Torah Revealed, Torah Fulfilled Scriptural Laws In Formative Judaism and Earliest Christianity

Framing the issue of the disposition of Scriptural heritage in broad terms, these three preeminent scholars seek to identify the recurrent tensions, the blatant points of emphasis, the recurring indications of conflict and polemic in the characterizations of the Gospels and the Mishnah, the letters of Paul and the Tosefta. Nearly every Christianity and nearly all known Judaisms appeal for validation to the Scriptures of ancient Israel, their laws and narratives, their prophecies and visions. To Scripture all parties appeal - but not to the same verses of Scripture. In Scripture, all participants to the common Israelite culture propose to find validation - but not to a common theological program subject to diverse interpretation. From Scripture, every community of Judaism and Christianity takes away what it will, but not with the assent of all the others. The authors contribute their combined insights on the Torah, seeking perspective through contrasting the presentation of common topics and contributing to the theological conversation between Judaism and Christianity. Book jacket.

Baruch A. Levine is the Skirball Professor Emeritus of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University.