Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith

OUR FATHER ABRAHAM: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith......Page 4
Contents......Page 8
Pronunciation Key......Page 15
Preface......Page 16
Part I: A New People: Abraham's Spiritual Children......Page 24
"Look to Abraham Your Father"......Page 26
Athens or Jerusalem?......Page 28
The World of the Bible......Page 32
The Olive Root and Branches......Page 35
Grafted into Israel......Page 37
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER ONE......Page 39
A New Spiritual Family......Page 42
Salvation by Grace or Works?......Page 43
A New Terminology......Page 44
Gentile and Christian Are Not Synonymous......Page 45
A Western World with an Eastern Book......Page 46
The Problem of Judaizing......Page 47
Not Bound but Free......Page 48
Judaizing in Bible Times......Page 49
Paul and the Law......Page 50
Jewish Heritage and Today's Church......Page 52
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER TWO......Page 57
Part II: Church and Synagogue in the Light of History......Page 60
3 The Earliest Church and Judaism......Page 62
Jesus and His Followers......Page 63
Beginnings: A Jewish Church......Page 64
The Hebraists and the Hellenists......Page 66
Stephen and the Hellenists......Page 67
Outreach to Gentiles......Page 68
Further Success among the Gentiles......Page 69
The Council of Jerusalem......Page 71
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER THREE......Page 73
4 Theological Conflict and Persecution......Page 75
Jesus: Man or God?......Page 77
The Unusual Mission of Jesus......Page 78
Abba and the Uniqueness of Jesus......Page 79
Messianic Expectations and Jesus......Page 80
Persecutions......Page 81
Acts of Mob Violence......Page 82
Saul the Persecutor......Page 83
Summary......Page 84
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER FOUR......Page 85
5 "Heretics" and the Synagogue......Page 87
The Birkat ha-Minim: Definition......Page 88
The Origin of the Benediction......Page 89
The Minim and Notzrim......Page 91
"Put out of the Synagogue"......Page 92
The Nidduy and Ḥerem......Page 94
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER FIVE......Page 95
6 The Jewish Revolts and the Parting of the Way......Page 97
The Fall of Masada......Page 98
The Flight to Pella......Page 99
Between Revolts: The Academy at Yavneh......Page 100
From Sabbath to Lord's Day......Page 102
The Leadership of Bar Kokhba......Page 104
Jewish Christians and the War......Page 105
The Parting of the Way......Page 106
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER SIX......Page 107
7 A History of Contempt: Anti-Semitism and the Church......Page 110
The "New" Israel Emerges......Page 111
From De-Judaizing to Anti-Judaism......Page 113
The Early Fathers: Blaming the Victims......Page 115
Allegory: An Attempt to Rescue the Jewish Scriptures......Page 119
Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages......Page 121
From Luther to the Present......Page 122
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER SEVEN......Page 124
Part III: Understanding Hebrew Thought......Page 128
8 The Old Testament: Hebraic Foundation of the Church......Page 130
The Heresy of Marcion......Page 131
Neo-Marcionism......Page 132
A Neglected Treasure......Page 133
Two Parts, Yet One Book......Page 135
The Theological Key......Page 136
God-Breathed and Useful......Page 137
Discovering the Jewish Jesus......Page 138
Other Early Jewish Sources......Page 141
The Shema: Core Affirmation of Israel's Faith......Page 145
Christianity Is Jewish......Page 148
The Hebrew Bible and American Beginnings......Page 150
Foundational, Not Optional......Page 154
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER EIGHT......Page 155
9 The Contour of Hebrew Thought......Page 158
An Energetic People, a Descriptive Language......Page 159
The Power of Poetry......Page 164
Painting Verbal Pictures......Page 168
Block Logic......Page 173
A Time for Meditation......Page 177
Everything Is Theological......Page 179
Religion as a Way of Life......Page 182
A Different View of Time and History......Page 183
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER NINE......Page 185
10 Where the Church Went Wrong......Page 189
Dynamic Unity versus Dualism......Page 190
To Enjoy or Not to Enjoy?......Page 192
To Marry or Not to Marry?......Page 194
Spirituality: Heavenly or Earthly?......Page 197
Salvation: Escape or Involvement?......Page 201
Faith: Thinking or Acting?......Page 205
The Individual versus the Community......Page 208
Independent Christians......Page 209
A Corporate Body......Page 210
The Church as Community......Page 212
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER TEN......Page 213
Part IV: Jewish Heritage and the Church: Selected Studies......Page 216
11 Marriage and the Family through Hebrew Eyes......Page 218
Current Attitudes......Page 220
The Blessing of Children......Page 222
Companionship: "Leaving and Cleaving"......Page 223
Matched to One Another......Page 224
Love after Marriage......Page 225
The Bridegroom and His Bride......Page 226
A Procession with Fire......Page 227
Set apart unto the Other......Page 228
An Exclusive Commitment......Page 229
Periodic Renewal......Page 230
Respect for Family Background......Page 231
The Centrality of Prayer......Page 232
Support of the Community......Page 233
Sharing a Common Destiny......Page 234
Lifting Each Other up......Page 235
Values within the Home......Page 236
The Home as a Small Temple......Page 237
Peace in the Home......Page 240
Bringing Guests Home......Page 242
Learning about the Family through Fiddler......Page 243
The Plot of Fiddler......Page 244
Respect for Manual Labor......Page 245
Sabbath Observance......Page 246
Parental Respect......Page 247
We Are All Tevyes......Page 248
The Pinnacle of Life......Page 249
Physical Decline......Page 250
Honoring Those Worthy of Honor......Page 251
The Wisdom of Experience......Page 252
Hope of the Resurrection......Page 254
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER ELEVEN......Page 255
12 Passover and Last Supper......Page 260
The Origin of Passover......Page 261
Mosaic Teaching on the Passover......Page 263
Celebrations Throughout the Old Testament......Page 264
Passover in New Testament Times......Page 265
Passover Eve......Page 266
The Seder......Page 267
Jesus' Last Supper......Page 268
Passover Today......Page 270
The Home Seder......Page 271
Hope of Future Redemption......Page 272
Passover and Contemporary Christianity......Page 273
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER TWELVE......Page 275
13 Jews, Christians, and the Land......Page 279
Election and Preservation......Page 280
Biblical and Historical Ties to the Land......Page 282
The Spiritual-Secular Tension of Modern Zionism......Page 285
Christian Approaches to the State of Israel......Page 286
Fulfillment of Prophecy—Divine Right......Page 287
A Homeland Rooted in Justice......Page 292
Christians and Support of Israel......Page 293
Epilogue: Prospects for Peace......Page 296
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER THIRTEEN......Page 298
14 A Life of Learning: The Heart of Jewish Heritage......Page 301
Education in Old Testament Times......Page 302
The Hebrew View of Wisdom......Page 304
Young Fools and Old Fools......Page 306
The "Open" Fool......Page 307
The "Hardened" Fool......Page 308
The "God-Denying " Fool......Page 309
The Hebrew View of Knowledge......Page 310
Education with a Difference......Page 312
The Sweetness of Learning......Page 314
Hebraic Insights on the Task of Teaching......Page 317
Explaining Ideas......Page 318
Giving Guidance......Page 319
Training and Disciplining......Page 320
Education in New Testament Times......Page 321
Everyone a Student......Page 323
By Word of Mouth, Not Books......Page 325
Memorizing the Lesson......Page 326
Scheduled and Spontaneous Learning......Page 327
A Major Commitment of Time......Page 328
Visual Aids and Object Lessons......Page 329
Respect for the Word......Page 330
Music and Song......Page 331
Study as Worship......Page 332
"Guard It Well, for It Is Your Life"......Page 334
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER FOURTEEN......Page 335
Part V: Toward Restoring Jewish Roots......Page 340
15 If Not Now . . . When?......Page 342
A Jewish Heart......Page 344
A Humble Spirit......Page 345
A Long-term Venture......Page 346
The Purpose of Dialogue......Page 348
Dealing with Differences......Page 349
Education and Personal Growth......Page 351
Drinking from the Sources......Page 352
Affective Learning......Page 353
A Covenant of Caring......Page 355
Revising Agendas......Page 356
"The Greatest of These Is Love"......Page 357
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER FIFTEEN......Page 359
A Selective Bibliography......Page 361
Index of Biblical Texts......Page 370
Index of Rabbinic Literature......Page 380
Index of Other Early Extrabiblical Literature......Page 382
Index of Authors......Page 383
Index of Subjects......Page 387
Index of Hebrew Words......Page 395
Index of Greek Words......Page 397