IN
THIS ISSUE
|
WRITING FOR THE CENTER |
|
FOR JUDAIC-CHRISTIAN STUDIES |
In late 2014 I was asked by the Center
for Judaic-Christian Studies, a Christian teaching ministry in Dayton,
Ohio, to write articles for the Center's monthly newsletter. The articles were
to be short (about a dozen paragraphs) and would make a connection between the
Pentateuch (specifically, the Torah readings for that month according to the
traditional Jewish schedule) and the New Testament. Since the Center is
dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of Jesus and his teachings
through attention to the first-century Jewish context of the New Testament,
these articles were to be written with that goal in mind.
I
have been a supporter of the Center since 1998, and I have benefitted greatly
from the teaching materials and events it sponsors, including messages
delivered by Dwight A. Pryor, the Center's founder; lectures given in Dayton by
visiting speakers; and Marvin Wilson's excellent book Our Father Abraham:
Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. A dozen or more articles in Grace & Knowledge have been based on these
resources. Consequently, I was thrilled to be asked to contribute some articles
of my own.
My
first article for the Center ("Abram and
the Great Commission") appeared in its November 2014 newsletter. There
are some months when I will adapt an article from the Grace & Knowledge
archives for the Center (e.g., "The Meanings of
Moses' Meekness" from Issue 17); but most months I produce something new,
in which case I also add the new material to Grace & Knowledge. My
first three articles for the Center are part of Issue 29.
The
current issue of Grace & Knowledge
includes ten of these short articles. Three of them deal with passages in
Genesis, three with Exodus, two with Leviticus, one with Numbers, and one with
Deuteronomy. Corresponding New Testament passages, include, for example:
· Jesus' teaching on loving our enemies
in Matt 5:43-44;
· Jesus' teaching on the Temple tax
in Matt 17:24-27;
· Peter's question
on how many times to forgive an offending brother in Matt 18:21-22;
· "Hallowed be thy
name" in the Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:11; Luke 11:2);
· Matthew 1:1, the opening verse
in the New Testament;
· Jesus' exchange with Philip
and Nathanael in John
1:43-51;
· Paul's exhortation in 1 Cor 6:12-20.
I hope that this issue of Grace &
Knowledge will promote a deeper understanding of both the Torah and the
Gospels, along with a fuller appreciation for the unity of Scripture.
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On 01 Jan 2018, 16:32.
