Jewish Law in Gentile Churches by Markus Brockmuehl
A Review by Jason Moraff In this collection of essays, Markus Bockmuehl seeks to illuminate how Jewish halakhah undergirds the foundation of what became Christian public ethical discourse. The book is divided into three major sections ordered mostly chronologically, beginning with Yeshua1 himself, then the apostles and early Jesus movement, and then the early patristic…
Read MoreChosen? Reading the Bible amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Walter Brueggemann
A review by Rabbi Russell Resnik When I first learned that Walter Brueggemann had written a book opposing Zionism and questioning modern Israel’s claim to the land of Israel, I was troubled. Brueggemann is an outstanding Christian scholar of the Old Testament and a highly credible voice. After I read the book, though, I was…
Read MoreInterpreting Conversion: Nineteenth Century Messianic Jewish Leaders in the Struggle for Legitimacy
The influence of Christianity on the development of Jewish tradition and vice versa is a well debated subject among scholars. Among them are Jewish historians Daniel Boyarin and Israel Yuval who focus on Rabbinic Judaism’s self-construction in reaction and opposition to Christianity.1 However, despite the concession of some scholars of Jewish history to the presence…
Read MoreJourney Paper: Rachel Wolf
circa 1972 “I’M LOSING MY CHILDREN!!” This agonized cry came from my mother as I sat in the living room. My brother had become a radical SDS activist; I, a Messianic Jew. I think she feared for his life. But with me, it was different; it was as if the universe had suddenly been interrupted;…
Read MoreJourney Paper: Kirk Gliebe
I accepted Yeshua as my Messiah at the age of 15, in Santa Rosa, California. My parents, who had become believers before I was born, were from intermarried and secular Jewish backgrounds, but had come to faith in Yeshua and were members of a local evangelical church. Because of their coming to faith, I had…
Read MoreRejoinder to Rabbi Rich Nichol’s Response Paper
First I would like to acknowledge Rabbi Rich for addressing practical points that I did not develop in the paper. I want to thank him for enlarging upon what I wrote. Rabbi Rich’s response was challenging to me at first. However, after reading and re-reading his response, I began to understand his statements and point…
Read MoreResponse to Dr. Vered Hillel’s Paper: Rabbi Rich Nichol
Dr. Vered Hillel is one of my heroes. Rarely have I encountered a person with the demonstrated erudition, work ethic, heart for people, humility, passion for building the Kingdom of God, and sechel that I experience as we work together together at MJTI. So, it is a great joy for me to respond to her…
Read MoreA Messianic Jewish View of Divorce
Oceans of ink and forests of trees have given their substance for the plethora of biblical commentaries, books and articles written on the subject of divorce. Yet there is no definitive statement on the subject. Although both Judaism’s and Christianity’s position toward divorce can be traced to the same sources and context – Tanakh and…
Read MoreRejoinder to Rabbi Stuart Dauermann’s and Boaz Michael’s Response Papers
Rabbi Stuart Dauermann and Boaz Michael have been valued friends of mine for years, and I greatly appreciate them both as thinkers and teachers. So it is an honor to read and learn from their responses to my paper. Before addressing Stuart’s main criticism, namely that my effort to develop a definition of marriage is…
Read MoreResponse to Rabbi Russ Resnik’s Paper: Rabbi Stuart Dauermann
As I read it, I very much admired the construction, tone, erudition and quality of Rabbi Resnik’s paper. It was a mature work from a mature man. But I want to share with you some cautionary thoughts, what Rabbi Rich Nichol terms “the water under the ice.” And just as water under the ice may…
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