Jewish Jesus: Amy-Jill Levine Extended Interview
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ย. 2024
- We all choose how to read religious texts, says Vanderbilt Divinity School New Testament and Jewish studies professor Amy-Jill Levine, co-editor of "The Jewish Annotated New Testament" (Oxford University Press, 2011) . "And what we can do is read graciously in the presence of our neighbor."
Watch our full story on the Jewish story of the New Testament:
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Most folks would call me a Christian because of my belief in Christ but I consider myself a Messianic Jew/a Jew at heart. I really appreciate this passionate professor and her insights! At present there in no woman I'd prefer to hear teach.
This is the second interview with her that I've heard. Very enjoyable and enlightening. Thank you for posting! I like everything she said, but this comment stood out: "...Judaism does not have to be made to look bad in order for Christianity to look good."
I am so glad I came across this interview. It gave me a much better understanding how we (Jews and Christians) should treat each other and have respect for our differences. Thank you for your pure honesty.
We Christians love the Jewish people. God bless you Mrs. Levine. ❤
such an amazing, inspiring teacher. she fills me with curiosity and excitement about learning. a treasure, she is!
I thanked God for a beautiful soul she is, and for me as a christian i am thankful for a teacher like her. But i want to follow Jezus.
Thank you for posting this interview. I enjoyed it greatly.
The translation of the NT by AJL, is so much more understandable fm previous times, because her interpretations are conversational, to-the-point, fatal and verifiable. This is easy to process because it is invitational and understandable, which means you retain, ywhat you've learned from her studies of the works.
Love listening to her. Explaining the Jewish faith without condemning Christianity.
Many do not realize how important this woman is. If she can destroy the barriers erected y by rabbis to prevent Hebrews from reading the New Covenant, she has really accomplished something wonderful. What I would like to see is that more gentiles would read the Tanakh (OT) more carefully to see where the pre-incarnate Yeshua appears throughout.
There is not man-god. Next question.
Bruce R Haskin Sr -- Barriers were erected to prevent Jews (not Hebrews, this isn't ancient Egypt) and Christians from reading each others' texts, by both rabbis and the church. For centuries in Europe, only Catholic clergy were permitted to read the Scriptures -- and then, only in Latin or Greek translation. It was forbidden, sometimes on pain of death, to translate the Bible into the vernacular (common languages) so that all people could read it. Take the log out of your own people's eye before you take the splinter out of the Jews'.
Also, Jews are no different from anybody else: if they want to read something, they'll read it, despite what their leaders say. The reason many Jews won't read the Christian texts is because of centuries of persecution by Christians. Why should Jews want to read the books of those who despised them for so many generations (let alone what's happening now with increased acts of anti-Semitism going on)? The supposed love represented in Christian preaching seems like a cruel lie to people who have been subjected to all varieties of hatred in Jesus' name. Most Jews shun Christianity because they know they'll face prejudice within church walls; when they hear verses like "His blood be on us and our children," and derogatory references to "the Jews" in John's gospel, as well as the equating of Pharisees with hypocrites, churches don't feel like safe places to be a Jew. The history of Holy Week and Passion plays in Europe tells of annual riots through Jewish areas, the forcing of Jews into churches to listen to sermons, of forced baptisms, and sometimes worse acts. In many places, Good Friday was a signal to Jews to go inside their homes, bar the doors and windows, and hope to be spared from violence. If you want Jews to see a loving Yeshua, don't expect to convince them by reinterpreting their own texts. That really won't go over well -- and many Jews don't read those texts anyway. Show them by extending real love without expecting anything in return. That's a true witness.
I have seen no barriers among Jews to reading or even rereading the New Testament. This woman even says that she participated in Christmas rituals. There are three rabbis that I can easily name who are currently examining Christianity on TH-cam and the person they tend to criticize is Paul not Jesus. In fact, they find him Jewish except for remarks about Son of God & Holy Spirits. They don’t think the Trinity is valid and neither do I. So you are promoting garbage. There is nothing, no law, no mitzvah blocking reading anything Christian. In fact, when I was a kid, Jews would read the Bible just to access the Old Testament. Often they looked at the NT and read some Pauline remark and threw their hands up. Paul tells people there’s a New Covenant which is never taught by any of the followers of Jesus. Paul also misquotes the OT and changes words whenever he feels like it. Eventually, he was rejected by the Churches of Asia Minor. Christians give him authorization to change text which is the equivalent of me rewriting an Asimov story and claiming I wrote. Here’s a new word for you: (that is called) plagiarism.
You have made me a more devout Christian, many thanks. Once I heard you speak in Calgary a real pleasure.
I loved the book by Rebekah Simon peter
The Jew named Jesus. I liked how she also embedded Jesus in his Jewish cultural context!!!!
I am a little slow so it took me fifty years to figure out that the only way I was going to change the world was to make myself better. Once I figured that out I saw the bible in a new light. It is the ultimate self-help book. It's God's way of showing us how to be grownups. As a group and as individuals.
I believe that if you’re gentile then you don’t have to keep the law.
However, you can’t consider yourself “grafted in” if you don’t want to live like Israel was expected to live in the eyes of God.
I found it overwhelming to find out the joy that I’ve experienced by keeping God’s given commandments.
It means you don't consider us as grafted in
Leviticus 15.20 has brought you much joy?
@@billyhw5492 working great for me because I’ve read the rest of the law. 🤷🏻♀️
we are to keep Torah we are "grafted in"
Nah, the adopted children don't have to do that, they get a pass.
Tam 1201 That's incorrect. According to the text, you're responsible for the laws given to Noah after the Flood -- don't murder, don't eat the limb off a live animal, set up courts of justice, etc. -- and that's pretty much it. The whole debate in the early church between Paul and the Jerusalem Brotherhood centered around whether or not non-Jews needed to become Jews in order to be Christians. For men, that meant circumcision, which is the focus of the discussion in Acts. Paul said no, the Brotherhood said yes, initially, but then it seems that they relented. In any case, Paul's view won out.
Being "grafted in" through Christianity is a metaphor Paul used; it doesn't mean that non-Jews become Jews that way (just as "there is no Jew or Greek" in Christ doesn't literally mean that, it means in God's sight all are beloved). So non-Jewish Christians get the benefit without having to keep the Torah, while Jewish Christians do continue to keep it (as Paul states). Why? Because in ancient times (and in many places today), belief or faith doesn't change who you are ethnically, by birth.
She and Dr. Marvin Wilson need to combine to a powerful duo!
AJL is my preferred Biblical Scholar because, unlike the secular scholars, she allows for the spiritual/mystical dimension of faith, and, unlike the Christian scholars, I don't have to figure out which of their interpretations is correct. AJL gives a clean presentation from the perspective of an orthodox, faithful Jew, and she accepts Jesus as an authentic Rabbi/prophet in both traditions.
Powerful monologue.
"If we embed Jesus within his Jewish context, the churches will more likely stop bearing false witness against Jews and Judaism." Amy-Jill Levine
Excellent Interview!!!
What has Jersalem to do with Athens? What does Javneh have to do with Rome?
Paul was refering to women being prohibited from teaching in church. For many good reasons. But, there is no prohibition of women evangelizing.
Great Interview. The Books Of Sirach, Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Judith, and the two Books of Machabees part of the Jewish Bible. If not, why?
They were evaluated and determined not to be consistent with what eventually became the cannon. Note that Songs of Songs nearly didn't make it. Ben Sirach is quoted (once) in the Talmud, and the manuscript was found during the 19th in the Cairo Genizah.
@@yahulwagoni4571 Catholics kept them. Jews didn't.
The concept of " grace " meaning that the message of the new testament is " purely spiritual" vs the Torah that is obsessed with " law keeping" with little spirtuality in its text.
Faith without works is dead. Next question?
Jesus was clearly a "card carrying" JEW, one who many viewed as a potential new prophet, and one who built up a large religious movement OPPOSING RULE OVER JEWS BY PAGAN ROMANS, who had been occupying his native land since 63 BCE, when Pompey the Great invaded.
He said you cannot serve TWO MASTER--and who is your "master" if not your government? He wanted a government by Moses' Law, not one of Roman Law--which he was forced to submit to (Matthew 20:25, Mark 10:42).
Jesus was from Galilee, a reservoir of ancient Mosaic religion, so it makes sense that he was a conservative Jew, but one who knew the extant scripture from an early age. Most Jews were illiterate, so he called them "lost sheep" (Psalm 119:176, Matthew 10:6), but he called the Romans "dogs" and "swine"--the names of unclean animals (Matthew 7:6).
And for him to run through the Temple, overturning the tables of the moneychangers and shouting "you have changed God's house of prayer into a den of thieves" certainly indicates he had ZEALOT tendencies. In fact, one of his followers was one "Simon the Zealot". (Read: ZEALOT, a good book by Reza Aslan which explains how Jesus fits the mold of fundamentalists opposing Rome).
I like how her definition of not being hypocritical is to be " fully integrated person" . I e a consistency between what say and how I act.
Lovely
That's what it has always meant.
I might be wrong, but did she she say anything about the resurrection in this seventeen minute video clip? I have just finished writing my own very humble commentary on the New Testament and I agree with everything that she says (up to the point that I am aware of it or have studied it). Jesus and His early Church are deeply deeply rooted in Judaism - why would they not be? The early Christians were not what we( in 2020) think of as 'Christians' - they were Jews who believed that Jesus Christ was their promised Messiah AND they believed that He had risen from the dead. The Church was not spread by ideas and debate about what is Jewish/what is not Jewish, it was spread through the power of the Holy Spirit that the risen Messiah left for His followers and which first touched their lives at Pentecost (which was a Jewish festival, of course). There are many Jews being converted by the power of this same Holy Spirit, and you can see their personal witness in the TH-cam videos called 'One for Israel.' They are far more powerful (and convincing) than this academic...although she is very open and forward thinking I respect her. Peace be with everyone. Dan.
The miracles were not just in the Bible! When you accept Jesus as a personal Savior, miracles happen in our lives too!
She’s clearly interpreting the NT and Jesus merely as an extension of Judaism and not as its fullness
Amazing insight.
Great talk! Pity about the wako comments below lol...
I found out the secret of Jesus and his disciples purposely not washing his hands.. truly amazing. It's 'wow' worthy.
TakeSomeAdvice Yes, especially as taught by Daniel Boyarin
TakeSomeAdvice
The mystery of the Christ and the sutble meanings have to be reveleaed in all its dimensions.There are ppl out there who
need more insights.
TakeSomeAdvice
Some Jews were responsible for his demise not the whole Jewish community then or now.
He was Jewish from the pale of settelment in Russia with blue eyes.
I've been saying these things since I was a child. I'm a Theist, raised Christian.
Previous entry should read: . . . because her interpretations are CONVERSATIONAL, TO0THE-POINT, FACTUAL and VERIFIABLE. ( NOT 'fatal').
I don't think that all she is saying is true about yanking Jesus out of His roots,I think in my church,we love the Old Testament,we just believe he bore our sin on the cross...We love everybody..
But I do love what she says,I think Jews could learn from New Testament..
you are wrong...
The "foreigner" (anyone who is not a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who has decided they want YHWH as their God MUST obey His Divine Instructions in Righteousness! Remember, YHWH did NOT make His New Covenant with Gentiles; He made it with the Torah observant Houses of Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:32). As "grafted in" Gentiles are part of Israel - which means they must do EXACTLY the same as YHWH's "natural children."
When I look at this lady , I remember the Israelites and their covenant. The same ppl.
Interesting
I pray to God that all Jews believe in your way but I have listen to rabbi singer and he can dance the New Testament and Jesus Christ and all riders of the New Testament how can we accept his anger towards Christians I wish they all really felt like you do so lone and may the Lord bless you and keep you and also keep you so we can becomeunits together as God sees it all thank you you are very enlightening I love your view
Really nice.
Jew, gentile many labels but God states who His children are.
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Hyksos, king of Edessa.
Are the purity laws HORRIBLE so much so that nobody can follow?
I am of the opinion that in his youth Jesus learned the carpentry and building trades from his father Joseph. His family was prosperous enough for Jesus to learn to read and write in the context of a religious Jewish education. Sometime in early adulthood, Jesus left his family in Nazareth and settled in Capernaum or Magdala on the Sea of Galilee and became an established rabbi. After his baptism, he was still a rabbi bur was catapulted to fame largely due to his healing miracles and very appealing message to his fellow Israelites. - Z
This statement about Torah like "Torah is only avaluable (or fitting) for jews" this is not right. Howm we believers in Jesus, can trust in a person who have said that Jesus is a mere "jew miracle worker". There's a strong interest of her in say things like this, 'cause she's a professor who teaches in protestants universities. I recommend for all (jews or gentiles) read and practice the whole bible OT and NT as Jesus said in Matthew 5: 17-20 and John 14. Brothers and sisters watch out... the false teacher's and doctrines are in the world. But Jesus the Messiah is with us.
Shalom!! I am wrestling with these passages which seam hostile against Jews, as I have wrestled with the passages about slavery. I have reached the understanding that slavery could be useful in some situations. I am certain there are homeless people who would prefer being slaves rather than living on the street starving. It might be the same with the difficult passages in the Bible. They might not be talking about all the Jews. Because their generalizations are not general. Actually that is often the way also in the Tanach isn't it? There are exagerations, it was the way people wrote it was not considered a lie. Same phenomenon in the Acts where they say everyone in the first church sold there properties, and that the members shared everything but actually there was the possibility also to keep the property so it's probably an exegerated generalizition just like the generalization about the Jews. Jesus was a Jew so how could they possibly be hostile to Jews? How can anyone who wants God's blessing be hostile to Jews? God bless all the Jews!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God bless You. Thank you so much for your interesting lesson!!! I love you.
There are books out there that are titled like:
Moses never existed
Jesus never existed
These personality are textual personalities that are not necessarily historical their presence in the test might be Symbolic or allegorical . Jews was made to look debating fellow Jews but ONLY IN THE TEXT. It is just story in a text whose histrocity is doubted throughout the ages . Read the story from its deep structure. It will appear then as just a fabricated story.
ali Ahmed
Are you saying Jesus never existed?
You cannot be a born again Christian and hate jews..and hate anyone. Gentiles were grafted into the Jewish Tree...we cannot be so arrogant as to deny the Tree. We believe we are saved by Grace through Faith. Be loving and the whole world will see your deeds and glorify your Father, who is in heaven.
I only know one jew..Ive lived in the same area my whole life surrounded mostly by Protestants. I didnt know what an antisemite was until i became an adult. Ive never blamed anyone for Christ's death, but my own sin..It took many many years to get my heart to the right place for the Holy Spirit to touch my soul...I joined a bible study group, after many weeks we got into the crucifixion and i just broke down, i will filled with such empathy and compassion and love. I just burst out loud proclaiming that i would accept him and to please forgive the Jews and i kept repeating that they didnt know...they didnt know. I fell to my knees and that was the first time i truly felt the Holy Spirit. It totally blew me away..His death and suffering changed my heart and gave me everything...I cant hate or blame for his death..His death gave me life, love..salvation and released The holy Spirit of god into this world... ...To hear the way this lady describes the new testament makes me wonder how she can have such an understanding and not have accepted or fell in love with Jesus. Maybe Gods not done with her...
Well, Pastor Steven Anderson, Independent Babtist preach, does not agree. He is fon of jumping up in down during his preaching shouting "I hate Jews". Well, I'm sure they hate him too. Look him up, listen to his video "The Jews and their Lies". You'll thank me.
@yahulwagoni4571 maybe he is not "born again." Many Baptists are called cessationists. They don't believe in charismatic gifts. That comes from Calvin's misunderstanding of predestination.
Is bearing false witness a moral problem in principle? Or is it only when ppl bear false witness against Jews and judiasm?
I know that the old testament can be understood as a national ancient Hebrew tribes were asked not to bear a false witness against each others before the rise of the two missionary religions : Islam and Christianity.
Maybe now after 2000 years of Christianity and 1400 years of Islam
to bear a false witness against any group of people of any religion is a bad moral stance in principle.
The church historically speaking has been bearing false witness against most religions including Judiasm but no limited to Judiasm!!!!!
It was the Father living in Jesus doing His work. Jesus's teaching was not His own.
Same God so you might find His words in that light. The source is not Jewish. It is from God.
From "Hebrews"
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe
"Unless you believe that I am HE, you will die in your sins." Jesus Christ
Jesus claimed to be God, that it why the Jewish authorities put him to death. He is in fact God the Son, the 2nd Person of the Trinity. You must believe in and obey Jesus in order to receive eternal life. Apart from Christ there is no salvation. Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Repent and believe the Gospel.
Actually you only need to accept Jesus as your Saviour, implying that you are a sinner Romans 3:23, you need pay a price for your sins someday (physical death) Romans 6:23a, and 6:23b says but the *gift* of God is *eternal life* *through Jesus Christ our Lord.*, and that Heaven is this gift of eternal life (spiritual eternal life after physical death) Ephesian 2:8-9.
Good works are if you choose to bring good fruits to the Father as 8we should.* But no one can take us away from the Father, and eternal life is ETERNAL and cannot be lost.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15
WhizPurr
Deutoronomy 13. If Jesus believe he was god, he deserved to die.
Jesus can never be completely embedded in Judaism he has things to say about the Sabbath and keep dietary laws.
His message is spiritual and Paul message is spiritual not very much obsessed to following the letter of the word. Just because the church had terrible
Things to say about the Jews does not follow that he was completely embedded within it or we can do that. Christians believe in different theology and the message of Christ is different from things Jewish . Some thinkers feel it is more linked to Buddhism because Jesus seem to have " conquered himself" . The focus on the self and spirituality is quite obvious in the Christian message.
Jesus was not Jewish in the sense he was spreading a revolutionary Jewish message. It is more likely that he was trying to end Judaism or the writers of the gospels tried to end the literal dimension of it. This is very obvious to any casual reader.
Christianity is not Judaism therefore Jesus was not Jewish either in practice or theology. It is a different religion. We have to stop sectarianism as a concept .not just Christian sectarianism against Jews and Judaism.
The critics of Judaism don't go to first-century Judaism as it appears in the new testament but rather they go to Leviticus and Deuteronomy and ACTUALLY READ THEM to discover how the laws are very demanding and weird.
How can Jesus be embedded in Judaism when he had sth to say AGAINST THE SABBATH and against dietary Laws.
He said sth to the effect that it is not that which enter the man' s mouth that defiles him but that which comes out of it.
Jesus then was not Jewish in the sense he tried to revolutionize Judaism to the point it became another religion: Christianity .
Revolving around him.
If Jesus believe he was god, he was worthy of Death. Deuteronomy 13.
Very interesting testimony. Very loving. She referred to the Catholic Church's anti-semitism. I think Luther also. But not sure about non-denom Evangelicals. Some Catholics were taught to be anti-Jewish. She sounds as if she grew up in Boston/NYC, which was full of Catholics prejudiced against Jews after WWII. Not so much for non-denominational Evangelicals. I learned this only recently -- that many Evangelicals were not anti-semitic. Jewish women of today seem to be well-respected in ways non-Jewish do not fully understand. There are still some Catholic authors who are virulent against Jews. It is very hurtful to converts to the conservative segment of the Catholic faith.
Provocative
I find it odd how there is a belief of Yeshua being the Word Made Flesh while not recognizing the Word (Torah). We forget the intent of the Divine Instructions. This commentary indeed brings to remembrance the intent of Torah and Yeshua is indeed the intent brought to life.
Gentiles who follow a Jewish Messiah, must follow the same laws, as Amy Levine, says, the Laws protected the Jews from being assimilated, as a follower of a Jewish Messiah, I too am called NOT to assimilate, but to stand out from the world, but to be like the MESSIAH YESHUA! thank you Dr. Levine...
I think the meaning of grace in the Christian sense is to " bring spirit to the laws" which was deemed as " shackles" .
So by extention the laws given to the Israelites were not " graceful" as no one has ever breathed the spirit to them
As we very lovely at the age of the internet THE ORTHODOX JEWISH COMMUNITIES labouring under the heavy yoke we call
The Mosiac Laws and the Torah.
Orthodox Jews do suffer under the laws that seem to be mainly ( MAN-MADE) and not revealed BY GOD.
The laws are random and as JESUS CHRIST SAID in the new testament they seem to be simply TRADOTIONS OF MEN
And not revealed BY any God.
Period.
The jews simply can not become Christians,
why because they have to become genties first,
to see,
all have sinned,
and all have broken the law,
and all are under judgement,
and all are under condemnation.
At this point, since we can not save oursleves,
we must accept Gods Way of saving us.
His only way is by Jesus Christ......
The real Jews who believed in Moses believed in Jesus also, because Moses prophesied of Him. John 5:45-47
Genesis 49:8 then read Revelations 5:5
Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses said that God would raise said "a prophet like me"
Genesis 3:15 Jesus will crush the head of Satan.
Jew, Christian, buddhist, Muslim, Catholic, etc. as long as they're saved by Christ, no one, not even their own sins, can pluck them out of the hand of the Father. That's why Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "*For by grace are ye saved through faith, not of yourselves;* it is the *gift of God*, *not of works* lest any man should (could, old English here) boast.
But we'll all be punished here on earth for our sin, God has a side of justice and another side of mercy.
I *deserve* Hell, so do you, every Jew, and all sinners! (btw we're all sinners Romans 3:23), that is why Heaven is *a gift from God*, *gift*.
May God bless you as He wills.
WhizPurr you are all correct.
Nigell Butlerrr Why did you say Jews cannot become Christians? The Torah prophesizes of Jesus, and those who realize it and believe in Jesus may be saved.
Anyone who believes Jesus is the Christ, by faith, has become a believer in Christ and may become a follower of Christ (Christian/disciple of Christ)
ANYONE (Jew or not) who believes in Jesus IS a "Christian." Christianity was originally a sect of Judaism, but was not called "Christianity." I think they were referred to as Nazarenes. The "becoming" and "converting" nonsense is man-made.
Well, no.
3000 Jews were baptized as noted in acts 2 and their sins weren't washed away by works.
We dont' keep Torah for righteousness sake but we are not free to sin.
Jesus-You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.'
Paul up held these commandments as well as abstaining from sexual immorality.
So does Ms. Levine believe in dual-covenant theology? That's kind of what it sounds like anyways.
Unfortunaealy this lady is LOST! She has good insight but totally misses the message of Jesus. She neeeds our prayers.
+bornfromabove She is just finding common ground.
+bornfromabove Why do you think she is wrong? In what do you think she is wrong? I haven't heard anything wrong in what she says.
she has negated, denied, that jesus is GOD. she reduced him to a mere 'jewish miracle worker'. That is how she is wrong.
She has traveled the road closer to us than most other Hebrews. Do not disparage since the work the Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) is not finished.
its not quite that simple. If you listen as a Christian to a Jewish perspective we as Christians can get a deeper understanding of Jesus and his Jewishness. It only helps to understand each other. We Christians have got to stop hitting people over the heads of those who are thinking out loud and then get upset when people are repulsed by Christian actions.
SHE IS CHRISTIAN 🤔NOT JEWISH
The only interest Jews have in Jesus is to change him into their servant and get more people to worship JEWS instead of the God of Heaven.
Amazing insight