David H. Stern - Biography

Dr. David Harold Stern is an Israel-based theologian. He is the third son of Harold Stern and Marion Levi Stern.

Stern's major work is the Complete Jewish Bible, his English translation of the Tanakh and New Testament (to which Messianics refer by the Hebrew phrase from the book of the prophet Jeremiah/Yirmeyahu chapter 31, "B'rit Chadashah," New Covenant). One of the ways in which he treats the issue is to leave most of the proper nouns in their transliterated form, and for the New Testament to replace Greek proper nouns with transliterated Hebrew or words. He calls this the 'cosmetic' treatment. Other decisions include translating 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 'Messianic Jewish Manifesto'). He is also known for introducing the Olive Tree Theological view of the relationship between Israel and the Church.

Dr. Stern's background includes surfing, plus a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, graduate work at the University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University), and a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. He taught the first course in 'Judaism and Christianity' at Fuller Theological Seminary and at UCLA he was a professor.

Stern lives in Jerusalem and is active in Israel's Messianic Jewish community.

Bibliography

Books

• Surfing Guide to Southern California (with Bill Cleary) – 1st ed.: Fitzpatrick 1963. Current ed.: Mountain & Sea 1998, ISBN 091144906X
• Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, 1988, ISBN 965-359-001-4
• Messianic Jewish Manifesto – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, 1 May 1988, ISBN 965-359-002-2
• Messianic Judaism: A Modern Movement With An Ancient Past – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, April 2007, ISBN 10: 1-880226-33-2
• Jewish New Testament : A Translation of the New Testament that Expresses its Jewishness – Jewish New Testament Publishing, Jerusalem, and Clarksville MD, September 1989, ISBN 965-359-006-5
• The Jewish New Testament Commentary: A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament – Jewish New Testament Publishing, Jerusalem, 1992
• Complete Jewish Bible – Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, September 1998, ISBN 965-359-018-9
• How Jewish Is Christianity? (with others) (ed by Louis Goldberg) – Zondervan, November 2003, ISBN 0-310-24490-0

Footnotes