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A Modern Day Rabbi's Interpretation of the Teachings of Jesus
A Jewish Rabbi explores the life of Jesus and the impact the New Testament has had on Jewish religion.
120 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2000
About the author
Lewis D. Solomon
6 booksrabbi Lewis D. Solomon
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 27, 2024
A RABBI LOOKS AT THE "AUTHENTIC" SAYINGS OF JESUS
Lewis D. Solomon is an ordained Rabbi and a graduate of Yale Law School. He teaches Business law and lives in Washington D.C.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 2000 book, "For the past 2000 years, Jesus has occupied a focal point in Western religion and culture. He is one of the great sages of history. Increasingly, however, biblical scholars have focused on critically assessing the historical reliability of the New Testament Gospels as a record of what Jesus said. After discussing the work of the Jesus Seminar, this introduction sets forth the topical organization of Jesus' sayings in this book, summarizes the essence of his teachings, and provides an introduction to the Jewish roots of Jesus' teaching." (Pg. ix)
He adds, "I have organized the sayings, that in the best judgment of the members of the Jesus Seminar constitute the authentic words of Jesus... The careful reader may wonder why this book contains 65 sayings, instead of the 90 identified by the Jesus Seminar. There's a simple explanation: I combined several closely related sayings into one unified expression of Jesus' teaching... In this book, I want to let Jesus speak for himself and explain his continued relevance for the Third Millennium, even for those who reject Jesus as a human divinity or a path to salvation.
"But what is the essence of Jesus' teachings? I would single out six points: First, Jesus focuses God's Domain... Second, Jesus explains God's relationship to humanity... Third... are human relationships built on certain virtues and modes of conduct... Fourth, Jesus is an astute socio-economic commentator... Fifth, Jesus provides a sharp critique of traditional Jewish religious purity rules... Sixth, reversal of expectations and impermanence... play an important role for Jesus." (Pg. x-xii)
He says about Jesus' statement [Mt 5:44, 46] to love one's enemies, "Here, Jesus builds upon the biblical admonition: 'Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself' [Lev 19:18] and 'your stranger as yourself' [Lev 19:34; Deut 10:18-19]." (Pg. 11)
This is an excellent and thought-provoking interpretation of the teachings of Jesus, and will be of great interest to all interested in the Jewish-Christian dialogue, or nontraditional perspectives on Jesus' teachings themselves.
Lewis D. Solomon is an ordained Rabbi and a graduate of Yale Law School. He teaches Business law and lives in Washington D.C.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 2000 book, "For the past 2000 years, Jesus has occupied a focal point in Western religion and culture. He is one of the great sages of history. Increasingly, however, biblical scholars have focused on critically assessing the historical reliability of the New Testament Gospels as a record of what Jesus said. After discussing the work of the Jesus Seminar, this introduction sets forth the topical organization of Jesus' sayings in this book, summarizes the essence of his teachings, and provides an introduction to the Jewish roots of Jesus' teaching." (Pg. ix)
He adds, "I have organized the sayings, that in the best judgment of the members of the Jesus Seminar constitute the authentic words of Jesus... The careful reader may wonder why this book contains 65 sayings, instead of the 90 identified by the Jesus Seminar. There's a simple explanation: I combined several closely related sayings into one unified expression of Jesus' teaching... In this book, I want to let Jesus speak for himself and explain his continued relevance for the Third Millennium, even for those who reject Jesus as a human divinity or a path to salvation.
"But what is the essence of Jesus' teachings? I would single out six points: First, Jesus focuses God's Domain... Second, Jesus explains God's relationship to humanity... Third... are human relationships built on certain virtues and modes of conduct... Fourth, Jesus is an astute socio-economic commentator... Fifth, Jesus provides a sharp critique of traditional Jewish religious purity rules... Sixth, reversal of expectations and impermanence... play an important role for Jesus." (Pg. x-xii)
He says about Jesus' statement [Mt 5:44, 46] to love one's enemies, "Here, Jesus builds upon the biblical admonition: 'Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself' [Lev 19:18] and 'your stranger as yourself' [Lev 19:34; Deut 10:18-19]." (Pg. 11)
This is an excellent and thought-provoking interpretation of the teachings of Jesus, and will be of great interest to all interested in the Jewish-Christian dialogue, or nontraditional perspectives on Jesus' teachings themselves.
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