Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine : History, Messiah, Israel, and the Initial Confrontation / Jacob Neusner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Neusner, Jacob, Author.

Contributor:

Neusner, Jacob, 1932-2016.

Series:

Chicago Studies in the History of Judaism

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christianity and other religions.

Church history.

Judaism.

Midrash.

Religion.

Judaism--Relations--Christianity--Talmudic period, 10-425.

Christianity and other religions--Judaism--Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.

Judaism--History.

Church history--History and criticism.

Local Subjects:

Christianity and other religions.

Church history.

Judaism.

Midrash.

Religion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (263 p.)

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2008]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

With the conversion of Constantine in 312, Christianity began a period of political and cultural dominance that it would enjoy until the twentieth century. Jacob Neusner contradicts the prevailing view that following Christianity's ascendancy, Judaism continued to evolve in isolation. He argues that because of the political need to defend its claims to religious authenticity, Judaism was forced to review itself in the context of a triumphant Christianity. The definition of issues long discussed in Judaism-the meaning of history, the coming of the Messiah, and the political identity of Israel-became of immediate and urgent concern to both parties. What emerged was a polemical dialogue between Christian and Jewish teachers that was unprecedented. In a close analysis of texts by the Christian theologians Eusebius, Aphrahat, and Chrysostom on one hand, and of the central Jewish works the Talmud of the Land of Israel, the Genesis Rabbah, and the Leviticus Rabbah on the other, Neusner finds that both religious groups turned to the same corpus of Hebrew scripture to examine the same fundamental issues. Eusebius and Genesis Rabbah both address the issue of history, Chrysostom and the Talmud the issue of the Messiah, and Aphrahat and Leviticus Rabbah the issue of Israel. As Neusner demonstrates, the conclusions drawn shaped the dialogue between the two religions for the rest of their shared history in the West.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine

2. Genesis Rabbah and Israel's History: Christian and Judaic Theories of History and Its Meaning

3. The Talmud of the Land of Israel and the Messiah: Christian Triumph, Judaic Response

4. Leviticus Rabbah, Genesis Rabbah, and the Identification of Israel

5. Politics and Proof-Texts: Exegesis and Canon

Epilogue: The Shape of the Initial Encounter and the Enduring Confrontation

APPENDIX 1. Genesis Rabbah on Israel's History

APPENDIX 2. Aphrahat on Israel

APPENDIX 3. Leviticus Rabbah on Israel

APPENDIX 4. Genesis Rabbah on Israel

Bibliography

Index of Biblical and Talmudic References

General Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9786611966065

9781281966063

1281966061

9780226576473

0226576477

OCLC:

476228597