In this small but mighty book, the author comes to grips with basic issues such as: why Jesus died, and why Jewish people object to Him. Passage after biblical passage, with rabbinic interpretation, relate the Old Covenant's fulfillment in the Messiah. For two decades, Jesus Was a Jew has proven itself an incredibly powerful witnessing tool to Jewish people, and it is ideal for Jewish friends who are skeptical of your faith, but willing to read
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Editorial Reviews
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"This Book is beautifully published and eloquently written. It carries its ideas to a logical and biblical conclusion..." -- Harold Frederic Green, Central Baptist Church
About the Author
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum was Born September 26, 1943 in Russia, after his father was released from a Communist prison. Even though he is Jewish, his father was accused of being a Nazi spy when he fled Poland from Hitler. The Fruchtenbaums escaped from behind the Iron Curtain with help from the Israeli underground. They resided in Germany from 1946 to 1951, where Arnold received orthodox Jewish training. The Fruchtenbaums immigrated to Brooklyn in 1951, where they first came in contact with the American Board of Missions to the Jews (now Chosen People Ministries). At age 13, Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum became a believer in the Messiahship of Jesus. Arnold's father strongly opposed his beliefs, however; he allowed Arnold to continue associating with and learning from other Jewish believers until the family moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Once in Los Angeles, Arnold was forbidden to read the Bible, attend Christian meetings, or have anything to do with Messianic Jewish groups. Arnold, however; continued to maintain contact with Jewish believers and to walk with the Lord as best he could. Upon his graduation from High School, he was informed by his father that he would have to leave home because of his beliefs. In 1962, Arnold began undergraduate education at Shelton College. In 1966 He transferred to and graduated from Cedarville University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hebrew and Greek. He moved to Israel that July, and studied archaeology, ancient history, historical geography, and Hebrew at the American Institute of Holy Land Studies and at the Hebrew University. In September 1967, Arnold enrolled at Dallas Theological Seminary. He also began working as a missionary with the American Board of Missions to the Jews. He graduated in 1971 with a Master of Theology degree. In June 1968, he married Mary Ann Morrow. In 1971, they moved to Israel, settling in Jerusalem. They worked with the local messianic congregation training young Israeli believers for service. His activities for Messiah drew the anger of the religious authorities in Jerusalem, finally forcing them to leave Israel in 1973. For the next two years he was a minister for the American Board of Missions to the Jews, and editor of The Chosen People. In 1976, he joined the staff of The Christian Jew Foundation as Associate Director of the largest Messianic Jewish broadcasting ministry in the world. In the summer of 1976, Arnold, along with others in Jewish missions, discussed the lack of discipleship and intensive biblical and theological training of Jewish believers. The early concepts of Ariel Ministries were born at that time. In December 1977 Ariel Ministries became a reality based on the principles of evangelism and discipleship. Arnold now serves as the director of the ministry. In 1989, Arnold completed his Ph.D. at New York University. He is the author of several books and has contributed articles in a number of books and journals. Frequently in demand as a conference speaker and teacher, he has traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Israel, and the United States, becoming intimately acquainted with the Messianic Jewish movement.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent study of Jesus from Jewish & Christian perspective,
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This review is from: Jesus Was a Jew (Paperback)
This excellent book is recommended reading for both Jews and Christians alike. Indeed, people of all religions would do well to access the information detailed here.The author, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, himself a Jew & having received Orthodox Jewish training, addresses the apparent `controversy' surrounding the person of Jesus. The writer addresses the many questions pertaining to the characterization of Jesus of being either just a `good teacher', a `prophet', a `well-meaning but confused religionist', or whether in fact Jesus was/is the Son of God, the Hebrew Messiah prophesied in Scripture. At the beginning of this superb book, the learned writer acknowledges that Jesus of Nazareth effectively stands as an enigma in Jewish history. Whilst being hailed by countless millions as their Saviour/Messiah, the name of Jesus has also been used by some in relation to the condemning of innumerable Jews and as an excuse to take countless Jewish lives. Subsequently, Jesus has been largely ignored by Jews except for a few references in the Talmud and in some Jewish legends. The author illustrates that there is no uniform Jewish opinion concerning the person of Jesus, with views ranging from 'he never existed' to him being 'a great Jewish prophet'. The book analyses the life of Jesus including his birth in Bethlehem of Judea and how he taught his small group of disciples who were all as Jewish as himself. The author states that anyone who sets themselves the task of studying what the Old Testament has to say about the coming, prophesied Jewish Messiah will find in the Book of Isaiah numerous predictions that portray the Messiah as one who is going to suffer humiliation, physical harm and finally death in a violent manner, with the death being stated as a substitutionary death for the sins of the Jewish people. On the other hand the author also states that one will likewise find the Jewish prophets also speaking of the Messiah coming as a conquering King who will destroy the enemies of Israel and set up the Messianic Kingdom of peace and prosperity. A seeming paradox and a stumbling stone to many Jews, but which Christians interpret as the first and second coming of the Messiah....Jesus. This issue is studied in depth in this book and is excellent reading, with reference also made to sections of the New Testament. The Jewish 'objections' to Jesus are also examined in detail as are the 'definitions' of what exactly is a 'Jew', a 'Gentile', a 'Christian' and a 'Hebrew Christian' and how they relate to each other. A classic study. The book also includes interviews on this subject with almost 40 Jews concerning what they each believe about Jesus. These embrace Rabbis, actors, homemakers, hairdressers, indeed people from all walks of Jewish life. The book contains a wealth of information and a variety of differing opinions, which are studied in light of Scripture. As a Christian my own beliefs are self evident, but no matter how you view this subject, the Jewishness of Jesus cannot be denied. Highly recommended.
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Concise and informative, shows the Jewishness of Jesus and N,
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This review is from: Jesus Was a Jew (Paperback)
This book is a great introduction for those who want to know the truth about Jesus the Messiah. First, Fruchtenbaum documents what Jewish leaders say about Him. Then there is a very well written and in-depth study of the famous Isaiah 53, analysing the text itself and Jewish interpretations throughout the ages. The vast majority of Jewish commentators, including Maimonides, believed that the passage is Messianic. The supposedly 'Jewish' view that it's referring to Israel is a fairly modern revisionist interpretation (started by Rashi) that was fiercely resisted by Rabbi Crispin as 'forced and far-fetched'.The next chapter looks at other OT passages, and the following one shows how the NT compares with the OT. While very deep, I strongly suggest that those wanting to find out more about the OT prophecies should read Fruchtenbaum's far more detailed book "Messianic Christology", also available from Amazon. The following one is the very important question of why the Messiah had to die as our Substitute for our salvation. Then Fruchtenbaum deals with Jewish objections to Jesus, and provides correct definitions of the terms "Jew", "Gentile" and "Christian". He shows that there are almost as many definitions of "Jew" as there are Jews! So to define a Jew as a "non-Jew" or "so-called Jew" simply because he or she believes in the Jewish Messiah and believes a totally Jewish book is just a self-serving stipulative definition. Fruchtenbaum presents the only definition that matters: the biblical one, that a Jew is a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, regardless of whether this person is a believer in Christ, an Orthodox Jew or an atheist. It's indicative of anti-christian bigotry that some Orthodox Jews will call a Hebrew Christian like Dr Fruchtenbaum (or myself for that matter) a "non-Jew", although we are descendants of Abraham, believe in one God and in the divine inspiration of the Old Testament; but somehow an atheist who believes none of these things is still recognised as a Jew (many Israelis are atheists). For more information about such topics, I recommend Fruchtenbaum's "Hebrew Christianity", also available from Amazon. The last chapter contains testimony from Jews who have come to know Jesus as Messiah, Saviour and God. And they were real Jews, and still are!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jesus was a Jew,
By
This review is from: Jesus Was a Jew (Paperback)
While this was quiet an indepth look at the Jewishness of Jesus, it is a must read for serious bible scholars.
Dr. Fruchtenbaum is a leader in this area of biblical exergesis. It is not a big book, but certainly not a bedtime read. There are a lot of quotes from the Rabbi's and Rabbinical writings which at times can get monotonous, but are essential. It certainly gave me a better understanding of Israels place in theology.
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