The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective [Paperback]

Pinchas Lapide (Author), Wilhelm C. Linss (Translator)

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Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157910908X
• ISBN-13: 978-1579109080
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable book by a remarkable man., December 22, 1999

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective (Paperback)

In this remarkable volume -- unfortunately not now in print -- Pinchas Lapide, an Orthodox Jewish scholar of the New Testament, mounts a surprising argument that the resurrection of Jesus was a historical event.

Dr. Lapide, recognizing that Christianity stands or falls with the resurrection itself, regards Jesus the man as a Torah-faithful Jew "who wanted to bring the kingdom of heaven in harmony, concord, and peace." Noting that the resuscitation of the dead by God is, and has long been, a part of Jewish belief, he examines the New Testament accounts of the resurrection of Jesus and finds what he describes as a "Jewish faith experience" in full consonance with the historical teachings of Judaism.

He concludes as follows: "[A]s a faithful Jew, I cannot explain a historical development which, despite many errors and much confusion, has carried the central message of Israel into the world of the nations, as the result of blind happenstance, or human error, or a materialistic determinism . . . . [T]he Easter faith has to be recognized as a part of divine providence."

He does not regard resurrection as literally "miraculous," if that word denotes an arbitrary suspension of cause and effect. But he does not see why a resurrection is any more "miraculous" than a birth -- in which, after all, dead matter in some way springs to life as a person. If once, why not twice?

He also points out carefully that the resurrection does not make Jesus "the Messiah of Israel for Jewish people." Jesus, he insists (with textual support from two millennia of Jewish history, including Moses Maimonides), was/is a "paver of the way" for the Messiah, not (necessarily) the Messiah himself -- though Dr. Lapide has said elsewhere that if the Messiah comes and _does_ turn out to be Jesus, that will of course be fine with him.

All in all, this marvelous little book is thought-provoking in its own right, utterly remarkable as a sympathetic Jewish understanding of Christianity, and a tremendous contribution to Jewish-Christian dialogue that has not, to my knowledge, received the attention it deserves. I hope it comes back into print. In the meantime, anyone interested in its contents is advised to seek a used copy.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic thought piece crossing religious boundaries., May 30, 1999

By 

Derek Leman (Snellville, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective (Paperback)

Have you ever considered whether the resurrection of Jesus really happened? Rabbi Pinchas Lapide, a devout Orthodox Jewish man has not only thought about it, he sets out in this book to prove it. When an Orthodox rabbi says Jesus rose from the dead, you can expect some interesting discussion. The book does not disappoint. Lapide looks at the resurrection with Jewish eyes. Resurrection, he says, is a Jewish concept in the first place. Furthermore, the gospels are just too honest about the disciples' faithlessness to be fiction. While Lapide is not a follower of Jesus, his book made a splash in the religious world when it came out in 1979. Time Magazine ran an article on this book in the religion section (May 7, 1979). Lapide sees Jesus' resurrection as ordained by God to bring in non-Jewish people to monotheistic faith. The book is an easy read for anyone interested in the subject and the discussion is compelling throughout. Some of Lapide's arguments will surprise, even shock some people of Christian or Jewish background. Although it is out of print, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Jewish-Christian dialogue, in the resurrection, in modern Judaism and its trends, or in the Jewish roots of Christianity.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Unique and Studied Perspective, February 20, 2006

By 

C. Price "Layman, Lawyer, Blogger" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective (Paperback)

Dr. Lapide is an Orthodox Jew, a theologian, a specialist in New Testament studies, and says "I accept the resurrection of Jesus not as an invention of the community of disciples, but as a historical event." To him, it is Christian claims about Jesus as the messiah rather than about the resurrection, that is the key divide between Christianity and Judaism.

This thoughtful book is a combination of history, theology, and philosophy. Lapide, in my opinion, too easily accepts the claims of some scholars who argue that Paul was ignorant of an empty tomb, the resurrection accounts in the gospels are hopelessly contradictory, and show the reflections and concerns of the early Christian community rather than the history of the event. But Lapide himself believes that too much weight has been given to these objections, and holds that once the narratives and reports are understood in their Jewish context, they are of sufficient worth to prove that Jesus was indeed raised bodily from the dead by God.

Lapide is impressed with how Jewish the resurrection accounts are insists on their being understood in that context. He vividly describes the development of the concept of resurrection in Jewish thought, explaining how Jewish resurrection belief developed as a result of its faith in a righteous God that would not let the evil on earth have the last victory. The rest of the discussion of Jewish attitudes on the resurrection, and a chapter on the Passover meal, is also valuable though not as uncommon today as when he wrote this book.

Lapide accepts the truth of much of the resurrection narratives because of the candidness with which they portray the failings and faithlessness of those who were to later be leaders in the young Christian movement. Lapide is also impressed with the prominence given to witnesses as to the empty tomb and the resurrection. He provides a Jewish perspective and Jewish references about the lack of value the Jews of the time would have placed on the word of women witnesses. Especially in such a stressful time as grieving for a loved one. Other chapters provide additional reasons for accepting the historicity of Jesus' resurrection and the significance of that resurrection.

Though an able scholar, this small book is more and less than the usual academic treatment of the issue. It is unrepentantly a Jewish examination of the history and nature of the resurrection. As such it is a valuable contribution not only to the study of the resurrection, but to dialogue between Jews and Christians.