A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans (Hardcover)

by Joseph Shulam (Author), Hilary Le Cornu (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
JOSEPH BARUCH SHULAM (Chief Editor)

Joseph Shulam was born in Sofia, Bulgaria on March 24, 1946. His family immigrated to Israel in 1948, where they settled in Jerusalem. In 1962, he came to faith in Jesus the Messiah. He was educated at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he received a B.A. in Bible and Bible Archeology. He later came to the United States and studied at David Lipscomb College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he received a B.A. in Chemistry and Biblical Studies. Upon completion of his B.A., he returned to Israel where he has since been involved in the local Messianic Jewish community. He continued his studies at the Hebrew University, and received an M.A. in the History of Jewish Thought in the Second Temple Period. From 1972–1975, he studied Rabbinics and Jewish Thought at the Diaspora Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Mr. Shulam is the Director of Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry in Jerusalem. Netivyah is an Israeli-government recognized organization, established by Mr. Shulam for the purposes of studying and teaching the Jewish background of the New Testament, providing a bridge between Jews and Christians and Judaism and Christianity, and nurturing the Messianic Jewish community in Israel. Mr. Shulam is also the Elder of Congregation Roeh Israel, also located in Jerusalem. In addition to Biblical Studies, he lectures worldwide on such subjects as the First Century Church in Jerusalem, the Jewish Roots of the New Testament, and Contemporary Middle East Politics. He was an adjunct professor at Abilene Christian University (ACU), and directed the ACU. graduate extension program in Jerusalem in 1988. Joseph Shulam is married to Marcia Saunders Shulam, and they have two children.

HILARY LE CORNU (Research)

Hilary Le Cornu was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, in 1959. She graduated with honors from Edinburgh University in 1983 with an M.A. in Religious Studies. While pursuing her M.A., she received a certificate in Judaic Studies from the One Year Program at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where she is currently completing her Ph.D. in the Department of Comparative Religion. Miss Le Cornu has been residing in Jerusalem since 1983. In 1986, she began working as Joseph Shulam’s Research Assistant as part of the staff of Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry. She also participated in a four-member Interfaith Reconciliation Program to Rome and the U.S.A. in 1984. She served for a number of years as a volunteer coordinator for the Holocaust Education Seminar at Yad VaShem, and taught a course on Religious Pluralism for the Jerusalem Extension Program of Abilene University in 1988. She spent several years as Adminstrative Officer of the Messianic Midrasha in Israel, and is currently working as a freelance editor and proofreader.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 550 pages
• Publisher: Messianic Jewish Resources International (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880226693
• ISBN-13: 978-1880226698
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #509,357 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth study by an honest man, January 3, 2001

By	B. Dixon (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Joseph Shulam is familiar with the traditions, practices, and history of his people - the Jews. Joseph Shulam is Jewish, but he is a Messianic Jew, which means he believes the Messiah has already come, and the Messiah is Jesus Christ. His life is an example of being on the front lines of faith, and he has been threatened, beaten, shunned, and hated because of his beiefs.

Shulam is a Biblical scholar, as well as an authority on Jewish customs and history. He brings a totally different point of view into this in-depth study of Romans because of his dual heritage.

Dedicated students of the Torah and the Bible will want to add this excellent book to their collection.

17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Theologically Weak, But Some Helpful Material, August 10, 2004

By	Edward J Vasicek (Kokomo, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans (Paperback)

I usually gobble up "Jewish Roots" books, and have generally not been disappointed. Shullam's book, while offering some helpful material, was a let down.

First of all, his theology is not within the evangelical camp. He holds to salvation by faitfulness and baptism (which translates to salvation by faith plus works). Repeatedly throughout the volume, when he comments on Paul's doctrine of salvation by faith, he interprets it as "by faithfulness (through baptism)..." So it is pretty obvious he has an agenda that blinds him to the true nature of grace. He takes a few verses from Romans 6 and uses that as a template for the entire book rather than progressing forward and trying to follow Paul's flow of thought.

His handling of Romans 8:30ff is absolutely awful and completely unsatisfying. The passage obviously deals with all "who love God and are called according to His purpose," (i.e., individually elected to salvation); Shullam claims these verses deal with Israel's election (a subject that does not come up until later in Romans). Terrible.

Secondly, the quotations from Jewish sources rely heavily upon the Qumran Community (aka, "The Dead Sea Scroll People"). Although many scholars (especially liberal ones) believe that John the Baptist and Jesus were heavily influenced by the Qumran Community because they do not believe that either of them taught anything unique or original, most conservatives reject this. Although it is possible that this isolated community did affect the Jewish mentality, they were not main players in Jewish life in the first century (which is why they are never referred to in the Gospels). Brad Young, in his book, "Jesus, the Jewish Theologian" makes the point on pages 15-16 (if you happen to own it).

Some of the quotations from the Apocrypha are enlightening, as are some from the Mishnah and Talmud; but most of them do nothing to amplify the text, and, as I mentioned, the frequently quoted Qumran texts are of debatable worth.

For Jewish roots information, I would recommed David Stern's New Testament Commentary as being on more solid footing. Though Stern does not offer the massive amount of material that Shullam does, the material he does offer is more to the point.

For readers who already have several good commentaries on Romans, I would recommed purchasing this book because it will add an occasionally useful insight from an acient Jewish source, so it is not a complete waste. It was simply a disappointment to me, because I have found other material from the Lederer publisher to be of great value.