The Enduring Paradox: Exploratory Essays in Messianic Judaism [Paperback]

John Fischer (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000

Yeshua and his Jewish followers began a new movement--Messianic Judaism--2000 years ago. In the twentieth century, it was reborn, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is maturing. The Enduring Paradox is a collection of essays from some of the top contributors to the theology of this vital movement of God.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Whether you are a Messianic Jew, a non-Messianic Jew involved or merely interested in Messianic Judaism, this book will challenge your thinking, guide your practices, and clarify any misconceptions you may have. You will find that Messianic Judaism is not a paradox after all.

From the Author

For over 1500 years it has seemed paradoxical--if not completely contradictory--for Jesus of Nazareth and his followers to have any direct connection to Judaism. Yet, that was not the case nearly 2000 years ago when Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus' given Hebrew name) founded a very Jewish movement that proclaimed him the Jewish Messiah. Through the latter third of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first, Messianic Judaism--the movement of Jewish followers of Yeshua who live and worship according to the traditions of Judaism--has emerged and matured into a viable and vital Jewish entity. While, for some, the integration of Jesus and Judaism remains paradoxical, this book seeks to clarify some of the relevant issues to indicate how Messianic Judaism is not really a paradox after all. The authors seek to challenge the thinking of Jews and Christians alike, whether Messianic or not, while throwing new light from a Jewish perspective on some of the significant teachings and practices of the New Testament, which turns out to be a very Jewish book after all.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Messianic Jewish Resources International (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880226901
• ISBN-13: 978-1880226902
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,350,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stimulating Insights About Messianic Judaism &Jewish Roots, December 12, 2001

By 

Edward J. Vasicek "Author, pastor, columnist" (Kokomo, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Enduring Paradox: Exploratory Essays in Messianic Judaism (Paperback)

"The Enduring Paradox" is a collection of scholary but clear essays addressing theological and practical questions of interest to Messianic Jews and students of Scripture in general.

The essayists include some big guns in the evangelical world, including Walter Kaiser and Louis Goldberg, as well as a number of Messianic Judaism's scholars. The editor, John Fisher (and his wife Patrice) contributes the greatest number of essays.

The book is divided into three sections, (1) Messianic Jewish Theology, (2) Messianic Jews and Israel, and (3) Practical Issues for Messianic Jews and Non-Jews.

There is much to be praised in this book. Patrice Fisher's chart on page 178, distinguishing between native-born Jews, Godfearers, Foreigners, and Pagans is simple but superb in its clarity. Lawrence Rich's chapter on "Jewish Practice and Identity in the Book of Acts" is worth the purchase price of the book.

On the negative side, John Fisher's chapter about, "Covenant, Fulfillment, and Judaism in Hebrews" seems a bit of a stretch.

It is important to interpret Scripture without a pre-existing agenda.

This book is not for everyone, but it is written clearly and it is not lenghty. Most dedicated laymen can grasp it. Good fodder for thought, especially for those who value the Jewish roots of Christianity, are serious about Bible interpretation, or participate in the Messianic Jewish movement.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great and hepful in theology and hsitory, but some confusion on practical issues, July 10, 2005

By 

Albert Cerussi (Lake Forest, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Enduring Paradox: Exploratory Essays in Messianic Judaism (Paperback)

The Enduring Paradox is a survey of Messianic Judaism, covering three main areas: Theology, Israel, and Practical Jewish issues. Overall it is a very concise treatment of a lot of important topics in the Messianic movement.

The theology section is fantastic. For example, Walter Kaiser (who has written extensively on the Tanach, or "Old Testament") contributed a fantastic survey of the Messianic prophecies. This is required reading for all who take the Bible seriously, weather Christian, Jew, or Messianic Jew. John Fisher's section on the covenant aspect of the Scripture is also very informative, especially for those new to Messianic Jewish thinking. Schiffman does as nice job discussing the nature of God, Father Son and Spirit, into a Jewish context (but is very brief ... a shame!).

The section about Israel is also very good. Elliot Klayman's brief survey of the Israeli law of return is very relevant. David Stern, who has also written extensively on Messianic Issues, also contributes two very nice articles on how the land and in particular Jerusalem is vital to the promised of God. These essays, and in particular the one on Jerusalem, should be required reading for Christians who don not understand "the fascination" with the land of Israel.

The practical issues section was also very helpful, but there were a few warning flags. I found the essay by Patrice Fisher on the assimilation of Jews in America to be very helpful, especially in terms of outreach to the Jewish community. But another article by Patrice is very weak, by saying some Gentiles "may wish to formally convert to Judaism." This is not only a clear violation of Scripture, but will further enrage the Jewish community against Messianic Jews with what may turn out to be deception. Patrice also walks a fine line saying that Gentiles can be members of Messianic fellowships provided they "maintain Torah practices like biblical God-fearing gentiles." Not enough discussion is really devoted to what that means because for example, not all Messianic congregations keep kosher, and some who claim to really don't. In addition, John Fischer has a good essay about rabbinic tradition. I loved his article in the sense he explains that not everything the Rabbis said was bad, a point many Christians fail to realize. But Fischer dramatically oversimplifies the problem, because the Talmud for example has many things in it that Yeshua (Jesus) condemned and Fischer magically omits these issues from his essay. The Talmud is what it is; it is like a commentary and in commentary some are bad and some are good.

Overall this is a very insightful book that Messianic Jews will find helpful in their walk with God. There is a lot of Scripture in it and as such it might be useful for Christians to understand the Messianic position, for example to deal with issues of "Replacement Theology." When appropriate, the authors point out mistakes in Christianity without mocking their Christian brothers; I found this tone very mature and loving. I would give it 5 stars but those odd comments in Patrice Fisher's essays make me consider it a 4.5 stars or so book.

5.0 out of 5 stars AN INTERESTING COLLECTION OF ESSAYS (BY CHRISTIAN AND MESSIANIC AUTHORS), April 29, 2011

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Enduring Paradox: Exploratory Essays in Messianic Judaism (Paperback)

This 2000 book is a collection of essays from various Christian and Messianic Jewish scholars (e.g., Walter Kaiser, David Stern, Louis Goldberg) on a variety of topics. The essays are divided into three categories: Messianic Jewish Theology; Messianic Jews and Israel; and Practical Issues for Messianic Jews and Non-Jews.

The Preface states, "The authors of the essays in this volume are united in their desire to see a firm biblical foundation developed for the benefit of Jewish people who are or may be coming to faith in the Messiah. They also desire to clarify the biblical issues involved in the relationship between Jewish identity, the New Testament, and Israel... We are agreed that a theological foundation for Messianic Judaism is a necessity. Issues need to be explored; many of these explorations will challenge traditional interpretations. Yet, we will only succeed if we submit to the light of the Scriptures."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"As one Jewish newspaper noted, more Jewish people have accepted Yeshua as Messiah in the last 20 years than in the past 20 centuries." (Pg. 9)

"I use the term 'Olive Tree Theology' for any theology of the people of God which acknowledges that the Jews and the Church are each imperfect subpeoples of God, and that Messianic Jews belong to both." (Pg. 81)

"Based on this passage (Mk 7:19), some say (Jesus) abolished 'kashrut,' the dietary laws. However, that would be inconsistent with his argument earlier, where he warns some of the Pharisees against invalidating God's laws by inappropriate traditions. If he here invalidates God's kosher laws, Yeshua contradicts himself!" (Pg. 150)