Paul Luckraft reviews the Tree of Life version of Scripture (Baker Publishing/Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, 2015).
The Tree of Life Version of the Holy Scriptures is well worth investigating and then investing in. There are several versions of the Bible available now which attempt to recapture something of the original Jewish authenticity - so what makes this different?
Its main selling point is the claim that this is a brand new translation produced by both Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars. This, the publishers say, makes it the first of its kind, and by incorporating the translational skills of Messianic Jews it highlights the rich Hebraic roots of the Christian faith to a greater extent. And by working together as One New Man, they believe they have provided a Bible for a new era.
A Jewish-Friendly Voice
The translators have gone back to the original Hebrew (Masoretic Text) for the Old Testament and the original Greek (the 27th Nestle-Aland Novum Testamente Graece) for the New. Naturally they have preserved the original Jewish order of the books of the Old Testament (Tanakh) and have also used transliterated terms such as shalom, shofar, Shabbat, and the Jewish name of the Messiah, Yeshua.
This is a brand new translation produced by both Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars working together as One New Man.
The translation project was headed up by Jeffrey Seir, a professor of Bible and Jewish Studies at Kings University, USA, who served as the Project Manager and Chief Theologian. A full list of the translators is available on their website.
Their aim is to provide a version that speaks with a decidedly Jewish-friendly voice, a voice like the Bible authors themselves, and to show the connections between the covenants God made with his ancient people and those now grafted in through the new covenant with Yeshua.
Versions and Resources
In addition to the full Biblical text there are some useful extras, including a week Torah reading programme and some Jewish prayers and blessings in Hebrew, transliterated Hebrew and English.
There is also a short glossary and a couple of maps. Don’t expect too many extras, this is not a study Bible as such but a new version to be read in order to gain fresh insights from the text itself.
One aim is to show the connections between the covenants God made with his ancient people and those now grafted in through the new covenant with Yeshua.
Produced by the Baker Publishing Group in partnership with the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, the Tree of Life Version can be ordered online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook.com and various other websites and stores. It is available in several formats, from the cheaper Thinline Edition (if you don’t mind very thin pages!), produced in both softback and hardback forms, to the more expensive imitation leather covers. It is also available on Kindle.
Find out more about the Tree of Life version on its official website (US), which also houses relevant articles and resources.
