McDonnell Hall
Rabbi Moffic will speak about his recent book, What Every Christian Should Know About the Jewishness of Jesus: A new Way of Seeing the Most Influential Rabbi
Christianity as a religious movement did not exist in the lifetime of Jesus. It was after his death and the experience of his resurrection that his followers kept alive an oral tradition that later contributed to the writings of the gospels in the years 70-90 A.D. The spread of the Christian message was due in large part to the missionary preaching and writings of St. Paul who brought Jesus' message to the gentile communities that formed the basis of the early Christian churches. Jesus lived and died as a Jew. Understanding the Jewishness of Jesus is the secret to knowing him better and understanding his message in the twenty-first century. Walking through Jesus' life from birth to death, Rabbi Moffic serves as a tour guide to give Christians a new way to look at familiar teachings and practices that are rooted in the Jewish faith and can illuminate our lives today.
Among the critically acclaimed highlights of this book, Rabbi Moffic:
- Gives fresh insight on how Jesus' contemporaries understood him
- Explores how Jesus Jewishness shaped him
- Offers a compelling new perspective on the Lord's Prayer that will forever change the way you experience these powerful words
Rabbi Moffic of course looks at the teachings and life of Jesus through the eyes of his own faith tradition; not the eyes of Christian theologians who were responsible over the centuries for developing Christological doctrine. He does this with deep respect and his intent is not to be controversial but to discover under-appreciated relationships between Jesus, Christianity and Judaism. In learning about this subject matter, Rabbi Moffic has spoken at many Christian churches and learned much from dialogue with many Christian religious leaders.
Evan Moffic is a Rabbi of the historic Congregation Solel in Highland Park, Illinois. He was ordained by the seminary of Reform Judaism, the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 2006. He first joined us in 2013 when he helped break open the Passover Seder. In 2015, he offered insight into "Jewish Influences in the New Testament". It is a gift to learn more about both traditions from this learned speaker.
