The Redemptive Seed Type-scene in the Davidic Narrative Arc: Raising up Seed for David as Yibbum in 2 Samuel 7:12
The Redemptive Seed Type-scene in the Davidic Narrative Arc: Raising up Seed for David as Yibbum in 2 Samuel 7:12 Derek Chong Introduction: The Paternity of the Messiah Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The…
Read MoreAn Approach to Transgender Issues
If you swim to rescue a drowning person, they may put you in a headlock and try to climb onto you in an effort to keep their head above water. You should not fight to break loose or compete for breaths. Rather, you should dive. They will release you to stay on the surface. You…
Read MoreDisability in the World of the Apostolic Writings
What can we know about the daily lives, experiences, and perceptions of people with disabilities in the Second Temple period? As a Messianic Jewish parent of a child with significant physical disabilities,1 I am particularly interested in how the Apostolic Writings (or New Testament) depict people living with mobility disabilities. This paper draws from emerging…
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 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 MoreAntisemitism Now and Then
My father, Elliot Klayman, has devoted himself to helping people navigate life’s challenges, to generously offering spiritual and legal counsel, and to teaching the law, the Bible, and Jewish Studies. I have chosen to offer this personal story, including a relevant scriptural exploration, as a tribute essay because it incorporates these areas that have animated…
Read MoreFrom the editor – Issue 37
This issue of Kesher celebrates two recent coming-of-age events in the Messianic Jewish community. In September 2019 MJTI president-emeritus Dr. Mark Kinzer met with the highly influential Protestant Bible scholar N.T. Wright in a debate sponsored by Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham, Alabama. Their topic was the ongoing covenantal status and role of the Jewish people…
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 MoreHistoric Debate Addresses the Future of the Jewish People: N.T. Wright and Mark Kinzer Meet
N.T. Wright and Mark Kinzer Meet at Samford University The concept of a Jewish-Christian debate usually conjures up somber thoughts in the imagination of the Jewish community. The disputations of the medieval period were antagonistic, motivated by a conversion agenda, and often led to Talmud burnings and attacks on Jews. More than 500 years later,…
Read MoreSelf-Identity after Supersessionism: My Story
Introduction The Bible presents a role for the body and sexuality within which Messiah-followers are called to serve God. They can flourish either as celibates or as sexually active within marriage between a man and a woman. I have a stake in teaching this ethic, since I have tried to live by it. Despite costs…
Read More