And Their Eyes Were Opened

“McAllister walks the reader systematically through the Old Testament, examining references to physical and spiritual blindness. This thorough analysis of the text of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings presents a compelling argument that God loves the blind and visually impaired. McAllister draws powerful conclusions both for how the blind and visually impaired can interact with society and religious organizations, and how society and religious organizations should relate to the blind and visually impaired.”


—Janine Lim, Associate Dean, School of Distance Education, Andrews University





“Ray McAllister provides a comprehensive analysis of the surprising array of passages dealing with blindness in the Hebrew Bible. As one who is blind, the author displays remarkable sensitivity to the issues related to this disability. He adroitly lays bare the actual and ideal positions of the blind in ancient Israel, synthesizes a profound biblical theology of blindness, and offers practical implications of his research for dealing with contemporary issues of blindness and other disabilities. I highly recommend this book to all who seek to understand blindness and other disabilities from a biblical perspective.”


—Richard Davidson, J. N. Andrews Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, Andrews University Theological Seminary





“McAllister brings unique sensitivity to his thorough theological analysis of blindness in the Hebrew Bible against its ancient Near Eastern cultural background. Not only does he present penetrating exegetical insights regarding biblical terms and passages that refer to the loss of sight, but as a totally blind person, he sees implications concerning blindness and treatment of individuals with this disability that a sighted person is not likely to recognize with the same degree of clarity.”


—Roy E. Gane, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Andrews University