{"product_id":"biblical-literalism-a-gentile-heresy-a-journey-into-a-new-christianity-through-the-doorway-of-matthews-gospel-9780062362315","title":"Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy: A Journey Into a New Christianity Through the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel","description":"\"In this profound work, bestselling author and the former Episcopal Bishop of Newark John Shelby Spong offers a radical new way to look at the gospels today. Pulling back the layers of misunderstanding created over the centuries by Gentile ignorance of things Jewish, he reveals how a literal reading of the Bible is so far removed from the original intent of the Jewish authors of the gospels that it has become an act of heresy. Using the gospel of Matthew as a guide, Spong explores the New Testament's literary and liturgical roots its grounding in Jewish culture, symbols, icons, and storytelling tradition to explain how the events of Jesus's life, including the virgin birth, the miracles, the details of the passion story, and the resurrection and ascension, would have been understood by both the Jewish authors of the various gospels and by the Jewish audiences for which they were originally written. Spong makes clear that it was only after the church became fully Gentile that readers of the gospels took these to be events of history, thus distorting their essential meaning.\"--Provided by publisher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpong, John Shelby:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eJohn Shelby Spong, the Episcopal Bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000, has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard and at more than 500 other universities all over the world. His books, which have sold well over a million copies, include \u003cem\u003eBiblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy; The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic; Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World; Eternal Life: A New Vision; Jesus for the Non-Religious, The Sins of Scripture, Resurrection: Myth or Reality?; Why Christianity Must Change or Die;\u003c\/em\u003e and his autobiography, \u003cem\u003eHere I Stand\u003c\/em\u003e. He writes a weekly column on the web that reaches thousands of people all over the world. To join his online audience, go to www.JohnShelbySpong.com. He lives with his wife, Christine, in New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperOne","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50692594762002,"sku":"9780062362315","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4cf5837c-fd00-4255-bcaf-0810a73ae236.jpg?v=1734128679","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/biblical-literalism-a-gentile-heresy-a-journey-into-a-new-christianity-through-the-doorway-of-matthews-gospel-9780062362315","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}