What This Is
Bernstein catalogs a two-millennium history of Jewish people who embraced the Messiahship of Jesus, beginning with the flight to Pella and ending with 20th-century missionaries. The work operates as a reference guide, proving that conversion was not merely a matter of social climbing but often involved intense intellectual debate over the Talmud and Old Testament prophecies. It features bishops, doctors, and deaconesses, providing a counter-narrative to the idea that Jewish Christianity vanished after the early church. Between the biographies, Bernstein highlights the friction between the Rabbinist community and the 'heretics,' including stories of white cock combs and Paradise curtains.
Key figures
- Paul de Burgos
Former Rabbi of Burgos who became Archbishop and biblical commentator.
- Bishop Schereschewsky
Orientalist who translated the Bible into Mandarin using two fingers.
- London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews
Missionary agency celebrating its centenary during the book's publication.
- R. Joshua ben Levi
Rabbi who attempted to time a curse using a cock's comb.
What it's really about
- Messianic Prophecy
- Reinterpretation of Hebrew scripture to support the divinity of Jesus.
- Academic Contribution
- The transition from Rabbinical scholarship to Christian theology and linguistics.
Why it's memorable
- A cock tied to a bedpost to detect the exact moment of God's anger.
- A paralyzed man typing a Chinese Old Testament translation with just two fingers.
What it concludes
A brother admires a convert for choosing ideal enthusiasm over the sordid materialism of the age.
For your book club
- The role of specific verses, like Isaiah 34, in shifting a Rabbi's theological perspective.
- The psychological impact of the 'dark veil' dream on potential Jewish converts.