Messianic Judaism
History and Issues

A challenge to both Jews who honor Yeshua (Jesus) as Israel's Messiah and others involved with the Movement to catch the vision for its destiny, which is to heal the split between the Church and the Jewish people. Simultaneously 100% messianic and 100% Jewish, we reject the "either-or" demanded by many Christians and Jews. Messianic Judaism is right, a radical solution, an idea whose time has come. A call to action for Messianic Jews and a source of information for others whether in favor, opposed, or just curious.

Messianic Judaism is a grass roots movement—a movement among Jewish and non-Jewish followers of Jesus of Nazareth who recognize and identify with their Jewishness. As a pulsating grass roots movement, Messianic Judaism exhibits the power and excitement of significant new discoveries. One of the most respected books on theological perspectives of the Messianic movement. Topical chapters include:

Prophet, madman, Messiah—Jesus was all these things to the people around him. But most importantly, he was a Jew, just like them. Drawing insights and facts from first-century Jewish literature, archaeology, and tradition, Young shows you why understanding Jesus' Jewishness is crucial for interpreting the New Testament and for understanding the nature of our Christian faith. 320 pages, softcover from Hendrickson.

Paul the Jewish Theologian reveals Rav Sha'ul of Tarsus [Paul the Apostle] as a man who, though rejected in the synagogue, never truly left Judaism. Young disagrees with long-held notions that Hellenism was the context which most influenced Sha'ul’s communication of the Gospel. Only in rightly aligning Sha'ul as rooted in his Jewishness and training as a Pharisee can he be correctly interpreted. Young asserts that Sha'ul’s view of the Torah was always positive, and separates Yeshua’s mission among the Jews from Sha'ul’s call to the Gentiles.

The story of Martin Chernoff, a pioneer in Messianic Judaism. Born into an Orthodox Jewish family, Martin Chernoff was destined to be a man of vision. His three important visions, the first in 1948, the second in 1963, and the third in 1970, encouraged him to become one of the key pioneers in establishing the modern-day movement of Messianic Judaism—the end-time revival of G-d's Chosen People.

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Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel brings one simple message, namely, that unless the Church does everything in her power to restore that Jewishness, she lacks a key component of the Gospel. In consequence she cannot be the right kind of "light to the nations." Rather than define what "Jewishness" means, the author lets the whole book, in the process of presenting its message, convey the content and flavor of what it is that needs to be restored.

Yeshua and his Jewish followers began a new movement-- Messianic Judaism--2000 years ago. In the twentieth century, it was reborn, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is maturing. This book is a collection of essays from some of the top contributors to the theology of this vital movement of G-d. Their research and writing will impact the maturing of Messianic Judasim for years to come. Whether you are a Messianic Jew, a non-Messianic Jew, or a non-Jew involved or merely interested in Messianic Judaism, this book will challenge your thinking, guide your practices, and clarify any misconceptions you may have. You will find that Messianic Judaism is not a paradox after all.

These major essays of historical synthesis provide a probing and challenging overview of Jewish history still pertinent to contemporary concerns. The topics covered in this book are: (1) Toward Understanding the Messianic Idea in Judaism, (2) The Messianic Idea in Kabbalism, (3) The Crisis of Tradition in Jewish Messianism, (4) Redemption Through Sin, (5) The Crypto- Jewish Sect of Donmeh (Sabbatians) in Turkey, (6) A Sabbatian Will from New York, (7) The Neutralization of the Messianic Element in Early Hasidism, (8) Devekut, or Communion with G-d, (8) Martin Buber's Interpretation of Hasidism, (9) The Tradition of Thirty-six Hidden Just Men, (10) The Star of David: History of a Symbol, (11) Revelation and Tradition as Religious Categories in Judaism, (12) The Science of Judaism—Then and Now, (13) At the Completion of Buber's Translation of the Bible, (14) On the 1930 Edition of Rosenzweig's Star of Redemption, (15) The Politics of Mysticism: Isaac Breuer's New Kuzari, and (16) The Golem of Prague and the Golem of Rehovot. This book is a paperback, has 376 pages, and is published by Schocken Books of New York.

With In Abraham's Bosom Gorg explains that the Old Testament, the fundamental document of Jewish faith, also has an enduring, unique, and binding character for Christians. He also points out that the central theological data of the Old Testament—such as G-d's covenant with people, messianic expectations, and hope for the time of salvation at the end of the ages—are not "canceled" or abolished in the New Testament, nor are they completely fulfilled. Through his exploration, Gorg concludes that "Christianity without the New Testament" is indeed possible.
 

The New Testament's messianic interpretation of the Old is an important key to its theology. This book examines the way the author of the Gospel of Mark uses the Old Testament to convey the identity of Jesus. Joel Marcus examines in detail several important Markan passages which use the Old Testament. His central thesis is that Mark's Old Testament usage follows paths already made by Jewish exegesis, particularly apocalyptic reinterpretations of Old Testament texts. Giving such eschatological exegesis his own characteristic twist, Mark presents Jesus as G-d's true Messiah who brings the prophesied victory in eschatological holy war. Unlike the Jewish War against Rome in A.D. 66-72. however, the holy war portrayed by Mark is not fought with conventional weapons but won through the apocalyptic event of Jesus' death and resurrection. This thoroughly documented and closely argued study is an important contribution to our understanding of he Gospel of Mark.

Since early Jews separated into those who saw Jesus as the Messiah and those who didn't, there have been a large number of incidents of anti-Semitism, either perpetrated by the church or by others when church authorities conveniently looked the other way. “Very substantial and very troubling,”—Los Angeles Times.

From the publisher:
In a bold and moving book that is sure to spark heated debate, the novelist and cultural critic James Carroll maps the profoundly troubling two-thousand-year course of the Church’s battle against Judaism and faces the crisis of faith it has provoked in his own life as a Catholic. More than a chronicle of religion, this dark history is the central tragedy of Western civilization, its fault lines reaching deep into our culture.