My Blog
Too Close for Comfort
The closeness of Christians to Jews in the early centuries of the Common Era was troubling to the nascent Church Fathers. They repeatedly speak out against it because they understood that many Christians saw Jews in a very different light than what the emerging church...
A Review: My Name is Asher Lev
The novel, My Name is Asher is Lev written by Chaim Potok relates the story of a young Hasidic prodigy gifted with artistic talent. The story introduces the world of the fictional “Landover” Hasidim very akin to the Lubavitcher Hasidim. Inevitably however,...
Roots of Rabbinic Judaism: An Intellectual History from Ezekiel to Daniel
I first came across Gabriele Boccaccini's works at the Siegal College of Judaica. I was working on master's thesis and had chosen the topic of Israelite/Jewish identity in the Second Temple period. Most scholars in the late 20th century have shifted away from the view...
Too Close for Comfort
The closeness of Christians to Jews in the early centuries of the Common Era was troubling to the nascent Church Fathers. They repeatedly speak out against it because they understood that many Christians saw Jews in a very different light than what the emerging church...
How important was the Birkat HaMinim?
Does the Birkat Haminim really show the Break between Jews and Christians? Did its adoption point to a definitive break between both communities? The institution of the Birkat HaMinim, i.e., the malediction against heretics by the rabbi's at Yavneh is often used...
The Rise of the Inquisition: Audio Book Released!
Thousands of Jews forcibly converted to Christianity in Spain and Portugal were subjected to religious persecution for continuing to adhere to their ancestral faith. The Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions lasted for centuries, and when their attention on Judaizers...