I'm not sure if everyone would agree with some of Geza Vermes' interpretations but this book is eye opening. I first got turned on to this book while studying Islam where I learned that the son who was to be sacrificed by Abraham was a willing and active participant. This was not the way I understood it. So I did some digging and, in time, ended up at this book.

While the book tackles more than just the Akedah it does discuss in detail the fact that many of the oral traditions of Judaism made their way in written form into the New Testament and that this oral tradition had a tremendous impact on Christianity. This 'tradition' falls outside of the Hebrew Bible as we know it yet it had a significant impact on both Christianity and Rabbinical Judaism, one obviously, the other less obvious.

For example, we find that Jesus, of whom Isaac was considered by Christians as a 'type' of sacrificial lamb for his people and by Jews as a 'type' of martyr willing to die for the Nation, was a willing participant in his own sacrifice. Vermes draws out the possibility (perhaps probability) that the understanding of Isaac's role in the Akedah by Jesus' day had, through tradition, become that of a willing and active participant.

As in Islam the Quran reflects what might be seen as a developed tradition of what is only touched upon in the Hebrew Bible, so too does Christianity, several hundred years earlier, reflect a developed tradition. It is 'tradition', outside of the Bible, outside of the mainstream, lying at what is considered by some to be the fringe, where things get interesting because it is here where we are truly able to begin putting ourselves 'back' there.

There is much in the New Testament that would be quite baffling if it were not for books/literature from the Second Temple Period that unfold what would otherwise remain enigmatic. Vermes unfolds the implications of some of these traditions in this book. It is quite scholarly but it is well worth the read.

This fine twenty-years-after sequel to Geza Vermes's _Jesus the Jew_ is actually the third book of a series: the second -- _Jesus and the World of Judaism_ -- is not currently in print as of this writing.

That's too bad, but the present volume is entirely readable on its own terms; in fact, strictly speaking, you don't _have_ to have read _Jesus the Jew_ first either, though it's recommended that you do so.

Here Vermes is continuing his attempt to reclaim Jesus as a faithful Jew and indeed a charismatic Galilean hasid. This volume provides a more in-depth look at Jesus's own teachings and religious practices than did _Jesus the Jew_, and illustrates well that nothing Jesus said or did involved either any departure from Judaism or any attempt to found a new religion separate from Judaism. A fine closing chapter suggests that Christianity might profit by moving closer to the religion _of_ Jesus and abandoning a good deal of the religion _about_ him.

On the minus side, a few of Vermes's conclusions are puzzling and probably wrong. For example, he is the only "Jesus scholar" I know of who rejects the parable of the Good Samaritan as "probably inauthentic." Moreover, in a brief reply to critics who charged that he had provided no account of why Jesus would have been crucified, he argues that Jesus was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time -- a reply which I find altogether unconvincing and which seems to me to point up some of the weaknesses in Vermes's account.

Nevertheless Vermes has pretty much led the way for modern Jews and Christians alike to recognize Jesus as a Jew of his own time. As I said, I'd recommend reading _Jesus the Jew_ first, but if you like Vermes, come back to this one.

Vermes (Oxford) continues his reevaluation of the "historic" Jesus and his message, a concern previously addressed in Jesus the Jew (1973), The Gospel of Jesus the Jew (1981), and Jesus and the World of Judaism (1983). His purpose is to recapture the Jesus of history prior to, and independent of, his becoming the Christ and Lord of Christianity. This not unfamiliar line of approach separates the "real" Jewish Jesus from the post-Crucifixion theological interpretation of his life provided by Paul, John, and later Church teachers. For Vermes, Jesus was "a popular teacher, healer and exorcist, who fits perfectly into the first-century Galilee. He represents the charismatic Judaism of wonder-working holy men." In defense of this reading Vermes provides an interesting analysis of such basic issues as "Jesus and the Law," "Jesus the Teacher," "Proverbs and Parables," "Jesus and the Kingdom of God," "'Abba, Father': the God of Jesus," and "Jesus the Religious Man." He concludes for Jesus's humanity against traditional Christian dogma and belief as to his divinity. Whether one accepts Vermes's position will depend as much on one's own theological presuppositions as on the force of his argument, if not more. Recommended.

Vermes as always is easily understandable and enjoyably readable for anyone with an interest in the bridge between Christianity and Judaism. He is exquisitely accurate in illuminating Jesus' Jewishness. He is even-handed, respectful of Christian ideals, but opens fresh vistas on the Messiah, Prophet and first Christian. Vernes' Jesus is masterfully portrayed in the warm light of his Hebrew nationality and religion and his innovative ideas about God. Vermes lovingly reveals his evidence concerning the religio-historical niche for the man most Christians believe to be God incarnate and who unbiased others believe to be a Prophet who greatly influenced Jews, Muslims, Christians and others for nearly 2000 years.
If you want to know more about Jesus the Jew, his time and place in history as observed by his people, then and now, read this thoroughly enjoyable book.

This book is absolutely essential--whether you are a historical Jesus scholar, a Christian, and especially if you are concerned with anything Jewish. This is the groundbreaking work which has paved the way for "Meeting Jesus again for the First Time" (Marcus Borg), "Rabbi Jesus" (Bruce Chilton), and Richard Horsley's "Bandits, Prophets and Messiahs". Geza Vermes was/is professor of Jewish studies at Oxford, and his excellent approach in this tome is to avoid both the pitfalls of narrow-minded orthodoxy and the sterile, mechanistic strains of German theological scholarship. Instead, Vermes lets Jesus' Jewishness speak for itself, and letting his Galilean nature breathe like a sea breeze blowing onto Capernaum. Vermes is curious, but never heavy-handed or brow-beating, either as a scholar or a theologian. He rightfully insists that his goal is not Christian or Jewish theology; he is an historian and reads Jesus as such. He delves into the rustic, Galilean strain of charismatic Chasidism for his Jesus, rather than the Hellenic waters of recent scholarship, and through his excellent studies one will be exclaiming "Rabbouni!" in awakened recognition of the Jew Jesus was and truly is. This has long since become a textbook classic of New Testament/Jewish studies, but it is absolutely essential reading for either the Jew seeking to know more about Christ, or for the Christian who might be seeking to know the Jew behind the gospels. Again, this is not theology. For those looking for synthesis of scholarship and theology, Marcus Borg is a better and more current place to start. But to understand Christianity, you must first understand Judaism; and to understand the relationship between the two, you must understand Jesus. This book is definitely a step in the right direction towards understanding the man from Nazareth, but the reader must make his own judgments about the Christ of faith, separate or in addition to this Jesus of history.

Jesus the Jew is the first book in a trilogy written by Geza Vermes, Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies at Oxford. The other 2 books in the trilogy are: "Jesus and the World of Judaism" and "The Religion of Jesus the Jew". No doubt the titles of these books will be a bit off-putting to some readers, however I believe that Vermes has done an excellent job in presenting an objective account of the historical Jesus that should be read by all interested Jews and Christians alike.

Vermes takes the position that Jesus the historical figure may be best understood in terms of his Judaic origins. Vermes portrays him as a charismatic, Chassid, similar to a number of others that existed in Jesus' time. He argues that many of the titles given to Jesus or titles that Jesus ascribed to himself such as "Lord", "Son of Man" and "Son of God" may be best understood in terms of Jewish culture and Jewish writings of the time. In fact a great deal of the book is devoted to explaining these and other titles. An example is given where the title "my Son" (son of God) was at one point bestowed upon a Jewish charismatic named Hanina Ben Dosa who, like Jesus, also broke Pharisaic etiquette at times but nonetheless was a respected teacher and miracle worker. Upon this point, Vermes concludes that the notion of "Son of God" in the Gospels is not an original form of terminology but was already well founded in Palestinian Jewish Belief to denote teachers that were highly respected by their peers.

Many more examples such as the one mentioned above are given with regards to all titles bestowed upon Jesus in the Gospels. It is easy to see how such titles may have been adopted, misunderstood and finally corrupted by the gentile church to serve its own end. Many Christian readers may be shocked by the implications of Vermes' investigation, however it is important to remember after all that Jesus was Jewish and therefore certain elements of the Gospels would no doubt adopt some Jewish precepts.

All in all, Vermes has shown himself to be a Scholar of impeccable caliber and should be more widely read in Judeo-Christian circles. His book is at times a little dry and hard to read, but it is worth it for the wealth of information that it contains on the subject of Jesus the Jew.

This is the kind of book that I often choose for read. I consider this outsatnding piece of art one of the best books ever written by a sccholar. Dr. Vermes the reader into a voyage back to the past to the time of the historical Jesus. The strongest points of the books are the references to the religiuos groups, traditions and backgrounds of the Judaism of the Jesus time. The personal interpretations of Dr. Vermes are easy to understand as so deep to make the reader to stop for new reflexions and theological considerations. It is so good, that you will desire to buy more books like this. You should try it and the others. Find them at Amazon.com

Geza Vermes provides a concise introduction to the topic of the Dead Sea Scrolls and provides English translations of many of the scrolls and fragments found in the 11 caves of Qumran. This book was originally published in 1965 and was last updated in 1997. Much has happened in those 32 years and this book contains updates on the key items.

In the first 96 pages of the book, Vermes provides an insight into what the Scrolls are, who the authors were, a history of the community that wrote the scrolls, and the religious ideas of the community. 500 pages of translations and brief discussions of each scroll and fragment follow. The discussions are particularly helpful as introductions to the themes and background related to each scroll. About 40 pages at the end of the book present a catalogue of the scrolls, an index of the texts, and a bibliography. The indexes in the book provide references by topic and by the classification number of the text or fragment (e.g. 4Q525 is text number 525 from Qumran Cave 4).

Among the many key manuscripts translated in this book are the Community Rule, the Damascus Document, the Messianic Rule, the War Scroll, the Thanksgiving Hymns, the Apocryphal Psalms, the calendrical documents, the Blessings and Benedictions, the Peshers (commentaries) on numerous books of the Old Testament, Biblical Apocryphal Works, and the Copper Scroll (the Copper Scroll is a description of the locations of hidden treasures).

The book is quite complete, but new discoveries and revisions to existing hypotheses will always make future revisions a necessity. I have used this book to teach a 4-week mini-course on the Dead Sea Scrolls at my Church with much success. I highly recommend this book. The topic is fascinating and this book is a must for anyone serious about learning what is in the Dead Sea Scrolls and what life was like from 150 B.C to 70 A.D.

Geza Vermes' book, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, is a worthy capstone to a long and distinguished scroll career. Vermes entire career, from his student days to this present work, has been concentrated largely on the Dead Sea Scrolls and related topics. His doctorate in 1953 was completed with a dissertation on the historical framework of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is difficult to find any scholar with as complete a knowledge of the scrolls as has Vermes; it is impossible to find one who knows them better.

This book was released in 1997, 50 years from the time the first Arab shepherd climbed into a cave in search of a wandering animal and instead fell upon the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Following the 'revolution' of 1991 (to use Vermes words), everyone interested could have unfettered access to the Scrolls, and yet, as inaccessible as they had been previously due to physical restriction, they remained just as inaccessible due to the problem of language and translation.

'In addition to the English rendering of the Hebrew and Aramaic texts found in the eleven Qumran caves, two inscribed potsherds (ostraca) retrieved from the Qumran site and two Qumran-type documents discovered in the fortress of Masada, and brief introductory notes to each text, this volume also provides an up-to-date general introduction, outlining the history of fifty years of Scroll research and sketching the organisation, history and religious message of the Qumran Community.'

This is the latest volume of a series: when Vermes first published an edition in 1962 (then 15 years after the discovery of the first scrolls), the book had 262 pages; the current edition has 648. The introduction deals with a brief sketch of the history of research (including a bit on the controversies, such as not allowing Jewish scholars to work on these Jewish texts, the close-guarding and restrictive access of the scrolls by the scholars); further issues in the introduction address current research, including questions of dating, provenance, and perhaps, most importantly, the meaning and significance of the Qumran texts.

Vermes puts together a three-part essay on his view (as well as a little on alternative views) of who was the community at Qumran, the history of that community, and the religious ideas of the community.

This is where we get into the text of the Scrolls in earnest. Vermes begins with The Community Rule a large document that listed the requirements and a penal code. This is best known as the Manual of Discipline. Composition may have begun about 100 BCE, and several fragmentary remains exist of copies of the manual.

'There are, to my knowledge, no writings in ancient Jewish sources parallel to the Community Rule, but a similar type of literature flourished amogn Christians between the second and fourth centuries, the so-called 'Church Orders' represented by works such as the Didache, the Didascalia, the Apostolic Constitution.'

From the Rules and variants, including the now-infamous MMT text, which provoked international lawsuits for violating the 'copyright' exerted by one Scroll scholar on its contents, Vermes proceeds to examine Hymns and Poems; Calendars, Liturgies and Prayers; Apocalyptic Works (which have the greatest appeal to many imminent eschatologically-inclined sects today); Wisdom Literature; Bible translations, commentaries, and apocryphal works; and Miscellanea, including objects such as the Copper Scroll (a rare form, not on parchment, which reads like an accountant's register of treasure), and lists, including the List of False Prophets.

For anyone interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls in any serious way, this is an essential book. With various 'complete' scroll editions and collections being released, this edition, produced by one who has devoted his life to scroll studies, remains one of the best, most complete and clearly translated.

The one drawback, which will only affect those whose interest extends to the study of Roman-period Hebrew and Aramaic, is that there is no photographic imagery or recreation in Hebrew/Aramaic script to show the actual scroll text so that one might make a personal study of the accuracy of the translation. Thus, this text works best for that purpose in conjunction with another translation, or with the very-expensive scroll photographic plate sets now available.

But, for most any use from general interest to scholarship, this volume will serve the reader well.

The case for reading the Dead Sea Scrolls is not as compelling as the case for reading the Bible. Assuming their truth value is identical (i.e., both contain or do not contain the word of God), the Bible has the added attraction of being a fundamental text of Western culture. The day may come when popular literature, song and film are sprinkled with allusions to the Community Rule, but we're not there yet.

But you ought to read the Dead Sea Scrolls anyway. You ought to read them because they shed light on an important point -- the "Intertestamental Period" -- where the Bible is dark. You ought to read them because they fill in some of the vacuum from which Christianity appears to spring. You ought to read them because they're interesting. You ought to read them for their moral content and because, just maybe, these books belong alongside the books of the Bible as inspired prophetic literature.

Vermes's translation is fluid and readable and this book contains all the significant Scrolls texts which are not either simply fragments or biblical texts. A useful added bonus is a series of essays by Vermes about the history, practices and theology of the Dead Sea Scrolls community.

This book was very smartly written, and although one may not agree with all the conclusions or assumptions, I was very satisfied with the historical approach taken. It may appear obvious to many, but from a historian's point of view it seems necessary to explore the nature of Jesus not only in the context of New Testament documents but also with regards too all historical sources, Christian and non-Christian, written at the time. And although some books do this, Vermes also takes an essential additional step of reviewing what was written in the New Testament in the context of how words and terminology were likely used and understood at that time (in this case, 1st century northern Israel) and in the Jewish context. Given that Jesus and his disciples were all Jewish and thought of themselves as Jews, the emphasis on this context appears critical in forming a full understanding.

For the past two centuries historicans and scholars have been trying to find the real Jesus behind the Gospels. It is a commonplace that they have found their own assumptions and prejudices. Orthodox Christians find, naturally enough, the Christ of Orthodoxy. 19th century moderate liberals find a moderate liberal Christ. Slightly more left-wing twentieth century scholars find a slightly more revolutionary Jesus. This book by Jewish scholar Geza Vermes is a summary of three books he wrote connecting Jesus to the Judaism of his day. This account is an admirable summary; it is well written, clearly and thoughtfully presented. Not only does it provide a convincing account of the real Jesus, but it shows a convincing reason why Christian orthodoxy is wrong. The way that it does so is ingenious; by using orthodoxy's own sources.

The main problem for the historical analysis of Jesus is the limited number of sources. We are basically confined to the Testament; independent evidence (Josephus) tells us littlle more that he existed and was a religious leader killed by the Romans. Christian apologetics naturally emphasize the fact that several hundred people were convinced that Jesus had risen from the dead. They do not consider the 99% of people in Palestine who did not share this high opinion and who did not feel the need to write anything down to refute it. But aren't we apparently stuck with the New Testament?

As it happens, we are not. Vermes' procedure is to look through the Bible and unpeel the various accretions of Christian dogma like an onion's layers. First we look at the gospel of John, the gospel which most clearly states that the individual Jesus was in fact God. We then go through the letters of Paul, then the Acts of the Apostles and the synoptic gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke. Then we get Vermes' own description of the real Jesus. Vermes' previous books emphasized the Jewishness of Jesus. This point should be clarified. Obviously Jesus grew up in the context of first century Judaism. For nineteen centuries Christianity has claimed that Jesus was the fulfillment of Judaism. Vermes means something quite different. Nietzsche once said that the only real Christian died on the cross. What Vermes says is that when Jesus died, he died as a Jew. He was similar to other exorcists and healers of the time, the main distinction being that he was unusually eloquent. He lived in the rural world of Galillee, which was not as literate or sophisticated as Jerusalem, and the gospels do not even mention the cities of Galilee. He believed in the imminent end of the world, but he was not a political revolutionary. His execution was an accident, the consequence of paranoid officials overreacting to Jesus' scourging of the temple.

Vermes is excellent at supplementing the New Testametnt with information about first century Judaism. He is useful in explaining the practices of first century Jewish holy men. He helpfully distinguishes Christian from Essenes. Most helpfully he reminds us that the uses of "Lord" , "The Messiah", "Son of Man," and "Son of God," had very clear and distinct meanings in their first century context. To be precise, the four terms are not synonomous, and they are not synonomous with the Christian concept of God. Most important, the term "son of God," as it is used in first century Judaism and in the synpotic gospels does not mean the Christian concept of sonship.

With that in mind it becomes increasingly clear that the synoptic gospels, those sources that are closest to the actual Jesus, subtly undermine the Christian doctrine of Jesus. The gospels do invoke the idea that Jesus is the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. Indeed, Vermes is very good on the development of the virign birth. Early editions of Matthew emphasize Jesus's Davidic descent, and indeed state or strongly imply that Joseph was his father. By the time we get to Luke we have the idea that Jesus was miraculously conceived, based on the famous mistranslation of Isaiah 7:14 where "a young women shall conceive" was wrongly read to say "a young virgin shall conceive." The early gospels are strongly contradictory on whether Jesus was to save all humanity: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," (Matt 15:24) "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel." (Matt 10:6). Other passages clearly counter the doctrine of the Trinity, shared by all of the most important Christian denominations. "But of that day and that hour [of the coming of the Kingdom] no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:32; Matt 24:36) "The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." (1 Corinthians 11:3). Paul and thecharacters of the Acts of the Apostles pray through Christ to God, and not yet to Christ. Jesus clearly shows his Jewish Orthodoxy: "Till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law' (Matt 5:18; cf Luke 16:17) This passage, Vermes notes, must be from the real Jesus, since it is so clearly contradictory to the Christianity of the Gentile Church. The Accounts of the Resurrection are contradictory, with the account in the earliest versions of Mark, the earliest gospel, abruptly ending without anyone actually seeing the ressurrected Jesus. Although Vermes praises Jesus' own eloquence and generosity, it is hard to believe Jesus as one's personal saviour. From the best evidence of this book, he did not believe it himself.

This is the third book I've read on the historical Jesus, beginning with Paula Fredriksen's "From Jesus To Christ," and just recently E.P. Sanders' "The Historical Figure of Jesus."

While I have more titles on my list, I highly recommend the three I've read, especially Geza Vermes more theological study, "The Changing Faces of Jesus."

Vermes begins with the Gospel of John, contrasting the most recently composed "Gospel" of Jesus, written sometime around 100-110 A.D., with the earlier writings of Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, and the image of Jesus consistent with the contents of the the three Synoptic Gospels, beginning with Mark, probably composed sometime after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 A.D.

The author concludes with two short chapters, "Beneath the Gospels" (The Real Jesus) and most thought-provoking "The Real Jesus at the Dawn of the Third Millennium." These summary essays along with the equally interesting Prologue are important reading for the "thinking" Christian.

Between the Prologue and two concluding Chapters, the author thoroughly examines the "changing/evolving" face of Jesus in the New Testament.

The author, born in Hungary, had a Catholic education and was ordained as a priest shortly after the Second World War. He later returned to his Jewish roots, becoming a Biblical scholar, publishing "The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls" in 1997.

The author's scholarship and research expertise adds to the impact of this historical and theological study.

A very embarrassing book because it really tells us nothing wewant to know. What was it like growing up Jewish in wartime Hungary?Just a few inconveniences. Why did he become a priest? Not a word about belief in anything? Why did he leave the Church? Just seemed the best thing to do? How did he become a leading scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls and of Jesus as a "Jew." Quite by accident. There isn't an answer to any real question here. But there is a lot of self-serving prose and a general attack on two centuries of Christian scholars who have found the capturing of the "historical Jesus" a difficult if not impossible task. For Vermes, it is pretty easy to get to the historical Jesus; all you have to do is to realize he was a first-century Jew!...

Providential Accidents - what a well-chosen title- gives a moving insight into the colorful life of a scholar who is world-famous for his pioneering work on the Dead Sea Scrolls and on the historical Jesus. It reveals also in a very impressive way Vermes's personal development starting from provincial Hungary between the wars to his appointment to the chair of Jewish Studies in the University of Oxford and to a Fellowship of the British Academy. A few extracts from the press reviews of the British edition will show the profound impact of this beautifully written book. "Geza Vermes changed accepted views of the life of Christ. Now he has written his own life: the story of a Jew who converted to Catholicism, became a priest, and has now reaffirmed his Jewishness" - The Independent, London. "Vermes believes that Jews and Christians have a lot to learn from looking at Jesus as he was 'thoroughly Jewish'" - The Jerusalem Report. "Providential Accidents is a remarkable story. Vermes' stunning autobiography provides constant evidence of the intuition, wholeness and humility that facilitated the 'providential accidents' which have shaped his life" -The Tablet, London (Roman Catholic) "It reads better than a novel" - Expository Times, Edinburgh.