Posts by Russ Resnik
From the Editor – Issue 45
I’m writing these words shortly after the November 7 Amsterdam Pogrom, a widespread, open attack against Jews in the storied Dutch city. The alleged trigger was a match between Israeli and Dutch soccer teams but in a wider context this attack was only one event in months of mounting antisemitic outrages worldwide since October 7,…
Read MoreKesher and Continuity: A Memoir
A few years ago, I represented the Messianic Jewish community as a guest speaker at a Navajo Christian conference. Another guest was the president of the Navajo nation, who opened with this: Hello my friends! My name is Ben Shelly. I am of the Salt People, born for the Deer Springs Clan. My maternal grandfather’s…
Read MoreThe Gospel of Mark: A Beginner’s Guide to the Good News, by Amy-Jill Levine
Review by Russ Resnik Amy-Jill (“AJ”) Levine is a prominent scholar and academic, Professor of New Testament Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt University, the first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute, and coeditor of the Jewish Annotated New Testament. In recent years, she has produced a number of popular and accessible studies in…
Read MoreFrom the Editor – Issue 44
One of the liveliest ongoing discussions in the Messianic Jewish world concerns the ordination of women as rabbis. Kesher has helped advance this discussion, most recently in our last issue (Kesher 43) with Paul Saal’s article “No Longer Male or Female? A Case for Leadership Equality for Women in the Messianic Jewish Synagogue.” In this…
Read MoreSpiritual Confrontation in the Besorah of Mark
The Besorah of Mark is considered by a wide consensus of scholars to be the earliest account we possess of the life of Yeshua the Messiah, underlying the later accounts of Matthew and Luke.1 Nevertheless, from my perspective as a veteran Messianic Jewish student and teacher, Mark is often overlooked. John is commonly presented, especially…
Read MoreFrom the Editor – Issue 43
From the Editor “Behold the Man”—these words from John 19:5 became the title of a 2017 Israel Museum exhibit subtitled “Jesus in Israeli art.” Much of the exhibit remains available online at the museum website, www.imj.org.il/en/, and its implications for Messianic Judaism remain compelling. This issue of Kesher features an article by historian Judith…
Read MoreJesus, King of the Jews! Messianic Judaism, Jewish Christians, and Theology Beyond Supersessionism – ed. James Earle Patrick
Reviewed by Russ Resnik A sea-change in Jewish-Christian relations since World War II is undeniable. The two world-wide communities that for many centuries saw themselves as adversaries and often behaved accordingly have in recent decades been seeking peace and understanding. But one of the ironies of Jewish-Christian dialogue is that Messianic Jews have generally been…
Read MoreFrom the Editor – Issue 42
This issue of Kesher reminds me of the householder in Yeshua’s brief parable: Therefore every Torah scholar discipled for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure both new things and old. Matthew 13:52 TLV The “old things” we bring out in this issue are found in three…
Read MoreFrom the editor – Issue 41
In the last issue of Kesher, Winter / Spring 2022, we considered “Tomorrow Together,” possibilities for a thriving Messianic Jewish future, drawing upon lessons from the past and present. This issue continues the discussion of communal vitality with two major articles by veteran Messianic Jewish leaders. David Rudolph leads off with “Toward Paul’s Ephesians…
Read MoreThe Death of Messiah: Human Agency and Divine Necessity
In the first days of 2020, the website of the influential evangelical magazine Christianity Today ran a bold critique of antisemitism entitled, “Killing Jesus’ Brothers and Sisters.” The op-ed was a clear and forthright—and welcome—condemnation of historical antisemitism as it has been conveyed through centuries of Christian doctrine and rhetoric. The op-ed’s positive impact, however,…
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