Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts

Description: "The spirit and voice of ancient ethnic bigotry (esp. anti-Semitism) rears its head time and again in the New Testament; the editors and contributors seek to explain, contextualize, engage, problematize, and offer pedagogical strategies for dealing with these difficult texts"--

Brief description: Sarah E. Rollens teaches religious studies at Rhodes College. She is the author of Framing Social Criticism in the Jesus Movement: The Ideological Project in the Sayings Gospel Q and co-editor of Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts.

Review Quotes:

"This book achieves its aims and will be an invaluable resource for educators in undergraduate courses on the NT. The discussion questions and activities at the end of each chapter are perfect for seminars and small-group discussions as well. Beyond the classroom, clergy and laypeople who are interested in the legacy of Judeophobia in the Christian tradition will also benefit greatly from this volume. It is accessible and easy to read and successfully invites the reader to confront difficult passages and their complicated legacy."
--Religious Studies Review

"[Judeophobia and the New Testament] is designed for the undergraduate classroom, with questions and activities provided after each chapter. But other readers, including preachers, would benefit from this accessible introduction to a difficult and disturbing topic. . . . The New Testament does not conform to the norms of interfaith dialogue; but rather vilifies those who simply decline to affirm Christian beliefs. Standing up to its Judeophobic rhetoric is a complex and soul-searching task. This book is a good place to start."
--The Expository Times

"What should be the response to New Testament Judeophobia? Exploration of the ethical, philosophical, and theological foundations of monotheistic Jewish and Christian faiths that yields trends of individuality and support for pluralism. . . . Recommended."
--CHOICE

"The scholars assembled here have not only issued a clarion call to colleagues to name and to resist this toxic inheritance. They have given us the tools to do so."
--Paula Fredriksen in Review of Biblical Literature

"It is a shame that we still need a book like this, but need it we do. We Christians should be able to read the New Testament without making Jews and Judaism a dark foil for our own religious views. But until we learn to do so, we need wise instruction from the likes of Rollens, Vanden Eykel, Warren, and their excellent contributors. Judeophobia and the New Testament is a hermeneutical appeal to the better angels of our nature."
--Matthew V. Novenson, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Hostility to Jews and Judaism from the far right to the far left can be expressed in ways that draw, knowingly or unknowingly, on the New Testament and its reception. Judeophobia and the New Testament is a teaching tool that will enable those of good faith to more effectively spot and respond to this phenomenon."
--Tzvi Novick, University of Notre Dame

"There is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to assessing the degree to which the New Testament manifests what is sometimes called 'Judeophobia.' The strength of this volume is the dedication of its many contributors to examining specific texts in specific contexts. Whether the desire is to condemn or to excuse or to problematize the rhetoric of early Christian writers, truth is not served by overgeneralizations."
--Patrick Gray, Rhodes College