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In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity, By Oskar Skarsaune

In the Shadow of the Temple

Jewish Influences on Early Christianity

by Oskar Skarsaune

In the Shadow of the Temple
Paperback
$48.99
  • Length: 455 pages
  • Dimensions: 6 × 9 in
  • Published: October 28, 2008
  • Imprint: IVP Academic
  • ISBN: 9780830828449
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Oskar Skarsaune makes a fresh contribution to our understanding of the development of the early church in its practice (e.g., worship, baptism and Eucharist) and doctrine (e.g., Scripture, Christology, pneumatology). This book offers the new perspective that Christians were in ongoing and deep conversation with Jews during the early centuries leading up to Constantine. .

The common perception of a drastic "parting of the ways" after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. has tended to distort our understanding of the succeeding decades and centuries of Jewish and Christian history. Notwithstanding the fact that there were points of bitterness and strife, the relationship is better viewed as that of a younger and older sibling. There is much evidence of interaction between the early Christians and rabbinic Judaism, both at the level of leadership and laypeople, and this left its impression on the church. Skarsaune gives us numerous fascinating episodic and topical glimpses into this untold story.

REVIEWS

"Oskar Skarsaune is surely right on the Jewishness of early Christianity and the importance of the temple for its development. He marshals an accurate display of historical information and exercises sound judgment in weighing probabilities. The result not only establishes the Jewish influences on early Christianity but also presents a persuasive synthesis of key elements in the story of Christian origins."Everett Ferguson, Abilene Christian University
"Oskar Skarsaune's In the Shadow of the Temple is outstanding and will not only serve well the general reader, for whom the author writes, it will also serve well the scholar and student alike. Skarsaune has produced a gem that deftly lays out the major events, institutions, beliefs and figures of Judaism of late antiquity and how they shaped early Christianity. This reader-friendly book is a must."Craig A. Evans, Trinity Western University
"Although this book is written at a level that will be easily accessible to students, it is based on sound and fresh scholarship by a leading early church historian. [It] has the merit of surveying the history of the Christian movement from its beginnings with Jesus through the pre-Constantinian period from the specific perspective of demonstrating the close links between Christianity and its Jewish roots that persisted throughout this period. The author has not only harvested much specialized scholarship on this crucial question regarding Christian origins but also has his own personal contribution to make. This attractive presentation is a must for all students of the early church."I. Howard Marshall, University of Aberdeen
"Nowadays the Jewish texture of the New Testament is increasingly appreciated, and rightly so. In this highly informative and stimulating book, Professor Skarsaune demonstrates how illuminating it can be to read the New Testament from the perspective of the fully Jewish character of early Christianity. This novel approach to Christian origins will enrich readers, making them more sensitive to the Jewishness of the New Testament and early Christianity and more appreciative of the debt Christianity owes to the Jews."Donald A. Hagner, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Professor Skarsaune has long been known as a leading scholar of early Jewish and Gentile Christian history. Here he brings his outstanding specialist learning to bear in a wonderfully accessible, comprehensive introduction to the Jewish basis of Christian faith and history throughout the first three centuries. In binding together the New Testament's Jewish roots with the life of the early Jewish and Gentile church, this is an outstanding textbook of Christian origins."Markus Bockmuehl, Cambridge University
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CONTENTS

Introduction
A Note on Abbreviations and References
General Literature
Translations of Sources

Part 1: The Mother Soul: Judaism from the Maccabees to the Rabbis
1. The Cultural Dimension: Judaism Hellenism
2. The Political Dimension: Jews the Roman Empire
3. The Geographical Dimension: The Land of Israel the Diaspora
4. Jerusalem: The City of the Temple
5. How Many "Judaisms"?

Part 2: Christian Beginnings: From Jewish Party to Gentile Church
6. Jesus Within Judaism
7. The Early Jerusalem Community of Believers in Jesus
8. The Mission to the Gentiles the Question of the Torah
9. The Land of Israel: The Church of Jewish Believers
10. TheDiaspora: The Church of Jews Gentiles
11. Encounter with Paganism-- the Jewish Heritage
12. Orthodoxy Heresy: The Challenge from Gnosticism Marcion
13. Elder Younger Brothers: The Second-Century Debate with Judaism

Part3: The Persistence of the Jewish Heritage: Faith Order in the Early Church
14. Which Books Belong in the Bible? The Question of Canon
15. Christology in the Making (I): The Messiah
16. Christology in the Making (II): The Incarnate Word
17. The Creative Spirit
18. Conversion, Baptism New Life
19. Worship Calendar: The Christian Week and Year
20. Passover Eucharist

Part 4: Epilogue
21. The Church Facing a New Era

Index ofModern Authors
Index of Subjects
Index of Ancient Writings

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BONUS MATERIAL

Now available in electronic format from Logos Research Systems.

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ABOUT Oskar Skarsaune

Oskar Skarsaune

Oskar Skarsaune is professor of church history at Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology in Oslo, Norway. He is the author of Incarnation: Myth or Fact? and The Proof from Prophecy: A Study in Justin Martyr's Proof-Text Tradition and editor (with Reidar Hvalvik) of Jewish Believers in Jesus.

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