Book Description
Yeshua and his Jewish followers began a new movement--Messianic Judaism--2000 years ago. In the twentieth century, it was reborn, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is maturing. The Enduring Paradox is a collection of essays from some of the top contributors to the theology of this vital movement of God.

From the Publisher
Whether you are a Messianic Jew, a non-Messianic Jew involved or merely interested in Messianic Judaism, this book will challenge your thinking, guide your practices, and clarify any misconceptions you may have. You will find that Messianic Judaism is not a paradox after all.

From the Author
For over 1500 years it has seemed paradoxical--if not completely contradictory--for Jesus of Nazareth and his followers to have any direct connection to Judaism. Yet, that was not the case nearly 2000 years ago when Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus' given Hebrew name) founded a very Jewish movement that proclaimed him the Jewish Messiah. Through the latter third of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first, Messianic Judaism--the movement of Jewish followers of Yeshua who live and worship according to the traditions of Judaism--has emerged and matured into a viable and vital Jewish entity. While, for some, the integration of Jesus and Judaism remains paradoxical, this book seeks to clarify some of the relevant issues to indicate how Messianic Judaism is not really a paradox after all. The authors seek to challenge the thinking of Jews and Christians alike, whether Messianic or not, while throwing new light from a Jewish perspective on some of the significant teachings and practices of the New Testament, which turns out to be a very Jewish book after all.

About the Author
Born in Budapest, Hungary, John Fischer is part of a family who miraculously survived the Holocaust. Married to Patrice, and a father of two grown children (Eve and Seth), he has six earned college and university degrees, two of them doctorates (a Ph.D. and a Th.D.). He serves as: Rabbi of Congregation Ohr Chadash (a Messianic synagogue in Clearwater, Florida), Executive Director of Menorah Ministries, Vice President for Academic Affairs at St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, Rosh Yeshiva at Netzer David International Yeshiva, and President of the Association of Messianic Believers. He was one of the founders of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations. He also chairs the Administrative Committee of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance and sits on its Executive Committee. He is the author of numerous articles and several books including: L'Chaim, The Olive Tree Connection, The Meaning and Importance of the Jewish Holidays, The Enduring Paradox, Siddur for Messianic Jews, and Messianic Services for the Festivals and Holy Days.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Yeshua and his Jewish followers began a new movement--Messianic Judaism--2000 years ago. In the twentieth century, it was reborn, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is maturing. The Enduring Paradox is a collection of essays from some of the top contributors to the theology of this vital movement of God.

Whether you are a Messianic Jew, a non-Messianic Jew involved or merely interested in Messianic Judaism, this book will challenge your thinking, guide your practices, and clarify any misconceptions you may have. You will find that Messianic Judaism is not a paradox after all.

SYNOPSIS

Yeshua and his Jewish followers began a new movement--Messianic Judaism--2000 years ago. In the twentieth century, it was reborn, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is maturing. The Enduring Paradox is a collection of essays from some of the top contributors to the theology of this vital movement of God.

Whether you are a Messianic Jew, a non-Messianic Jew involved or merely interested in Messianic Judaism, this book will challenge your thinking, guide your practices, and clarify any misconceptions you may have. You will find that Messianic Judaism is not a paradox after all.

The authors of the essays in this volume are united in their desire to see a firm biblical foundation developed for the benefit of Jewish people who are or may be coming to faith in the Messiah. They also desire to clarify the biblical issues involved in the relationship between Jewish identity, the New Testament, and Israel. They come to their tasks from diverse perspectives. Hopefully, this diversity will enable a balanced theological perspective to come into focus. Our hope for soundness and balance comes from our fidelity to the Scriptures.

Our authors unite around these broad tenets:

1. That complete biblical faith must consider the life, death, and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. He was a Jew as were all of his first followers. Thus, it would seem that expressions of the New Testament faith, that are more in keeping with the original cradle of that faith, are valid and appropriate, especially for Jewish people. 2. That the unity of all believers in the Messiah as taught in the New Testament does not call for all individual and cultural differences to be dissolved into one amorphous group. Unity and love in the Messiah are challenges to accept while appreciating diversity. 3. That Israel is God's national people, a chosen nation. Participation in the one people of God through the New Covenant does not and should not cause Jewish people to lose their identity as part of Israel. Thus, we look warily at the assimilation of Jewish believers into a gentile Christianity wherein this identity is often lost. Such loss of Jewish identity is detrimental to evangelism among Jewish people and is contrary to God's desire for Israel's salvation. Moreover, it is not God's will that the Jewish people disappear.