The Jewish Gospel of John: Discovering Jesus, King of All Israel (All Books by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg Book 3)

This book in my opinion furnishes both Jews and Christians with an accurate look at the times and the mindset of the writings of the only Apostle who escaped martyrdom. John, often called St. John the Divine, was part of Jesus' inner circle. He was apparently the only Apostle present at the Crucifixion, and he lived well into his 90s, even after years of confinement on the prison island of Patmos, located off the west coast of modern day Turkey (called "Asia" in the first century). Lizorkin-Eyzenberg corrects false beliefs that have held sway for up to seventeen centuries in Christianity, particularly in late Roman and Medieval times, that have come down to modern Christians as one and the same as Scripture, since these teachings from the third century CE/AD onward were part and parcel of the official oral tradition of the Church that resulted in vicious anti-Semitism that held sway for so many centuries. With his knowledge not only of Jewish teachings but also linguistics, history, and Christianity, the author successfully describes the actual historical situation in the first century CE/AD, the actual mindset of the members of Jewish sect that later became known as Christianity, and the departure, thanks to pagan-influenced writers and converts, from the Judaic roots of Christianity-- and this in spite of the teachings of Jesus himself, and then St. Paul.This is an extremely important book. It corrects the faulty doctrines that arose from poor translations, misconceptions, and outright prejudices from some of the so-called "Fathers of the Church" who were raised and taught in pagan Rome, Egypt, and elsewhere in the pagan world, and whose outlook therefore was understandably completely at odds with the first Christians, all of whom were Jews-- and of whose mindset, history and comprehensive understanding of their traditions these "Church Fathers" were abysmally ignorant, as wellin too many cases, thanks to Hellenistic teaching, actually opposed to. And, these first century Jews carried with them prior knowledge that was essential in understanding what Jesus was saying in the context of the actual times in which he lived, and the influences on his very Jewish life of the turmoil of the early first century CE/AD. In recreating the actual times, the author demonstrates through his knowledge of linguistics and Judaism exactly what John was writing about in a gospel that has so frequently been fodder for the most atrocious anti-Semitism within the Church itself, and which, alas, is still very much with us today. Into the vacuum of the collapsed Roman Empire, for example, stepped the the bishop of the Roman congregation, taking over the position of the Emperors as gods and endowing himself with the same title as the chief priest of the pagan Roman religion, the "pontifex maximus"-- the "greatest bridge builder" between the gods and man, which has come down to us in various papal titles still used today, but which under no circumstances ever were given or sanctioned by Jesus of Nazareth in his teachings, nor by St. Paul in his instructions to just such pagans as to who Jesus was and what he had done.It will take some very deep soul-searching for the Church to acknowledge the errors and correct them. This will not be an easy task for those who have been indoctrinated since birth with teachings that arose later from men who had been raised as pagans and which had no place in the Christian movement of the first century. This book is at once simple and profound; easy to understand but with a depth of scholarship and honesty rarely met with in other writings, especially among scholars whose main object in too many cases is showing off their erudition instead of seeking truth and seeking to explain it to those who need to hear it.

It helps us understand better what John has written, and why he wrote it the way he did. Very informative!

In the modern, liberal, academic pursuit of the historical Jesus, the Gospel of John has been marginalized, dismissed, and even ignored as a credible source of information. Even Albert Schweitzer, who I consider one of the greatest Christian theologians, dismissed John's Gospel and focused on the synoptic gospels in his quest for the historical Jesus. John's more spiritual portrayal of Jesus has led many cynics in the academic community to dismiss it as a post-resurrection myth which puts words in the mouth of Jesus based upon the spiritual perspective of the Johannine community which spawned it. Other skeptics dismiss John's Gospel as being influenced by "Pauline" doctrines which have no historical value.The author, Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, a scholar with a Jewish background, gives us a fresh new perspective of John's Gospel. the author claims that the New Testament doesn't need to be rewritten but needs to be read from a Jewish perspective. This book clearly demonstrates how the Gospel of John is thoroughly Jewish and how its author was intimately familiar with the background and environment of Jesus and his earliest Jewish followers.The author points out how the target audience for the gospel were not gentile converts but Israelites living outside of Judea, particularly Samaria and Jews living in the diaspora who had become alienated and marginalized by the more learned and orthodox Judean religious authorities referred to as the "IOUDAIOI". This term has been mistranslated over the years by gentiles as referring to the Jewish people as a whole and, tragically, has been used to demonize Jews. While the IOUDAIOI were the chief antagonists of Jesus in the gospel, Jesus himself and the author of the gospel came from this community. The prologue to the gospel indicates that Jesus belonged to this group but had been rejected by them. The difference between John's Gospel and the synoptic gospels is not a matter of authenticity but a matter of perspective.This book demonstrates how John's Gospel portrays Jesus as the Messiah of the end times who, as the Good Shepherd, would gather the lost sheep of Israel dispersed in foreign lands and unite the Northern Kingdom with the Southern Kingdom to unite Israel as one nation. The gospel drew its messianic vision from the prophets, primarily Ezekiel, Zechariah, and to a lesser extent Isaiah and Daniel. From John's perspective, the IOUDAIOI or Judean authorities are the shepherds who failed to accomplish this by rejecting Jesus and his message. Their control of the Temple and Jerusalem under the terms dictated by the Roman occupation enabled them to prosper at the expense of their fellow Israelites. John's Gospel was directed to a Jewish audience living outside of Judea who had been marginalized, the lost sheep of Israel.Throughout the gospel, Jesus' authority contradicts the authority of the IOUDAIOI. The popular prophet, John the Baptist and the signs and miracles Jesus performed testified that Jesus' authority came directly from God with no human intermediaries. Jesus never abrogated the Law of Moses. His disputes with the IOUDAIOI was in how it should be interpreted. Jesus didn't replace the Law with grace but added grace to the Law. In John's Gospel, salvation no longer comes from the Temple sacrificial system, but in the more accessible person of Jesus. The author of this book points out how there was no separation of body and soul in Judaism. The life is in the body and blood which Jesus bestows upon his followers as symbolized by the sacramental bread and wine.This book demonstrates how John's Gospel must be read against the background of the prophets, particularly Ezekiel, from which much of its imagery is derived. Ezekiel and Zechariah's vision of the future Temple being a source of living water bestowing life to the barren land and the Dead Sea is symbolic of Jesus as the new Temple imparting the life-giving Spirit on his followers. Tthe wind being breathed into the dry bones of Israel and giving them life has its counterpart of Jesus breathing the life-giving Spirit into his disciples. The image of the false shepherds who looked after their own interests who would be replaced by the Lord was used by the gospel's portrayal of Jesus as the Good shepherd who would lead the scattered sheep into the promised land.The author points out a number of Jewish traditions in John's gospel which a casual reader would overlook. Lazarus being raised to life on the fourth day to demonstrate Jesus authority to raise the dead uses the Jewish tradition of a soul hovering over the body for three days, after which, resurrection is impossible. A separate cloth to cover the face of the dead was another tradition unique to Jewish burial customs. The 153 fish caught in the net equals the sum total of the numerical value of the Hebrew letters which spells out "Sons of God". (see also Richard Bauckham)The author also provides a thought provoking theory in regard to Judas Iscariot's motivation in betraying Jesus. Judas may have been a zealot who advocated violent resistance to Roman rule. Judas may have felt that the arrest of Jesus would set in motion a revolt against Roman occupation by which Israel would gain its independence.Based upon the author's insights, I would conclude that John's Gospel could only have been understood and appreciated by a Jewish audience. The prophetic imagery in the gospel would not be fully grasped nor have any meaning to first century gentiles. Only one who was brought up in the Jewish faith could fully apprehend and appreciate the message which the gospel was trying to convey. The author's Jewish background has enabled him to discover this and pass this on to us in this book.In that regard Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg has done a superb job in shattering academic assumptions which tend to marginalize John's Gospel in regard to the study of the historical Jesus. John's Gospel gives us an authentic glimpse of what Jesus believed about himself and how he was perceived by his earliest Jewish followers.

We often times miss a lot of the real meaning of the Bible because we don't know the historical context and we don't understand idioms and certain phrasiologies that would have been understood by the original readers. The author makes an excellent case for this being what has happened to the Gospel of John.He affirmed some of what I knew and opened my eyes to other things, explaining some things that have puzzled me.This gospel has been used to slam the Jewish people. But in doing so, it's being taken out of context. It is so important we understand what was written and why it was written and to whom it was written.Perhaps, it might even be good for Jews to read so they can understand how it's being misapplied. I don't know. I just know both John and Yeshua/Jesus are being given a bad rap because of this misapplication. Yeshua loved his people and, if read properly, that comes out in this gospel.The author makes the case that this gospel was never really written for Christians, but for Samaritans. When read in that context, it takes on a whole new meaning.

I am becoming more and more interested in the Jewish perspective of the Gospels as I think it is much more fuller. This book has certainly helped me it that regards. Excellent

Educativo e esclarecedor

not so useful

A must read for every bible reader from casual to theologian. Dr. Eli Lizorkin Eyzenberg writes easy on some difficult issues about the past and misunderstandings about the gospel of John in a very sympathetic way. I truly would recommend this book for every Christian reader.

Again gives a different perspective of the New Testament