Expert: Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner - 10/17/2004

Question
I am a Junior at Pacific Lutheran University and am doing some research for a Lutheran Literature history class.  I lack extensive knowledge on this subject and do not wish to offend anyone.  Please forgive me and inform me if there is anything offensive to my question.  Here is my question.

 According to the bible, some people blame Jewish Rabbis for the death of Christ.  Others say that his death was a setup by some common criminals not associated with the Jewish faith.  Can you shed some light on this subject.  

Answer
Dear Luigi,

Thanks for writing, and this is a most "loaded" question.

I'm going to speak as a Rabbi, a Conservative Rabbi and Jew. I recommend to you the book - not overly long - "Judaism and Christianity: The Differences" by Dr. Trude Weiss Rosemarin.

Secondly, read The Passover Plot by Hugh Schonfeld.

Lastly, I urge you to read the relevant sections in the Encyclopedia Judaica for background.

1. Crucifixion is a strictly Roman privilege to execute against someone Rome has decided is a rebel against the Roman government.  When Jesus was crucified, there were literally tens of thousands of other Jews also being crucified as "rebels against Rome" and clearly they could not all be part of such a political plot.

At the time of Passover, anyone who was attracting followers was a potential danger to Rome; solution: kill him.

2. Jesus was a Pharisee whose teachings for the most part were very Jewish, were part of the Pharisees who were nationalists but pacifists. He would not have acted against Rome, but he would have wanted the restoration of the Jewish State and throne of David.

3. Did Jesus claim to be the Messiah. No.

Read the Five Gospels and the work of the Jesus Seminar - if your school will permit it. Christian scholars know that no more than 20% - give or take - of the New Testament are truly the words of Jesus. These are not heretics; they are scholarly believing Christians.

Do Jews accept the same kind of scholarly analysis of our own traditions - e.g. did Moses write the Five Books of Moses. We do not slavishly read  text as fundamentalists and thus we are open to the concept of evolving religious truths and traditions.

4. We know that the Trinity itself was not part of Christianity until hundreds of years later, like much of the Church statements, bulls, Councils, etc. and they suppresed many "allegedly heretical works" which could have been just as true as the ones permtted to be seen, studied and published. For example, the lst "Gospels" in the Nag HaMaddadi library published/written in Coptic.

Therefor I contend that Jesus the man was born a Jew, lived as a Pharisee, may or may not have married an had a family, and ultimately died as di so many other Jews. The legends that grew up around him began with his followers, especially Paul=Saul as there was a need to answer questions which many Jews felt were not adequately being addressed, eg afterlife, salvation, etc.

After hundreds of years, much spilled blood - and too often it was Jewish blood - Christianity came into focus and then began a millenium of conflict with Islam, which we continue to suffer today.

How sad. Jesus the man must be weeping. If he were the Messiah, he certainly must be crushed, overwhelmed and saddened beyond belief seeing what is being done in his name. And, worst of all, against his own peopl who have done nothing except try to survive, to respect others but wished to continue to worship in a fashion - that should Jesus appear he would probably be most comfortable in a synagogue.

Does this help.

Best wishes and good luck

Rabbi Dov