Rabbi Evan Moffic explores the cultural and religious world of Jesus the Jew, offering Christians (and Jews) a new perspective on Jesus’ life and teachings in his book, ‘What Every Christian Needs to Know About The Jewishness of Jesus.’

CHR Comment: The interview with Rabbi Moffic explores why he wrote this book about Jesus as a Jew. Moffic likens the Jewishness of Jesus to Rabbinic, Talmudic Judaism rather than the Judaism described in the Old Testament.

An issue with Moffic’s thesis is that the Talmud was written down several centuries after the time of Jesus though it likely includes comments from Rabbis of an earlier era. A Jewish text that is closer in time to the ministry of Jesus is the Mishnah, written down in the early third century AD. The Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud act like commentaries on the Mishnah. The Rabbinic tradition likely reflects the religious views of the Pharisees and their legacy.

Source: A Rabbi’s Quest to Show Christians the Jewishness of Jesus