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 the rich Hebrew heritage of the church. 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 life-style.

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 (1) develops a historical perspective on the Jewish origins of the church, (2) sets forth the importance and nature of Hebrew thought, (3) discusses how the church can become more attuned to the Hebraic mind-set of Scripture, and (4) 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.

Christian Scholars Review

A magnificent achievement in calling the entire body of Gentile Christianity to reassess the great religion to which it is permanently indebted.

I. A New People: Abraham's Spiritual Children

1. THE ROOT AND BRANCHES

"Look to Abraham Your Father"
Athens or Jerusalem?
The World of the Bible
The Olive Root and Branches
Grafted into Israel

2. GENTILES, JEWS, AND JEWISH HERITAGE

A New Spiritual Family
A Western World with an Eastern Book
The Problem of Judaizing
Paul and the Law
Jewish Heritage and Today's Church

II. Church and Synagogue in the Light of History

3. THE EARLIEST CHURCH AND JUDAISM

Jesus and His Followers
Beginnings: A Jewish Church
The Hebraists and the Hellenists
Stephen and the Hellenists
Outreach to Gentiles
The Special Calling of Paul
Further Success among the Gentiles
The Council of Jerusalem

4. THEOLOGICAL CONFLICT AND PERSECUTION

Theological Differences
Persecutions
Summary

5. "HERETICS" AND THE SYNAGOGUE

The Birkat ha-Minim: Definition
The Origin of the Benediction
The Minim and Notzrim
"Put out of the Synagogue"
The Nidduy and Herem
Conclusion

6. THE JEWISH REVOLTS AND THE PARTING OF THE WAY

The First Jewish Revolt (A.D. 66-73)
Between Revolts: The Academy at Yavneh
From Sabbath to Lord's Day
The Second Jewish Revolt (A.D. 132-135)
The Parting of the Way

7. A HISTORY OF CONTEMPT: ANTI-SEMITISM AND THE CHURCH

The "New" Israel Emerges
From De-Judaizing to Anti-Judaism
The Early Fathers: Blaming the Victims
Allegory: An Attempt to Rescue the Jewish Scriptures
Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages
From Luther to the Present

III. Understanding Hebrew Thought

8. THE OLD TESTAMENT: HEBRAIC FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH

The Heresy of Marcion
Neo-Marcionism
A Neglected Treasure
The Bible of the Early Church
Two Parts, Yet One Book
The Theological Key
God-Breathed and Useful
Discovering the Jewish Jesus
Other Early Jewish Sources
The Shema: Core Affirmation of Israel's Faith
Christianity Is Jewish
The Hebrew Bible and American Beginnings
Foundational, Not Optional

9. THE CONTOUR OF HEBREW THOUGHT

An Energetic People, a Descriptive Language
The Power of Poetry
Painting Verbal Pictures
Block Logic
A Time for Meditation
Everything Is Theological
Religion as a Way of Life
A Different View of Time and History

10. WHERE THE CHURCH WENT WRONG

Dynamic Unity versus Dualism
Otherworldliness versus This-Worldliness
The Individual versus the Community

IV. Jewish Heritage and the Church: Selected Studies

11. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY THROUGH HEBREW EYES

Current Attitudes
Biblical Foundations: Genesis and Marriage
Marriage and Sinai: Two Covenants Compared
Jewish Insights into Marriage and the Family
Values within the Home
Learning about the Family through Fiddler
Older and Better: Aging through Hebrew Eyes

12. PASSOVER AND LAST SUPPER

    The Origin of Passover
    Passover in Old Testament Times
    Passover in New Testament Times
    Jesus' Last Supper
    Passover Today
    Passover and Contemporary Christianity

13. JEWS, CHRISTIANS, AND THE LAND

Jews and the Land: An Overview
Christian Approaches to the State of Israel
Christians and Support of Israel
Epilogue: Prospects for Peace

14. A LIFE OF LEARNING: THE HEART OF JEWISH HERITAGE

Education in Old Testament Times
The Hebrew View of Wisdom
Young Fools and Old Fools
The Hebrew View of Knowledge
Education with a Difference
The Sweetness of Learning
Hebraic Insights on the Task of Teaching
Education in New Testament Times
Everyone a Student
Teaching Methods and Priorities
Study as Worship
"Guard It Well, for It Is Your Life"

V. Toward Restoring Jewish Roots

15. IF NOT NOW.WHEN?

Preliminary Considerations for Christians
Face-to-face in Dialogue
Education and Personal Growth
Social Action
"The Greatest of These Is Love"