. The way in which Jesus conducted his ministry and those with whom he spent time, was at complete loggerheads with the religious establishment of his day.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="186"] David Instone-Brewer[/caption]
Perhaps the most fascinating part of this book for me is Instone-Brewer's discussion of Jesus' teaching. Two aspects of Jesus teaching with Instone-Brewer illuminates are his teaching about divorce and abuse. Instone-Brewer argues that when the religious leaders ask Jesus, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? (Matt. 19:3)," they are using coded legal language. Divorce for 'any cause' is roughly equivalent to the modern concept of a 'no-fault' divorce. Jesus rejected these grounds and arguing that marriage should be a life long commitment; however this does not, and should not mean that a neglected or abused spouse should stay in a marriage (Jesus was not discussing the case of abuse but the idea of a 'any cause' divorce.
However Jesus does appear to address child sexual abuse when he says, "It would have been better for them if they'd had a millstone hung around there neck and cast into the sea than to have caused one of these little ones to stumble. (Matt. 18:6, Mark 9:42). The word stumble (skandalizo) most often refers to sexual sin within Jewish Greek literature. According to Instone-Brewer, Jesus is decrying sexual abuse of children, because of its long term consequences (a sexually abused youth becomes an abuser or continues to be abused).
As may be evident from the sample of topics I just profiled, Instone-Brewer is great at drawing comparisons between Jesus and his contemporaries. There are a lot of other aspects which Instone-Brewer explores (there are 29 chapters to his book). The short stand alone chapters makes this an easy book to read and it also means that you cover a lot of ground. Click here if you are interested in reading an excerpt.
Thank you to Kregel Publications for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review. show less
Scandals are the best guarantee of historical truth in the Gospels. When disgraceful, embarrassing and shocking details about Jesus are recorded by his friends and supporters, it is much harder to disbelieve them.
Jesus was accused of being a bastard, blaspheming, abusing alcohol, partying with prostitutes, being mad and working for Satan--in other words, scandal followed him. And a huge part of his teaching and ministry tackled head-on the scandals that pervaded society and would therefore have been regarded as scandalous by his audience (11).
Many of these 'coffee-break-length' chapters first appeared as columns in Christianity magazine (the rough UK equivalent to Christianity Today). So while Instone-Brewer is a scholar by day, this book is written for a popular audience. I will enthusiastically recommend this book for anyone interested in Jesus (i.e. Christians, seekers, apologists, evangelists, exegetes, the Doobie Brothers, etc.). I found it eye-opening.
The book's three parts discuss the different realms of scandal which surround Jesus: his life, his friends, and his teaching. Instone-Brewer brings his knowledge of first century Judaism and Roman culture to bear on New Testament texts and is able to uncover scandal in texts which contemporary readers may miss, which reveals fresh insights. For example, Instone-Brewer discusses how Jesus' illegitimate birth actually made him an ineligible bachelor, or nearly so. He also discusses the ways in which his healing miracles, his table manners, his 'alcohol abuse,' and the way his triumphal entry was socially suspect by the religious establishment, his confrontation of the temple money lenders and the events surrounding his crucifixion. I especially liked his discussion of Jesus' arrest warrant (preserved in Jewish literature) and the ways in which subsequent Jewish generations censored and rewrote the warrant. Instone-Brewer makes the case that the original warrant, describing the execution of Jesus on Passover for sorcery and enticing Israel, has the ring of truth to it but various additions by the rabbis seek to alleviate the scandal of it being an illegal trial, on one of Judaism's high holy days, and ways in which a charge of sorcery added validity to claims that Jesus' miracles were genuine.
Instone-Brewer's insights into Jesus' scandalous friendships were likewise revealing. Yes he talks about the way Jesus was friends with tax collectors and sinners (i.e. prostitutes) and he spills some ink clarifying Jesus' relationship to Mary Magdalene (not a prostitute but formerly possessed or possibly mentally ill). One aspect which I found interesting was his comparison of Jesus' disciples (who were at best second rate) with the disciples of the great rabbis which were extolled for their virtue and understanding. The way in which Jesus conducted his ministry and those with whom he spent time, was at complete loggerheads with the religious establishment of his day.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="186"] David Instone-Brewer[/caption]
Perhaps the most fascinating part of this book for me is Instone-Brewer's discussion of Jesus' teaching. Two aspects of Jesus teaching with Instone-Brewer illuminates are his teaching about divorce and abuse. Instone-Brewer argues that when the religious leaders ask Jesus, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? (Matt. 19:3)," they are using coded legal language. Divorce for 'any cause' is roughly equivalent to the modern concept of a 'no-fault' divorce. Jesus rejected these grounds and arguing that marriage should be a life long commitment; however this does not, and should not mean that a neglected or abused spouse should stay in a marriage (Jesus was not discussing the case of abuse but the idea of a 'any cause' divorce.
However Jesus does appear to address child sexual abuse when he says, "It would have been better for them if they'd had a millstone hung around there neck and cast into the sea than to have caused one of these little ones to stumble. (Matt. 18:6, Mark 9:42). The word stumble (skandalizo) most often refers to sexual sin within Jewish Greek literature. According to Instone-Brewer, Jesus is decrying sexual abuse of children, because of its long term consequences (a sexually abused youth becomes an abuser or continues to be abused).
As may be evident from the sample of topics I just profiled, Instone-Brewer is great at drawing comparisons between Jesus and his contemporaries. There are a lot of other aspects which Instone-Brewer explores (there are 29 chapters to his book). The short stand alone chapters makes this an easy book to read and it also means that you cover a lot of ground. Click here if you are interested in reading an excerpt.
Thank you to Kregel Publications for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review. show less
The Jesus Scandals: Why He Shocked His Contemporaries (and Still Shocks Today) by David Instone-Brewer
Was the life of Jesus scandalous? According to David Instone-Brewer it was. In the context of modern scandals like we see on the news it wasn’t, but certainly it was in the minds of 1st century Jews and pagans who were not prepared for the claims of Christ. According to Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, Jesus was a stumbling block to the Jews and a scandal to the Gentiles.
Instone-Brewer takes the reader back into the culture of first century Palestine and examines the life and show more ministry of Jesus in that context. His dubious birth claims, his questionable associations and his unorthodox teachings – all accepted by moderns who have had 2000 years to examine them – were quite scandalous to those early hearers.
The Jesus Scandals is divided into 3 sections, all dealing with how the message and ministry of Jesus was viewed as radical in the context of his life and culture. The first section is called “Scandals in His Life” and it covers such things as his questionable birth, his life as a single man when marriage and family were the norm, and his shameful execution as a common criminal.
Section Two is called “Scandals among Jesus’ Friends.” In this part, one reads of those people with whom Jesus’ associated. The Pharisees continually harangued about the cadre of people who were attracted to Jesus. That Jesus would associate with such people was a scandal in itself.
Section Three is “Scandals in Jesus’ Teaching.” These are perhaps the “scandal’s” with which most of us are more familiar. During his ministry, Jesus taught on a variety of topics, all which seemed to contradict the teaching of the Pharisees and confound and amaze his hearers. Some of these include divorce and remarriage, dishonesty, cursing, and “the unpardonable sin.”
The Jesus Scandals reminds us that his teachings are still scandalous and becoming more so as our culture embraces pluralism and postmodern ways of thinking. Jesus brought a radical message that when understood is still scandalous. show less
Instone-Brewer takes the reader back into the culture of first century Palestine and examines the life and show more ministry of Jesus in that context. His dubious birth claims, his questionable associations and his unorthodox teachings – all accepted by moderns who have had 2000 years to examine them – were quite scandalous to those early hearers.
The Jesus Scandals is divided into 3 sections, all dealing with how the message and ministry of Jesus was viewed as radical in the context of his life and culture. The first section is called “Scandals in His Life” and it covers such things as his questionable birth, his life as a single man when marriage and family were the norm, and his shameful execution as a common criminal.
Section Two is called “Scandals among Jesus’ Friends.” In this part, one reads of those people with whom Jesus’ associated. The Pharisees continually harangued about the cadre of people who were attracted to Jesus. That Jesus would associate with such people was a scandal in itself.
Section Three is “Scandals in Jesus’ Teaching.” These are perhaps the “scandal’s” with which most of us are more familiar. During his ministry, Jesus taught on a variety of topics, all which seemed to contradict the teaching of the Pharisees and confound and amaze his hearers. Some of these include divorce and remarriage, dishonesty, cursing, and “the unpardonable sin.”
The Jesus Scandals reminds us that his teachings are still scandalous and becoming more so as our culture embraces pluralism and postmodern ways of thinking. Jesus brought a radical message that when understood is still scandalous. show less
The Jesus Scandals: Why He Shocked His Contemporaries (and Still Shocks Today) by David Instone-Brewer
Jesus often shocked his listeners with his teachings. His views were seen as radical by his contemporaries, and clashed with the teachings of the Jewish leaders of that time. His very birth was scandalous, and he was not shy about spending time with those considered less than desirable. He had compassion for those who no one else wanted. His very ministry, his life, death, and resurrection was a scandal.
Dr. Instone-Brewer has taken thirty areas of the teachings of Jesus and broken them down show more into short, easy-to-study chapters for the average Bible student. Each chapter covers an area of the ministry of Jesus or His teaching that was found scandalous in His day. Chapters include His illegitimate birth, his bachelorhood, Judas Iscariot, and His views on polygamy. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Mary Magdalene. Because I believe in avoiding spoiler alerts whenever possible, I'll just say that not only do I appreciate the fact that Dr. Instone-Brewer set the record straight once again, but he also explained why we dye Easter eggs. Yes, it's all in that one chapter. In the chapter "Second-Rate Disciples", I so appreciated the idea that perhaps Jesus was making a joke at Simon Peter's expense when he said he would be a "rock". Again, no spoiler alert; you'll just have to read it for yourself. But I have always felt that Jesus had a sense of humor while He walked upon the Earth, and I'm sure we'll discover some day that He still does. That has nothing to do with the book; just a personal observation.
This book would be excellent for a study group, as well as for individual reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have to give it 5 stars.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Kregel Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Kregel Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising* show less
Dr. Instone-Brewer has taken thirty areas of the teachings of Jesus and broken them down show more into short, easy-to-study chapters for the average Bible student. Each chapter covers an area of the ministry of Jesus or His teaching that was found scandalous in His day. Chapters include His illegitimate birth, his bachelorhood, Judas Iscariot, and His views on polygamy. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Mary Magdalene. Because I believe in avoiding spoiler alerts whenever possible, I'll just say that not only do I appreciate the fact that Dr. Instone-Brewer set the record straight once again, but he also explained why we dye Easter eggs. Yes, it's all in that one chapter. In the chapter "Second-Rate Disciples", I so appreciated the idea that perhaps Jesus was making a joke at Simon Peter's expense when he said he would be a "rock". Again, no spoiler alert; you'll just have to read it for yourself. But I have always felt that Jesus had a sense of humor while He walked upon the Earth, and I'm sure we'll discover some day that He still does. That has nothing to do with the book; just a personal observation.
This book would be excellent for a study group, as well as for individual reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have to give it 5 stars.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Kregel Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Kregel Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising* show less
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 16
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 717
- Popularity
- #35,385
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 10
- ISBNs
- 23
- Languages
- 2