Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: General and Historical Objections

Wow, this is the best book I have ever read on the subject. Come to think of it, it might be the ONLY book I have ever read on the subject. Dr. Brown divides this book up into two parts. The first part deals with the emotional objections that Jewish people might have toward Jesus ("Jews don't believe in Jesus!" "Believing in Jesus violates the Shema!" "How can I betray my ancestors who stayed faithful to the Jewish religion?" "Jesus is for the Goyim!" "If Jesus is the Messiah then why haven't our rabbis believed in him?"). The second part of the book deals with historical objections ("If Jesus is the Messiah, why is there no peace on earth?" "The Messiah is supposed to come in triumph, not in meekness and in death." "How can I believe in Jesus when there are so many anti-Semitic people who believe in him?" What about portions of the New Testament which seem anti-Semitic?" Dr. Brown writes in an argumentative, debating type of style for a big part of the book, especially the first half, and this doesn't always translate well for the reader. You will feel at times like Dr. Brown is yelling at you, and I hope that if there is a future edition to this three volume series (he did say he hoped to eventually publish all the volumes into one binding), he will revise his style so that it won't seem quite so hostile. But the content is fantastic, and I can't wait to read volumes two and three and now four! Rev. Marc Axelrod

This is a planned four-volume set.Dr. Brown is the leading expert on responding to objections to Jesus and Christian theology raised by knowledgeable Orthodox Jews. He has a doctorate in Semitic languages, the books are well-researched and well-written and he covers the material in detail, going into Talmudic interpretations, Rashi, Maimonedes, etc. Although such Jewish theologians are unfamiliar to most Christians, their names are as familiar to knowledgeable Jews as Moody and Scofield are to Christians.Although most purchasers are gentile evangelists, material is arranged essentially as dialogues between an Orthodox Jew and a responding Messianic.Unfortunately, the books are rather pointless. Why? See Evangelism Explosion. If a person is not open to the gospel, no amount of arguments will matter. You can see similar debates in Internet newsgroups between Protestants and Catholics, Protestants and Mormons, Messianics and non-messianic Jews, etc.I recently took Brown's course on Messianic Apologetics. He started by having two Messianic Jews try evangelizing him and he responded as an Orthodox would, with arguments from his books. One of the evangelists is an Israeli graduate of the Jewish Studies program at Christ for the Nations experienced at Jewish evangelism.Responding like a non-messianic Orthodox, Brown "wiped the floor" with both of them, with things like "Are you Jewish?" "Is your mother Jewish?" "Is HER mother Jewish?" "Do you keep kosher?" (Contrary to the Bible, the Israeli Supreme Court says a person only is Jewish if their mother is Jewish. Hence, if the mother's mother wasn't Jewish, the mother isn't Jewish, so he's not Jewish, etc.)It then moved on to, "Numbers 23 says, 'God is not a man'. Since Jesus can't be God, all your so-called 'messianic prophecy proofs' are worthless. Also, they can't be proofs, since Messiah has not come yet. Where do Hebrew Scriptures say Messiah will be God? He will be anointed, but only a man. Where does Isaiah 53 talk about Messiah? It's not a messianic prophecy; it's talking about Israel."One evangelist said, "Since the Temple is destroyed, sacrifices can't be offered. How do you get atonement for your sin?" The response was, "After Solomon's Temple was destroyed there were no sacrifices. How were Daniel's sins forgiven?"For non-Christians reading this review, understand that Brown didn't "wipe the floor" with them because their arguments were wrong. They had never heard Orthodox arguments and were not prepared to respond "off the cuff". Brown's books show that many Orthodox arguments contradict Scripture or historic Jewish interpretations or both.For gentiles considering Jewish evangelism, an argument often raised by Orthodox Jews is, "If you could read Hebrew you would know that's not what it says." Brown studied Semitic languages because he kept getting that argument even though he's Jewish. He said materials written by Christians for Jewish evangelism routinely have Hebrew errors.Sadly, despite cl

Brown's book is really a much-needed work in apologetics. Before, it was difficult to fine a section that dealt with why some Jewish people refuse to accept Jesus as our Messiah. Now, we have an entire three books. I'm not sure I like the "debate" format of the book, because the believer always gets "the last word," but it does help present the information in a logical flow. The reader, if he or she is intending to use the information in the book, should be prepared to question the material so they will be better prepared for questions they might receive about their argument. ANSWERING JEWISH OBJECTIONS TO JESUS is a great book for every Christian, not just Jewish Christians or those who interact with Jews. The book doesn't pull punches too much, so you might be stepping on some toes with it, but that's a part of the game. Read this one, you'll be glad you did.

This book, which I have been waiting for years to be completed, has far exceeded all of my expectations and I am so thankful to now have it on my bookshelf! Dr. Michael Brown powerfully and convincingly answers every objection that a Jew would have to the Messiahship of Yeshua/Jesus in terms that can be understood by both a young Jewish seeker as well as satisfying the questions of an aged theologian. Although the Scriptures speak for themselves and contain all of the answers that one ever needs in life, Brown's masterpiece will prove the perfect supplement in Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus!

For any serious Christian who interacts with Jewish persons, this book is a must read. Michael Brown is a fascinating Jewish Christian scholar whose depth of research into the tough questions about Christianity and Jewry leaves the reader feeling educated and prepared. The author's style is interesting; he writes as though he is dialoguing with a Jewish skeptic of Jesus. The Gentile reader may feel a little left out or in the dark at first, but the insightful reader will eventually feel he or she is sitting in on a debate of the utmost importance. A Christian who knows little about Jewish people will be at times shocked and saddened over the treatment Jews have received over the centuries by so called "Christians", and at the same time fascinated by insight the author offers into how these issues may be heard and answered. This is the first of three volumes due to be released in the year 2000; this volume deals with general and historical objections to Jesus and Christianity. I cannot imagine reading the first without reading the others!