Jewish scholar to shed light on Jesus, the Jew, in church

As a Jew and a leading American New Testament scholar, Amy-Jill Levine is unique. Kansas Citians will have a chance to glean insights from her next weekend when she serves as visiting scholar for Village Presbyterian Church.

Her talks at the church, 6641 Mission Road, Friday and Saturday, April 24 and 25, are open to the public. (See below for details.)

Levine, a professor of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School is author of “The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus” (2006, HarperOne).

Levine will also lead a seminar for local clergy members Friday morning, April 24, on the topic: “How to Avoid Bearing False Witness — I Didn’t Mean to Sound Like a Bigot.”

Rabbi Alan Cohen, who now does interfaith work for the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee, said he hopes the clergy session will build on a similar one held in conjunction with the local display of “A Blessing to One Another,” the exhibit on Pope John Paul II and the Jewish people

Rabbi Cohen said the purpose of such meetings is “increasing understanding among faiths and building better bridges for future interfaith dialogue, engagement and action.”

Levine, he said, “will continue the teaching of texts from both Tanakh and New Testament in an attempt to create better understanding and less misuse of the texts. … We had 100 people at the first Institute, and I hope to surpass that number on the 24th.”

In preparation for her visit, The Chronicle posed a series of questions to Professor Levine via e-mail. The questions and her responses follow.

Q. How and why did a Jewish woman with a traditional religious background (as I am told you have) become a New Testament scholar?

A: Growing up in a predominantly Roman Catholic neighborhood, I was fascinated by my friends’ traditions and stories, and I was shocked when a girl on the school bus accused me of having killed her Lord. I wanted to understand this tradition that had both beautiful and problematic aspects.

Q: Everyone knows Jesus was a Jew. But it seems that, in the last decade or so, the Christian church (in America, anyway) is acknowledging this ever more readily and devoting more and more serious study to the implications of that fact. Do you agree? If so, why has this been the case?

A: Churches are increasingly recognizing Jesus’ Judaism, in part in response to and repentance for centuries of anti-Jewish preaching, and in part to recover the depth of meaning of his words and actions, to hear him as his first followers, all Jews, heard him.
 
Q: What does Jesus’ Judaism imply for Christians today?

A: Taking the incarnation — the divine becoming human — seriously should lead to a serious consideration of the time and place where this event occurred. To take Jesus out of his historical context will both distort his teachings and lead to anti-Jewish misconceptions.

Q: An amazon.com reviewer said your book, “The Misunderstood Jew,” “appeals to Jews not to dismiss the Christian testament as wholly antithetical to Judaism’s history and current practice.” Do you agree? Why should Jews concern themselves with Jesus or the New Testament?

A: If we Jews want our traditions to be respected by Christians, we should extend to our Christian neighbors that same respect, and respect for a tradition requires knowledge of it.

Q: What’s your take on the so-called Messianic Jews or Hebrew Christians? It seems to me, and certainly to most rabbis, that they are trying to bridge an unbridgeable schism. But you’ve said the normative Jewish community may have to consider “Messianic Jews” a part of itself. Why?

A: Jews who accept Jesus as the messiah still see themselves as Jews and do not want to give up that part of their identity. I do not want to force them out.

Q: Does your focus on the Jewish Jesus tend to diminish anti-Semitism in the church? Is that one of your goals?

A: Explaining how misinterpretations of Jesus’ Jewish context lead to anti-Semitism, and showing pastors and priests how sermons can unintentionally produce messages of hate can both reduce prejudice and lead to a greater understanding of the Gospel message.

Q: How do Jews and Christians read scripture differently?

A: We read with different emphases, theologies and expectations; the books we share (the “Old Testament” for the church, the “Tanakh” for the synagogue) are in different canonical order and thus tell different stories. When we read together, we learn to respect each other’s views, and we agree to disagree. 

Levine lectures
Amy-Jill Levine’s public schedule and topics will be:

Friday, April 24
• 7 p.m. — “Jesus, the Misunderstood Jew,” followed by a reception and book signing

Saturday, April 25
• 9 a.m. — “Hearing the Parables through Jewish Ears”

• 10:30 a.m. — “How Jews and Christians Read Scripture Differently”

Tickets are $25 in advance for both days. Advance admission to the Friday talk alone is $15, while Saturday’s lectures are $10 a person. Add $5 for tickets at the door. Register by visiting www.villagepres.org, clicking on “Ministries,” then “Visiting Scholar” then “Registration.” For ticket and event information, one may also call (913) 671-2381 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 

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