Kosher Jesus
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| Author | Shmuley Boteach |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Religion |
| Publisher | Gefen Publishing House |
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Publication date
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February 1, 2012 |
| Media type | Hardcover, eBook |
| Pages | 300 |
| ISBN | |
Kosher Jesus is a book by the Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, focusing on the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. Originally published in 2012, the book purports to examine the origins of the teachings of Jesus within the context of Second Temple Judaism in the 1st century, and compares scholarly views on the historical figure of Jesus with the theological ideals expressed by the Jewish writers of early rabbinic literature.
Kosher Jesus aims to present what Boteach considers the rabbinic origins of the teachings of Jesus, and holds to the belief that Jesus never claimed personal divinity or any status as the Jewish Messiah. In an interview with the magazine Publishers Weekly, Boteach stated that the book "traces the teachings of Jesus to their original sources: the Torah, the Talmud and rabbinic literature", and went on to identify an encounter with a Christian evangelist as an important event that led him to write the book:
"It started when I was a young student rabbi on campus giving out Purim presents to students when this 30-year-old guy came over smiling, and drew a crowd as he made a scene about his joy for Purim. Then he subtly took out his New Testament and Hebrew Bible and confronted me about why I didn’t believe in Jesus. He was a Christian missionary, and in front of all these students he told me I would burn in hell without Jesus. I was gob smacked at my inability to respond. From that day I started reading the New Testament and memorizing large portions of it as well as of the Hebrew Bible."
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