Within Judaism? Interpretive Trajectories in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the First to the Twenty-First Century

The book explores the shifting boundaries of Judaism from antiquity to the modern period, examining how rabbinic Jews, Christians, and Muslims have negotiated and renegotiated what Judaism is and is not. It challenges the long-held consensus that belief in Jesus cannot belong within Judaism and has the potential to challenge and reshape the theology of contemporary Christianity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 27 November 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

This book explores the shifting boundaries of Judaism from antiquity to the modern period, aiming to clarify the concept of "within Judaism" and the negotiation of Jewish identity by rabbinic Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Initially, belief in Jesus as the Messiah was considered part of first-century Judaism, but by the fourth or fifth century, adherence to Jesus was seen as outside of Judaism. Re-contextualizing New Testament texts within first- or second-century Judaism is an historical exercise that can broaden our understanding of early Christianity, but these texts remain within Christianity due to their reception history. However, the historical "within Judaism" perspective has the potential to challenge and reshape contemporary Christianity's theology, while the modern Messianic Jewish movement challenges the long-held consensus that belief in Jesus cannot belong within Judaism.

Weight: 798g
Dimension: 159 x 236 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978715066