Customer Reviews

Jesus the Pharisee: A New Look at the Jewishness of Jesus

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Harvey Falk, a rabbinic writer believes that Jesus can only be understood as an observant Jew who upheld most of the doctrine of the School of Hillel against the School of Shammai (although he broke with Hillel on the subject of divorce.) He sees Jesus as on a mission to encourage the gentiles to follow the Noahide laws (the seven commandments given to Noah which all righteous gentiles must follow according to Judiasm in order to achieve salvation.) He sees many condemnations of the Pharisees in the Christian Gospels as reflecting the often quite contentious disputes between the two schools.

Falk's style of writing is more likely to be familiar to Jews who have learned Talmudic defenses of halacha than to Christains. Falk goes both forward and back in rabbinic history to justify actions of Jesus. The book is extensively footnoted with reference to rabbinic texts.

Although I believe that Falk stretches things at times to indicate that Jesus and his followers always followed Jewish law (picking grain from the field on the Sabbath probably was not to forestall starvation,) he makes an excellent case that Jesus was primarily observant. (Although Christians often believe that healing the sick by prayer on the Sabbath was forbidden (Matthew 12:9-14), it was not explicitly forbidden by Jewish law and the text probably refers to a dispute between the schools of Hillel and Shammai on how high the "wall" should be around the laws of keeping the Sabbath.)

The book presents a vivid picture of the first century and its theological disputes. Falk looks at scriptures of Judiasm, Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls to convey the contemporary contraversies of that time.

I highly recommend this book both to Christians who want to understand the Jewish roots of Christianity and elucidate heretofore obscure sections of the Gospels, as well as to Jews who want to understand a first century rabbi whose teachings have largely been excluded from Jewish studies. Note that Falk is NOT a messainic Jew and believes in a dual covenant theory of salvation. His book was done primarily to foster understanding and dialogue between the two religions.

I gave this book a high rating because it is a remarkable attempt to bridge the gap between Judaism and Christianity, and since it comes from the perspective of an orthodox Rabbi, the attempt is that much more welcome and appreciated. However, there is a big misgiving in the overall premise of the book: that Jesus was a good observant Jew who always meant to establish a separate religion for the gentiles.

It is not true that the historical Jesus went out on a mission specially addressed to gentiles. The mayority of scholars today who study Christian as well as Jewish texts, agree that Jesus was indeed an observant Jew who loved the Torah and the traditions of his people, the Jews, and he was most concerned with the preservation and practice of Judaism under the difficult circumstances of Roman oppression. His most public and well known act, overturning the tables of the moneychangers, happened right in the Holy Temple courts, and he is referred to in the Gospels as constantly engaging in discussions with other Jews, such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees, about interpretation of the Jewish Law. He is never quoted as talking to Romans and Philistines or other gentiles about the importance of following the Noachide Commandments.

The Jesus Seminar, the discussion group made of scholars from various Christian denominations, has published extensively on the Jewishness of Jesus. Prof. Bartchy at UCLA is one non-denominational historian who discusses the Jewishness of Jesus and how what we know of the scope of Jesus' public life was always centered around Judaism and interpretation of the Law among his fellow Jews.

Perhaps understanding Jesus's life as something that was always (i.e: in God's plan) exclusively meant for gentiles was the only way Falk, being an orthodox Jew, could bring himself to study and write about Jesus. If that is the case, his thesis served a good purpose even if it is flawed.

Still, even with flaws in its main argument this book is a good read. Besides the author's good intentions to bring understanding of Christianity to Jews and understanding of Judaism to Christians, the other great reason to read this book is Falk's discussion about the disagreements between the rabbinic schools of Hillel and Shamai during the first century CE. These disagreements between Hillel and Shamai help explain some of the criticisms Jesus addresses to fellow Jews in the Gospels. After reading Falk's book, I agree with him that the criticisms of Judaism attributed to Jesus in the Gospels reflect Jesus' agreement with the ideology of the school of Hillel and his disagreement with the school of Shamai. Anyone who studies Judaism knows that disagreements about interpretation of the Law is commonplace among rabbis and lay Jews alike. Therefore, that Jesus would engage in such interpretation arguments with fellow Jews is not at all unexpected or out of line, but rather completely normal for a Torah Jew.

In that sense, Rabbi Falk successfully drives home two very important historical facts Christians would benefit from fully understanding: 1) Jesus was a practicing Jew who did not endorse any kind of radically new religion but rather endorsed the Jewish ideology of Rabbi Hillel's School (ideology which is unanimously agreed upon by Judaism today). 2) Jews do not need to be converted to Christianity to obtain salvation, rather Judaism and Christianity are like siblings that come from the same source even if they grew up over the past 2000 years to be quite different from each other.

As Falk beautifully put it in the last chapter of his book: "In the name of Heaven we are your brothers. One God created us all...It is my fervent hope that these writings will make a contribution toward bringing all men and women who seek God and the brotherhood of humanity into a closer bond of fellowship."

I strongly agree with Falk on this. It is time to stop the sibling rivalry between the two religions. There is plenty of room in the world for both, as long as we respect each other's space.


Finally, as recommendation for further reading, Bruce Chilton, a Christian scholar at Bard College, wrote a book titled Rabbi Jesus that paints a fairly plausible picture of Jesus' life in the first century CE, and he also presents Jesus as primarily involved with his fellow Jews and not the gentiles.
I recommend reading Chilton's book before you read Falk's, since it is more current, straightforward and it will painlessly place you in the historical and social context of the First Century CE. (However, I believe Chilton's narrative needs to be taken in with a grain of salt since it reads more like a novel than a historical account. Still, Chilton does a good job of letting the reader know when he is letting his imagination go.)

I also recommend the works of E. P. Sanders.

I've read quite a few books on the subject of Jesus. However, this is the only one I've read that was written by an actual Orthodox Jew (not a former one). Not only was it written by an Orthodox Jew, but by one who views Jesus in a favorable light. I personally think any serious Bible student (Christian or Jewish) should read this.

I don't think I've read any other book that gives such a fair (IMO) examination of this topic. No, the author doesn't believe Jesus is god or the son of god, as most Christian authors would seem to portray him. But he also doesn't view Jesus as one who led people astray, as many other Jewish authors would seem to portray him.

I grew up in the church and never really even considered the fact that Jesus was Jewish (though it's pretty obvious). Even less did I ever imagine he may have been a Pharisee!

I hope to read more books like this down the road.

Rabbi Falk has done a wonderful job of explaining the Jewishness of Jesus, as well as elucidating Mankind's Universal Laws that Jewish tradition teaches govern all non-Jews. It makes total sense that Jesus, who came first to the Jews, would then want the universal laws of God spread throughout the rest of mankind. This book is a blessing for Jews and Christians and all people who want a better understanding of the first century C.E. (A.D.) and the all-inclusive holy teachings for all human beings. For further reading, I highly recommend Michael Dallen's book "The Rainbow Covenant."

Rabbi Falk's main interest is to explain the seeming incongruity in the New Testament that portrays the young Jesus as a friend of the rabbis in the Temple but later in His life excoriating the rabbis in withering terms (cf. Matth. 23).

Rabbi Falk's very clever suggestion is that the rabbis represented different groups. The first group, with whom Jesus had cordial relations, were the followers of Hillel, who was noted for being fair minded and compassionate. (Falk brings proof from the Talmud that Hillel died right around the time of this famous Gospel scene.) The second group, whom Rabbi Falk believes Jesus opposed vehemently, were the school of Shammai who was reputed to be severe and intolerant, especially of potential converts to Judaism.

Rabbi Falk introduces complex Talmudic scholarship to show that these two schools were powerful rivals, and that around the time of Jesus Shammai's group siezed control. He speculates that Hillel's followers may have joined the Essene communities in the desert.

One of their central disputes concerned the question of how Jews should relate to non-Jews. Jesus favored the compassionate approach of Hillel and opposed the stringent approach of Shammai. Ultimately, acccording to Rabbi Falk, Shammai's view not only prevailed but doomed Jerusalem to destruction at the hands of the Romans.

After this tragedy, the reconstituted Sanhedrin in Yavneh adopted Hillel's general approach and repudiated Shammai, but it was too late to spare Jerusalem. According then to Rabbi Falk, this final decision of the rabbinical leaders vnindicated Jesus' favorable attitude to Hillel. Falk implies that Jesus would be perfectly content with rabbinical Judaism as it has been practiced ever since down to our day.

While his thesis is most intriguing and very deftly argued, the one problem is that in Matthew 23 Jesus castigates the Pharisees for crossing land and sea to make one convert but then making him into "twice the son of hell" as they already were. Hillel's school was known to be solicitous of converts, while Shammai's was not, so it seems difficult to argue, as Falk does, that Jesus' attack in Matth 23 was against the school of Shammai rather than of Hillel.

Rabbi Falk died in a tragic car accident in 2008, so it is impossible to query him about this fascinating book.

Harvey Falk, a Jewish Rabbi, has written a work useful to the scholarly study of the Jewish Roots of Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. This book offers great Talmudic information useful to the interpreter of the New Testament. Although postulating some fascinating theories (some credible, some not), Rabbi Falk is blinded by an agenda, He strains to interpret Jesus as intending to found a religion for gentiles. He bases his conclusion on the teachings of the 18th century rabbi, Jacob Emden, and he tries to make the information fit his theory. They don't --but, in the process, he has written an amazing book.

On the positive side (and where this book is useful) is that Jesus' attacks against the Pharisees are convincingly demonstrated to be directed toward the School of Shammai (Bet Shammai), the majority position of the Pharisees in his day. Jesus himself almost always agreed with the School of Hillel (Bet Hillel), the minority position -- and was vulnerable to attack because of it. I think Falk is right on target here and makes an excellent case. Super.

Falk also discusses how the Christian Scriptures have been misunderstood to teach anti-semitism. Again, Falk rings the bell. Messianic Jews have presented this truth more vigorously and in greater detail. Falk is trying to be winsome and really goes pretty easy on the Christian legacy, considering its ugliness toward the Jews. He is kinder than he needs to be, but how can that be bad?

Of particular value are the Talmud references that relate to his theories. Just having these references at hand alone is worth the price of the book.

On the negative side, Falk is trying to present Jesus as initiating a new religion for gentiles who would then be taught to observe the Noahide commands. This is FAR from true (at least the first part). Jesus preached to Jew; he even originally forbid his disciples from preaching to gentiles. In Matt. 15:24 he says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." It took the church decades to begin to incorporate gentiles into the fold. I think it is correct that the apostles expected gentile converts to Christianity to observe the Noahide commands rather than become full converts to Judaism. But until 68 AD, the majority of Christians were JEWISH Christians. Falk shows a lapse of historical knowledge at this point. The major conflict in the early church was whether one could be come a Christian without first becoming a Jew! (Acts 15).

Although the Bet Shammai bunch are clearly the "bad guys," Falk does not deal with this issue: the greatest early persecutor of the Christian faith was Saul of Tarsus who sat under the teaching of Gamaliel, Hillel;s grandson. Perhaps Falk does not think the portion in Acts is accurate, but, assuming it is, this needs addressing.

The idea that Bet Hillel was connected to the Essenes is possible, but the overlap he suggests seems like a journey on a limb. His connection of Bet Shammai to the Zealots was news to me -- and appreciated.

This book is not meant for popular reading, and I would not recommend it for the average layman. But for those who study Jewish Roots, this is a must read. Despite my disagreement with the author on a number of points, his goodwill permeates the book. He seeks to be fair, but has an agenda to arrive at a happy ending that is not quite warranted by the facts.

Lots of Talmudic info in this book which I enjoyed especially being Jewish as well. Good read over all.

This is a great way to really understand the B'rit Chadeshah (New Testament) if you really want to know what is being said. One cannot understand the nuances, cryptic statements, the disagreements and actions of some of the apostles in the Book of Acts, the idiomatic phrases - until one understands the culture, the different sects of that time and the Hebraic way. The religious sects will be explained and clear much misunderstanding up. This will absolutely open the eyes of those who truly wish to see and understand. My thanks to the author.

This is a must read for anyone who wished to know the true roots of our Messiah! It sheds an entirely new light on who Yeshua(Jesus)is and what His true message is.

Excellent work and source material to explain the historical and cultural background of the "New Testament". I would disagree with the author's (and the Rabbi he leans on) conclusion of the purpose of the Gospel, though it is not as far off as the conclusions of the church at large. It explains who the Pharisees of the New Testament were and the difference between that group of Pharisees and the ones who evolved onto Rabbinic Judaism. It provides a basis for why Rabbinic works often appear to be a positive commentary and explanation of the writings of Paul and the Gospels, though they do not intend to. A must read for any serious student of the New Testament.