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99 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
True Christianity is rooted in Judaism, July 3, 2005
This review is from: Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church (Paperback)
This valuable book explores the history of the first century of the Christian religion, showing that the early leaders of the church were Jewish, that the early church was organized on the pattern of the synagogue and explaining what Jesus really meant in his frequent use of Jewish idioms that were literally translated into Greek with the resulting confusion of meaning. The book is written as a study text with review questions at the end of each chapter. What emerges is quite astonishing and not at all what many Christians have been led to believe. In the context of the Hebrew idioms, many perplexing utterances of Jesus become perfectly clear. Chapter One presents the evidence for the Jewish background of the early church and discusses the early Hebraic names for the church. The fascinating Chapter Two deals with Jewish idioms in the teachings of Jesus; it includes passages on the parable of the reed and the oak, the golden vine, binding and loosing, the good eye and sounding the trumpet. Chapter Three examines misconceptions regarding the law. It includes discussions of the law and grace, the Holy Spirit and the law, Paul and the law, the famous Gnostic Marcion and his view of the law, the letter of the law, the purpose of the law, and great Christian leaders' view of the law. Chapter Four explores the old and the new covenants, the Noachide laws and 4th century theology, whilst the next chapter looks at subjects like the Holy Spirit, grace and gifts before Christ, the three stages of salvation and the relationship of the law to the New Testament. Chapters Six to Nine are an in-depth study of the Pharisees, including their theology, their study and worship, and the Sadducees, Scribes and Essenes. There are also passages discussing their duties, their communities and the different types of Pharisee. Their teachings are discussed in Chapter Eight, which includes discussions of miracles, traditions, evangelism and teaching methods. The final chapter looks at similarities between the Puritans and the Pharisees, Pharisaic doctrines and the schools of Hillel and Shammai. The last chapter lists eight significant conclusions of the preceding text. These include the fact that Christianity was born within the matrix of Judaism and that the original language, idioms, customs, organizational structure and religious practices of the church were thoroughly Jewish. The book contains a glossary, a bibliography and endnotes arranged by chapter. I highly recommend this work to all Christians who wish to understand the roots of their faith and what Jesus really meant, especially where his words in the English translations of the Bible appear to be confusing. In this regard, I suggest the interested reader also consult the brilliant book by David Bivin: Understanding The Difficult Words Of Jesus.
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128 of 133 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, Thoroughly Documented, Well-Contemplated Book, March 3, 2001
This review is from: Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church (Paperback)
Dr. Moseley's volume is a well written, thorougly documented, understandable work with an important message: one cannot understand the Gospels or the early church with precision unless one enters into the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Besides being a true scholar and theologian, Dr. Moseley also serves as a pastor, and his pastoral experience has probably contributed toward his ability to explain complex thoughts with clarity and precision. The book is divided into nine chapters, my favorite being the second, "Jewish Idioms in the Teachings of Jesus." This chapter opens up several Gospel portions and alone is worth the purchase price of the book. Whether or not you agree with the author on every point, this volume will expose you to the Jewish roots of the Christian faith while also opening up a number of Gospel or New Testament passages. As a pastor of over 20 years and a diligent student of the Word (who values good interpretational principles), I say this book is a must for pastors, theologians, or serious laymen. This is by no means the "same old same old." Go for it.
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80 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good intro to the Jewish Roots of Christianity, March 6, 2005
This review is from: Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church (Paperback)
Dr. Moseley has given the body of believers a nice, readable analysis of the early believers in Yeshua (Jesus). If you are new to Messianic studies or to the Jewish background to the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) this is a good book with which to start. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required. The book takes you on a journey through some of the conflicts between Christianity and Judaism by analyzing the Jewish roots of Christianity. For example, there is a detailed analysis about the Pharisees that most Christians likely have not studied. Most Christians assume a Pharisee is the epitome of hypocrisy; some were but not all, as we learn from the Scripture. Dr. Moseley also uses Josephus and Talmudic sources to show what the Pharisees believed and gives a brief outline about how believers in Yeshua began their dangerous departure from their Jewish roots. There is also a nice description about 10 hard to understand comments of Yeshua that make a lot of sense in light of His Jewish roots. Personally, I found Dr. Moseley's descriptions better than those of Bivin (Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus). It is a shame he only discusses ten of these. The most serious flaw in the book is that the author divides up the Torah into parts, and reasons that some Laws are "active" and the others are fulfilled (such as those related to the temple). Such a division is helpful, but unscriptural. He also makes some serious assumptions about the adherence beyond the Noachide Laws; more detail (instead of a reference) would have been helpful.. Dr. Moseley's discussion about Yeshua's and Paul's reaction to the Law, however, are quite good. What I found especially helpful is the analysis of the Scripture in light of other Jewish sources. Although the Talmud is not inspired, it is helpful for understanding some of what people believed when Yeshua was on the Earth. The chapters are brief, digestible, and come with study questions. In summary this is a good starter book that will enlighten those new to the Jewish roots of Christianity, but it will also give some food for thought to those more experienced
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