The Foundation for Middles Eastern New Testament Studies (FoMENTS) is delighted to announce the publication of
THROUGH MIDDLE EASTERN EYES:
A Life of Kenneth E. Bailey
by Michael Parker
Read more about this important development on our BIOGRAPHY page. Purchase print or digital editions of Parker’s new work on Amazon.com
“His writings shaped a generation’s worth of Sunday sermons on the Prodigal Son, and they challenged the old Christmas-pageant trope of the barnyard birth of Jesus. The Rev. Kenneth E. Bailey, who spent his career as a Presbyterian minister in the Arab world, is perhaps best remembered for what he brought home with him — insights into the Middle Eastern cultures and oral traditions that shape the Bible.”
✢
Kenneth E. Bailey was a prolific author and lecturer in Middle Eastern New Testament studies. An ordained Presbyterian minister for decades, a member of the Presbytery of Shenango, he later also served as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church, USA. He held graduate degrees in Arabic language and literature, and in systematic theology; his Th.D. was in New Testament studies. Bailey spent 40 years living and teaching New Testament in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Cyprus, holding the title of research professor (emeritus) of Middle Eastern New Testament studies at the Ecumenical Institute (Tantur), Jerusalem. In his retirement in the United States, he was widely received as a preacher and teacher in numerous congregations, retreats, and lecture series. Bailey wrote many books in English and in Arabic and published many articles in various scholarly and popular journals.
✢
For fifty years I have been engaged in trying to better understand and communicate the person and teachings of our Lord Jesus from the point of view of the culture of the Middle East. The task requires that we consider the following:
Native speakers of Arabic were present in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. Eastern Christians still speak Semitic languages and much of their culture is a continuity with the culture of our Lord. Recovering their 1,600 year heritage of Biblical interpretation can enormously enrich Christians everywhere.
The demographic center of the Christian world is now ni the Global South. Much is to be done both to provide thoughtful, accessible commentaries on the Gospels for these new Christians and to revitalize the wilting churches of Europe and North America. Fresh voices from the Middle East, where our faith began, can surely renew us all.
Noble efforts in the past have done much. But only now is it fully possible for us to join with emerging Middle Eastern scholars as we search out the mind of Christ anew. We believe such a joining of minds can take place and that ti has great potential. The Foundation is committed to proceeding as far down this road as possible. It is a long journey but whatever steps are possible are meaningful in themselves if taken in the right direction.
— Dr. Kenneth Bailey
✢
This website is a portal for digital content in Middle Eastern New Testament studies, including biographical and bibliographical information regarding Kenneth Bailey. These pages are maintained by the Foundation for Middle Eastern New Testament Studies, or FoMENTS ⏤ a institute created by Dr. Bailey in 1986 "to search for a more culturally informed understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus for the nurture and renewal of the worldwide church.” Use the Inquiries page to correspond with us about Dr. Bailey's work or the mission of FoMENTS institute. Also, be sure to like and follow our Facebook page.
✢
