Within Judaism? Interpretive Trajectories in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the First to the Twenty-First Century

This book charts the shifting boundaries of Judaism from antiquity to the modern period in order to bring clarity to what scholars mean when they claim that ancient texts or groups are “within Judaism,” as well as exploring how rabbinic Jews, Christians, and Muslims have negotiated and renegotiated what Judaism is and is not in order to form their own identities. Belief in Jesus as the Messiah was seen as part of first-century Judaism, but by the fourth or fifth century, the boundaries had shifted and adherence to Jesus came to be seen as outside of Judaism. Resituating New Testament texts within first- or second-century Judaism is an historical exercise that may broaden our view of what Judaism looked like in the early centuries CE, but normatively these texts remain within Christianity because of their reception history. The historical “within Judaism” perspective, however, has the potential to challenge and reshape the theology of contemporary Christianity while at the same time the long-held consensus that belief in Jesus cannot belong within Judaism is again challenged by the modern Messianic Jewish movement.

Table of Contents:
Part I. The “Within Judaism” Perspective: What's at Stake? 1. The “Within Judaism” Perspective: Why Does It Matter? Magnus Zetterholm 2. What Does “Within Judaism” Mean? Some Thoughts on Method, History, and Theology Anders Runesson 3. What's in a Label? “Jews,” “Judaism,” and “Jewish” in the Study of Antiquity Adele Reinhartz 4. What's in a Translation? Mark D. Nanos 5. Gender, Judaism, and the Jesus Movement: What Change Does “Within” Bring? Kathy Ehrensperger 6. Attending to Power: “Within Judaism” Scholarship and the Erasure of History Neil Elliott Part II. The First and Second Centuries: Reading New Testament Texts Within Judaism 7. Paul Within Judaism Paula Fredriksen 8. Mark Within Judaism John Van Maaren 9. Matthew Within Judaism Matthias Konradt 10. Luke Within Judaism Joshua Paul Smith and Matthew Thiessen 11. Acts Within Judaism Isaac W. Oliver 12. John Within Judaism Wally V. Cirafesi 13. Revelation Within Judaism Ralph J. Korner 14. James Within Judaism Karl-W

About the Author :
Karin Hedner Zetterholm is associate professor of Jewish Studies at Lund University. Anders Runesson is professor of New Testament at the University of Oslo.

Review :
This is a really remarkable book. Even as debates over situating New Testament texts “within Judaism” continue to roil biblical studies, Hedner Zetterholm, Runesson, and their outstanding contributors pause to theorize the question itself, to explore what is at stake, and for whom, and to point to promising ways forward. The authors of the twenty-five chapters are expert guides to a difficult but extremely important field of research. This will be a book to come back to again and again. This collection is valuable for bringing together in one place a wide range of different approaches to "within Judaism." Readers already familiar with certain topics can benefit from seeing how related analyses are applied to other topics, and those new to "within Judaism" approaches can encounter the fruitful conceptual and historical insights that can come from looking at Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions from previously-neglected perspectives. The value of this book lies in the fact that it gathers together a diverse array of perspectives from "within Judaism." This movement has drawn traction over the past 25 years. Viewing Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions from previously overlooked perspectives can provide insightful conceptual and historical information that readers unfamiliar with "within Judaism" approaches may find useful. Additionally, readers who are already familiar with some topics can benefit from seeing how related analyses are applied to other topics. This is a book that you will return to again and time again. This is an important book, bringing together some of the latest scholarship on a timely topic in a season of its flourishing and development, especially with respect to NT studies. The most important achievement of this book is to bring clearly to the forefront the Jewish context of the New Testament. Furthermore the chapters are stylistically and in content excellent.