DOC The Jewish Jesus: How Judaism and Christianity Shaped Each Other by Peter Schäfer in History

Review

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful. Challenging reinterpretationBy Wayne DynesThe title of this book would suggest that it is yet another monograph affirming the truism that Jesus was a Jew; standing alongside other books of this genre by John Dominic Crossan; E. P. Saunders; and especially Geza Vermes.There is no need to turn to these books to acknowledge the following points; easily derivable from the four canonical Christian Gospels. From his birth Jesus was raised a Jew. He was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2.21) and bore a common Jewish name; Yeshua; "he [God] saves" (Matthew 1.21). In fact; scholars have determined that Yeshua was the fifth most common male Jewish name of the time. Joseph was the second most common male name and Mary the most common among women. The child Jesus was presented to the Lord in the Jerusalem temple (Luke 2.22; cf. Deuteronomy 18.4; Exodus 13.2;12;15); A sacrifice was offered for him; a pair of doves and 2 young pigeons; indicating that his family were not wealthy (Leviticus 12.2;6;8; Luke 2.22-24). Thus Jesus was raised according to the law (Luke 2.39).These points being granted; it should be noted that Jesus belonged to pre-Rabbinical Judaism; differing in many ways from the faith of the two Talmuds (where he is sometimes denounced; as Schäfer showed in another monograph). One must be wary of anachronism.Evidently; "The Jewish Jesus" essentially replicates the author's German original text; which I have not seen. In translation the title of that book is "The Birth of Judaism from the Spirit of Christianity." At all events; in this book Schäfer prefers a more interactive model in which a number of ideas circulated freely among both parties.The conventional view of the contrast between Judaism and Christianity is that one is strictly monotheistic; the other tritheistic. With regard to antiquity; especially late antiquity; Peter Schäfer assembles considerable evidence to undermine this view; exploring a whole range of partner-deities for the supposedly unique God of Hebraic tradition. These motifs include the duality of Elohim (literally "gods") and Yahweh in the Pentateuch; the contrast of the old god (the "ancient of days") and the young god; the use of plural verbs in the Hebrew Bible to describe divine actions; the curious figure of Metatron; ostensibly the chief of the angels; and the idea of the eternal David.All of these nominations point in the direction of binitarianism; the idea that there are two high gods. This notion finds a parallel in gnosticism; but Schäfer thinks that this is not very important; for in that tradition the partner tends to have a negative connotation.Schäfer showcases the binitarian concept. Here Judaism (or at least some strands of it) joins with New Testament Christianity; which basically was binitarian (with the Holy Spirit not yet admitted to full partnership). Thus Judaism was not strictly monotheistic; nor was Christianity always trinitarian. Schäfer holds that binitarianism found an important support in the imperial concept; developed by Diocletian at the end of the third century CE; of the Augustus (or chief emperor) assisted by the Caesar (or junior emperor).This book; by a major scholar in the field; is carefully composed. I recommend it highly.7 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Brave Old WorldBy Chris Albert WellsBrave Old WorldChristianity was issued from a dissident faction of post-Temple Messianic Judaism that underwent powerful second century Hellenistic influences more conform to Greco-Roman ideals. We know little about 2nd-3rd-century CE Christianity tempting post-Temple Judaism and the counter-reactions. And out of academic circles; the rabbi’s seventh century messianic literature and homilies cover only a restricted audience. Schaffer’s book repairs these important lacunae.Schaffer’s Jesus in the Talmud offers a useful preparation to tackle his present publication: it trains the reader with the rabbi’s tortuous exegesis and Schaffer’s enlightening interpretations.Chapter 1-2 of The Jewish Jesus posits that Christians with two divine figures; God and his Son; were provocatively pointing to all the biblical textual references that could mirror their own theology: Genesis where on several occasions God is mentioned in plural and in Exodus where God is depicted as a young warrior God in Egypt very different from the Mt. Sinai old God of justice and mercy. Using the OT as a springboard that announces Christianity; 2nd century CE church fathers could argue that even the Jewish Bible had two Gods. During the early centuries CE the rabbis were trying to talk themselves out of such difficulties. Attempting to explain the apparent contradictions the rabbi’s were in for a spell of exegetical acrobatics difficult to understand without Schaffer’s clear explanations. (It would have been more realistic; on behalf of the rabbis; to accept that early traditions were different; that several writers intervened and that dogma had evolved over the centuries BCE)I find it difficult to follow Schaffer when he believes that pre-Christian Jewish texts elaborating on Wisdom and the Logos were instrumental in establishing Christianity’s divine family. The Christian bi- and Trinitarian concepts of the divine owe more to Hellenistic Docetic doctrines than to oldest Judaism. In the Synoptic Gospels; Jesus has no divine status and his messianic standing is very hesitant in Mark.Chapter 3. Schaffer shows that marginal factions of Judaism were attempting to promote a different Messiah-King than Jesus Christ. With the Apocalypse of David; writers in Babylonia responded to the “Jesus” literature as found in the Book of Revelation. The short analysis of third century CE frescoes from the Dura Europos Synagogue is a remarkable addition to Shaffer’s demonstration.Chapter 4 continues with the figure of Enoch. Schaffer carefully exposes Enoch’s transformation from a biblical figure walking with God into a celestial scribe then an angelic figure before becoming a Lesser God under the name of Metatron in the third Book of Enoch.All these later apocalyptic texts had BCE Jewish antecedents; essentially in Jubilees; Daniel and the Song of Songs. (Qumran literature also gave Melchizedeck an outstanding messianic rank next to God and their Teacher was elevated to messianic eminence).The second to fourth century CE Babylonian texts promoting divine Messiahs that remained in the Jewish fold intended to propose an alternative to Jesus Messiah that the nations had taken out of Israel’s hands. Schaffer revives the influences Christianity’s divine Messiah had on Babylonian Judaism. The process was tortuous and contested; and here again Schaffer’s analysis is very helpful. These local apocalyptic theologies nevertheless remained marginal. The Jewish Messiahs “catching up with Jesus” did not receive official theological recognition on behalf of centrist Rabbinical Judaism and only survived in fringe communities.Chapter 5. God’s familySchaffer settles scores with Maier who attempts to purify rabbinic traditions of all anti-Christian implications.Chapter 6. The AngelsThe Palestinian rabbis are caught in endless exegetical gossip: when were the angels created; did God consult them before creating man; do they have a higher or lower standing than Adam?The Babylonian rabbis step in to give a resolutely anti angelic version of God’s consulting them before the creation. Behind the discussions the uniqueness of God is at stake. The traditions of angels attending God and transmitting the law to Moses are contested because negatively used by Christian writers. (God didn’t give the law himself because it was not the final one). Worship and sacrifice for angels are prohibited.Chapter 7. AdamThis is a wonderful chapter that shows how the two creation accounts in Genesis were used to validate an earthly Jesus and a heavenly; immaterial and incorruptible Jesus.Chapter 8. The Birth of the Messiah; or Why did Baby Messiah Disappear?Interesting in this strange and wonderfully commented story that counters the NT birth narrative; the fact that this Davidic Messiah; born in Bethlehem; is a post-Temple affair; and not some 35 yrs before stretching from Herod to Pilate. Schaffer does not try to explain this oddity. But the rabbis knew that there were no Jesus traditions while the Temple was standing. Facing its destruction; all strains of Judaism had to react. To dissident Jewish factions; the Temple’s fall meant that God was displeased with the present day administration and was asking for things to change. The Jesus-for-Messiah forwarded by a Nazarene community was a Temple replacement answer: a Messiah that held in his hands the Holy Spirit; replacing Elijah (the prototype of the Temple’s Messiah) and Moses (so silent on eternal life). They started setting the contours of their new messianic party in script around 75 CE (Mark’s). It was expanded and completed over the following century.Chapter 9. The Suffering Messiah EphraimWe find here a tradition that derives the Messiah from the house of Joseph and not the house of David.The first homily stresses that Torah tradition is not enough if messianic expectations are neglected.The second homily reverts to a more traditional: “Torah obedience leads to salvation.” And then changes it’s course. The Messiah was created before the creation and his light hides under God’s seat. God negotiates Messiah-ship against seven years of suffering. The Messiah will take on all the sins of all generations! Salvation here is exclusively for Israel and the Messiah gains a throne of glory.During the first half of the seventh century; at a time when Christianity was better established and Islam was rapidly expanding; taking over Jerusalem; some Jewish writers were again in an apocalyptic mood; catching up with messianic expectations now coming from two sides. Contrary to much earlier texts; these homilies were not mocking the Jesus Messiah; but attempting to create a credible alternative facing Jesus and Mohamed.Schaffer’s book is complex and well documented. It opens a window on mutual influences between the Christian Messiah that was taken out of their hands and the rabbi’s conflicting attempts to restore Israel’s Messianic role.10 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Significant mutualityBy Francis J. MoloneyThis is a rare book that crosses an expert knowledge of the Rabbinic literature; especially the difficult to trace midrashim; with a knowledge of early Christianity. It is unique in so far as it works in the opposite direction to most scholarly analyses of the relationship between late Judaism and early Christianity. We normally trace the impact that Jewish traditions have had upon emerging Christianity. This books devotes careful attention to the possible influence emerging Christianity - especially the concept of a triune God - had upon Rabbinic Judaism.Schaefer shows that it was something of a two-way street.