Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
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- Create Date：2021-08-31 06:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Marvin R. Wilson
- ISBN：0802877338
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Summary
Although the roots of Christianity run deep into Hebrew soil， many Christians remain regrettably uninformed about the rich Jewish heritage of the church。 Our Father Abraham delineates the vital link between Judaism and Christianity， exemplified by the common ancestry of the two faiths traceable back to Abraham。 Marvin Wilson calls Christians to reexamine their Semitic heritage to regain a more authentically biblical understanding of what they believe and practice。
Wilson， a trusted voice among both Jews and Christians， speaks to both past and present， first developing a historical perspective on the Jewish origins of the church and then discussing how the church can become more attuned to the Hebraic mindset of Scripture。 Drawing from his own extensive experience， he also offers valuable practical guidance for salutary interaction between Christians and Jews。 Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make this book especially suitable for use in groups—Christian， Jewish， or interfaith—as readers strive to make sense of their own faith in connection with the other。
The second edition of Our Father Abraham features a new preface， an expanded bibliography of recent relevant works， and two new chapters: one that discusses Jewish-Christian relations after the Holocaust and another that reflects on Wilson’s own fifty-plus-year career as an evangelical Christian deeply committed to interfaith dialogue。 As Christians and Jews feel a growing need for mutual support in an increasingly secular Western world， Wilson’s widely acclaimed book will offer encouragement and wise guidance toward this worthy end。
Wilson， a trusted voice among both Jews and Christians， speaks to both past and present， first developing a historical perspective on the Jewish origins of the church and then discussing how the church can become more attuned to the Hebraic mindset of Scripture。 Drawing from his own extensive experience， he also offers valuable practical guidance for salutary interaction between Christians and Jews。 Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make this book especially suitable for use in groups—Christian， Jewish， or interfaith—as readers strive to make sense of their own faith in connection with the other。
The second edition of Our Father Abraham features a new preface， an expanded bibliography of recent relevant works， and two new chapters: one that discusses Jewish-Christian relations after the Holocaust and another that reflects on Wilson’s own fifty-plus-year career as an evangelical Christian deeply committed to interfaith dialogue。 As Christians and Jews feel a growing need for mutual support in an increasingly secular Western world， Wilson’s widely acclaimed book will offer encouragement and wise guidance toward this worthy end。
Reviews
Josiah
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My discovery of this book was through a journey for spiritual and communal fulfillment。 After twenty years in church leadership and lay ministry， this book has breathed new life into this wine skin。 Yes the book is dense at times， and took me longer to finish than usual。 However， the meaty feast found within is exactly what this tired heart and soul needed。 If you are experiencing a loss of fulfillment in Western Christianity perhaps this book will provide a gate onto a path of pilgrims progress My discovery of this book was through a journey for spiritual and communal fulfillment。 After twenty years in church leadership and lay ministry， this book has breathed new life into this wine skin。 Yes the book is dense at times， and took me longer to finish than usual。 However， the meaty feast found within is exactly what this tired heart and soul needed。 If you are experiencing a loss of fulfillment in Western Christianity perhaps this book will provide a gate onto a path of pilgrims progress with biblical proportions otherwise not known to the Sunday Christian。 It sure did for me。 。。。more
June Hines
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Excellent book
Christina Rivera
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This should be a mandatory read for all Christians。 This book completely changed how I read the Bible！
Scott Broberg
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If you are beginning on your journey of understanding the Jewish roots of Christianity this book is a must！ Or， if you've been on the journey for a while， this book will enhance your journey and become an indispensable resource。 I've had this on my shelf since 2004 and I continually refer back to it on the numerous topics he covers。 If you are beginning on your journey of understanding the Jewish roots of Christianity this book is a must！ Or， if you've been on the journey for a while， this book will enhance your journey and become an indispensable resource。 I've had this on my shelf since 2004 and I continually refer back to it on the numerous topics he covers。 。。。more
Wendy M
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This book was a bit of a difficult read at times， but really opened my eyes to the importance of Jewish culture that is hinted at in the Bible and the roots of the Christian faith。 Definitely recommended。
Javier Rojo
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Taught me how to study our hebraic soil from the roots up
Angela
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For any Christian looking to understand where we came from， this book is a great place to start。I took pages and pages of notes when it delved into the history of our religions—from Abraham， to the Jewishness of Jesus， to the separation of that new Jewish sect that eventually became Christianity。 It's not biased one way or the other， stating facts and admitting when each side messed up that pushed Christianity farther and farther away from its roots。But it's not just history。 It explores Jewish For any Christian looking to understand where we came from， this book is a great place to start。I took pages and pages of notes when it delved into the history of our religions—from Abraham， to the Jewishness of Jesus， to the separation of that new Jewish sect that eventually became Christianity。 It's not biased one way or the other， stating facts and admitting when each side messed up that pushed Christianity farther and farther away from its roots。But it's not just history。 It explores Jewish teachings， and how we can learn from them; it discusses Israel itself as our joint homeland。 It ends with ways to bridge the gap， rebuilding a relationship between Jews and Christians that's not merely tolerant， but respectful and loving。Like the book states， it's not enough for Christians to just know of our Jewish roots。 It's our duty to also act on those teachings， because in that is our history， too。 And we could learn a thing or two about divine love （and love for one another） from our Jewish neighbors。 。。。more
Chad
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A very helpful， in-depth study of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity， as well as the common roots of both in the Hebrew Scriptures。 He surveys what we can learn from Jewish interpretive methods， worship， education， and much more。
Sasha （bahareads）
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"Westerners have often found themselves in the confusing situation of trying to understand a Jewish book through the eyes of Greek culture。" Our Father Abraham was supposed to be a required read for my Hebrew Culture and Civilization class， but it got cut by my professor; however， I had the opportunity to still acquire the book。 It could be quite a lot of material to read at times， but the amount of information and knowledge in this book is outstanding！ Wilson does a great job with trying to m "Westerners have often found themselves in the confusing situation of trying to understand a Jewish book through the eyes of Greek culture。" Our Father Abraham was supposed to be a required read for my Hebrew Culture and Civilization class， but it got cut by my professor; however， I had the opportunity to still acquire the book。 It could be quite a lot of material to read at times， but the amount of information and knowledge in this book is outstanding！ Wilson does a great job with trying to mediate just Jewish our Christian faith is。 I can see how Hellenized Christianity become as a result of drawing away from our Jewish roots。 There are a whole bunch of rich topics here which I believe deserve to be read and re-read to fully grasp the concepts。 I loved how what I read in Our Father Abraham reaffirmed what I'm learning in some of my Hebrew classes right now。 This is a great read for anyone who wants to dive deeper into Christianity and what it means to be a 'Christian'。 。。。more
Lisa
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Excellent resource for understanding the Jewish roots of the Christian church。 Some chapters were more difficult to understand than others， but all in all a very informative book。
Debbie
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This book was written about 30 years ago and is academic in tone， so I prefer the more recent books I've read on the Jewish roots of the Christian faith。 Still， I found this worth reading。 When speaking about Christian beliefs， the author would state an extreme view found in Protestant or Catholic Christianity and state it like it was the common Christian belief。 This meant that he was often arguing against things my church doesn't actually believe。 But， anyway， he feels that Christians ought to This book was written about 30 years ago and is academic in tone， so I prefer the more recent books I've read on the Jewish roots of the Christian faith。 Still， I found this worth reading。 When speaking about Christian beliefs， the author would state an extreme view found in Protestant or Catholic Christianity and state it like it was the common Christian belief。 This meant that he was often arguing against things my church doesn't actually believe。 But， anyway， he feels that Christians ought to be more Jewish if they're going to follow Jesus' teaching correctly。So he educates the reader about the Jewish mindset on topics like marriage and the family， valuing the aged， the land of Israel， education， worship， and the Passover。 He also provided a brief history about how Christianity started to reject the Jewish heritage of their Jewish Jesus。 He talked about how the Christian church got biblical teachings wrong because of this and urges Christians to learn more about the Jewish faith by getting to know Jews today。 。。。more
Lisa Johnson
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Title: Our Father Abraham （Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith）Author: Marvin WilsonPages: 395Year: 1990Publisher: EerdmansMy rating: 4 out of 5 stars。In the journey of discovering the Jewish roots of my Christian faith， I have read many books。 Some were very helpful and other books weren’t for various reasons。 However， Our Father Abraham is a gem because the author takes great pains to explain various topics in a way that can be easily comprehended while also leaving the reader wanting more。 At Title: Our Father Abraham （Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith）Author: Marvin WilsonPages: 395Year: 1990Publisher: EerdmansMy rating: 4 out of 5 stars。In the journey of discovering the Jewish roots of my Christian faith， I have read many books。 Some were very helpful and other books weren’t for various reasons。 However， Our Father Abraham is a gem because the author takes great pains to explain various topics in a way that can be easily comprehended while also leaving the reader wanting more。 At the end of each chapter， there are discussion questions that give people an opportunity to cement the information learned while also exploring the topic in the Bible。 Other books may have a few discussion questions， but the author here gives each chapter over 20 questions。 Plus， at the end of the book， there are footnotes that point to other sources for further study and contemplation。What makes reading the book enjoyable is， of course， the material and having an opportunity to discuss the material with a friend。 If you have never tried doing this with a nonfiction book， I hope you will as it helped me remember what I read and clarified some points of the material I had trouble digesting。While the book is not a recent work， don’t let that put you off from reading it。 I am not sure how much Messianic Judaism has changed since the book was published， but I look at some of the material as being helpful to understand the subject at the time。 The most recent chapter I read helped me understand the way Hebrews view education and how other cultures do as well。 Plus， it helped me see how that influences the society I live in。The book will remain on my shelf in the hopes that my progeny will read it and find the information helpful plus spur them on to seek more understanding and growth in their faith。 。。。more
J。J。 Richardson
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This should be a standard textbook in seminaries for understanding the base of the Christian faith。
Daniel
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Took me forever because of work taking away time， but completely worth it。 This book is AMAZING。 Reads like a dissertation at times， but full of knowledge of the Jewish faith and how it is interwoven with the Christian faith。 It is mind-blowing how far the church has gotten away from its Jewish heritage， and this book does a great job of bridging the gap。 Not sure this is for the brand new Christian。。。probably a better read for someone who has been a Christian for a while now。 If you plan on goi Took me forever because of work taking away time， but completely worth it。 This book is AMAZING。 Reads like a dissertation at times， but full of knowledge of the Jewish faith and how it is interwoven with the Christian faith。 It is mind-blowing how far the church has gotten away from its Jewish heritage， and this book does a great job of bridging the gap。 Not sure this is for the brand new Christian。。。probably a better read for someone who has been a Christian for a while now。 If you plan on going to/have already been to Israel， I highly recommend this one。 。。。more
Michael Walker
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Well-presented case for Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah by a Biblical and Theological professor at Gordon College who dialogues between Christians and Jews。
Bfleegs
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A very interesting and in-depth look at the Jewish roots of Christianity。 The author does well to point out that New Testament Christianity developed immediately from the Old Testament Hebrew religion， not separate from it。 There is much that modern believers can learn from their Hebrew heritage， and even some of the church's most beloved practices （Lord's Supper and baptism） have their roots in the Jewish cultural milieu。 That being said， the author at times blurs the lines between the teaching A very interesting and in-depth look at the Jewish roots of Christianity。 The author does well to point out that New Testament Christianity developed immediately from the Old Testament Hebrew religion， not separate from it。 There is much that modern believers can learn from their Hebrew heritage， and even some of the church's most beloved practices （Lord's Supper and baptism） have their roots in the Jewish cultural milieu。 That being said， the author at times blurs the lines between the teaching of God in the Old Testament and the culture the Jewish people developed， with a tendency to uphold all of Jewish culture as being the standard for Christians today。 All-in-all， though， the book is a refreshing new perspective on the relation between Israel and the church in therms of their history， similarity， and differences。 。。。more
John
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This book is annoying me so much that I'm beginning my review before I finish so I don't forget all the places that it annoyed me。 Mr。 Wilson's [the author] goal is to reemphasize Hebrew culture and history and Scriptures [Old Testament aka Tanakh] which he feels [rightly] has been deemphasized in the course of church history [up until recently]。 Mr。 Wilson is obviously passionate about all of this。 The problem is that he allows his passion to slip into the work where it shouldn't。 Some examples This book is annoying me so much that I'm beginning my review before I finish so I don't forget all the places that it annoyed me。 Mr。 Wilson's [the author] goal is to reemphasize Hebrew culture and history and Scriptures [Old Testament aka Tanakh] which he feels [rightly] has been deemphasized in the course of church history [up until recently]。 Mr。 Wilson is obviously passionate about all of this。 The problem is that he allows his passion to slip into the work where it shouldn't。 Some examples:1。 In Chapter 7 he discusses anti-semitism in history。 There is certainly a lot of material there to discuss， and he roundly [and rightly] criticizes the way Jews have been treated， often times by Christians [Martin Luther being a good example]。 However， he paints with too broad a brush。 In one spot he says that the Church Fathers "applied the lessons of the barren fig tree （Matt 21。18-22） to the Jewish people。" Seeing as how the Tanakh [Old Testament] DOES compare Israel to a fig tree [https://www。blueletterbible。org/study。。。] ， then the Jewish people perhaps， maybe， might have understood this metaphor as speaking about them。 We can argue whether Jesus meant it for the Jewish people or not， however， it is certainly a legitimate possibility， so Mr。 Wilson should not be so shocked at this interpretation。 He may not like it， but it is a possible interpretation。2。 Next he complains in Chapter 7 that the early church fathers saw Old Testament as "offensive at worst and little more than antiquated at best。" Really， Mr。 Wilson？ Really？ If that were true then why did they insist that they be included into the canon of Scripture？ However they may have felt about the Old Testament， they thought they were important enough to be included in the canon。 This hardly seems to rate as "offensive at worst and little more than antiquated at best。"3。 Mr。 Wilson complains in Chapter 8 that the Old Testament is called， well， the "Old" Testament。 He thinks it should have been named the "First" or "Original" Testament。 Mr。 Wilson can have his opinion， but when Jesus raised the cup and said "this cup is the new covenant in my blood，" signaling that the old covenant had passed away [as Hebrews goes into some detail to point out]， is it any surprise that the first 39 books of the Bible became known as the "Old" Testament which happens to be the antonym of "new？" 4。 In Chapter 8， Mr。 Wilson lambasts seminaries because "Many of these schools require more New Testament courses than Old Testament ones， and they often require study of Greek but make Hebrew optional。" Mr。 Wilson gives zero evidence for this assertion。 From my own experience my M。Div required equal amounts of BOTH Greek and Hebrew， and perhaps the seminaries [if they actually do] offer more courses in the New Testament than the Old Testament because there is more demand for such courses。 Mr。 Wilson may not like this fact， indeed he is writing a book about it， but by the same token it would do little good for a seminary to offer courses that few people would take。 There are such things as economics going on here， which Mr。 Wilson seems to not consider at all。5。 Mr。 Wilson says that the church "has been guilty of overemphasizing the dissimilarities of the Testaments。。。。Many examples of this phenomenon may be cited:。。。we hear that the Old Testament has 'done away with，' abrogated，' or 'superseded' the Old Testament。" Let me see， where have I heard that before？ Thinking。。。。thinking。。。。oh， in the New Testament！ “In speaking of a new covenant， he makes the first one obsolete。 And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away。” （Hebrews 8:13， ESV）The New Testament itself makes such a claim？ Now that does not mean that studying the Old Testament is worthless， nor that we shouldn't care about it or understand it， but to say that it has been abrogated or superseded is to simply be biblical。 One wonders why Mr。 Wilson objects to that。Chapter 9: The contour of Hebrew thought was excellent， I believed Mr。 Wilson had finally turned the corner and the rest of the book would be interesting as he unfolded Jewish life and culture。 Ultimately， this section also disappointed me。 He does a fine job of laying out what Jewish [for instance] marriage and family looks like， but doesn't really do a good job of connecting it with anything meaningful。 Christian marriage should ideally be much the same， sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't， but that isn't because we don't understand the values the Jews placed on marriage and family， it's because we are sinners。I couldn't take any more after the marriage and family chapter。 I skimmed the rest of the headings to see if Mr。 Wilson had written anything that looked new or ground-breaking。 It did not appear so。 I am glad to be finished with this book。 I do not recommend it。 I found the book "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus" much more engaging and readable and ultimately more interesting than Mr。 Wilson's book。 。。。more
Mistie
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This book was really a great place to familiarize myself with Jewish heritage。 I am wanting to continue to dig deeper into this Divine root system。 I will go back and review many of the aspects presented in this book and will probably read it again！
Ryan Hankins
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Great summary of jewish influences on the Christian faith。 Great insight that is unusual for mainstream Christianity。
Rutherling
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Essential and eye-opening， especially when it comes to the common ground between Judaism， Christianity， and Islam。
Rena
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This is the second time I have read this book。 I believe if you want to understand the Hebrew and Christian connection you should read this。
Ben Smitthimedhin
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Incredible。 Dr。 Marvin R。 Wilson takes us through the history of antisemitism， the differences in Hebrew thought from Western Christianity， and what the church can learn from Judaism （which is seen as the roots of our faith） all to back up the point of his thesis of how the Christian church should seek to reconcile their broken relationship with their own Jewish family and background while putting a halt on the trend of antisemitism。 This has huge implications that can change one's perspective o Incredible。 Dr。 Marvin R。 Wilson takes us through the history of antisemitism， the differences in Hebrew thought from Western Christianity， and what the church can learn from Judaism （which is seen as the roots of our faith） all to back up the point of his thesis of how the Christian church should seek to reconcile their broken relationship with their own Jewish family and background while putting a halt on the trend of antisemitism。 This has huge implications that can change one's perspective on faith and Christian living completely as Dr。 Wilson traces the history of some of the false beliefs that permeate the Christian church today。Highly Recommend！ 。。。more
Dennis Podryadchikov
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When a search for practical applications of life with God in community of other people takes one to realize that just Christian resources are not enough， a deeper dive into the Jewish heritages can beautifully explain so much about life with God on daily basis。 In "Our Father Abraham"， Marvin R。 Wilson provides a profound introduction into Jewish worldview for Christians。 Wilson takes his readers through debris of finding a proper relationship between Christianity and Jewry and points to many wa When a search for practical applications of life with God in community of other people takes one to realize that just Christian resources are not enough， a deeper dive into the Jewish heritages can beautifully explain so much about life with God on daily basis。 In "Our Father Abraham"， Marvin R。 Wilson provides a profound introduction into Jewish worldview for Christians。 Wilson takes his readers through debris of finding a proper relationship between Christianity and Jewry and points to many ways how the thousands-old history of the latter can enrich the followers of the former。 The book is an excellent read for those who look to enrich their walk with God by discovering a treasure of a nation who has done for thousands of years。 。。。more
Nanette
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This is one of the most enlightening books I have ever read！ If you're a non-fiction reader， I highly recommend you put this on your list！ This is one of the most enlightening books I have ever read！ If you're a non-fiction reader， I highly recommend you put this on your list！ 。。。more
Rena Jane
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Excellent history and interpretation of the influence of the Old Testament on Christianity and the New Testament。 Very readable and sensible discussion of many issues that are misunderstood in the Christian community， about Judaism and the Old Testament。
Roderick
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One of the first books I recommend for those desiring to understand the Hebraic worldview。 Trusted and authentic。
Greg Sudmeier
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You can't understand Christianity until you know its roots。 You can't understand Christianity until you know its roots。 。。。more
Kate
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All the positives related in the review by the person named "Bob" on the Goodreads site， I concur with。 I learned much from Marv Wilson's book。 I recommend it highly。 All the positives related in the review by the person named "Bob" on the Goodreads site， I concur with。 I learned much from Marv Wilson's book。 I recommend it highly。 。。。more
Calvin Coulter
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