Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
(born October 31, 1935 - October 8, 2022) was an American-born
Messianic Jewish
Messianic Judaism ( he, or , ) is a modernist and syncretic movement of Protestant Christianity that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism.
It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier ...
theologian of
Israeli
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
residence. He was the third son of Harold Stern and Marion Levi Stern.
Personal life and academic work
Stern's background includes
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
, plus a
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
degree from
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
, a graduate course at the
University of Judaism
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
(now the
American Jewish University
American Jewish University (AJU), formerly the separate institutions University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is a Jewish institution in Los Angeles, California.
Its largest component is its Whizin Center for Continuing Education in w ...
), and a Ph.D. in economics from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. He taught the first course in 'Judaism and Christianity' at Fuller Theological Seminary and at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
he was a professor.
Stern lived in Jerusalem until his death, and, although a wheelchair user, was active in Israel's Messianic Jewish community.
Complete Jewish Bible
Stern's major work is the ''
Complete Jewish Bible
Messianic Bible translations are translations, or editions of translations, in English of the Christian Bible, some of which are widely used in the Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots communities.
They are not the same as Jewish English Bible tran ...
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
(which he, like many Messianic Jews, refers to as the "B'rit Hadashah", from the
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
term ברית חדשה, often translated "new covenant", used in
Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...
31). One unique feature of Stern's translation is the wide usage of
transliteration
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...
, rather than literal translation, throughout the Bible. For the New Testament, Greek proper nouns are often replaced with transliterated Hebrew words. Stern himself refers to this as a "cosmetic" treatment.Stern, David H. "Introduction". (1998). The complete Jewish Bible: an English version of the Tanakh and B'rit Hadashah. Clarksville, Maryland: Jewish New Testament Publications . p. xxxviii.
Other notable characteristics of Stern's translation include the translating of Greek phrases about "the law" as having to do with "Torah-legalism" instead. More explanation is found in his ''Messianic Jewish Manifesto'' (now out of print) and his ''Messianic Judaism: A Modern Movement With an Ancient Past'' (a revision of the ''Manifesto'').
Bibliography
Books
*''Surfing Guide to Southern California'' (with Bill Cleary) – 1st ed.: Fitzpatrick 1963. Current ed.: Mountain & Sea 1998,
*''Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel'' – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, 1988,
*''Messianic Jewish Manifesto'' – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, 1 May 1988,
*''Messianic Judaism: A Modern Movement With An Ancient Past'' – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, April 2007,
*''Jewish New Testament : A Translation of the New Testament that Expresses its Jewishness'' – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, and Clarksville MD, September 1989,
*''The Jewish New Testament Commentary: A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament'' – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, 1992,
*''Complete Jewish Bible'' – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, September 1998,
*''How Jewish Is Christianity?'' (with others) (ed by Louis Goldberg) – Zondervan, November 2003,