Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Essays on the Relationship between Christianity and Judaism (Studies in Scripture and Biblical Theology)

In the book "Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity: Biblical, Theological & Historical Essays on the Relationship between Christianity and Judaism," scholars from various fields such as New Testament to Liturgical to Historical studies spend their efforts reflecting and mending the unfortunate schism wrought between Judaism and Christianity. Since the Holocaust, Biblical scholars and theologians, such as Karl Barth, Marcus Barth, and C. E. B. Cranfield began rethinking Judaism and its relationships to Early Christianity. As the introduction clarifies, there currently is an 'enormous world of scholarship,' (3) demonstrating the connection between Judaism and Christianity. In this volume, essays provided by leading scholars advance this significant field of study even further.This volume is for anyone who is seeking to understand the connection between Judaism and Early Christianity. I highly recommend it.[Disclaimer: I received a free copy received but was not required to give a positive review.]

I am a graduate student in Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity. I am keenly interested in trying to understand the original message of Jesus as present in the first century CE. I was very much looking forward to reading this book. However, it is not an academic approach to weighing the influence of Judaism on Christianity. It appears that the editor has cherry-picked individuals to write the chapters that would support the belief that Jesus came to destroy the message of Judaism and create a new religion. Absolutely nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus was born as a Jew, lived as a Jew, and died as a Jew. The Jerusalem Church consisting of the followers of the Way was lead by the brother of Jesus, James. James insisted that anyone who wanted to become a follower must first become Jewish. This was challenged by Paul as he tried to convert Gentiles who did not want to follow the dietary laws or become circumcised. Paul had to meet with both James and Peter to plea for forgiveness in not holding the converts accountable for first becoming Jews. With the destruction of the Jewish temple by the Romans and the death of James, it is believed that the Ebionites and Nazarenes carried on the original message while the followers of Paul diverted into a religion that was eventually separated from Judaism. So, the bottom line is that Jesus did not form a new religion. In fact, if one were to attend to the Gospels Jesus says that he has not come to destroy but to fulfill the law. If you hold the belief that Jesus formed a new religion and you need validation, this is the book for you If you are seeking a truthful and scholarly approach to understanding the Jewish roots of Christianity, you will need to look elsewhere.

This was a very helpful read in learning about some of the Jewish cultural context surrounding the New Testament, but also some very insightful historical background post-New Testament. The essays in Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity were concise, to the point, and reflected good, scholarly material that is easily accessible and helpful to read as a Christian. Though I did not agree entirely on their treatment of books like Hebrews, Romans, or texts like the Sermon on the Mount, it challenged my already held perspective and beliefs. I am giving it 4 stars because it helped me analyze, think through and challenge things that I held to be true about the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. It also showed the value of the Jewish community and the faith they passed down and how richly it has impacted the Christian faith being that Jesus himself was a Jew. The Jewish roots of Christianity are not to be ignored but learned, understood and used to help us have a deeper and more vibrant faith church. I think it was worth the read.*This book was given to me for free by the publisher and I was not required to write a positive review*

This book has been added as essential to my studies. It allows you to get varying perspectives and get deep without having to scrape through long books.