Christian Writers on Judaism

Christian Writers on Judaism is a fundamental work which majestically traverses nineteen centuries of Christian literature regarding the Jews. The author begins with the apostle Paul in the fist century CE, Justin Martyr and Tertullian are other notable early authors addressed herein. In the medieval period Jewish converts to Christianity are of particular interest, beginning with Petrus Alfonsi in the twelfth century. Considerable attention is also given to Raimundus Martini. The discussion of the medieval authors takes the reader into the Reformation from which point this work makes a careful distinction between Protestant and Catholic approaches to Judaism. Finally this work concludes with the major thinkers of its author’s own day, notably F.C. Baur and Emil Schürer. Central to this discussion is the Christian conception of the literature of the Jews—the Jewish Scriptures; the Pseudepigrapha, Talmudic, Midrashic and Mishnaic literature; and Kabbalistic literature, especially the Zohar. Tracing the Christian responses to this literature and in turn to its readers Christian Writers on Judaism illuminates the developments within the Christian apologetic and polemic traditions throughout its history. This work is indispensable to the student of Jewish-Christian dialogue.

George Foot Moore (1851-1931) was born in West Chester, PA. He graduated from Yale with an A.B. in 1872 Union Theological Seminary in 1877. Ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1878, he served a parish in Zainesville, OH from then until 1883, at which time he took a teaching post in Hebrew at the Andover Theological Seminary. From 1902 until 1928 Moore was a Harvard professor. Among his professional roles Moore was sometime president of the American Oriental Society, for whose journal he also served as editor, a duty he carried for the Harvard Theological Review as well. His breadth of knowledge was practically legendary and notable publications include his The Literature of the Old Testament, History of Religions, and Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era.