The Reluctant Parting: How the New Testament's Jewish Writers Created a Christian Book

By Julie Galambush

Book Overview

Peeling away centuries of misinterpretation, The Reluctant Parting tells the painful story of how the New Testament authors foughtultimately in vainto preserve their legitimacy as members of the Jewish community. Biblical scholar Julie Galambush, a former Baptist minister who converted to Judaism, reveals the diversity within first-century Judaism and how an intra-Jewish debate about what it means to be Jewish included the followers of Jesus as one Jewish sect among many. Although other books have demonstrated the Jewishness of Jesus, none have grappled with the implications of the New Testament authors' identity as Jews. What would it mean to read this Christian scripture as it was meant to be readas a collection of Jewish books? Through lively and accessible scholarship, Galambush identifies the distinctively Jewish goals of the New Testament authors and sheds new light on the common roots of modern Judaism and Christianity. The Reluctant Parting breaks new ground by exposing the volatile historical backdrop that produced the New Testament, offering rich rewards for both Jews and Christians wanting a fuller understanding of their inherited tradition.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060596368
• ISBN13: 9780060596361
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A superb presentation of the New Testament

Julie Galambush is a Jewish convert from Protestantism, and is a religious scholar to boot. Thus, she is imminently qualified to present Christianity from a Jewish perspective. Her approach is similar to that of Amy Jill Levine, another Jewish New Testament scholar who patiently explains to Christians that Jesus was a first century Jew who was not out to establish a new religion, but rather was out to get rid of the Roman oppressors and reestablish Jewish law and tradition in his country. Galambush's greatest gift in this book, in my opinion, is to present the books of the New Testament in chronological order, giving a concise explanation of each of them from a first century Jewish perspective. Every Christian should read this book, if for no other reason than to get a quick review of the New Testament in a very digestable form.

Interesting review of the New Testament by a Jewish author

First, let me state that I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Galambush and I find her to be delightful with an intelligent yet approachable personality. This comes through clearly in her writing. Her scolarship is outstanding, but she is not pedantic. This book was clearly written for me, a Jewish woman who has had little experience with the New Testament. I was so ignorant that I did not realize the Pharisees were Jews, when I read the Gospels in high school. I found her explanations of the different books of the NT to be interesting. I appreciated that she explained the thoughts of authors of the different texts and how those differed depending on the author. Because the books of the NT were written at different periods of history and in different locations, some by authors who did not know Jesus directly, the history of the first century can be gleaned. The further one moves from the time of Jesus, the more "fantastic" his life became, the more amazing his miracles. Most interesting to me was the apocalyptic book, Revelations, about which I had heard a great deal, but knew nothing. I enjoyed this book to such an extent, that I purchased an additional two copies to give as gifts and I have lent my copy to friends.

Lucid and engaging

Examining the New Testament through a Jewish lens offers many fresh insights and has been undertaken by a number of scholars and clerics in recent years, most targeting Christian audiences and some, in the process, raising considerable controversy. (Think of Episcopal Bishop John Spong's reading of the gospels as midrash, from which he concluded that not only was Mary not a virgin, she might have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse, speculation that got him pilloried from conservative pulpits across the country.) Galambush's approach developed from her work with a synagogue study group, and while not principally intended for Christian audiences would clearly enlighten and benefit many Christians who take for granted what sounds like casual (or vehement) anti-Semitism in the New Testament, even as it provides for Jewish readers clarity on the roots of many modern Christian attitudes that cause interfaith problems. The book is thoroughly scholarly but entirely accessible to non-academic readers - highly recommended.

Engaging, enjoyable, and enlightening

The Reluctant Parting illuminates the Jewishness of the "Christian" New Testament by pointing out that the individual books - including the seemingly anti-Jewish books such as Hebrews and Matthew - were written about a Jew, by Jewish authors, for a mostly Jewish audience, in a Jewish context, and with Jewish goals. Hebrews, for instance, was "intended for Jews who had left or were tempted to leave the Jesus sect in favor of "safer" forms of Judaism." (230) Dr. Galambush argues that the Jesus movement, which was originally a prophetic movement within Judaism, later emerged, unintentionally and unwillingly, as a different religion. Her argument clarifies why books such as Hebrews and Matthew are simultaneously Jewish and anti-Jewish. She makes insightful observations about the contexts - religious, political, social, etc - in which the New Testament was written and discusses each book sufficiently and succinctly. Three things set this book apart from the plethora of other books on Christian Origins: 1) while most of them accentuate the Jewishness of Jesus, this one goes further to highlight the Jewishness of the New Testament authors and their works as well, 2) This book situates the New Testament not only in light of the complexities within first century Judaism, but also in light of the complexities within the Jesus movement itself, and 3) The author consistently bases her arguments on concrete evidence rather than on mere hypothesis. Dr. Galambush has written an insightful, lucid, engaging, and enjoyable book that is accessible to the initiated and the uninitiated alike. The scope of the book is impressive and its treatment of issues is in-depth. In short, this is a page-turner that is quite enlightening.

Essential Reading

The Reluctant Parting explains why the New Testament-written by Jews, about a Jew (i.e., Jesus) and the Hebrew traditions-is nevertheless hostile and critical toward Jews. Dr. Galambush does an expert job of sorting through the paradoxes of the anti-Judaism of the New Testament. It would be difficult to imagine anyone with a better background to appreciate the nuances and traditions of both religions. Galambush clarifies the Jewish identity of the New Testament writers, showing how early Christians understood themselves AS Jews writing about other Jews. Christians no longer perceive the NT authors to be Jews writing critically, and even lovingly, toward other Jews (and other Jewish Christians). Instead, gentile Christians read the anti-Jewish statements of the NT as sacred texts. Consequently, many Christians make uncritical, erroneous assumptions about Judaism: that the New Testament portrays the entirety of first century Judaism; that first century Judaism is exactly the same thing as modern Judaism; that all Jews, then and now, believe that God requires complete and perfect observance of the Torah; and so on. But when the Jewishness of the New Testament is explained, we come a long way toward understanding why the gospel authors, Paul, and the other writers portrayed Jews negatively. Paul, for instance, portrayed himself as an ideal Jew prior to his conversion-but actually he represents only one, very assiduous kind of first-century Judaism. The often cryptic and exclusive statements of the Johannine writings have probable roots in the Apostle John's community. Understanding more clearly the Jewish background of the NT authors also brings us closer to their basic message. Galambush discusses each of the New Testament writings, which is a very helpful feature of the book. Two other helpful aspects of the book are Galambush's clear and readable style, and the historical and linguistic sidebars. This is a book I'll recommend for many years!