Jesus the Jewish Theologian

Paperback - 308 pages (November 1995)

Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.

ISBN: 1565630602

Brad H. Young, Ph.D. Hebrew University, studied under Professor David Flusser and is the author of Jesus and His Jewish Parables and The Jewish Background to the Lord's Prayer. He is the president and founder of the Gospel Research Foundation, which is committed to exploring the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and is on the editorial board of the Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum.

He is a faculty member of the Graduate School of Theology and Missions at Oral Roberts University, serving as Associate Professor of Biblical Literature

Publisher’s Description

Jesus the Jewish Theologian establishes Jesus firmly within the context of first-century Judaism and shows how understanding Jesus' Jewishness is crucial for interpreting the New Testament and for understanding the nature of Christian faith. Insights from Jewish literature, archeology, and tradition help modern readers place Jesus within his original context. Particular attention is given to the Jewish roots of Jesus' teaching con cerning the kingdom of God.

From the cover:

". . . this book illuminates anew how Jewish Jesus was. That should come as no surprise to Jews or to Christians, although it often does. Jesus grew from the soil of his people. In reading this book I was struck again and again with how Jesus' teachings were paralleled in my own tradition. . . . Dr. Young's book is not intended to diminish Jesus' teaching, but to show its roots."

 Rabbi David Wolpe, University of Judaism, Los Angeles

"Dr. Young . . . permits the words of Jesus to glisten within their own Semitic setting. . . . [He] has done his readers a great service in introducing them to Jewish theological thought. . . . What emerges, however, is not "Jesus the Jewish theologian" in any Western, systematic sense. Rather, in Jesus, Dr. Young presents an Eastern or Semitic theologian, one who employs a living, vibrant theology. . . ."

—Marvin R. Wilson, Gordon College

John’s Comments.

Here is a well researched book about Jesus that is accessible to the average reader. You will find Brad Young’s exploration of the life and teaching of Jesus brings the text to life. If you are at all interested in understanding the historical context of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith this is a book you will find hard to put down.

Jesus The Jewish Theologian reasserts the jewish character of Jesus’ teachings. Young’s perspective is in stark contrast to the de-judaised version of the life of Jesus which has so often been presented as the antithesis of the Judaism of His time. Reflecting the appreciation for the character and teachings of Jesus which his mentor Professor David Flusser of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem had expressed, Brad Young introduces us to Jesus and His teachings in their cultural and religious setting.

Drawing on an extensive knowledge of extra biblical material such as the rabbinic writings and the dead sea scrolls Young relates Jesus’ words and actions to the rabbinic teachings and traditions of His day.

Table of Contents

Dedication

List of Illustrations

Foreword By David Wolpe

Foreword By Marvin R. Wilson

Preface: Jesus and His Religious Heritage

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

Transliterations

Introduction: Jesus the Jewi sh Theologian

Pt. 1. The Messianic Drama of Jesus' Life Events

Pt. 2. The Jewish Roots of Jesus' Kingdom Theology

Pt. 3. The Jewish Theology in Jesus' Parables

Pt. 4. The Jewish Messiah and the Politics of Rome

Pt. 5. The Future Messiah

Epilogue

Afterword

Register of Section Division Quotations

Bibliography

Index of Names and Subjects

Index of Ancient Sources

Other Books by Brad Young

The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation

Paul The Jewish Theologian: A Pharissee anmong Christians, Jews and Gentiles

Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus