Ross Nichols taught for 11 weeks on Dr. James D. Tabor’s book, Restoring Abrahamic Faith. This podcast is an interview between Ross Nichols and Dr. Tabor on the main points of Abrahamic Faith.

Here are some of the points from the interview:

• You will hear Tabor define his own personal faith.
• You will learn what it means to be a friend of God.
• Tabor outlines his understanding of the Core Biblical Faith

In addition to these points you will also hear Dr. Tabor talk about his upcoming book on Paul. The discussion of this work, scheduled to appear in print in Spring of 2010 (Simon and Schuster) is an exclusive “sneak” review.

You will not want to miss this exciting interview with Dr. James D. Tabor.

In the early 90′s I read a paper by James Tabor entitiled Restoring Abrahamic Faith.  This work and each of its successive versions has challenged me to restore an ancient biblical faith. The clear teachings contained in this work have so inspired me in my personal quest that I want to share them and in so doing, to encourage people to return to the pure faith of Abraham.

In this series I will follow the general outline of the book. I feel that the presentation of the material, as laid out by Dr. Tabor is easy to follow, and when these fundamental and essential teachings are taught in this order, one comes away with a clearer understanding of the Core Teachings of Scripture.

I begin the series with a brief introduction of the man who would become known as the father of all the faithful. “Look to Abraham” the prophet Isaiah would charge all those who pursue righteousness and seek YHVH (Isaiah 51:1-2).

The series begins with the first key concept of this ancient way – Knowing God. Just who is the God of Abraham? The masses are confused over this foundational truth, but the Hebrew Bible clearly identifies this God without the slightest trace of ambiguity.

I carefully cover some of the key passages in the Bible about “knowing” this God. The Bible is clear. YHVH is God and there is no other.

You will not want to miss this new series.

 

Restoring Abrahamic Faith – About the Book

I am sending this note to my mailing list to announce the release of the thoroughly revised book by Dr. James D Tabor – Restoring Abrahamic Faith. 

Many of you who have listened to my teachings will recognize the name of the author as well as the title of this book. The initial work published in 1991 by the name Restoring Abrahamic Faith was a major catalyst in my own personal quest for the “true Biblical Faith”. I subsequently became close friends with James Tabor and am pleased that nearly 17 years later, the book is being published as a thoroughly revised trade book.

I would highly recommend the book to any who desire to uncover the foundational truths of a Biblical Faith. The following note about the work is from the author, James Tabor.
James D. Tabor on Restoring Abrahamic Faith

Back in 1993 I self-published a 100 page book called Restoring Abrahamic Faith. It was distributed to a few thousand people, given away free, funded by a non-profit I had formed called Genesis 2000. Over the years I have gotten an amazingly positive response to that little book and many thousands of copies were made by others and further distributed.

The book was a kind of “manifesto” of my own personal faith, but subject wise I would say it was an exposition of what I would call the ancient “Hebrew faith” based on the texts of the Hebrew Bible. It covered most of the great Questions of Biblical Faith: Who is God? What are the Holy Scriptures? How does one know the will of God? What does salvation mean? What about the so-called “Lost Tribes” of Israel? Is the present return of Jews to the Land of Israel significant? What about the coming of the Messiah? Who was Jesus and what was his message?

I have decided to republish a new edition of Restoring Abrahamic Faith. It is a thoroughly revised version, 180 pages, professionally designed and attractively printed as a self-published trade book through Genesis 2000. You can go to genesis2000.org for full information on how to order either on-line or by check. I wanted here to offer a prepublication peek at the Preface. I think it gives a good sense of what this book is about:

Preface

I began thinking seriously about the contents of this book back in the late 1960s. I had graduated from college with majors in Greek and Bible, fired by a passion for discovering the historical Jesus. It was that Quest that led me to the insights and concepts represented herein. The more I learned about Jesus the more I realized how vital it was to see him as a Jew who put his faith in the God of Abraham, who upheld the Torah, and who lived and died for his ancestral faith.

As a Christian I had grown up with a strong emphasis on the New Testament. The “Old Testament,” as we called it, was looked on as mere “background” to the superseding revelation brought by Jesus and the apostle Paul. I had never taken the “Jewishness” of Jesus very seriously—at least not in terms of its implications.

I presented the results of my forty years of academic work on the historical Jesus in a previous book, The Jesus Dynasty (Simon & Schuster, 2006). This book goes quite a few steps beyond. It is a personal manifesto of my own biblical faith, informed by my historical work, while at the same time moving outside its strict academic parameters.

I am enamored with the Hebrew Bible—Torah, Prophets, and Writings—and it has riveted me like nothing else over these many years. In its pages I find compelling testimony to the experiences of those who have sought to “walk with God,” and a program of hope for our troubled planet. The idea and the ideal of the Kingdom of God—that is, God’s will being done on earth as in heaven, is one that beckons us across the ages. This book is about that ancient Hebrew faith and what it might mean to us in the 21st century.

Pentecost, June 15, 2008
Mevasseret Zion, Israel

Go to genesis2000.org for more information.

James D. Tabor

I am currently reading the book, The Misunderstood Jew – The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine.  I should finish the book and post a review no later than the weekend if all goes according to plan.  Check back soon.