Customer Reviews

The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholic Christianity

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The Crucified Rabbi is a non-threatening and informative depiction of the Jewish roots of Catholic Christianity. The book covers a lot of ground, but Taylor Marshall does a fantastic job at maintaining coherency to the Catholic Faith throughout, as well as a deeply ingrained sincerity for Judaism and the inherent integrity of God's Chosen People, Israel. The Crucified Rabbi would be great for anyone that wants to understand the Catholic Christian Faith and its continuation from Judaism-which of course, was the faith of Jesus. I was raised in both Judaism and Protestant Christianity from birth. In the past year, after several years of discernment, I converted to Catholicism. Personally, if Taylor had published this book years ago, it would have saved me many stressful days of trying to explain my new Faith tradition to relatives who felt that the Catholic Church was blatantly anti-Semitic and anti-christian. Taylor doesn't sidestep the obvious instances of anti-semitism that have tragically occurred by the hand of many Catholics throughout Church history. He owns up to them, just as the Catholic Church does today, in a spirit of contrition and resolve; to further heal the wounds of the past.

I loved this book. it is easy to read and by that I mean that I could have most likely read the entire thing in one sitting because I was compelled to continue reading it the further on I got. I am a big fan of the truth of continuity. I try to explain to people that Catholicism is "sacrificial Judaism" now as opposed to Rabbinical Judaism, but I have not had the time to delve in any significant depth with many folks. Your book is just the thing to recommend to them. It also helps me to explain why Protestants (Evangelical or otherwise) are really a rupture in the salvific covenant which began with Abraham and continues to this day in Christ through the sacramental life of the Catholic Church. The notes from scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church are all great as is the use of the Hebrew terms for the Old Testament rituals and holy days which have found fulfillment and their definitive form in Christ and His mystical Body, the Catholic Church.

I have just finished reading the book and I believe that this book is very helpful in helping someone understand the Old Testament roots for the Catholic faith. The ancient maxim of the Church, "the New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New" comes alive in this work. Everything from the Sacraments to the Vestments of the clergy, to the buildings of the Church have their basis in the Old Testament story. I plan on using this book in my Scripture class to help my students see more clearly the connection between the Old Testament and New Testament. The best part of the book is the conversational tone. The reader is never left not understanding a point or a connection. Taylor lays it out and, quite frankly, it makes sense. Only the Catholic Church can make sense of the Old Testament promises.

Tom Riello

As a new Catholic, this book opened my eyes to what the first Christians, as Jewish believers, understood.
Taylor Marshall is brilliant in bringing this all together in a reader friendly format. It's not very often that a scholarly work can be broken down into understandable "pieces". If you are interested in the continuity of the faith, this book is it.

This book is amazing! I have never seen this information presented in one book before and in such a way that makes reading it a breeze. This is a hard book to put down even if you have read other books about the Jewish roots of Catholicism, this one is well worth your time. I will be buying more copies for family and friends. There are plenty of "Oh my God!" moments in this book. I believe that this book will bring many back to the Church. Simply outstanding!

This book was a pleasant surprise. The author's ability to knit together elements of ancient Jewish worship with present day Catholic practice rendered the connections so clear as to make them almost obvious.

Just finished reading the Crucified Rabbi and it is a terrific book. It explains in a very straightforward and easy manner the connections between Judaism and Christianity. One of the difficulties in making comparisons between Catholicism and other religions is the lack of authority as to what they believe. The Catholic religion has creeds such as the Nicene which clearly summarize its basic beliefs. It is also easy to observe what occurs at the Catholic Mass by watching television or attending services. Catholic services are open and available to anyone to attend. Anyone is free to attend a Catholic mass and see what happens firsthand. Catholic prayer books are easily available and it is not a mystery as to what constitute Catholic beliefs.
In trying to understand the basic beliefs of Judaism and other religions there is not similar authority such as that provided by the Pope and Rome to give guidance as to what the "orthodox" beliefs are. It is also difficult for a non Jew to attend Jewish services. As Judaism is not interested in converting non Jews effort is not made to explain its beliefs to non Jews. Taylor Marshall's book helps to bridge this gap in information. He clearly explains the Christian beliefs and then shows the different Jewish viewpoints. Some Jews believe in the resurrection of the body and some don't. Some believe in an afterlife such as heaven and hell and some don't. Marshall does an excellent job of explaining these different viewpoints and how they relate to Catholicism. He is able to point to scripture as the basis for these viewpoints.I strongly recommend this book.

Everyone should read this book. It puts together pieces that many other books about similar subjects have failed to do. I strongly recommend this book for its cohesiveness and unity among a plethora of other strengths. This book has very successful explanations of questions that I have a had about Catholicism and Judaism for years.

I absolutely loved reading this book! It's easy to read and understand. "The Crucified Rabbi" is chucked full of symbolism and the rich traditions of the Catholic Church. Ever wonder why the Bishop wears that little cap? Or where the idea of a tabernacle came from? Read this book!

Well written and a useful comparison of Judaism and Christianity. It has an excellent list of prophecies fulfilled in the OT and NT.