The Burning Word: A Christian Encounter With Jewish Midrash

Book Summary

Midrash, an ancient Jewish method for interpreting the Bible, views the Bible as one side of a conversation, started by God. Kunst invites readers to explore midrash for the first time through a conversation between the author's own experiences and stories and insights of Jewish thought. Midrash is a Hebrew word meaning "to search out." This ancient, Jewish method for interpreting the Bible searches not for what is familiar but for what is unfamiliar, not for what's clear but for what's unclear, and then wrestles with the text, passionately, playfully, and reverently. Midrash views the Bible as one side of a conversation, started by God, containing an implicit invitation to keep the conversation going. Kunst invites the reader to explore midrash for the first time through a conversation, at times humorous, reflective and poetic, between the author's own experiences and the stories and insights of Jewish thought through the centuries.

Book Details