The Holy Spirit before Christianity, by John R. Levison
Reviewed by Henri Louis Goulet This is arguably the most important and insightful monograph ever written on the origins of what should rightfully be called “ruachology.”1 The result of over two decades of research, its historically, hermeneutically, and exegetically sound approach reveals “unprecedented conceptions of the spirit (i.e., ‘ruach’) that emerged in the crises of…
Read MoreThe Nations in the Divine Economy: Paul’s Covenantal Hermeneutics and Participation in Christ by William S. Campbell
Reviewed by Joseph Culbertson In a book about Paul’s vision for how the nations would relate to God’s covenant with Israel, William S. Campbell begins by sketching the history of the successors to Paul’s communities of gentile Christ-followers. Campbell asserts that it was Paul’s intention to cultivate a healthy identity for these congregations, in…
Read MoreAt the Foot of the Mountain: Two Views on Torah and the Spirit by Joshua Lessard and Jennifer Rosner
Reviewed by Adam Millson One of my favorite ways to spend my free time is in deep and friendly discussion of serious topics. Digging into the subject, examining our assumptions, pushing the boundaries of our understanding together—every part of the experience is delightful. Imagine my pleasure, then, when I picked up At the Foot of…
Read MoreMorality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times, by Jonathan Sacks
Reviewed by Russ Resnik Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, was one of the preeminent Jewish voices of the past few decades—and one of the preeminent moral voices as well. His final book, Morality, is a fitting culmination to a career cut short by Rabbi Sacks’ death in November, 2020, just weeks after its…
Read MoreLearning Messiah—Israel and the Nations: Learning to Read God’s Way Anew, by Edjan Westerman
Reviewed by Jennifer M. Rosner The post-Holocaust world has been marked by a striking two-way reappraisal between Christians and Jews. The historical events of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century have provided ample fodder for theological reflection (and revision) along these lines. The Holocaust itself brought the plight of the Jewish people onto the…
Read MoreThe Gospel of Luke: New Cambridge Bible Commentary, by Amy-Jill Levine and Ben Witherington III
Reviewed by Michael Schiffman Although I am not a fan of superlatives, I have to say this is the most enjoyable commentary I have ever read. I first became interested in it because of my familiarity with the authors. Ben Witherington, professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, was my supervisor when I was working on my…
Read MoreHow to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss
Reviewed by Paul L. Saal It is not often that I am afforded the opportunity to write a book review with the potential of being longer than the actual book I am reviewing. Though I write this somewhat tongue-in-cheek, How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss can be characterized by its brevity. Bound in a…
Read MoreSabbatian Heresy: Writings on Mysticism, Messianism, and the Origins of Jewish Modernity, ed. Pawel Maciejko
Reviewed by Solomon Intrater In the 17th through 18th centuries and beyond, a significant, though often ignored, messianic movement occurred, in association with the supposed messiah Shabbtai Zvi. Proper historical academic research into Sabbatianism was not initiated until the middle of the 20th century, at the hand of the famous German-Israeli scholar of Jewish mysticism,…
Read MoreReading Romans After Supersessionism: The Continuation of Jewish Covenantal Identity by J. Brian Tucker
Reviewed by Henri Louis Goulet The clarion call of Markus Bockmuehl in 2006 to scholars of the New Covenant Scriptures was to once and for all overcome the de facto de-Judaizing of Yeshua’s person, aims, and teaching— and thus the universalizing abstractionism associated with most conventional and confessional interpretation of those Scriptures.1 The “New Testament…
Read MoreThe Bible, the Talmud, and the New Testament: Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik’s Commentary to the Gospels Edited, with an introduction and commentary, by Shaul Magid
Reviewed by Russ Resnik Jesus is Jewish—it’s a truism not just in Messianic Jewish circles, but also in the wider worlds of biblical and historical scholarship. Use of the name “Yeshua” rather than “Jesus” reflects this truth. The open question, though, is just how is Yeshua Jewish? What kind of Jew was he? The ongoing…
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