When asked, “What book changed your life?” my obvious answer is the Bible.

My second choice would be Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. This is also the book I’ve read the most, highlighted the most, and given away the most.

I’ve create a list below of my favorite Hebrew roots resources because these help me understand the Bible better, answered many questions I had about the Bible, and encouraged me in my Christian walk. My relationship with God is closer because I understand Him and His purposes better.

To fully comprehend our Christian faith, we should know about our fascinating Hebrew heritage. We study a Hebrew book–written by Hebrews; we serve a Hebrew Lord–who had Hebrew disciples; we desire to follow the first-century church–which was first predominately Hebrew; and through Christ, we are grafted into a Hebrew family! (Galatians 3:29) It makes sense to study the Hebrew culture.

This is a refreshing, new, exciting way to view the Bible! Much of the Bible is mysterious to most Americans. The perplexing phrases, puzzling actions, the sometimes difficult-to-understand words of Jesus, unconventional holidays, and parables are only understood with an awareness of the Hebrew culture. A Christian’s roots are deep in Judaism through Christ, all the way back to Abraham! And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29).

Studying Scripture from our Western/ American/ Greek view is like looking for gold in a dark mine with a dim pen light. You can see enough to stumble around but you need more light to see clearly. A good grasp of the ancient Hebraic customs and terminology would allow you to reexamine Scripture in this powerful floodlight, exposing intricate details and treasures.

These books give you the floodlights! Click on any of the books below to read excerpts!

My Favorite Hebrew Roots Resources

	Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Dr. Marvin Wilson. Although the roots of Christianity run deep into Hebrew soil, many Christians are regrettably uninformed about the rich Hebrew heritage of the church. This volume delineates the link between Judaism and Christianity, between Old and New Testaments, and calls Christians to examine their Hebrew roots. Wilson offers a number of helpful suggestions that will enable Christians to adopt “a Hebraic orientation toward life and the world.” He suggests three general areas for this: personal interaction, personal education, and personal action or righteous living.View Excerpts
	Restoring Our Lost Legacy: Christianity’s Hebrew Heritage by Dr. John Garr. For the past nineteen centuries, millions of believers have been denied their biblical legacy, the riches of the Hebrew foundations of their faith. Christian Judaeophobia, anti-Judaism, and anti-Semitism have conspired to rob them of the treasures of their inheritance. Excerpt (18 pages)
	Assumptions That Affect Our lives by Christian Overman. The visible actions of people are first shaped by invisible thoughts, deep in the unseen world of the human mind and heart. What factors influence those invisible ideas? For people who live in the Western world, the answers can be found by examining the two major roots of Western thought–the ancient Greeks and the Hebrews. Assumptions That Affect Our Lives takes the reader back to the roots of the modern conflict between Christianity and secular humanism through a comparison of ancient Greek and Hebrew culture. Excerpt (20 pages)
	King of the Jews by D. Thomas Lancaster. While stripping back centuries of cultural misinterpretations, Lancaster reveals the historical, Jewish Jesus in vivid new strokes and colors that fire the heart and deepen devotion to Him. King of the Jews digs into the history and literature of early Judaism to demonstrate the authenticity of the Gospels and to dispel today’s errant re-interpretations of Jesus. Not just another book about Jesus, this thought provoking, fun-to-read journey into the world of the Bible is guaranteed to change how you think about Jesus while affirming the historical basis for faith in the King of the Jews.
	New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin. Philippians 3 says “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” We get to know people by learning about them; the more we learn, the more we know. How can you learn about our Hebrew Lord without understanding the culture of His time? How can you understand His sayings that sound so strange to our Western ears unless you put them in the proper setting? This book will direct you to know Jesus and the Jewish background of the way he thought and taught. It is scholarly but an easy and enjoyable read. Bivin gives several examples of confusing passages from Greek translations that become immediately clear when translated back into Hebrew. This work is fascinating! Don’t miss it. Excerpt (15 pages)
	Restoration: Returning the Torah of God to the Disciples of Jesus by D. Thomas Lancaster. Biblical Christianity was originally a sect of Judaism that believed in Jesus and revered the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) as the core of her Scriptures. Restoration is a riveting argument for a return to that original, biblical expression of faith in Jesus. Discover for yourself the profound beauty of Torah life, the celebration of the biblical Sabbath and the appreciation of God’s Holy Feast Days. Your eyes will be opened to another dimension of the faith that is beginning to re-emerge among Christians worldwide.
	Family Sanctuary: Restoring the Biblically Hebraic Home by Dr. John Garr Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to recover one of the foundational parts of your biblically Hebraic heritage in the faith of Jesus! Excerpt 1 (11 pages)
	God’s Lamp, Man’s Light: Mysteries of the Menorah by Dr. John Garr God’s Lamp, Man’s Light is a masterful analysis of the menorah, the only biblical symbol that has the distinction of being designed by God himself. Excerpt (22 pages)
	Bless You! Restoring the Biblically Hebraic Blessing by Dr. John Garr Restore this vital part from the Hebraic faith of Jesus and the apostles and bring God’s blessing upon yourself and your family. Don’t miss the amazing blessing of Bless You! Excerpt (8 pages)
	The Hem of His Garment: Touching the Power in God’s Word by Dr. John Garr A comprehensive study of the long and interesting Jewish tallit tradition. “If I can but touch the Hem of his Garment . . .” Excerpt (14 pages)
	Holy Cow: Does God Care What We Eat by Hope Egan This book is a simple-to–understand overview in plain words the differences between clean and unclean meats. The author presents a balanced explanation of eating biblically and explains where some of the non-biblical traditions (such as separating milk and meat) come from. Egan addresses the verses that most Christians use to rationalize that all foods are clean (Mark 7 and Acts 10). She uses basic hermeneutic principles to properly interpret the text. Eagan is very clear that our diets are not a salvation issue while also encourages obedience to God’s Word. On this topic: .Difference between Biblical and Rabbinical Kosher

Jewish Roots Resources by Topic

Your Turn!

What book changed your life? (besides the Bible) What book have you read over and over? Any comments on these books? Please add your comments below. I can’t wait to read them.

If you decide to answer “What book changed your life?” on your blog please link back here.

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