Meet the Rabbis

H. Young Brad

Description

Meet the Rabbis explains to the reader how rabbinic thought was relevant to Jesus and the New Testament world, and hence should be relevant to those people today who read the New Testament.In this sense, rabbinic thought is relevant to every aspect of modern life. Rabbinic literature explores the meaning of living life to its fullest, in right relationship with God and humanity. However, many Christians are not aware of rabbinic thought and literature. Indeed, most individuals in the Western world today, regardless of whether they are Christians, atheists, agnostics, secular community leaders, or some other religious and political persuasions, are more knowledgeable of Jesus' ethical teachings in the Sermon the Mount than the Ethics of the Fathers in a Jewish prayer book. The author seeks to introduce the reader to the world of Torah learning. It is within this world that the authentic cultural background of Jesus' teachings in ancient Judaism is revealed. Young uses parts of the New Testament, especially the Sermon on the Mount, as a springboard for probing rabbinic method. The book is an introduction to rabbinic thought and literature and has three main sections in its layout: Introduction to Rabbinic Thought, Introduction to Rabbinic Literature, and Meet the Rabbis, a biographical description of influential Rabbis from Talmudic sources.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• New Testament

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781441232878
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

[Image not included because of rights restrictions.]
The Torah Is a Tree of Life
My child, do not forget my teaching. Focus your heart to observe my commandments . . .

© 2007 by Brad H. Young
Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com
Baker Academic edition published 2010
Previously published in 2007 by Hendrickson Publishers
Ebook edition created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3287-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com (Italics in scripture quotations are author’s emphasis.)
Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Cover art: Schiavone, Andrea (c. 1520–1563). “Christ Teaching in the Temple.” Location: S. Giacomo dell’Orio, Venice, Italy. Photo credit: Cameraphoto Arte, Venice / Art Resource, N. Y. Used with permission.
Dedicated to the memory of Shony Alex Braun, masterful violinist, composer, and humanitarian, who survived the Holocaust and gave joy to millions through his magic fingers and charismatic personality. (See Shony Alex Braun, My Heart Is a Violin [Los Angeles: Shony Music, 2003])
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
List of Illustrations and Maps
Foreword by Rabbi Charles P. Sherman
Foreword by Dr. E. William Bean
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Part I: Introduction to Rabbinic Thought
1. Introduction to Rabbinic Thought
2. Master Teachers and Their Disciples
3. Torah Is More Than Law
4. The Great Sanhedrin
5. Parallel Rabbinic and New Testament Texts
Part II: Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
6. Introduction to Early Jewish Writings
7. Ethics of the Fathers
8. The Amidah Prayer
9. Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith
10. Hillel’s Seven Principles of Bible Interpretation
Part III: Introduction to the Rabbis
11. Meet the Rabbis
12. Both Torahs Were Revealed on Mount Sinai
13. Utopia or Plan of Action?
Part IV: Study Helps
Of Books, Commandments, Laws, Holy Days, and Lineage
Glossary of Terms
Bibliographic Helps
Index of Modern Authors
Index of Subjects
Index of Ancient Sources
Notes
Back Cover
List of Illustrations and Maps
The Torah Is a Tree of Life
Circumcision of Jesus
Jesus Teaching in the Temple
Migration of the Sanhedrin after 70 C.E.
Centers of Rabbinic Teaching
Jesus and the Woman at the Well
Pages from Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin
Raising of Lazarus
The Written and Oral Law
Jesus and the Last Supper Passover Meal
The illustrations on pages 33, 51, 94, 158, and 216 are from Bernard A. Solomon, The Zaddick Christ: A Suite of Wood Engravings . Greenwood, S.C.: Attic, 1973. Used with permission.
Foreword
Rabbi Charles P. Sherman
Four decades ago, I entered Hebrew Union College’s Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati to begin training as a reform Rabbi. During the course of my studies there, I was truly blessed to have required courses in the Inter-Testamental Literature and Period taught by Dr. Samuel Sandmel. Dr. Sandmel was a true pioneer—a Rabbi who was one of the world’s leading authorities on Christian Scripture. He provided his students with a methodology and a context for understanding texts with which we were, in general, unfamiliar. My rabbinate has certainly been enriched by what I began learning in Dr. Sandmel’s courses and also from his books.
I believe that Dr. Brad H. Young’s students in the Graduate School of Theology at Oral Roberts University are similarly blessed. They have the opportunity to study Jewish texts and thought, as well as to gain an understanding of the context for Christian Scripture, from a man who is both a scholar in Judaism and a faithful Christian. It has been my privilege to address Dr. Young’s classes on numerous occasions, and I have been impressed with his students’ curiosity about Judaism, as well as their openness and respect. I especially appreciate that Dr. Young believes Christians should not study rabbinic Judaism merely to understand more clearly the context of early Christianity, but also because Judaism is alive, well, and relevant today.
In this volume, Dr. Young introduces readers, who do not have to be scholars, to the Jewish context of Jesus’ life and times. The author’s impressive knowledge of the period and of Jewish texts, and his ability to summarize vast amounts and types of literature clearly and interestingly, makes this volume very readable. Dr. Young moves readers from the more to the less familiar gracefully. It is my hope that this volume will whet the appetite of Christians new to this approach so that they will read other volumes by Dr. Young, as well as other scholars who appreciate the importance of both Judaism and Jews, historically and today. Jewish readers will also learn from this book.
As one who has toiled for many years in the interfaith vineyards, I have said repeatedly that my own faith has been strengthened, broadened, and enriched by what I have learned from other faith traditions. Dr. Young exemplifies that same belief in his efforts to help faithful Christians “meet the Rabbis.”
Rabbi Charles P. Sherman Temple Israel Tulsa, Oklahoma
Foreword
Dr. E. William Bean
In June, 2006 Dr. Brad Young took me to Bet Shearim during a study trip to Israel. Today this location is referred to as the tombs of the rabbis because of the rich archaeological remains of an enormous necropolis carved out of limestone with very impressive sarcophagi, many of which are resting in their original places. Moreover, in Jewish history Bet Shearim was known as an important center of Torah learning. Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi, the compiler of the Mishnah lived, worked and was buried at Bet Shearim. This city had became the seat of the Sanhedrin. From this time on, the Bet Shearim burial grounds became an important site for Jewish history during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. The faith of the Jewish people flourished at Bet Shearim because of the spiritual and religious leaders who guided the community through hardship and adversity. But Dr. Young does not believe that the rabbis should be buried and forgotten.
It was at Bet Shearim during this trip to Israel that I learned about Dr. Young’s forthcoming book, Meet the Rabbis . I was honored when Dr. Young asked me to write a foreword to this great work.
Twenty-one years ago I was introduced to the Jewish background of Christianity as well as to the close connection between rabbinic literature and the New Testament. At that time, I had already served as a minister of a major denomination for over twenty-four years. After a complete study on the subject, I began to teach people about the Semitic background to the New Testament. For over twenty-one years I have devoted my life to the study of the beginnings of Christian faith and have desired to become Jesus centric, language centric, culture centric, and Kingdom centric in my research and teaching.
In this new book, Dr. Young emphasizes that “Modern Christians selectively read the Gospels from the perspective of traditional church teachings.” The perspective of the church changed rapidly after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. The Body of the Lord drifted away from the Jewish roots that nourished the growing branch of the early church and began to become more influenced by Greco-Roman culture and to become Westernized in thinking and theology. When the Pharisees built a hedge around Torah, the church built a hedge around itself.
Dr. Young stresses that knowing rabbinic teachings and sources throws new light upon the teachings of Jesus, who lived in a world of the Eastern mind-set. He also mentions that to understand prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, the Christian should wholly concentrate on God. Learning about the world religion of Judaism does much to help us understand the start of Christianity.
According to Dr. Young we need “master teachers,” not “master preachers.” Dr. Young reminds us that when Jesus said, “Go into the world and make disciples” (Matt 28:19), the teaching of the Ethics of the Fathers (1:1) parallels this command with a similar statement, “. . . raise up many disciples.” He adds, “For disciples to be made, there is first a need for master teachers.” Dr. Young introduces his readers to Torah masters.
Dr. Young’s work Meet the Rabbis has strengthened my beliefs, enhanced my faith, and given fresh insight into my studies. His statement that, “During the Yavneh period, the Torah teaching—‘Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the L ORD your God is giving you’ (Deut 16:20 NIV )—was interpreted to mean that everyone should follow the scholars of learning to the places where Torah is taught,” has encouraged me to seek out the best of scholarship and to learn for meaningful life transformation. I need to learn from the rabbis. The church needs to learn from the rabbis. Everyone will benefit from learning about the substance and content of rabbinic Judaism.
The principle of the kingdom of heaven is expressed in this book. As we Christians move forward in the Lord’s Movement we should keep in mind His words: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I n