Body of Faith: Israel and the Church (Christianity and Judaism, the Formative Categories) [Paperback]

Jacob Neusner (Author), Bruce D. Chilton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1563381575 | ISBN-13: 978-1563381577 | Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Here is the second of three volumes (the first, Revelation: The Torah and the Bible, was published in 1995) whose purpose is to compare and contrast the paramount theological categories of Judaism and Christianity. The volumes provide the faithful of both Judaism and Christianity with informative, factual accounts of how Judaism and Christianity addressed the same issues and set forth their own distinctive program and set of propositions. While religions speak to individuals in the privacy of their hearts, they also define themselves through social entities such as “church,” “holy people,” “nation of Islam,” “kingdom of God.” In this book, Professors Neusner and Chilton bring reader to a consideration of “Israel” in Judaism and Christianity. When Jews call themselves “Israel,” their initial claim is that they constitute the “Israel” to whom God gave the Torah. All of those who inherit these Hebrew scriptures, specifically Christians, also claim to form an “Israel” because they receive these scriptures. Individual chapters in part one deal with Israel in the theology of Judaism, Israel as a kingdom of priests and holy nation, Israel as family, and Israel as (Christian) Rome. Part two examines Jesus and the absence of Israel; the Israel of James, the community of “Q” and Peter; and the church (ekklesia) in the Synoptic Gospels, Paul, Hebrews, and Revelation. The volumes in this series are excellent resources for all who wish to deepen their understanding of Judaism and Christianity and the relationship between these two great traditions. Jacob Neusner, leading scholar of the formative age and writings of Judaism, is Distinguished Research Professor of Religious Studies at the University of South Florida, Tampa. Bruce D. Chilton, New Testament and Judaic scholar, is Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is the second volume of a trilogy which compares and contrasts Judaism and Christianity." --Theology Digest, Fall 1997 (Theology Digest )

"A superb resource for all who wish to deepen their understanding of Judaism and Christianity and the relationship between these two great traditions." --Shabbat Shalom (Shabbat Shalom )

"This is an important text on the emerging notion of the church in New Testament times." --International Review of Biblical Studies (Intl. Review Of Biblical Studies )

"...a powerful alternative perspective on the identities and interests of the developing movements we now know as Judaism and Christianity." (A.K.M Adam, reviewing for Anglican Theological Review Anglican Theological Review )

"...a powerful alternative perspective on the identities and interests of the developing movements we now know as Judaism and Christianity." (, Anglican Theological Review )

About the Author

Jacob Neusner is the author or editor of over 700 books including The Incarnation of God: The Character of Divinity in Formative Judaism. Bruce Chilton, New Testament and Judaic scholar, is Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. He is a co-author of The Body of Faith (Trinity), God in the World (Trinity), and Comparing Spiritualities (Trinity).

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563381575
• ISBN-13: 978-1563381577
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,104,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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