One Hundred Great Jewish Books by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman is now available!
One Hundred Great Jewish Books: Three Millennia of Jewish Conversation
Here’s more about the book from his blog:
One Hundred Great Jewish Books: Three Millennia of Jewish Conversation reflects an idea I have been playing with for about a decade now. What is Judaism, if not an identity that is portrayed through a rolling conversation across the centuries! The book is a running record of the conversation as portrayed through every variety of Jewish book: classical texts and medieval responsa, but also modern fiction, short stories, histories, biographies, and even comic books, encyclopedias, and cook books. I read over 200 books to make the selection, but here it is at last: my running guide to the Jewish conversational record.
[Update: There's a very helpful review by Neal Gendler here.]
Life and a Little Liturgy: Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD, has a blog!
I’m thrilled to announce that my father, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Ph.D., has just started a blog: Life and a Little Liturgy. The author of three dozen books, Rabbi Hoffman — “Dad,” to me — is a preeminent Jewish liturgist (it’s a niche market, I know, but he’s got it cornered) and leading modern Jewish philosopher. Here’s part of his latest post:
I do not usually admit this right off the bat — it is definitely a conversation stopper — but here it is: I am a liturgist. “Liturgy” is a common enough word among Christians, but it does not flow trippingly off Jewish tongues, and I am not only Jewish but a rabbi to boot. The word comes from the Greek, leitourgia, “public service,” which is how Greek civilization thought of service to the gods. The Jewish equivalent is the Temple cult of antiquity — in Hebrew, avodah, which meant the same thing, the work of serving God. That eventually morphed into what people do in church and synagogue. Christians call it liturgy; Jews call it “services.”
Keep reading…
Exploring the Bible Videos
I’m thrilled to announce the beta version of my latest project: Exploring the Bible videos. The site is a growing collection of short text-based videos about the Bible, frequently focusing on translation issues.
The first three videos (also available on YouTube) are:
- John 3:16 – What does “God so loved the world” really mean?
- Quiz: Do you speak KJV?
- Thou Shalt Not Covet – Why “covet” is a mistranslation in the Ten Commandments.
Longer than a soundbite and (much) shorter than a lecture, each video presents a single idea in two or three minutes.
These first three videos mirror blog posts I’ve written (here, here, and here).
My hope is that these videos will be an effective way of discussing the text of the Bible, because the medium of video makes it possible to display the text as I talk about it.
Please let me know what you think.
I’ll also be grateful if you can ask a few friends or colleagues to take a look — particularly if they don’t follow this blog — so I can get a sense of what these videos are like for people who encounter the material for the first time.
Enjoy!
Win a Free, Signed Copy of And God Said
Until January 31, you have another chance to win a free, singed copy of my And God Said.
From the book’s blog:
We’re giving away a free copy of And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original Meaning, signed by the author.
For the best chances of winning, enter the sweepstakes via Twitter. You can also enter from the book’s Facebook page (and while you’re there, you can become a fan), or directly.
A winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries shortly after Monday, January 31. So hurry!
A New Collection of Questions and Comments About Bible Translation
The popular Better Bibles Blog (“BBB”) has a new feature: Share, where you can leave questions about Bible translation and share links.
From the announcement there:
GIVE US A LINK!
We would like to hear from you. The Internet is a big place with far too much interesting stuff for our small group of writers to keep up on. Tell us what you’re reading and what stories on the Internet you’ve discovered that relate to Bible translation.
ASK US A QUESTION!
What questions do you have about Bible translation? Have you read a verse and wondered if it’s an accurate translation? Ask about it here.
Recent questions there have dealt with which translation to choose and the Hebrew word nephesh.
The JBC Tour
I’m in Houston, my first stop on a four-city, two-week book tour about And God Said. (Read more.) Sponsored by the JBC, the tour brings me to Houston, San Diego, Milwaukee, and Boulder this month, in addition to Queens (last month) and Wilmette, IL (in March).
Those who are so inclined can follow along from the book’s blog.
The Updated NIV is Online as of Today
As expected, the much-anticipated updated NIV went on-line today at Bible Gateway.
The new translation doesn’t seem to have a name that distinguishes it from older translations of the same name. It’s just called the “NIV.”
Unfortunately, the previous two NIV translations — the TNIV and what I guess we’ll have to call the “old NIV” — have been removed from the site. [Update: The older translations can still be found on Bible Gateway's beta site.]
Notes from the translation committee are available in PDF format here.
More soon.
Bible Gateway Unveils “Perspectives in Translation” Blog
Bible Gateway is one of the top destinations for different translations of the Bible. It has also announced that the widely-anticipated updated NIV translation (the so-called “2011″ edition) will first be available on its website. So its new Perspectives in Translation blog, a joint project with The Gospel Coalition, is sure to receive attention.
The first posts just went live: a Welcome note, a question about “What Makes a Translation Accurate?,” and three answers (here, here, and here).
I’ll have more to say about the content soon. For now, take a look.
Another Chance to Win a Signed Copy of My Latest Book
Here’s another chance to win a free, signed copy of my latest book, And God Said.
From blog.AndGodSaid.com:
In honor of the three-month anniversary of And God Said (already in its second printing!), we’re giving away another free copy signed by the author.
To enter, visit the “Sweepstakes” tab of And God Said’s Facebook page. (And while you’re there, why not become a fan?)
You can also enter via Twitter.
A winner will be drawn from all eligible entries on Tuesday, May 18.
Interview on Bible translation with Al Kresta
Yesterday I had the treat to talk to Al Kresta about Bible translation on his nationally syndicated “Kresta in the Afternoon.” You can find the audio here.
From AGS-
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