From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Reformation brought about a reinterpretation of the Bible and renewed interest in all things Jewish. In a quest to get at the historic roots of the New Testament, 17th-century British minister JOHN LIGHTFOOT (1602-1675) taught himself Hebrew and other Semitic languages, becoming the first Christian scholar to draw attention to the significance of the Talmud, and later recognized as one of the finest Hebrew scholars of his day. Though King Edward I had barred Jews from England for four hundred years, including all but the last few years of Lightfoot's life, and the mere act of learning Hebrew was controversial, Lightfoot believed that the Talmud could put the New Testament in an historical and cultural context and so set about to produce this, his greatest work. Chapter by chapter and verse by verse, Lightfoot deconstructs much of the New Testament over four volumes, first published between 1658 and 1678.