Kosher Jesus is a project of more than six years research and writing. The book seeks to offer to Jews and Christians the real story of Jesus, a wholly observant, Pharisaic Rabbi who fought Roman paganism and oppression and was killed for it. While many Christians will be confused by its assertion that Jesus never claimed divinity and not only did not abrogate the Torah but observed every letter of the Law, they will find comfort in my tracing most of Jesus principal teachings back to Jewish sources, this before he was stripped of his Jewishness by later writers who sought to portray him as an enemy of his people. This is especially true of Jesus' most famous oration, the Sermon on the Mount, which is a reformulation of the Torah he studied and to which he was committed. A small sampling: Jesus: (Matt 5:5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 37) The meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Jesus: (Matt 5:8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see G-d. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 24) Who shall ascend the mount of the Lord the pure-hearted. Jesus: (Matt 5:39) But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Hebrew Bible: (Lamentations 3:30) Let him offer his cheek to him who smites him.... Jesus: (Matt 6:33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 37:4) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Jesus: (Matt 7:7) Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. Hebrew Bible: (Jer 29:13) When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart. Jesus: (Matt 7:23) Then I will declare to them, I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 6:9) Depart from me, all you workers of evil... The book is also for Jews who remain deeply uncomfortable with Jesus because of the Church s long history of anti-Semitism, the deification of Jesus, and the Jewish rejection of any Messiah who has not fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. We Jews will forever reject the divinity of any man, the single most emphatic prohibition of our Bible. And we can never accept the Messiahship of any personality, however noble or well-intended, who died without ushering in the age of physical redemption. But as Christians and Jews now come together to love and support the majestic and humane Jewish state, it s time that Christians rediscover the deep Jewishness and religious Jewish commitment of Jesus, while Jews reexamine a lost son who was murdered by a brutal Roman state who sought to impose Roman culture and rule upon a tiny yet stubborn nation who will never be severed from their eternal covenant with the G-d of Israel.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Shmuley Boteach s answer to Jews For Jesus is to write a book that might well have been entitled Jesus For Jews. Always controversial, Shmuley s new book will stimulate debate among Jews, between Christians and Jews and by all people who care about ultimate issues of faith. Written with Shmuley s usual candor, humor and accessibility, Kosher Jesus is sure to change and open minds. What more can you ask of a book.
Alan Dershowitz, author of Trials of Zion
Alan Dershowitz, author of Trials of Zion
For years I've been asking my friend Shmuley to write this book. Kosher Jesus is one of his most important, thought-provoking, and stimulating books. I celebrate this book and its potential to provoke dialog and elevate our high ideals of unity and understanding.
Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark
Talking openly and honestly about Jesus and how others view him can only bring people together. This book is a must-read for anyone willing to venture slightly out of their comfort zone in their journey toward real understanding and peace.
Glenn Beck, #1 New York Times bestselling author and founder of GBTV.com
It is tragic that two great religions that worship the same God, cherish the same Scriptures and affirm the same moral code have been so antagonistic to each other for so long. May this book help to heal that breach. --Rabbi Harold Kushner, Author of When Bad Things Happen To Good People
Shmuley in his own unique, iconoclastic, and controversial way, hits a home run with his new courageous book, Kosher Jesus. While showing understanding for the negative stereotypes many Jews especially European born have of Jesus, Christians and Christianity, he cuts through those perceptions and urges Jews and Christians to take a fresh look at the person of Jesus and to reclaim him for themselves in a truer, more genuine form. The mostly negative views Jews and Christians have had of one another over the centuries were certainly shaped by the fratricide that marked our relationship. It is high time they be revisited. Undoubtedly, not a few Rabbis will be outraged by this book. But certainly this Rabbi a colleague, friend, admirer, and fan of Shmuley will defend his thesis and many, if not most, of his points and view the opposition as Shmuley s red badge of courage. Given the advances that have been made in Christian-Jewish dialogue since the 1960s it is essential that both communities take another look at this central subject. And this book does just that. Kosher Jesus is essential reading for anyone seeking a truer understanding of who Jesus the Jew from Nazareth really was and the enormous contribution he made to the world. This courageous and thought provoking book is a breath of fresh air and major contribution to Jewish and Christian perceptions of Jesus. I hope it s read widely and changes attitudes in both communities.
Rabbi Yechiel Z. Eckstein, Founder and President, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Rabbi Boteach (Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy) is one of the more high-profile religious figures in the country and has an admitted knack for self-promotion. His latest book reviews the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of both Jewish understandings and contemporary scholarship and identifies Jesus as a Jewish leader, patriot, and even martyr. Many Christian scholars of the New Testament now would agree with him that Jesus lived and died a Jew and that our reconstruction of him as the founder of a new faith is dubious and posthumous, so no surprises there, but Boteach s name and the skill of his argument should draw readers in. Verdict Don t be misled by the media fizz around his name; Boteach writes with clarity, force, and intelligence, and his Kosher Jesus is an excellent resource for parish libraries, Jewish worship communities, individual seekers, and all interested in the historical Jesus. --Graham Christian, Pelham, MA --Library Journal Xpress Reviews: Nonfiction | First Look at New Books, January 27, 2012
This informed and cogent primer on Jesus of Nazareth, Boteach, rabbi and author of the international bestseller Kosher Sex, takes a brave stab at re-evaluating Jesus through an intensive look at the New Testament and historical documents. In what is sure to be controversial, Boteach asserts that contradictions in the New Testament regarding who bears responsibility for Jesus crucifixion, Jesus feelings toward the Jews as well as issues like Jesus divinity and the question of Judas existence, prove that editors of early texts chose to distort that Jesus was, in fact, a beloved member of the Jewish community who rebelled against Roman brutality, not Jewish law. Boteach reiterates that although he does not believe in Jesus as Messiah, he hopes that a new look at Jesus as a man who lived and died as an observant Jew will help eliminate anti-Semitism, establish good will between the faiths and strengthen Judeo-Christian values. This well-researched analysis will certainly reopen intrafaith and interfaith dialogue. --Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Shmuley Boteach is one of the worlds leading relationship experts and values and spirituality exponents. He is the author of twenty-six books, which have been translated into eighteen languages, and his columns, TV, and radio appearances are regular staples in media all over the world. Rabbi Shmuley has debated and discussed Jesus and Christianity with leading Christian scholars for more than twenty years, and his columns on Judaism and Christianity have appeared in the Wall St. Journal, Jerusalem Post, Huffington Post, Washington Post, London Times, Guardian, and many other leading publications. Rabbi Shmuley was labeled a cultural phenomenon and the most famous rabbi in America by Newsweek magazine, and is regularly listed as one of the ten most influential rabbis in the United States. Rabbi Shmuley lives in Englewood, NJ, with his Australian wife Debbie. They have nine children. Follow him on Twitter @RabbiShmuley.
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89 of 105 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"Kosher Jesus" - A Book Review
In his new, highly controversial book, Kosher Jesus, Shmuley Boteach sets the stage by describing the strong overtures of Christian love towards Israel and the Jewish people. Boteach views this development as a positive step in the Jewish - Christian relationship; however, Boteach points out, there is still a sticking point between Jews and Christians, and that is Jesus. [1]
Boteach's book presents a solution [2] that he believes will allow both Jews and Christians to overcome the barrier that stands between them. [3] Boteach proposes that instead of Jesus being the issue that divides us[4], we should allow him to serve as a bridge that unites us in the common interest of promoting Judeo - Christian values.[5]
Setting the bar in his introduction, Boteach boldly claims to know the "authentic story" of Jesus of Nazareth[6]. Virtually all historians and scholars agree that when trying to reconstruct the life of the "Historical Jesus" one is crippled by the lack of surviving evidence outside of the Gospels (records which Boteach himself disqualifies.)[7] This leads the reader to wonder how Boteach is going to make his case convincing.
Basing himself on the works of Hyam Maccoby, Boteach insists that although the Gospels cannot be accepted as authentic or reliable, they have nevertheless retained traces of a Jewish Jesus who did not teach against the observance of the Torah[8] and who never claimed to be God. Boteach sees Jesus as a patriot who fought against the occupying Romans; a struggle which cost him his life.
Boteach recognizes that Maccoby's works alone - which argue that the real Jewish Jesus was radically different than the "Christian" Jesus - have not convinced Jews (or Christians, for that matter) to re-evaluate their deeply ingrained vision of Jesus. Boteach is intent on presenting a more persuasive case with "historical underpinnings".
In order to vindicate his view of Jesus, Boteach questions the reliability of the Jewish and Christian sources about Jesus, asserting that the truth has been obscured on both sides. In this book, he puts forth the fruit of his "twenty years of in-depth study of Christianity and the New Testament".[9]
According to Boteach, Jesus is actually an impressive scholar and a visionary[10] who never claimed to be divine. He is someone with whom the rabbis "have no problem whatsoever".[11] [12] Boteach's Jesus rebels against the Romans and is crucified by the Romans. End of story. Boteach hopes that by presenting Jesus as a Jewish freedom-fighter and sage, Jews will now embrace the impressive scholar and visionary he sees in Jesus.[13]
Boteach urges his Christian readers to focus on the humanity of Jesus.[14] In Boteach's view, Christians, who are staunch supporters of Israel and the Jewish people should be able to get past the Jewish rejection of the "Christian Jesus" and expand their view of Jesus to include a Jewish Jesus, who fought for his country and was killed by the Romans.
Boteach's retelling of the Church's infancy offers little new information except for his views about Peter[15] who he claims is the author of an anti-Semitic document.[16] The resurrection claims of Jesus' early followers are conspicuously missing in "Kosher Jesus"[17], an omission that would raise the eyebrows of his Christian readers.[18]
When turning to Paul, Boteach emphasizes that Paul distorted what the real Jesus stood for.[19] In a chapter entitled "Paul the Convert", Boteach asserts that Paul's claim of being a Pharisee is highly suspect. "The belief that Paul was a convert to Judaism dates back to the time immediately following Jesus' death. The Ebionites, the remnants of the Jerusalem Church under the leadership of James (whom the New Testament and Josephus say was Jesus' own brother), insisted that Paul was a non-Jew who had converted to Judaism".[20] In reality, however, this is a theory that Maccoby himself (Boteach's only source for this) admits is not a historical fact but rather something based on a single questionable fourth-century document.[21]
Boteach is understandably upset with Paul for distorting the message of Jesus. But in his zeal to discredit Paul he shoots himself in the foot.[22] Boteach mistakenly combines two of Paul's teachings[23] in order to accuse Paul of misquoting and giving fraudulent meaning to a verse from Deuteronomy 21:23. [24]
Boteach also exposes the Gospel writers for their ineptitude in stitching together the data.[25] For example, he calls out the Gospel of John for being inconsistent with the synoptic Gospels by placing Jesus' crucifixion on the second day of Passover instead of the first. Boteach found this mistake ironic since in temple times there was only one day on which the Pesach sacrifice was offered and eaten.[26]
Unfortunately, Boteach will find himself guilty on the same charge he brings against the author of the Gospel of John. In John, Jesus is not crucified on the second day of Passover; he is reportedly crucified on the day before Passover, at the precise time that the Paschal Lamb would have been brought to the Temple in accordance with Jewish Law. [27]
In trying to help his readers understand why Jews must reject Christian doctrines such as: original sin, the virgin birth, the messiahship of Jesus and the deity of the messiah, Boteach refutes these doctrines, appealing to logic as well as the Jewish scriptures.[28] He apologizes to Christians for doing so[29] making it clear to his audience that he has no problem with Christians believing these things[30], but for Jews he says, these doctrines are not acceptable.[31]
Bible-believing Christians may view this as hypocrisy, since Boteach's assurance is that "Jews want Christians to observe Christianity".[32] But then in a fiery response to his Jewish critics, he writes that he is trying to spread the Noachide covenant as per the wishes of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. [33] Surely Boteach is aware that according to the view of Maimonides[34] and the Lubavitcher Rebbe[35], a Christianity that worships a man as God (a practice Boteach strongly rejects[36]), has no place in the Noachide covenant.
At the same time, Jews will also have problems with Boteach's propositions.[37] Judaism will never view Jesus as a prophet[38] and a holy man.[39] Does Boteach honestly expect the Jewish community to re-examine and learn the teachings of Jesus? [40] This suggestion contravenes rabbinic enactments against the study of non-Jewish sacred texts including the Christian Scriptures.[41] [42] Jews have never been, nor will they ever be quick to buy into anything that is associated with Jesus or with the Christian Scriptures. Since Boteach acknowledges that the teachings of the Christian Scriptures in their current form are unacceptable, his proposal to Jews is all the more perplexing.
In summation, despite Boteach's good intentions, this book is a poor stab at presenting a scholarly view on Jesus. Boteach's recommendations are an affront to Jews and Christians and will only appeal to those who are uninformed in matters of religion and history.
This review was prepared by Rabbi Eli Cohen of Jews for Judaism Australia.
[1] Others have tried to ignore this "600 pound gorilla" for the sake of fostering mutual love and respect between the two parties. This approach has been highly controversial and has attracted criticism from members of both faiths. Jewish critics are strongly suspicious of this new friendship, warning that the sincere and much appreciated support of these groups notwithstanding, the evangelical embrace may be a Trojan horse. On the other side, Christian critics are upset with some of the Christian groups involved in this new friendship for withholding a more overt Gospel message from Jews who they believe need to accept and embrace it. To read more on this issue please see The Double-Edged Evangelical Embrace by Rabbi Michael Skobac http://jewsforjudaism.org.au/resources/articles/the-double-edged-evangelical-embrace/
[2] This suggestion is not new. Professor Amy-Jill Levine, has been promoting this idea for years, most notably in her book The Misunderstood Jew. "Once the differences between church and synagogue are acknowledged, Christians and Jews are in a better position to determine how far their mutual relations can go." The Misunderstood Jew p.210. See also The Christian and the Pharisee by David Rosen and R. T Kendall. "I do also hope that the readers will be impressed by the fact that notwithstanding our profound differences, it is possible to discuss even these respectfully without pulling any punches; that it is possible to hear and say tough things and still remain (indeed even grow as) loving friends." The Christian and the Pharisee p.151.
[3] Kosher Jesus p.209.
[4] "If we are to move past millennia of anti-Semitism and use the personage of Jesus as a bridge rather than a wedge between Christians and Jews, we must address the meaning of Jesus from all angles and to all observers, Jewish and Christian alike." Kosher Jesus p.150.
[5] "Christianity and Judaism remain separate faiths. But by finding their common ground through a discovery of the Jewish Jesus, we strengthen America's Judeo-Christian values. And that is, in the end, the essence of what I seek to accomplish." Kosher Jesus p.213.
[6] " ...everything I present has scriptural and historical underpinnings making a case I believe will be persuasive" p. xx Kosher Jesus. Perhaps Boteach should have warned his readers that the ideas presented here about Jesus are speculative, rather than calling them "the truth" Kosher Jesus p.198.
[7] Kosher Jesus p.91 and p.93. Read more ›
In his new, highly controversial book, Kosher Jesus, Shmuley Boteach sets the stage by describing the strong overtures of Christian love towards Israel and the Jewish people. Boteach views this development as a positive step in the Jewish - Christian relationship; however, Boteach points out, there is still a sticking point between Jews and Christians, and that is Jesus. [1]
Boteach's book presents a solution [2] that he believes will allow both Jews and Christians to overcome the barrier that stands between them. [3] Boteach proposes that instead of Jesus being the issue that divides us[4], we should allow him to serve as a bridge that unites us in the common interest of promoting Judeo - Christian values.[5]
Setting the bar in his introduction, Boteach boldly claims to know the "authentic story" of Jesus of Nazareth[6]. Virtually all historians and scholars agree that when trying to reconstruct the life of the "Historical Jesus" one is crippled by the lack of surviving evidence outside of the Gospels (records which Boteach himself disqualifies.)[7] This leads the reader to wonder how Boteach is going to make his case convincing.
Basing himself on the works of Hyam Maccoby, Boteach insists that although the Gospels cannot be accepted as authentic or reliable, they have nevertheless retained traces of a Jewish Jesus who did not teach against the observance of the Torah[8] and who never claimed to be God. Boteach sees Jesus as a patriot who fought against the occupying Romans; a struggle which cost him his life.
Boteach recognizes that Maccoby's works alone - which argue that the real Jewish Jesus was radically different than the "Christian" Jesus - have not convinced Jews (or Christians, for that matter) to re-evaluate their deeply ingrained vision of Jesus. Boteach is intent on presenting a more persuasive case with "historical underpinnings".
In order to vindicate his view of Jesus, Boteach questions the reliability of the Jewish and Christian sources about Jesus, asserting that the truth has been obscured on both sides. In this book, he puts forth the fruit of his "twenty years of in-depth study of Christianity and the New Testament".[9]
According to Boteach, Jesus is actually an impressive scholar and a visionary[10] who never claimed to be divine. He is someone with whom the rabbis "have no problem whatsoever".[11] [12] Boteach's Jesus rebels against the Romans and is crucified by the Romans. End of story. Boteach hopes that by presenting Jesus as a Jewish freedom-fighter and sage, Jews will now embrace the impressive scholar and visionary he sees in Jesus.[13]
Boteach urges his Christian readers to focus on the humanity of Jesus.[14] In Boteach's view, Christians, who are staunch supporters of Israel and the Jewish people should be able to get past the Jewish rejection of the "Christian Jesus" and expand their view of Jesus to include a Jewish Jesus, who fought for his country and was killed by the Romans.
Boteach's retelling of the Church's infancy offers little new information except for his views about Peter[15] who he claims is the author of an anti-Semitic document.[16] The resurrection claims of Jesus' early followers are conspicuously missing in "Kosher Jesus"[17], an omission that would raise the eyebrows of his Christian readers.[18]
When turning to Paul, Boteach emphasizes that Paul distorted what the real Jesus stood for.[19] In a chapter entitled "Paul the Convert", Boteach asserts that Paul's claim of being a Pharisee is highly suspect. "The belief that Paul was a convert to Judaism dates back to the time immediately following Jesus' death. The Ebionites, the remnants of the Jerusalem Church under the leadership of James (whom the New Testament and Josephus say was Jesus' own brother), insisted that Paul was a non-Jew who had converted to Judaism".[20] In reality, however, this is a theory that Maccoby himself (Boteach's only source for this) admits is not a historical fact but rather something based on a single questionable fourth-century document.[21]
Boteach is understandably upset with Paul for distorting the message of Jesus. But in his zeal to discredit Paul he shoots himself in the foot.[22] Boteach mistakenly combines two of Paul's teachings[23] in order to accuse Paul of misquoting and giving fraudulent meaning to a verse from Deuteronomy 21:23. [24]
Boteach also exposes the Gospel writers for their ineptitude in stitching together the data.[25] For example, he calls out the Gospel of John for being inconsistent with the synoptic Gospels by placing Jesus' crucifixion on the second day of Passover instead of the first. Boteach found this mistake ironic since in temple times there was only one day on which the Pesach sacrifice was offered and eaten.[26]
Unfortunately, Boteach will find himself guilty on the same charge he brings against the author of the Gospel of John. In John, Jesus is not crucified on the second day of Passover; he is reportedly crucified on the day before Passover, at the precise time that the Paschal Lamb would have been brought to the Temple in accordance with Jewish Law. [27]
In trying to help his readers understand why Jews must reject Christian doctrines such as: original sin, the virgin birth, the messiahship of Jesus and the deity of the messiah, Boteach refutes these doctrines, appealing to logic as well as the Jewish scriptures.[28] He apologizes to Christians for doing so[29] making it clear to his audience that he has no problem with Christians believing these things[30], but for Jews he says, these doctrines are not acceptable.[31]
Bible-believing Christians may view this as hypocrisy, since Boteach's assurance is that "Jews want Christians to observe Christianity".[32] But then in a fiery response to his Jewish critics, he writes that he is trying to spread the Noachide covenant as per the wishes of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. [33] Surely Boteach is aware that according to the view of Maimonides[34] and the Lubavitcher Rebbe[35], a Christianity that worships a man as God (a practice Boteach strongly rejects[36]), has no place in the Noachide covenant.
At the same time, Jews will also have problems with Boteach's propositions.[37] Judaism will never view Jesus as a prophet[38] and a holy man.[39] Does Boteach honestly expect the Jewish community to re-examine and learn the teachings of Jesus? [40] This suggestion contravenes rabbinic enactments against the study of non-Jewish sacred texts including the Christian Scriptures.[41] [42] Jews have never been, nor will they ever be quick to buy into anything that is associated with Jesus or with the Christian Scriptures. Since Boteach acknowledges that the teachings of the Christian Scriptures in their current form are unacceptable, his proposal to Jews is all the more perplexing.
In summation, despite Boteach's good intentions, this book is a poor stab at presenting a scholarly view on Jesus. Boteach's recommendations are an affront to Jews and Christians and will only appeal to those who are uninformed in matters of religion and history.
This review was prepared by Rabbi Eli Cohen of Jews for Judaism Australia.
[1] Others have tried to ignore this "600 pound gorilla" for the sake of fostering mutual love and respect between the two parties. This approach has been highly controversial and has attracted criticism from members of both faiths. Jewish critics are strongly suspicious of this new friendship, warning that the sincere and much appreciated support of these groups notwithstanding, the evangelical embrace may be a Trojan horse. On the other side, Christian critics are upset with some of the Christian groups involved in this new friendship for withholding a more overt Gospel message from Jews who they believe need to accept and embrace it. To read more on this issue please see The Double-Edged Evangelical Embrace by Rabbi Michael Skobac http://jewsforjudaism.org.au/resources/articles/the-double-edged-evangelical-embrace/
[2] This suggestion is not new. Professor Amy-Jill Levine, has been promoting this idea for years, most notably in her book The Misunderstood Jew. "Once the differences between church and synagogue are acknowledged, Christians and Jews are in a better position to determine how far their mutual relations can go." The Misunderstood Jew p.210. See also The Christian and the Pharisee by David Rosen and R. T Kendall. "I do also hope that the readers will be impressed by the fact that notwithstanding our profound differences, it is possible to discuss even these respectfully without pulling any punches; that it is possible to hear and say tough things and still remain (indeed even grow as) loving friends." The Christian and the Pharisee p.151.
[3] Kosher Jesus p.209.
[4] "If we are to move past millennia of anti-Semitism and use the personage of Jesus as a bridge rather than a wedge between Christians and Jews, we must address the meaning of Jesus from all angles and to all observers, Jewish and Christian alike." Kosher Jesus p.150.
[5] "Christianity and Judaism remain separate faiths. But by finding their common ground through a discovery of the Jewish Jesus, we strengthen America's Judeo-Christian values. And that is, in the end, the essence of what I seek to accomplish." Kosher Jesus p.213.
[6] " ...everything I present has scriptural and historical underpinnings making a case I believe will be persuasive" p. xx Kosher Jesus. Perhaps Boteach should have warned his readers that the ideas presented here about Jesus are speculative, rather than calling them "the truth" Kosher Jesus p.198.
[7] Kosher Jesus p.91 and p.93. Read more ›
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
It won't create the bridge between Judaism and Christianity that Boteach intended
February 19, 2012
By James Pyles
Format:Hardcover
In order to make his points regarding the Jewish identity of Jesus credible, Rabbi Boteach had to deconstruct every single major tenet of the Christian church. Jesus was a man and not God incarnate. He thought he was the Messiah (which is not a crime in Judaism) but obviously he wasn't since he died rather than successfully establishing Israel's self-rule. He was not born of a virgin, he did not speak against the Law, he lead a lifestyle that was completely Jewish and totally consistent with the Law of the Jews, and he didn't want to have anything to do with the non-Jewish peoples. He hated Rome and he loved his people and wanted to free them from their cruel oppressors. Period.
While I agree there is much to learn by rediscovering the Jewish Jesus, I'm not sure what Rabbi Boteach wants his Christian readers to do about it. If a Christian were to read all of this and take every word at face value, questioning nothing, he'd have to conclude that his Christian faith is a sham. He'd have to conclude that everything he had been taught by the church about Jesus and faith and salvation was at best, an elaborate fantasy, and at worst, the most heinous of lies.
I really don't think most Christians will be taking this part of the book to such extremes. Yes, they may be confused. Yes, they may certainly feel offended. But since Rabbi Boteach says it is not his intent to confuse or offend his Christian readers, how does he expect them to reconcile their faith with his book short of tossing it into the trash can?
If Rabbi Boteach really believes that it's possible the content of the New Testament was divinely inspired, as he states at one point in his book, I can understand why a good many Orthodox Jewish Rabbis are upset with him right now. Also, if he really believes that statement, how can he use the New Testament content to acknowledge his viewpoint of Jesus the Rabbi and political dissident while denying Jesus the Messiah, Prophet, and Savior from God? He can't have it both ways, or can he?
In order to encourage his Christian readers to not "discard but to expand their existing ideas about who Jesus really was," Rabbi Boteach is encouraging them (us) to still consider the New Testament text as divinely inspired and containing hidden messages, just as the Tanakh (Old Testament; Hebrew Bible) does, from a Jewish point of view.
In making this statement (and I have to be really careful here), Rabbi Boteach does not sound unlike some of those Jews who really do believe Jesus was the Messiah King and who accept that the New Testament has as much validity as a holy book of the Jews as does the Tanakh.
No, I don't think Rabbi Boteach is some sort of "crypto-Messianic Jew," but some of what he writes intersects with what the ethnically, culturally, and religiously Jewish people who have faith in Jesus as Messiah and Savior believe.
Rabbi Boteach walks a very fine line here. He must communicate that he, as a Jew, does not believe for a split second that Jesus was of divine origin or any of the supernatural claims about him that are typically made in Christianity, but at the same time, he must convince his Christian readers that he does not think they are a bunch of fools or lunatics for believing everything the church believes about Christ.
I don't think that's possible or at least, I don't think that Rabbi Boteach actually pulled it off. Either Jesus is the Christ as the church says he is, divine in origin, having a place of extremely high merit in the Heavenly court, and is much more than just one of the myriad tzadikim in Jewish history...or he was a great Rabbi, a passionate leader of his people, a revolutionary who desired to free Israel from Rome...and he was a man who died fighting for a worthy cause. It may be possible to overlap those roles and to distill out of them, a portrait of the Jewish Jesus who was Messiah, Prophet, miracle worker; who died and was resurrected but never ever abandoned his people or taught against the Law, but you can't delete so much of the Christian faith from the Jewish Jesus and have him remain the resurrected King who will return on the clouds to free not only Israel, but the world.
Either Christians, mistaken though they may be in not recognizing the true Jewishness of Jesus, can have faith in their Savior or they can't. Rabbi Boteach may intrigue his Christian readers, and he may get some of them to consider a somewhat more Jewish perspective on the heretofore Gentile Jesus, but he will never sell the Christians that Jesus had no power to save their souls, and never even wanted to. Any Christian who would choose to completely embrace Rabbi Boteach's reconstruction of Jesus would be a person completely broken in their faith; crushed under the burden of a salvation lost and a King who never cared about all the Gentiles in need of a Savior. I don't think the Christians who choose to read his book will want to accept that.
While I agree there is much to learn by rediscovering the Jewish Jesus, I'm not sure what Rabbi Boteach wants his Christian readers to do about it. If a Christian were to read all of this and take every word at face value, questioning nothing, he'd have to conclude that his Christian faith is a sham. He'd have to conclude that everything he had been taught by the church about Jesus and faith and salvation was at best, an elaborate fantasy, and at worst, the most heinous of lies.
I really don't think most Christians will be taking this part of the book to such extremes. Yes, they may be confused. Yes, they may certainly feel offended. But since Rabbi Boteach says it is not his intent to confuse or offend his Christian readers, how does he expect them to reconcile their faith with his book short of tossing it into the trash can?
If Rabbi Boteach really believes that it's possible the content of the New Testament was divinely inspired, as he states at one point in his book, I can understand why a good many Orthodox Jewish Rabbis are upset with him right now. Also, if he really believes that statement, how can he use the New Testament content to acknowledge his viewpoint of Jesus the Rabbi and political dissident while denying Jesus the Messiah, Prophet, and Savior from God? He can't have it both ways, or can he?
In order to encourage his Christian readers to not "discard but to expand their existing ideas about who Jesus really was," Rabbi Boteach is encouraging them (us) to still consider the New Testament text as divinely inspired and containing hidden messages, just as the Tanakh (Old Testament; Hebrew Bible) does, from a Jewish point of view.
In making this statement (and I have to be really careful here), Rabbi Boteach does not sound unlike some of those Jews who really do believe Jesus was the Messiah King and who accept that the New Testament has as much validity as a holy book of the Jews as does the Tanakh.
No, I don't think Rabbi Boteach is some sort of "crypto-Messianic Jew," but some of what he writes intersects with what the ethnically, culturally, and religiously Jewish people who have faith in Jesus as Messiah and Savior believe.
Rabbi Boteach walks a very fine line here. He must communicate that he, as a Jew, does not believe for a split second that Jesus was of divine origin or any of the supernatural claims about him that are typically made in Christianity, but at the same time, he must convince his Christian readers that he does not think they are a bunch of fools or lunatics for believing everything the church believes about Christ.
I don't think that's possible or at least, I don't think that Rabbi Boteach actually pulled it off. Either Jesus is the Christ as the church says he is, divine in origin, having a place of extremely high merit in the Heavenly court, and is much more than just one of the myriad tzadikim in Jewish history...or he was a great Rabbi, a passionate leader of his people, a revolutionary who desired to free Israel from Rome...and he was a man who died fighting for a worthy cause. It may be possible to overlap those roles and to distill out of them, a portrait of the Jewish Jesus who was Messiah, Prophet, miracle worker; who died and was resurrected but never ever abandoned his people or taught against the Law, but you can't delete so much of the Christian faith from the Jewish Jesus and have him remain the resurrected King who will return on the clouds to free not only Israel, but the world.
Either Christians, mistaken though they may be in not recognizing the true Jewishness of Jesus, can have faith in their Savior or they can't. Rabbi Boteach may intrigue his Christian readers, and he may get some of them to consider a somewhat more Jewish perspective on the heretofore Gentile Jesus, but he will never sell the Christians that Jesus had no power to save their souls, and never even wanted to. Any Christian who would choose to completely embrace Rabbi Boteach's reconstruction of Jesus would be a person completely broken in their faith; crushed under the burden of a salvation lost and a King who never cared about all the Gentiles in need of a Savior. I don't think the Christians who choose to read his book will want to accept that.
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By Mark S
Format:Hardcover
Whilst I honor the integrity and courage of Schmuley Boteach, an Orthodox Rabbi, in putting Jesus of Nazareth, the most influential Jew of all time, on the Jewish agenda, I have real problems with the content of this work.
Kosher Jesus is being presented as a landmark book of brilliant and original content.. The trouble with brilliant ideas is that they are not always original, and original ideas are not always brilliant. Kosher Jesus is neither brilliant nor original. At times its author readily admits his debt to the scholarship of Hyam Maccoby. Nevertheless, its provenance in terms of contemporary academia is much older. S.F.G Brandon in his groundbreaking studies Jesus and the Zealots: A Study of the Political Factor in Primitive Christianity and The Trial of Jesus of Nazareth was the first to argue that Jesus was a patriotic Jewish revolutionary and Pharisee, who was executed by the Romans after a disastrous coup d'etat in the Temple. Rabbi Boteach makes no reference to Brandon's work yet it was he who laid out that Jesus saw his Messianic candidature in terms of a revolt, with himself as a politico-military redeemer who had no delusions of deity. But Paul, a Roman "stooge", reinvented Jesus as divine and won over the primitive church to his position following the numbing disillusion of defeat and the delay of the parousia. According to Brandon, Paul subverted Jesus from being a loyal Jewish rabbi and patriot, into becoming a mythical figure of divinity.
However, this theory is deeply flawed. Even if we accept that the Gospel writers redacted, one generation would not be long enough for the genesis of completely ahistorical legend. Besides, why would the writers of this sophisticated deception carelessly leave so many glaring anomalies and contradictions in their manuscripts? Just one example; a Zealot Jesus would assassinate a tax collector, not select him as a disciple, and how plausible is it that Matthew would have ended up as an authorized biographer? Rabbi Boteach argues that the multitudes of contradictions the New Testament has with Jesus as a Zealot proves that its text has been corrupted. But by far the most plausible explanation of this is that Jesus never was, nor ever claimed, to be a political insurgent. Neither friends nor enemies confused him as being one either. Therefore the central premise of Kosher Jesus, that Jesus was a Zealot, is plain wrong.
Nevertheless, Kosher Jesus is well written and provocative. An uninformed audience may find it persuasive, and even attractive to a reader who wants to like Jesus but completely evade the Nazarene's teaching about himself Rabbi Boteach's enduring achievement in writing Kosher Jesus is not its intellectual persuasiveness but its daring of Jews and Christians alike to think about who Jesus really was, and explore beyond the rigid boundaries of creedal presumption.
Kosher Jesus is being presented as a landmark book of brilliant and original content.. The trouble with brilliant ideas is that they are not always original, and original ideas are not always brilliant. Kosher Jesus is neither brilliant nor original. At times its author readily admits his debt to the scholarship of Hyam Maccoby. Nevertheless, its provenance in terms of contemporary academia is much older. S.F.G Brandon in his groundbreaking studies Jesus and the Zealots: A Study of the Political Factor in Primitive Christianity and The Trial of Jesus of Nazareth was the first to argue that Jesus was a patriotic Jewish revolutionary and Pharisee, who was executed by the Romans after a disastrous coup d'etat in the Temple. Rabbi Boteach makes no reference to Brandon's work yet it was he who laid out that Jesus saw his Messianic candidature in terms of a revolt, with himself as a politico-military redeemer who had no delusions of deity. But Paul, a Roman "stooge", reinvented Jesus as divine and won over the primitive church to his position following the numbing disillusion of defeat and the delay of the parousia. According to Brandon, Paul subverted Jesus from being a loyal Jewish rabbi and patriot, into becoming a mythical figure of divinity.
However, this theory is deeply flawed. Even if we accept that the Gospel writers redacted, one generation would not be long enough for the genesis of completely ahistorical legend. Besides, why would the writers of this sophisticated deception carelessly leave so many glaring anomalies and contradictions in their manuscripts? Just one example; a Zealot Jesus would assassinate a tax collector, not select him as a disciple, and how plausible is it that Matthew would have ended up as an authorized biographer? Rabbi Boteach argues that the multitudes of contradictions the New Testament has with Jesus as a Zealot proves that its text has been corrupted. But by far the most plausible explanation of this is that Jesus never was, nor ever claimed, to be a political insurgent. Neither friends nor enemies confused him as being one either. Therefore the central premise of Kosher Jesus, that Jesus was a Zealot, is plain wrong.
Nevertheless, Kosher Jesus is well written and provocative. An uninformed audience may find it persuasive, and even attractive to a reader who wants to like Jesus but completely evade the Nazarene's teaching about himself Rabbi Boteach's enduring achievement in writing Kosher Jesus is not its intellectual persuasiveness but its daring of Jews and Christians alike to think about who Jesus really was, and explore beyond the rigid boundaries of creedal presumption.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Hypocritical work of bias and arrogance...
The real difficulty I have taking Shmuely Boteach seriously is that he is intellectually dishonest and uses a variety of questionable assumptions regarding the authenticity of the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Yochanon ben Yisroel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you Rabbi Boteach!
This book has really helped me to deepen my understanding of my faith. It has spurred me to do more research, and to endeavor to walk more closely with the Lord. Read more
Published 1 month ago by AC
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kosher is Wrong Title
I would have given the book another title.
But the book is okay, and the Rabbi takes much of it from others
who he acknowledges.
It's what you believe. Read more
But the book is okay, and the Rabbi takes much of it from others
who he acknowledges.
It's what you believe. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dav Lev
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 'must read' read for any Christian who sees Jesus as Jewish; in...
Since Rabbi Boteach and I are basically on the same page when it comes to the Jewishness of Jesus, I found comfort in knowing I'm not alone in this belief (Jews see it, Christians... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Fraser Whitbread
5.0 out of 5 stars
I am a weird guy
Ok,
I have to say that Rabbi Boteach has made me think. Along with Pamela Eisenbaum, Maccoby, and Falk. Read more
I have to say that Rabbi Boteach has made me think. Along with Pamela Eisenbaum, Maccoby, and Falk. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Wellyouaskedforit
5.0 out of 5 stars
Transformed me spiritually
If you truly approach this book with an open mind, an objectivity that assume you don't know everything there is to know about who this "Jesus" was, or anyone affiliated,... Read more
Published 5 months ago by April
5.0 out of 5 stars
Of course Jesus was kosher.
A very interesting and thought provoking book. Well written and very well researched. Presents a view more popular with thinkers than those who just accept.
Published 6 months ago by winenut
5.0 out of 5 stars
Short review for "Kosher Jesus"
A very different view of the New Testament: the events that led up to the crucifixion, Paul, Peter and Jesus himself. The New Testament from the Jewish viewpoint. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Harold P. Scheyer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Kosher Jesus
I sampled "Kosher Jesus" because I had seen the author in a debate with the late Christopher Hitchens. I had hoped to find material that was not covered in the debate. Read more
Published 8 months ago by james studdard
4.0 out of 5 stars
And now, for a completely different take on the New Testament
I'm glad I read this. I've spent the last few years, as a Christian, reading more critical analysis / historical perspective / etc. takes on the NT. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Kelly Bowers
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