Jesus Christ is arguably the most famous man who ever lived. His image adorns countless churches, icons, and paintings. He is the subject of millions of statues, sculptures, devotional objects and works of art. Everyone can conjure an image of Jesus: usually as a handsome, white man with flowing locks and pristine linen robes. But what did Jesus really look like? Is our popular image of Jesus overly westernized and untrue to historical reality? This question continues to fascinate. Leading Christian Origins scholar Joan E. Taylor surveys the historical evidence, and the prevalent image of Jesus in art and culture, to suggest an entirely different vision of this most famous of men. He may even have had short hair.

This book addresses the questions about the believer's relationship to the Torah (the five Books of Moses, or the Pentateuch) and its commandments (the Law): Since Jesus kept the Law, are believers (Jewish and Gentile) also obliged to keep the Law, or at least some portions of it (Sabbath, the food laws, etc.)? What about the Oral Law (rabbinic traditions)? How does the Torah point to the Messiah? How do we apply the Law of Moses today? Though this book is based on more than a decade of academic research, it is written with the non-academic reader in mind and provides easy-to-understand answers to the questions related to the Torah and does so in a manner thoroughly rooted in a careful reading of the biblical text.

Dare 2 Share inspires and equips teenagers to clearly and effectively tell others the Good News about Jesus Christ and the eternal life He offers.

A pioneer in the area of pluralism and interfaith relations, Rabbi Irving Greenberg has spent a lifetime working to overcome the history of hostility between Judaism and Christianity. This book is studded with provocative ideas, which challenge believers on both sides to grow in good faith. In sum, this book is a call for Christians and Jews to work closely together in their evolving partnership with God. Rabbi Greenberg takes us along on a personal journey, initially stimulated by his research on Holocaust testimony, that led to his rethinking of Christianity, and that ultimately gave rise to his belief that Christianity, Judaism, and indeed every religion that works to repair the world and advance the triumph of life, are valid expressions of the universal bond (brit) between God and humankind. In the second part of his book, Greenberg brings together, for the first time, seven of his most important essays on the new encounters between Judaism and Christianity in our generation. It concludes with a study guide and powerful responsive essays by leading Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish commentators, James Carroll, Michael Novak, Mary C. Boys, Krister Stendhal, and David Novak. - Back cover.

How will we be able to recognize the Messiah? Christians claim that Jesus is the Messiah, but how can we know if that is true? Jesus revealed the truth about himself through passages in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings—which together comprise the Tanakh (the Old Testament). In Does the Jewish Bible Point to Jesus?, Messianic Jewish author David Brickner likewise guides us through twelve prophecies from all three sections of the Tanakh to show: why God promised a Messiah. how God planned to bless the whole world through the Jewish people. the location and strange circumstances of the Messiah's birth. how and why the Messiah would suffer and die. how the Messiah would exceed human limitations . . . and more. You’ll also find stories of contemporary Jewish people who discovered compelling connections to Jesus in their own Bibles. Whether you’re curious, skeptical, or a committed believer—if you are in search of truth, this book is for you. Come and see how God’s timeless plan to redeem and renew the world still shines as a beacon of hope today.

Jesus never wrote a book. Most scholars assume that information about Jesus was preserved only orally up until the writing of the Gospels, allowing ample time for the stories of Jesus to grow and diversify. Alan Millard here argues that written reports about Jesus could have been made during his lifetime and that some among his audiences and followers may very well have kept notes, first-hand documents that the Evangelists could weave into their narratives.

I accept the resurrection of Jesus not as an invention of the community of disciples, but as an historical event.Ó When a leading orthodox Jew makes such a declaration, its significance can hardly be overstated. Pinchas Lapide is a rabbi and theologian who has specialized in the study of the New Testament. In this book he convincingly shows that an irreducible minimum of experience underlies the New Testament account of the resurrection, however much of the details of the narrative may be open to objection. He maintains that life after death is part of the Jewish faith experience, and that it is Jesus' messiahship, not his resurrection, which marks the division between Christianity and Judaism. Dr. Lapide quotes Moses Maimonides, the greatest Jewish thinker, in his support: All these matters which refer to Jesus of Nazareth...only served to make the way free for the King Messiah and to prepare the whole world for the worship of God with a united heart.Ó