The Jewish Gospels

The Jewish Gospels
Author: Daniel Boyarin
Publisher: New Press/ORIM
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2012-03-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 159558711X

“[A] fascinating recasting of the story of Jesus.” —Elliot Wolfson, New York University In July 2008, a front-page story in the New York Times reported on the discovery of an ancient Hebrew tablet, dating from before the birth of Jesus, which predicted a Messiah who would rise from the dead after three days. Commenting on this startling discovery at the time, noted Talmud scholar Daniel Boyarin argued that “some Christians will find it shocking—a challenge to the uniqueness of their theology.” Guiding us through a rich tapestry of new discoveries and ancient scriptures, The Jewish Gospels makes the powerful case that our conventional understandings of Jesus and of the origins of Christianity are wrong. In Boyarin’s scrupulously illustrated account, the coming of the Messiah was fully imagined in the ancient Jewish texts. Jesus, moreover, was embraced by many Jews as this person, and his core teachings were not at all a break from Jewish beliefs and teachings. Jesus and his followers, Boyarin shows, were simply Jewish. What came to be known as Christianity came much later, as religious and political leaders sought to impose a new religious orthodoxy that was not present at the time of Jesus’s life. In the vein of Elaine Pagels’s The Gnostic Gospels, here is a brilliant new work that will break open some of our culture’s most cherished assumptions. “A brilliant and momentous book.” —Karen L. King, Harvard Divinity School “Raises profound questions . . . This provocative book will change the way we think of the Gospels in their Jewish context.” —John J. Collins, Yale Divinity School “It’s certainly noteworthy when one of the world’s leading Jewish scholars publishes a book about Jesus . . . Extremely stimulating.” —Daniel C. Peterson, The Deseret News

The Jewish Gospel of John

The Jewish Gospel of John
Author: Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg
Publisher:
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2016-01-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780996698115

The Jewish Gospel of John is not, by any standard, another book on Jesus of Nazareth written from a Jewish perspective. It is an invitation to the reader to put aside their traditional understanding of the Gospel of John and to replace it with another one more faithful to the original text perspective. The Jesus that will emerge will provoke to rethink most of what you knew about this gospel. The book is a well-rounded verse-by-verse illustrated rethinking of the fourth gospel. Here is the catch: instead of reading it, as if it was written for 21 century Gentile Christians, the book interprets it as if it was written for the first-century peoples of ancient Israel. The book proves what Krister Stendahl stated long time ago: "Our vision is often more abstracted by what we think we know than by our lack of knowledge." Other than challenging the long-held interpretations of well-known stories, the author with the skill of an experienced tour guide, takes us to a seat within those who most probably heard this gospel read in the late first century. Such exploration of variety of important contexts allows us to recover for our generation the true riches of this marvelous Judean gospel. "A genuine apologetic is one that is true to the texts and the history, akin to the speeches of a defense attorney with integrity. Using the best of contemporary scholarship in first-century Judaic history and contributing much of his own, Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg has demonstrated that the Gospel of John is not an anti-Jewish, but a thoroughly Jewish book." Daniel Boyarin, Hermann P. and Sophia Taubman Professor of Talmudic Culture, University of California, Berkeley "Dr. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg places the text of John's Gospel in its authentic context by examining the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, rabbinic literature, and suggesting innovative explanations for the nomenclature, 'the Jews.' His fresh analysis is sure to stir meaningful debate. His creative approach will make an enduring contribution to the discipline of New Testament studies." Brad Young, Professor of Biblical Literature in Judeao-Christian Studies, Oral Roberts University "For some time, research on the Gospels has suffered from stagnation, and there is a feeling that there is not much new that one can say. In light of this, Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg's new commentary on the Gospel of John, with its original outlook on the identity of the original audience and the issues at stake, is extremely refreshing." Ishay Rosen-Zvi, Head of the Talmud and Late Antiquity Department, Tel-Aviv University.

Liberating the Gospels

Liberating the Gospels
Author: John Shelby Spong
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 501
Release: 2009-10-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0061748420

In this boldest book since Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Bishop John Shelby Spong offers a compelling view of the Gospels as thoroughly Jewish tests.Spong powerfully argues that many of the key Gospel accounts of events in the life of Jesus—from the stories of his birth to his physical resurrection—are not literally true. He offers convincing evidence that the Gospels are a collection of Jewish midrashic stories written to convey the significance of Jesus. This remarkable discovery brings us closer to how Jesus was really understood in his day and should be in ours.

The Jewish Jesus

The Jewish Jesus
Author: Peter Schäfer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2014-02-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0691160953

How the rise of Christianity profoundly influenced the development of Judaism in late antiquity In late antiquity, as Christianity emerged from Judaism, it was not only the new religion that was being influenced by the old. The rise and revolutionary challenge of Christianity also had a profound influence on rabbinic Judaism, which was itself just emerging and, like Christianity, trying to shape its own identity. In The Jewish Jesus, Peter Schäfer reveals the crucial ways in which various Jewish heresies, including Christianity, affected the development of rabbinic Judaism. He even shows that some of the ideas that the rabbis appropriated from Christianity were actually reappropriated Jewish ideas. The result is a demonstration of the deep mutual influence between the sister religions, one that calls into question hard and fast distinctions between orthodoxy and heresy, and even Judaism and Christianity, during the first centuries CE.

A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Gospels

A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Gospels
Author: Craig Evans
Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2022-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1683073428

Is it even possible to say anything new about Jesus of Nazareth? Disciples and detractors alike have been weighing in for two thousand years. Scholarship in the last fifty years has been greatly enhanced by the recognition of the Jewishness of both the historical Jesus and the life and teachings of the apostle Paul. But the Gospels themselves, the texts that preserve the words and deeds of Jesus, have not been subject to the same level of consideration in this regard. Until now. This book surveys the historical, theological, and practical issues that arise when the Gospels are read as Jewish literature. So yes, there is something new here about Jesus. The Jewish context of Jesus and his movement is better understood today thanks to archaeology, the ongoing publication of ancient texts, and changes in the way scholars think about Jewish society in late antiquity. A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Gospels, whose contributors are well-known in the field, updates all of the relevant topics relating to Jesus and the Gospels in light of these exciting new developments. A companion to A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith (ISBN 9781683071648), the book is split into five sections: Textual RootsIntertextual RootsNarrative RootsTheological RootsIntercultural RootsWritten by an international group of Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus as Messiah, A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Gospels is for all who want to learn more about these four biblical accounts and how they portray the man from Nazareth within his own historic and cultural setting. Contributors include Daniel M. Gurtner, Darrell Bock, Craig A. Evans, Sheila Gyllenberg, Craig L. Blomberg, Eckhard J. Schnabel, Catherine Sider Hamilton, David Mishkin, Mark L. Strauss, Michael L. Brown, and more.

Jesus the Jew

Jesus the Jew
Author: Géza Vermès
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 1981-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781451408805

This now classic book is a significant corrective to several recent developments in the study of the historical Jesus. In contrast to depictions of Jesus as a wandering Cynic teacher, Geza Vermes offers a portrait based on evidence of charismatic activity in first-century Galilee. Vermes shows how the major New Testament titles of Jesus-prophet, Lord, Messiah, son of man, Son of God-can be understood in this historical context. The result is a description of Jesus that retains its power and its credibility.

The Gospel According to Matthew

The Gospel According to Matthew
Author:
Publisher: Canongate U.S.
Total Pages: 100
Release: 1999
Genre: Bibles
ISBN: 9780802136169

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

The Gospel of John and Jewish-Christian Relations

The Gospel of John and Jewish-Christian Relations
Author: Adele Reinhartz
Publisher: Fortress Academic
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 9781978703483

This volume of collected essays addresses the Fourth Gospel's stance toward Jews and its impact on Jewish-Christian relations from antiquity to the present day in media such as sermons, iconography, art, music, and film. It will provide new insight into the Gospel of John and contribute to the mutual understanding between Christians and Jews.

A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith

A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
Author: Craig A. Evans
Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
Total Pages: 375
Release: 2019-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1683071646

A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faithis a comprehensive handbook that serves as an introduction to the Jewish roots of the Christian Faith. It includes Old Testament background, Second Temple Judaism, the life of Jesus, the New Testament, and the early Jewish followers of Jesus. It is intended as a resource for college and/or higher education. It is no longer a novelty to say that Jesus was a Jew. In fact, the term Jewish rootshas become something of a buzzword in books, articles, and especially on the internet. But what does the Jewishness of Jesus actually mean, and why is it important? This collection of articles aims to address those questions and serve as a comprehensive yet concise primer on the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. It consists of thirteen chapters, most of which are divided into four or five articles. It is in a "handbook" format, meaning that each article is brief but informative. The thirteen chapters are grouped into four major sections: (1) The Soil, (2) The Roots, (3) The Trunk, and (4) The Branches. Craig A. Evans, PhD, DHabil, is the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University in Texas. He is a frequent contributor to scholarly journals and the author or editor of over seventy books. Evans resides in Houston, TX. David Mishkin, PhD, serves on the faculty of Israel College of the Bible in Netanya, Israel. He is the author of The Wisdom of Alfred Edersheimand Jewish Scholarship on the Resurrection of Jesus.