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The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective

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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.

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.

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.

I must say that I am surprised that this book is not replete with superficial compliments and indirect slander. Such is usually what takes place in most Jewish literature that even brings up the subject of Christianity.

Pinchas Lapide is the only Jewish scholar who has bothered to objectively study Christianity. He has spent the time studying not only Greek but the writings of the early church fathers. Included with his own theological background, he makes numerous successful attempts of approaching the New Testament in a Jewish mindset; something all other Jews are generally radically opposed to.

The Resurrection is something both Judaism and Christianity believe in, and his exposition of the topic is surprisingly refreshing. He notes correctly that Christians do not place enough emphasis in the Resurrection of Jesus, something which, in his mind, is the decisive thrust of the New Testament. He is consistant in noting that it is extremely unlikely that Christianity would have made it out of the 1st Century had the Resurrection not taken place. The Gospels simply do not carry the kind of embellisments that one would expect from a propagandive political movement.

Pinchas Lapide, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, is indeed a rare breed of man. He does not fear to draw the ire of his own religious community in order to make a bold and controversial statement: Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. Lapide does NOT believe that Jesus' resurrection is the consequence of the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity, nor that it establishes that Jesus was the Messiah. Lapide makes it very clear that he rejects both Christian beliefs. Jesus' resurrection, in his view, was a free and loving act of the God of Israel, who thus ensured that the monotheistic faith of the Jewish people would be bequeathed to the Gentiles as well. I found this book to very concise, well written and interesting to read. Lapide does not really engage in a critique of the historical Jesus, unlike Rabbi Jacob Neusner, who wrote the intriguing "A Rabbi Talks with Jesus." That would have been interesting to read. Lapide shakes his head at both the unebelieving detractors of Jesus'resurrection and at its scholarly Christian re-interpreters (e.g., Bultmann, Rahner). Now, reading a book written by a practicing Jew who criticizes the skeptics, is indeed refreshing!

Pinchas Lapide, and orthodox Jew, makes the case that, being so steeped in history as the Tanakh is, that it is inconsistent for Jews to reject the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The extreme change in the actions of the Apostles and the rise of Christianity point toward an actual event of, well, Biblical proportions. Neither the Romans nor the Jews would have stolen the body of Jesus, because his death was meant to quell the rumors of rebellion and heresy. That the early Christians would embrace martyrdom for a fraud is not logical.

From this acceptance of the resurrection, Lapide does not claim to embrace Jesus as Messiah or as God incarnate. He instead notes that many prophets of the past have also been associated with similar miracles. Enoch walked into Heaven, Elijah was carried away on a flaming chariot, Elijah raised a child from the dead as did Elisha, and merely touching the bones of Elisha was enough to return a man to life whose corpse had been thrown into that prophet's tomb. None of these claimed divinity or the title of Messiah. Lapide continues that even the Jewishness of the Gospels portrays Jesus as being raised, not as raising himself.

Much discussion can be made of whether Pauline theology or early Church dogma somehow twisted the meaning of the resurrection or if Jesus truly was the third person of the Trinity. Lapide avoids this discussion and instead affirms that Jesus of Nazareth can be accepted by believing Jews as a prophet who was resurrected, and whose resurrection was the catalyst used by God to spread Judaism and its unique monotheism throughout the world. That Christianity is a monotheism is not to be doubted, Lapide claims, even if to Jews it is an odd monotheism.

That Lapide can approach this subject with such candor is refreshing and enlightening. He has achieved what he had set out to achieve: to contribute a valuable work in opening a Jewish-Christian dialogue about faith.

I'm a Christian, and this book has given me a new perspective on early Christianity and the meaning of the resurrection of Jesus. I'm an Episcopalian/Anglican, and I have many questions. Growing up, I was told very plainly that Jesus was a Jew,which has colored my views of our related, but very different, religious traditions. So I was very interested to read a warm, meticulously presented "Jewish Perspective" on Jesus. I wish all Jewish comments on Christianity were as open to our different views as my religious training was, and is, open to our religious forebear, Judaism.

This book will not offend. It is a very pro-jewish look at the role of resurrection in jewish religious literature (Talmud, Tanakh, midrash, etc.) with refreshing results. It does not try to create a syncretism of the two religions but shows that Christianity is a "fellow faith" with its own purpose with God. The book also clearly states why resurrection is not enough for proof of Messiahship in Judaism. Brilliant!

The introduction is largely written for the Christian audience which puts Judaism in its place within its own religion (Christianity). Personnally, I did not like but it is a good connective beginning for the Christian. If your Jewish, I suggest that you read the book first then the introduction. Translation quality is also superb. This book gets a big thumbs up! Too bad such popular authors as Rabbi H. Kushner doesn't treat the interfaith dialogue with as much sensitivity as this author does [see Kushner's To Life].

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Pinchas Lapide (1922-1997) was a Orthodox Jewish theologian and Israeli historian and diplomat. In 1979, he wrote this book, and it actually made the "Religion" section of Time magazine (May 7, 1979 issue), because of his controversial thesis: "I accept the resurrection of Jesus not as an invention of the community of disciples, but as a historical event." He calls the resurrection the only way to explain the Easter faith, which "has to be recognized as a part of divine providence" and a tool to bring monotheism to Gentiles. Obviously, conservative Christian scholars viewed this "concession" as confirmation of the historical evidence for the resurrection.

But Lapide shows that such as event would not be so "miraculous" in a Jewish context; he cites cases of people in the Bible who reportedly never died, such as Enoch in Genesis 5:24, as well as people like Elijah, who in 2 Kings 2:11 reportedly ascended into heaven without dying; not to mention three people who were said to have been revived from the dead: a woman's son who was raised by Elijah in First Kings 17:17-24, a child who was raised by Elisha in Second Kings 4:32-36, and a man who was revived by contact with the bones of Elisha in Second Kings 13:20-21. So for Lapide, a 'resurrection from the dead' wouldn't necessarily mean that the person who was resurrected was divine, since "it was faith alone that enabled people to experience what the apostles called the resurrection."

Christians tend, however, to minimize or ignore Lapides' other comments, such as, "I cannot believe in the empty tomb nor in the angels in white garments nor in the opening of the heaven nor in the absurd miraculousness of the so-called Gospel of Peter. All that belongs to the pious fraud of later generations..." and "I therefore can accept neither the messiahship of Jesus for the people of Israel nor the Pauline interpretation of the resurrection of Jesus."

This book is ESSENTIAL READING for anyone interested in the historical Jesus, Jewish perspectives on Jesus, adn Jewish/Christian dialogue.