Finding Messiah - by Jennifer M Rosner (Paperback)

About the Book

As a person raised in a Jewish home and who continues to live a Jewish life, scholar of Jewish-Christian relations Jennifer Rosner takes us on a personal and corporate journey into the Jewish roots of Christian practice and faith. Rediscover the Jewish Jesus, and in doing so, experience a deeper and richer faith than ever before.

Book Synopsis

Jesus was Jewish, and his Jewish identity informed every aspect of his work, words, and witness. He came as the Messiah of Israel, God's covenant people, and he spoke the language of God's faithfulness to this people. So why doesit seem that Judaism has little to do with our Christian discipleship today?

Jennifer Rosner, a scholar of Jewish-Christian relations, takes us on a personal and corporate journey into the Jewish roots of Christian faith and practice. Understanding Judaism--and the way in which Judaism and Christianity became separate religions--is essential for a rich and holistic Christian identity. As a follower of Jesus who was raised in a Jewish home and who continues to live a Jewish life, Rosner has seen firsthand how a Christian faith can become impoverished when divorced from its Jewish roots. Finding Messiah follows Rosner's own journey in rediscovering the role of Judaism and God's covenant with Israel in Christian life and practice.When we begin to understand Christianity's indelible relationship to Judaism, key aspects of the Christian faith come alive and the wonder of the gospel becomes clear in new and powerful ways.

Jesus' Judaism provides the foundation for the church that is built upon his name. Rediscover the Jewish Jesus, and in so doing, experience a deeper and richer faith than ever before.

Review Quotes

"In Finding Messiah, Jennifer M. Rosner deftly weaves together her fascinating story of becoming a Jewish follower of Jesus with her adept theological investigation into the questions and implications surrounding Messianic Christianity. Rosner's attempt to bridge the ancient rift between Jewish identity and Christian faith is timely and important. I thoroughly enjoyed this book."

"The good news is as Jewish as Jesus is, and Jennifer Rosner's warm, insightful work invites readers to take a fresh look at what this means for their faith. Her exploration of subjects that often have been issues of confusion when considering theJewish foundations of faith in Jesus, such as ritual purity, holy days, and the apostle Paul's writing, are grounded in both careful scholarship and deeply rooted faith in Messiah Jesus. As a Jewish believer, I am grateful for Finding Messiah and the conversations I know it will spark in the church."

"This is a book I didn't know I was waiting for. As a Jewish follower of Jesus, Jen has affirmed much of my own experience and bore witness to something meaningful that God is doing. She has challenged me to reconsider things I thought settled andhas taught me other things I did not know. She has done all of this in a volume that is brilliantly and cleverly arranged, using the pleasant sharing of her own story as a guide. It is another book that will serve as a marker for the larger conversation about reckoning the Jewishness of the Christian faith and Jewish identity in the world today."

About the Author

Jennifer M. Rosner is affiliate assistant professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where she completed her PhD on the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. She is the author of Healing the Schism and coauthor of At the Foot of the Mountain. She and her family live in Northern California.

Richard J. Mouw (PhD, University of Chicago) is a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Religion and Politics at Calvin University. He previously served as the president of Fuller Theological Seminary (1993-2013) and directed their Institute of Faith and Public Life (2013-2020). In 2007, Princeton Theological Seminary awarded him the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. He is the author of over twenty books, including UncommonDecency, Adventures in Evangelical Civility, Restless Faith, and All That God Cares About.