Irreconcilable Differences? A Learning Resource For Jews And Christians [Paperback]

David Sandmel (Author), Rosann M. Catalano (Author), Chrostopher M. Leighton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813365686 | ISBN-13: 978-0813365688 | Publication Date: July 9, 2001

Written by Jewish and Christian educators for use by college and adult learners, this volume explores eight basic questions that lie at the core of both traditions and that can serve as a bridge for understanding. Among the questions are: Do Jews and Christians worship the same God? Do Jews and Christians read the Bible the same way? What is the place of the land of Israel for Jews and Christians? Are the irreconcilable differences between Christians and Jews a blessing, a curse, or both? Each chapter includes discussion questions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tikva Frymer-Kensky is Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. David Novak holds the J. Richard and Dorothy Shiff Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto. Peter Ochs is the Edgar Bronfman Professor of Modern Judaic Studies at the University of Virginia. David Sandmel is the Jewish Scholar at the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore. Michael A. Signer is Abrams Professor of Jewish Thought and Culture in the Department of Theology at University of Notre Dame. Lauren Cowen is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. Rabbi David Fox Sandmel is the Jewish Scholar at the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore. He served as a rabbi at The Temple- Tifereth Israel in Cleveland and was the founding rabbi of Congregation Bet Ha’am in Portland, Maine. Rabbi Sandmel received his Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Jewish Studies from the Ohio State University and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He is currently completing his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania where he has been studying the history and literature of Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman world.In 998, Rabbi Sandmel joined the staff of the ICJS as the Jewish Scholar. He is currently directing the National Jewish Scholars Project, a major initiative to promote a new discussion within the Jewish community and between Jews and Christians about the differences and similarities between the two traditions. As part of the project, Rabbi Sandmel coordinated the publication of “Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity,” a groundbreaking event that generated international media coverage. He is the co-editor of Christianity in Jewish Terms (Westview, 2000), to which he has also contributed an essay.Dr. Rosann Catalano is the Roman Catholic scholar on staff at the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies, Baltimore, MD. She has also served as Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University, in Baltimore, and Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at the Weekend College, The College of Notre Dame of Maryland, also in Baltimore. Dr. Catalano She lectures widely to Protestant, Jewish, and Catholic audiences on theological and interfaith topics.Dr. Christopher Leighton is an ordained Presbyterian minister who has served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, Maryland since its inception in 1987. In addition to his work at the ICJS, he has been an Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins University and the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (July 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813365686
• ISBN-13: 978-0813365688
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable for thinking Jews and Christians alike!, December 11, 2001

By 

A Rabbi (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Irreconcilable Differences? A Learning Resource For Jews And Christians (Paperback)

"Irreconcilable Differences?" helps Jews and Christians understand what in their religious traditions is similar and what is different. It guides the reader through central texts and ideas on such issues as sin and repentance, how we read the Bible, the meaning of Israel, etc. It also contains study and discussion questions to help clarify some of the ideas contained therein.

I believe both Jews and Christians will find the book worthwhile. It can also be used for adult education classes and discussion groups. All in all, a valuable contribution to the quest for interreligious understanding.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Resource, March 7, 2008

By 

THOMAS G. OBRIEN III (Palm Beach Gardens, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Irreconcilable Differences? A Learning Resource For Jews And Christians (Paperback)

We used this book as a basis for Interfaith Dialogues for the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and it was an excellent basis for discussion. The essays are balanced, informed, and respectful of both religious traditions. I recommend it highly. Thomas G. O'Brien III

4 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Important Theological Work in 50 Years (at least), November 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Irreconcilable Differences? A Learning Resource For Jews And Christians (Paperback)

This book is groundbreaking material. If you are Christian, you have not thoroughly dealt with your spiritual-theological foundations until you have absorbed this book. Period.

If you are a Christian Pastor and have not read this book, you cannot stand in the pulpit with confidence that you are honestly sharing healthy spiritual meat with your congregation. Unless you have taken this core material to heart you are not worthy of leadership.