Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Theological Objections-Volume Two
Overview
“Jews don't believe in the Trinity; we believe in one God, not three.” “God doesn't have a son.” “Jews don't believe in a suffering Messiah.” In volume two, Dr. Brown provides real answers to twenty-eight theological objections showing how New Testament teachings on atonement, God's nature, and the Messiah’s divinity are in harmony with Jewish beliefs. He treats these objections seriously and fairly, building answers from the often surprising teachings in rabbinic literature and the Hebrew Scriptures. As Brown’s answers progressively reveal, belief in Jesus is not something alien to Jewish tradition but is profoundly rooted in that tradition, fulfilling its purpose.
Theological objections cut to the heart of the differences between traditional Judaism and Christianity. They involve topics on the nature of God, the Trinity, the Deity of Jesus, and the continuity of the law. Dr. Brown seeks to clarify what the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament actually say about these and other important issues.
Top Highlights
“An interesting passage in the Midrash reads, ‘Moses said to God, ‘Will not the time come when Israel shall have neither Tabernacle nor Temple? What will happen with them then?’ The divine reply was, ‘I will then take one of their righteous men and keep him as a pledge on their behalf so I may pardon [or atone for] all their sins’ ’ (Exodus Rabbah, Terumah 35:4).” (Page 157)
“The Shema was not addressing philosophical issues such as the absolute or compound unity of God. (Would anyone even be thinking of such a question?8) Rather, it was saying to our people Israel that the Lord alone was to be our God—he and no other.” (Pages 5–6)
“Hebrew, along with other Semitic languages, sometimes expressed greatness, supremacy, exaltation, majesty, and fullness by means of compound plural nouns. Plurality could express prominence, ownership, or divinity, all with reference to a single person or single deity. This means that the very concept of ‘compound unity’ or ‘plurality in unity’ was part of the language of the Tanakh. Such concepts would not be foreign to the biblical mind.18 So while these references to God or Lord in the plural do not in any way prove Trinitarian beliefs, they are certainly in perfect harmony with everything we are trying to say here, namely, that in some way the Lord’s unity is complex.” (Pages 9–10)
“It is one thing for Scripture to say that people ‘saw God’ and another thing to say that they ‘saw the glory of God.’ The Bible makes a clear distinction. The problem arises when the Bible explicitly says that people saw God and the traditional translators and commentators tell us something different. Once again, I emphasize that it is Jesus the Messiah—the divine Son, the image of the invisible God, the Word made flesh, the exact representation of the Father’s being—who solves the riddle and explains how someone could really see God, even though God cannot be seen. The Messiah is the visible representation of the invisible, the living manifestation of the glory of God.” (Page 31)
This is a wonderful resource for study of the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.
—Darrell Bock, Research Professor, New Testament Studies; Professor, Spiritual Development and Culture, Dallas Theological Seminary
There is no other contemporary resource like this, and it will no doubt be useful in countering not just Jewish objections but the objections of so many other skeptics and naysayers of the New Testament.
—David Brickner, Executive Director, Jews for Jesus
Brown’s answers to objections are carefully thought out, honest, and well researched. His work provides a useful model on how to do apologetics for all who are interested in articulating and defending the Christian faith.
—Craig Keener, Professor, New Testament Studies, Palmer Theological Seminary, Eastern University
Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, by Michael Brown, is must reading for everyone who desires to be better “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1Peter 3:15). Michael is thorough in his responses to “typical” objections to the Messiahship of Yeshua, yet, his style of writing makes these responses easy to understand. Much insight is to be gained as a result of Michael dealing with issues such as “Christian anti-Semitism”. I also appreciated his views on the Holocaust (not an easy issue to deal with).
—Messianic Rabbi Noach Zaner
- Title: Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Theological Objections-Volume Two
- Author: Michael L. Brown
- Publisher: Baker
- Publication Date: 2000
- Pages: 332