Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
Although the roots of Christianity run deep into Hebrew soil, many Christians are regrettably uninformed about Jewish origins. This volume delineates the link between Judaism and Christianity, between the Old and the New Testament, and calls Christians to reexamine their Hebrew roots so as to effect a more authentically biblical lifestyle.
As an introduction to the world of Hebrew thought, Our Father Abraham is biblical, historical, and cultural in nature. At the same time, the writing is personal and passionate, reflecting Marvin Wilson’s own spiritual pilgrimage and his extensive dialogue with Jews. The book develops a historical perspective on the Jewish origins of the church, sets forth the importance and nature of Hebrew thought, discusses how the church can become more attuned to the Hebraic mind-set of Scripture, and offers practical suggestions for interaction between Jews and Christians.
The study questions at the end of each chapter enhance the book’s usefulness as a text and also make it suitable for Bible study and discussion groups. All Christians—and Jews too—will profit from Wilson’s sensible treatments of biblical texts, his thorough understanding of both the Christian and the Jewish faith, and his honest historical analysis of the general failure of the Christian church to acknowledge and understand its relation to Judaism.
Top Highlights
“Proverbs 22:6: ‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.’ The Hebrew verb translated ‘train’ is ḥanakh. The Old Testament use of this word deserves particular comment in that ḥanakh has become part of modem Hebrew terminology for learning. In modern Hebrew, the word ḥinukh means ‘education,’ and a meḥannekh is an ‘educator.’” (Page 291)
“As children of Abraham, Christians should be asking, ‘What does it mean to claim spiritual kinship with Abraham and the Jewish people?’” (Page 5)
“In the New Testament, Peter’s speech to his fellow Jews gathered near the Temple indicates that they, as physical descendants of Abraham, are heirs of this promised blessing (Acts 3:25; cf. 3:12). But the New Testament also indicates that gentile believers—those who are spiritual rather than lineal descendants of Abraham—likewise share in this Abrahamic kinship (cf. Gal. 3:8). Indeed, all Christians find their origin in Abraham the Hebrew, for, as Paul states, ‘If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed’ (Gal. 3:29).” (Page 4)
“Israel is ‘the root that supports you’ (v. 18). One may say that for a Gentile to have a right relation to God he must humbly accept and appreciate a Jewish Book, believe in a Jewish Lord, and be grafted into a Jewish people, thereby taking on their likeness through a commonly shared stock.” (Page 16)
“His third daughter, Chava, is about to marry a non-Jew. She says, ‘The world is changing, Papa.’ Tevye replies, ‘No. Some things do not change for us. Some things will never change.’” (Page 225)
- Title: Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
- Author: Marvin R. Wilson
- Publishers: Eerdmans, Center for Judaic-Christian Studies
- Print Publication Date: 1989
- Logos Release Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Judaism › Relations--Christianity; Christianity and other religions › Judaism; Christianity › Origin
- ISBNs: 9780802804235, 0802804233
- Resource ID: LLS:RFTHRBCHRSTNFTH
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:43:07Z