What we find confusing about Jesus’ claims to be the Messiah is that he often combines them with another prediction: that he must suffer and be rejected and killed. How could Jesus connect the Suffering Servant with these prophecies of a glorious king?
Jesus doesn’t seem to describe himself as the exalted Messiah that we find in the rest New Testament, until you read his words in their Jewish context.
I recently was asked about how disciples studied with rabbis. What age were disciples, and did they pay the rabbi a fee to study? How did they support themselves at the same time? Did the rabbis work at some craft to support themselves? (They were not like rabbis of today, which like pastors are to […]
Update: A few months ago I told you about the program on Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins at Nyack College in New York City. I mentioned that they will be hosting an Inaugural Conference on August 29, 2013. The conference, entitled “The Gospels in First Century Judea” looks very good. Some outstanding Christian and Jewish […]
If you’re interested in academic study on the Jewish background of Christianity, I have some good news. A brand new program on Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins is beginning this fall at Nyack College in New York, New York. This is a two-year on-campus Masters (M.A.) program. The website says: The M.A. is a 36-credit […]
Later rabbis actually agreed with Jesus’ about declaring things “korban.” Why? You need to know about this passionate culture where people often made rash vows.
How much can we really learn about the Jewishness of Jesus from Jewish sources? That’s a pretty fundamental question, since the goal of this website is to understand the Jewish background of Christianity. I’ve found some pretty important news about it, and wanted to share it here. A common approach to studying Jesus is to […]
(UPDATED 10/3/12 – See new links at bottom.) If you’ve been reading the news lately, there’s no way you can miss the latest media craze about “Jesus’ Wife.” It’s based on the wording of a papyrus fragment that was found in Egypt that is thought to date to about 400 AD, if it is not […]
What difference does it make that Jesus was Jewish? Here we look at some of Jesus’ words in their native Jewish context, and discover rich insights for living as disciples today. (Zondervan, 2012)
What does it mean that Jesus lived as a Jewish rabbi who called and trained disciples? And how does learning about his teachings in their original context enable us to better live out our calling? Jesus’ first followers responded to his words with actions that astound us. They left home, family, and comfort behind to […]
A look at Jesus’ lifestyle as a first-century Jewish rabbi and how his words would have been understood within the larger framework of first-century Judaism. (En-Gedi, 2006)
8 DVDs with 15 hours of in-depth presentations by leading scholars on Jesus’ first-century context. Filmed at the Jerusalem Perspective 2006 Conference in Jerusalem, Israel, June 19-20, 2006.