We Jews and Jesus: Exploring Theological Differences for Mutual Understanding » (Reprint)

Significant portions of the world's Jews have lived, or are living, as minorities in predominantly Christian societies. They have, therefore, always been affected by the figure of Jesus. For much of Jewish history this has meant finding ways to respond to Christians who wondered why Jews did not accept Jesus the Jew as the Messiah prophesied about in the Scriptures. The nature of the responses Jews have given to this question varies greatly and has been influenced by both the intellectual climate of their time and the position of Jews within the larger society.

This classic reprint explores what Jews have thought and written about Jesus throughout history and how contemporary Jews, informed by modern critical scriptural scholarship, might think of Jesus today. Written in a non-technical way for the layperson, Rabbi Sandmel examines how Jewish views of Jesus provide valuable perspectives on how Jews have thought about themselves, their religion and their relationship with the broader world. He traces the history of how Jews have described Jesus, highlights what can be learned from modern scholarship and suggests how Jews might view Christianity in light of what has been learned over the centuries.