"Rose Guide to the Feasts, Festivals, and Fasts of the Bible" (Paul H. Wright, ed)

TITLE: Rose Guide to the Feasts, Festivals and Fasts of the Bible 

AUTHOR: Paul H. Wright (Editor)
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2022, (232 pages).

What is the connection between Food and Faith? Why are festivals so much a part of the Hebrews? What is the significance of events surrounding feasting and fasting? How does food foster relationships? This book attempts to answer some of these questions from biblical, historical, relational, theological, and practical perspectives. Covering both the Old Testament and New Testament feasts, the author aims to help us see how the simple act of eating could bring people together and bind them. At the same time, festivals enable us to be in tune with the cycles of a religious year. Like seasons during the year, these timely observances enable us physically and spiritually to appreciate God's intended rhythms of rest, relaxation, and relational dimensions of creation. 

Beginning with Old Testament feasts, readers get a fascinating overview of what the ancient Israelites did through the year. Paul Wright asserts that food provides not just nourishment for the body, it is also for the soul. 

On New Testament feasts, readers learn more about how the Early Church and Jesus continue on the Old Testament traditions.  Here, Jewish rabbi Moshe Silberschein gives us an overview from both a Jewish and Christian perspective. Not only that, he gives us enlightening backgrounds to the different approaches before, during, and after the Second Temple period. As he combs the historical background and modern literature, he gives us a treasure of resources about the origins and practices of each feast. 

Chapter 3 and 4 talk about how Jews and Messianic Christians today keep the biblical holidays respectively. Ophir Yarden connects the two notable thread of deliverance and food as he deals with the special days through the year for the Jews. The Shabbat delivers us from the toil of work once a week; the Pesach reminds us of how God delivered the Jews at the Passover; and Yom Kippur marks the end of the ten days of repentance. In fact, the celebrating of these Jewish festivals is by itself a synopsis of Judaism! In Chapter 4, Steven Lancaster builds upon ancient Judaism to give us an idea of how modern Jews, especially Messianic Jews improvise on the ancient festivals. 

In the final chapter, Heidi Kinner looks at the feasts of the Bible and the Church. He shows us that how the early Christians make decisions about the Jewish feasts could help us decide on how to celebrate or not observe these ancients feasts today. She gives us a good birdseye view of the Sabbath, Passover, the Shavuot, Pentecost, Easter Vigil, Holy Week, the Advent, etc. One of the most helpful sections is the part on "Hannukah, Christmas, and Epiphany." Due to the proximity of these festival dates, a clearer understanding of these events help us connect the dots with regard to the religious and social significance for our friends and loved ones. 

My Thoughts

Food and feasts are distinctive parts of our daily lives. Globally across all cultures and ethnicities, mention food and people would typically give a smile. Food brings people together in more ways than one. In the Bible, food, and feasts too play a significant part in both the Old and New Testaments. The gospel writers sometimes frame the narratives using feats to help date the occurrences. Many of these feasts point back to Old Testament times such as the Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Weeks, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, etc. Let me offer three thoughts on this book.

The first thing that pops out of the page for me is the illustrative map of all the feast days of the Bible. With a beautiful 1-page overview, complete with color and concise descriptions, one could follow a brief history of both ancient and modern events. I find myself keeping that page open as I go through each season of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. It is a reminder that the biblical cycle of seasons is there to help us count our blessings and to cherish the time we have each year. It helps us remember God's goodness and faithfulness in history. We practice faith in anticipating God's continued presence among us today and tomorrow. Spring highlights include the Passover celebration, the festival of Unleavened Bread, the Savuot, as well as the modern day remembrance the Holocaust (Yom HaShoah) and Israel's Independence (Yom HaZikkaron). Fall highlights include the Sukkot, Yom Kippur, and Hannukkah. Winter and Summer highlight the Purim and Feast of Trumpets respectively. I like the way the author synchronizes all the events according to ancient days as well as modern equivalents. The map itself as a reference is worth the price of the book. 

The second reason why I enjoy this book is how the book makes a seemingly mundane topic of feasts and festivals into a highly readable reference book. From the illustrative map, one springboards into the various festivals with a better understanding of the contexts and importance of the festivals. In the Old Testament, feasts were celebrated partly to distinguish the Hebrew race from pagan cultures. By making the festivals distinctively Jewish, others get a chance to compare and contrast both cultural and religious significance of the day. As Wright leads us through the four contexts of climate & land; mealtime & eating; time; and worldview, we get a broad picture of the wide influences of the feasts. Each feast tells a story. Each festival celebrates that story. Each observance links the present with the past. Although some of the older feasts are not celebrated as much today, they form part of the Jewish heritage and sets the tone for other feasts. The tables help modern readers see that even though the names have been changed, the principles remain the same.

Finally, I applaud the contributors for bringing to life the different aspects of feasts and festivals. In an increasingly visual world, people are more likely to respond to pictures and illustrations than mere words. This book combines the two to give us a beautiful and captivating reference that preachers, pastors, theologians, and laypeople to use and appreciate. There are many photographs, maps, tables, and thoughtfully arranged illustrations to keep readers engaged. I find myself learning a lot of new stuff. Next time, just coming across the various feasts of the Bible should create lightbulb moments as we read and reflect on Scripture. 

This book is more than simply a guide. It is a great reference to bring to life ancient festivals for modern appreciation and observance. Each type of food has a beginning. Every feast tells a story. Each period of fasting helps us reflect on history. I loved Rose Guide books and this book adds an additional reason why.

All of the contributors to this volume, except for Heidi Kinner have lived in Jerusalem before. 

Rev. Dr. Paul H. Wright is president of Jerusalem University College where he has taught biblical geography on-site to thousands of students. He and his wife, Diane, have lived in Jerusalem for twenty-five years.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

---

This book has been provided courtesy of Rose Publishing, Tyndale House Publishers, and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.