Jesus Was a Jew
Overview
In this small but mighty book, the author comes to grips with basic issues in theology, such as why Jesus died and why Jewish people object to Him. This rabbinic interpretation presents passage after biblical passage relating the Old Covenant’s fulfillment in the Messiah. For two decades, Jesus Was a Jew has proven itself an incredibly powerful witnessing tool to Jewish people, and it is ideal for Jewish friends who are skeptical of your faith, but willing to read.
Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Controversy over the answer still rages today. Was he a good teacher? Was he a well-meaning, but confused, religionist? Was he a disciple of another teacher?
Regardless of your answer, Jesus was a Jew.
This resource is also available as part of Ariel Ministries Messianic Collection (11 volumes).
Product Details
- Title: Jesus Was a Jew
- Author: Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum
- Publisher: Ariel Ministries Press
- Publication Date: 1981
- Pages: 156
About Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum
One of the foremost authorities on the nation of Israel, Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum is a messianic believer and founder and director of Ariel Ministries, a Texas-based organization dedicated to evangelism and discipleship of Jewish people.
Dr. Fruchtenbaum was born in Siberia after his father was released from a communist prison there. Aided by the Israeli underground, the Fruchtenbaum family escaped from behind the Iron Curtain. While living in Germany from 1947 to 1951, Arnold received Orthodox training from his father – who had himself been reared to assume Chasidic (ultra-orthodox Jewish) leadership in Poland, only to later lose most of his family and his faith to the Holocaust. The Fruchtenbaums immigrated to New York, and five years later, at age 13, Arnold came to saving faith.
Before receiving his doctorate from New York University in 1989, Dr. Fruchtenbaum earned his Th. M. from Dallas Theological Seminary. His graduate work also includes studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Having lived in Israel for three years, Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s intensive study of the role of that nation in God’s plan of world redemption has made him a much in-demand speaker at Bible conferences and schools throughout the world.
Top Highlights
“The interpretation that Isaiah 53 is referring to the Jewish people is really a recent one. The original interpretation of Isaiah 53 by Jewish rabbis has been that it is speaking of an individual—the Messiah himself. In fact, the concept of Messiah, the Son of Joseph, comes from this passage.” (Page 25)
“This, then, is the explanation of the mystery of Genesis 3:15. Messiah would be reckoned after the seed of a woman because he would not have a father. Because of a virgin birth, he could only be traced through his mother and not his father. Thus, Isaiah 7:14 clarifies the meaning of Genesis 3:15: The Messiah will enter the world by means of the virgin birth.” (Page 53)
“The skins were animal skins. The nakedness that the element of sin now revealed needed to be covered. But the covering required the death of several animals and so, for the first time in history, blood was shed. This provides the root meaning of the Hebrew word for atonement, which is ‘a covering.’” (Page 80)
“Among the earliest Targums are those of Jonathan ben Uzziel dating from the first century a.d. His Targums on this passage of Isaiah begin with these words: ‘Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper.…’ The Targums of Jonathan ben Uzziel were heavily quoted by the early rabbis and he was certainly considered an authority on the Jewish view of Scripture. He definitely considered the Isaiah passage to speak of Messiah. Jonathan ben Uzziel could hardly be accused of adopting the ‘Christian interpretation.’” (Page 26)
“Jesus himself never wrote a book—not so much as a line—yet it is estimated that more than sixty thousand volumes have been written about him. Eight hundred languages and dialects tell his story. Such is the incomparable grandeur of his influence that for nineteen centuries he has held the undivided interest of men.” (Page 12)
- Title: Jesus Was a Jew
- Author: Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum
- Publisher: Ariel Ministries
- Print Publication Date: 1981
- Logos Release Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Jesus Christ › Person and offices; Jesus Christ › Jewish interpretations
- Resource ID: LLS:JESUSWSJEW
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-12T08:31:56Z
Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (1943– ) is a messianic believer and founder and director of Ariel Ministries, an organization dedicated to evangelism and discipleship of Jewish people. He earned his doctorate from New York University and his MTh from Dallas Theological Seminary, and he studied at Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
As a child, Dr. Fruchtenbaum was trained by his father in Orthodox Judaism, but at age thirteen he came to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. He worked as a missionary with the American Board of Missions to Jews (known today as Chosen People Ministries) and served as editor of their monthly publication, The Chosen People.
Dr. Fruchtenbaum is the author of Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis and the eleven volumes in the Ariel Ministries Messianic Collection, and he is the coauthor of How Jewish Is Christianity?: 2 Views on the Messianic Movement.
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Richard Labelle
4/23/2016
Justin Cofer
7/17/2013
