The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians [Paperback]

Rabbi Neil Gillman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

The Christian family tree originated in first century Judaism. For more than two millennia, Jewish and Christian approaches to God have intermingled.

In this special book, Rabbi Neil Gillman guides Christians through the different ways the Jewish people have related to God, how each originated, and what each may mean for you and your understandings of your own faith.

A theologian who writes as a great teacher, Gillman addresses the key issues at the heart of Judaism’s approach to God:

God Is Echad (Unique) God Is Power God Is Person God Is Nice--Sometimes God Is Not Nice--Sometimes God Can Change God Creates God Reveals God Redeems

Gillman addresses questions of particular importance to Christian readers, such as: How does sin stand in the way of our knowing God? What does Judaism teach about the coming of God in the future?

By exploring the Jewish ways of encountering God, Gillman helps you to understand what the search itself says about Jewish tradition and you can use the fundamentals of Judaism to strengthen, explore, and deepen your own spiritual foundations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For a Christian, reading this book is like taking an introductory language course. You may not learn to speak the new language fluently, but in the process of studying it you discover a great deal about your own. The book's subject is God, not Judaism, and its perspective is generally Conservative (the author's denomination) and liberal/mystical in the tradition of his mentor Abraham Joshua Heschel. The Jewish understanding of God is based on the Shema: "The Lord our God alone is God." Gillman (The Death of Death) notes: "In Judaism since the beginning, God was not the conclusion of an argument but rather its point of departure. We begin with the conviction that there is a God in the world and that the world is all God's work." This God is powerful but self-limiting, personal and vulnerable, compassionate but sometimes angry or absent. In the Jewish worldview, God's work of creating, revealing and redeeming is shared with human beings. The mystical belief that "not only are Jews partners with God in redeeming the world, they are also partners with God in redeeming God" may sound radical, but "Christianity, by portraying a God who suffered and died on the Cross, extended this biblical notion... beyond anything that Judaism had ever imagined." Gillman teaches at the Jewish Theological Seminary and frequently speaks to Jewish and Christian congregations. This accessible volume, distilled from a lifetime of interaction with students of both faiths, is a warm and compelling introduction to the God of the Bible.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gillman proves to be a master teacher as he explains the difference between how Jews and Christians view God. In an accessible, organized style he uses metaphor--"To think and talk of God . . . is to think and talk metaphorically"--to reveal aspects of the God of the Israelites vis-a-vis biblical, historical, and contemporary interpretations. He relates how the Jewish view of God has evolved as the life circumstances of those speaking about God changed, from Job to Rabbi Harold Kushner in When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Further, he recounts how the Christian view of God also evolved, as it were, from the Jewish God of the Old Testament, and he details the difference between the ways Jews and Christians behold the words of the Bible. He explores God's uniqueness, omniscience, omnipotence, justice, love, and revelation, and he examines various takes on Creation as depicted in Genesis and redemption at the end of days. Taking on a complicated topic, Gillman treats it with clarity and dignity. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158023190X
• ISBN-13: 978-1580231909
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Has some gold nuggets of thought, quick read, March 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians (Paperback)

This book just came out so I guess it means I must be the first reviewer! Bought this book at a small bookstore local to my house when I couldn't find the book I wanted. Anyway, for starters the book is not offensive in its dailogue to Christians or assumes that all Christian theology is Catholism (which seems to be a common error among Rabbis)! It even doesn't imply that one religious position is more correct over another! Just for that it get five stars from me! Chapter titles includes: "God is Nice (sometimes)", God is not so Nice (sometimes), "God creates", "God redeems", "God can Change" etc. The Rabbi is reform and quotes Kaplan, Maimonides, Kushner and other lesser knowm theologists. Quotes Psalms 13, 44, Job, Jonah, "Torah" with multiple meaning (not just the first five books!) etc. Discusses the liberal vs traditional and how these differing Judaic viewpoints relates to Christians. Touches upon uncomfortable subjects such as Numbers 31.

I highly recommend this book to Christians in relationships with Jews (dating, married or just friends), Christians considering conversion or even to Christians curious about how their perspective religion relate to Judaism. I wish when growing up my Church (or even my parents) gave me a book like this so I could understand other religious viewpoints better.

I have read more sophiticated books which cover this type of material in more depthbut sometimes you just need something simple! Especially if you are not a literalist (or just a three-day/year Jew or a Two-day/year Christian). The author is not preachy and successfully adds to our spiritual dialogue (does not try to sell his religion like Kushner's "To Life" is guilty of...). This is a good thoughtful book worthy of a $10 investment.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mainly for Christians?, November 23, 2008

By 

R. Hochwalt "arroyoseco" (North Canton, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians (Paperback)

This book was well organized, well written, interesting, informative, and really gave me a feeling for Jews' relationship and perception of God.

I quarrel with the subtitle: A Brief Introduction for Christians. This might put off agnostics, Buddhists, secular humanists, Hindus, etc. from reading the book. I used to be a Christian, for many years now, I think of myself as a Buddhist more than anything else.

I have just about finished the book, and the author doesn't make a point of writing for just a Christian audience -- at all.

Christians would benefit from the book. They would in no way be offended. However, it has a more universal appeal than just to Christians.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for Jews as well as Christians, March 4, 2008

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Dennis Dawson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians (Paperback)

Gilman is a very good person to read if you want to get a Jewish theology based more on the Bible and less on Greek philosophy. A pretty basic book, but it does contain fresh insights and clear writing.