At the Foot of the Mountain: Two Views on Torah and the Spirit
Ebook
Where does a relatively young movement turn for identity and direction when it straddles the fence between two competing major religions? Messianic Jews have done something that for centuries was considered untenable. Like Christians, they have embraced Jesus as the divine Messiah, but they have refused to surrender their place within the Jewish people. How compatible are these two sides of Messianic Jewish faith? Can Messianic Jews participate as full members in both the body of Messiah and the people of Israel? Can they be led by the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised while also following the rulings of the Jewish sages? Did Jesus affirm rabbinic authority, or does that authority now lie elsewhere within the new covenant? In this volume, Messianic Jewish rabbi Joshua Lessard and Messianic Jewish scholar Jennifer Rosner debate the path forward for Messianic Judaism as it grapples with being the child of divorced parents--the church and Israel. Both Lessard and Rosner are committed to the success of Messianic Judaism, though they put forth contrasting visions of what that means. The discussion herein is unique and provocative, not only for Messianic Jews, but for all who have wrestled at the crossroads of Torah, tradition, and Spirit.
“Reading this book is like listening to a fascinating debate
between cousins I have always admired and learned from. The debate
is over a question that divides the Messianic Jewish community:
What role, if any, should Rabbinic Judaism have in Messianic Jewish
life? Rabbi Lessard and Professor Rosner are leaders and deep
thinkers. We Gentiles have much to learn from them.”
—Gerald McDermott, author of Israel Matters
“Rosner and Lessard explore the relationship between Torah
observance and the role of the Holy Spirit, a burning question for
Messianic Jews and all concerned with understanding the
relationship between law and grace. Their respectful and attentive
‘argument for the sake of heaven’ demonstrates that the
identity-defining questions of the first-century Jewish disciples
of Jesus are just as important today. Their dialogue on key
exegetical, hermeneutical, and theological issues is a delight to
read.”
—Richard Harvey, author of Mapping Messianic Jewish
Theology
- Title: At the Foot of the Mountain: Two Views on Torah and the Spirit
- Authors: Joshua M. Lessard, Jennifer M. Rosner, David Rudolph
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666700657, 1666700657
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666700657
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-22T14:06:12Z
Jennifer M. Rosner is Affiliate Assistant Professor of
Systematic Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. You can find
her online at www.jenrosner.com.
Joshua M. Lessard is ordained as a Messianic Jewish rabbi through
the IAMCS and leads Tree of Life Messianic Fellowship in
Tallahassee, Florida.