Scholars may disagree with a number of Bibliowicz' conclusions, as I do with his interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Jewish-Christian dialogue. Williamson, Professor, Christian Theological Seminary, Indiana, Author of Way of Blessing, Way of Life: A Christian Theology “There is great merit to Bibliowicz's approach. Mack, Professor of Early Christianity, Claremont School of Theology, California, Author of A Myth of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins "An important work…Sensitive and deeply researched… In the deepest sense, a profound theological work." - Clark M. Author of Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context "An intrepid excursion into the Christian discourse… The quest of an intellectual, a humanist… Interesting and, in fact overwhelming.A timely and honest engagement of the Christian texts, authors, and scholars by a Jewish intellectual." - Burton L. Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Director, Center for Theology and Public Life, Mercer University. a work of sublime moral passion." - David P. Phan, Professor, Chair of Catholic Social Thought, Georgetown University, President of the Catholic Theological Society of America "Standing on a brilliant and insightful reconstruction of Paul, and on a quite shocking (but perhaps compelling) reading of Mark - the author offers a number of original and in some cases quite compelling theoretical reconstructions of the context and purposes of early Christian texts. May this book find a wide readership among people devoted to the cause of the healing of memories between Jews and Christians." - Peter C. "I am in fundamental agreement with Bibliowicz's thesis (that the anti-Jewish polemic in the New Testament reflects debates between Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus - not a polemic between Christians and Jews), and with the implications which he has drawn for Christian theology. Each of the relevant meta-narratives or models the traditional thesis, the competition thesis of Simon, and the thesis advocated in this monograph, have implications of great importance and scope. The future of Judeo-Christian relations and the future of the Christian self-perception depend on which meta-narrative on the Christian origins and on Jewish-Christian relations will be eventually embraced, taught and internalized by scholars, institutions and believers. However, with the passage of time, loss of context, and later agendas, the tensions and trauma produced by this crisis came to be understood by later believers as reflective of a Jewish-Christian conflict. Thus, the New Testament texts do not reflect a struggle between 'Christians' and 'Jews' but rather a heated dispute about Judaism and about Torah observance among Jesus' early followers. The anti-Jewish polemic in the New Testament reflects debates between Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus - not a polemic between Christians and Jews. The crisis was about Judaism, not with Judaism. They were the subjects of a debate, (mostly) among Gentile believers, about what belief in Jesus should be. Despite a complexity and a variety of contexts, Judaism, Gnosticism, and Paganism were not participants in this struggle. The anti-Jewish, anti-Pagan, and anti-Gnostic biases of the Christian canonical and authoritative texts are the result of complex and layered trajectories, and should be understood to reflect, for the most part, debates within the Jesus movement-not struggles with external religious communities. Jewish-Christian relations did not emerge out of a first century conflict between ‘Judaism’ and ‘Christianity.’ The main thrust behind the “parting of the ways” is best characterized as a controversy about Judaism within the Jesus movement (not as a conflict with Judaism). The Jewish-Christian saga originates in later misperceptions about a conflict among followers of Jesus with varying degrees of Jewish, Pagan, and Gnostic affinities, affiliations, and inclinations. Jewish-Christian relations emerge out of a complex trajectory that originates in Jewish-Gentile relations within the Jesus movement.
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