A deeply academic book. It anchors the historical Jesus into the actual time period he lived in. It will an excellent resource for those seeking to understand the Bible beyond platitudes and sloppy theology.

Very interesting perspective on Jesus and his historical context!

I think I liked the idea of this more than I actually liked reading this. Not that any of it was bad- it was just very dense and I don't think I always grasped every point that Dr. Levine was making.

There were some really interesting nuggets here, and this is a book I think I could get something different out of every time I read it- I'll definitely be revisiting it in the future.

I do think this book won't be for everyone, and that's okay. This should be fairly interesting and applicable for Christians, but I'm not personally convinced that many non-Christians would get a lot of this, outside of those with a particular interest in religious studies and history.

Given that “nones” and “dones” are the two fastest growing cohorts in American regarding beliefs, those professing a lack of interest in religion and those who have quit its organized manifestations, what should we do about Jesus? A non-believing member of an Orthodox {shul} who teaches at Vanderbilt in the Bible Belt, Amy-Jill Levine throughout her professorial career elucidates in witty, accessible style the relevance of teachings attributed to Christ and his disciples, and as her subtitle admits (originally, she was to title this {Jesus for Atheists}), she addresses a broad, diverse audience.

She begins: {To misunderstand Judaism is to misunderstand Jesus. Years ago I wrote “The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus” (the subtitle was necessary lest readers think the book was autobiography). Like that book, this one offers corrections to popular, but erroneous, stereotypes of Jesus’s Jewish context.} This passage typifies Levine’s characteristic attributes. She writes pithily. She offers wit. She presents in clear prose her informed interpretations.

While this book’s replete with references to {enslaved persons}, {gender-affirming surgery} and {heterosexist binary}, Levine eschews academic jargon or belabored polemic. While firmly in the progressive camp, she addresses straightforwardly the distorted readings endemic among scholars who strain to claim Jesus as the only Jew who cared about healthcare, poverty or the dangers of Church-State relations. She warns that when activists typecast Christ among {outcasts} as a Galilean peasant {transgressing} social standards, {more than likely the context is a false and poisonous depiction of Jewish practice and belief} during the first century C.E., when contrary to frequent Christian assertions from both the left and right, this rabbi aligned more with than against the Temple institution itself. He meant to purify its intentions, rather than eradicate the institution.

What Jesus criticized, similar to political challengers today across the spectrum, more accurately should be defined as the corruption of a top-down system rather than a call for the abolition of the enterprise itself. Levine developed this thesis in depth in {The Misunderstood Jew} (2007), which may be better for one new to this subject. Similarly, her twists on the parables as {Short Stories by Jesus} (2014) expand her appealingly raw, clunky translations of the original Greek, which show the mangled, tangled vernacular, stripped of the resonances of a King James Version, and of any veneer.

Levine’s previous scholarship gets, therefore, repeated often if inevitably in {Jesus for Everyone}. This may be unavoidable as the number of texts is after all fixed, and their scope, after a biblical historian scours the same material as her life’s work, remains framed and limited within its extant parameters. However, she strives in her newest foray to organize material around themes designed to appeal to the unconvinced, those who might not naturally pick up a work on the Son of God.

Her chapters take up in turn economics; slavery; ethnicity and race; healthcare; celibacy, marriage, divorce and adultery; and politics. She orients each topic within the Gospel passages, then elaborating on how much the evangelists narrated content {case-specific} versus contemporary resources which those in the ancient world would have known, whether Hebraic, Greek, Roman or from the diaspora in origin. In each section, if sometimes in too diffused a discussion rather than a firm condensation of pertinent facts (at times she leaves certain parables themselves with points unresolved, left hanging or abandoned), she strives for level-headed sense blended with apt proofs.

But this doesn’t mean her approach lacks vigor. She cautions against smirking at the rich so-and-so who at first seems set up as the fall guy in many parables. She asks if Mary in accepting the Annunciation signaling that she will bear the Christ Child calls herself neither {handmaid} nor {servant} but {slave}. She chides how a {need to find a negative foil over and over against which Jesus looks good is historically inaccurate, theologically false, and ethically wrong.} She suggests the rather antiquated malady of dropsy (edema) with its symptom of unquenchable thirst may make sense for moderns as similar to the {insatiability} addicts strive to overcome in 12-step programs.

While her conclusions to stop moralizing and start mobilizing to bring about the kingdom of God, or for those not enamored of this messianic makeover, to incorporate the pioneering models of justice, righteousness, broadmindedness and inclusion of the stranger and exile break no new ground, Levine’s timely insistence that we can all bring to the reception of Jesus’ bold prescriptions necessary descriptions of how to build a fairer society resonate. {Jesus for Everyone} encourages respect across denominations or separations among us, exposing a figure whose appeal discomforts, and who leaves many solutions for the problems the Gospels raise for those today to face, not flee.

As a Christian, I was immediately drawn to this book to help me in every day conversations with non-Christians.
This book answers the question of why Jesus should matter to you in any context from a historical and cultural stand-point. There has long been debate on if the historical Jesus can hold a candle to what Christians believe. In my opinion, this book answers that question with a resounding yes.

Professor Amy-Jill Levine is one of my absolute favorite Bible scholars. Her academic credentials are impeccable and her teaching is always full of compassion and humor. She balances her academic brilliance with wisdom, making her someone I may not always agree with, but I trust. Jesus for Everyone is yet another opportunity to learn, stretch, and grow from someone who has taught me so much already. Thank you to the author, HarperOne, and NetGalley for the eARC.

Jesus for Everyone is a guide to what Jesus said, what people said Jesus said, and what people have said and are saying about Jesus. It presents what is known currently, the academic understanding, and then puts that into context for the reader to chew on. Like Jesus, the book asks more questions than it answers. The questions it asks are the good kind of questions which make you think, maybe even squirm a little bit.

Amy Jill Levine's writings have had a profound impact on how I read and interpret The Bible.
If you love her books, this one will not disappoint. As with all of her books, she is not shy about challenging both the reader and how people have read and intrepreted scripture. I find (as always) her unique perspective as a New Testament Scholar who happens to be Jewish, to be both challenging and rewarding. I cannot emphasize enough how this book (as well as her other books) have opened my eyes to how 1st century Jews would have heard and understand these teachings as well as how we today can hear and understand in a new and enlightened manner. I find myself in study groups constantly asking, but how would a 1st Century Jew, hearing this particular teaching of Jesus, reacted and understood his message. By redirecting our focus in this manner assists in giving us a new, clear and concise as well as challenging how we have been taught.

In "Jesus for Everyone," esteemed biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine offers a compelling exploration of Jesus of Nazareth's enduring influence on Western ethics and civilization. Levine, a professor at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, presents Jesus as a figure of immense interest not just for Christians, but for nonbelievers as well. Through meticulous examination of scripture and historical analysis, she reveals unexpected insights into Jesus's teachings, including his views on women. By situating Jesus within his historical context, Levine invites readers of all beliefs to appreciate his profound impact on today's world. This book is a thought-provoking study highlighting the relevance of Jesus's life and philosophy for everyone.

"Jesus for Everyone: Not Just Christians" was written by Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish Professor of Religion who was raised to ask questions about what she had been taught. She brings this same mind frame to the Scriptures, and encourages her readers to understand the context in which Jesus was teaching, as a "Galilean Jew living under the Roman domination in the early first century CE." When we read the Bible, we must keep in mind how our interpretation needs to include the original audience to whom it was written. Levine does not discourage questioning Scriptures, rather she says we must ask questions because if we don't "we abdicate our responsibility for engaging with the text . . . and we make the subject under discussion boring." Levine brings this trademark honesty to some difficult topics, such as economics, slavery, ethnicity, and others.

If you're looking for a book that includes in-depth conversation on some of the more difficult Scripture topics, this is the book for you. I found it to be more academic than an easier, more personalized book. However, it did answer several questions for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.