I Have Loved Jacob

I Have Loved Jacob invites readers to listen again to the biblical text on its own terms. Drawing on careful study of the ancient context, the Church's long interpretive memory, and recent archaeological and etymological research, the author shows that the Patriarch Jacob was not subjected to sustained moral censure by any major philosopher, theologian, or biblical commentator until the mid-sixteenth century. Across Jewish and Christian traditions prior to the Reformation, Jacob is consistently portrayed as a chosen patriarch, a man of faith, and a legitimate heir of the covenantal promises. Only with the rise of Reformed theology does a radical reinterpretation emerge, recasting Jacob as a deceiver or manipulator.

As Jacob's story is rediscovered, this book becomes more than a biography of one patriarch. It reveals how our assumptions, emotions, and pre-formed doctrines can overpower the biblical narrative-and it invites readers into a more faithful way of reading Scripture.

In this book, you will:

• Trace the apostolic and patristic hermeneutical reading of Jacob.

• Explore how Reformation-era interpretation reshaped Jacob's character.

• Learn simple, practical habits for interpreting biblical narratives faithfully.

• Discover that the name Jacob is best understood as a petitionary blessing, "May God protect you."