Claude Montefiore in the context of Jewish approaches to Jesus and the apostle Paul

German and American Jews tend to be the focus of many of the standard treatments of Reform thought in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Anglo-Jewry is usually regarded as something of an intellectual backwater and any ripples of innovation have tended to be explained in terms of foreign influe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Main Author: Langton, Daniel R. (Author)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
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Published: College 1999
In: Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Judaism / Modern age
B Judaism / Christianity
RelBib Classification:BH Judaism
HC New Testament
Further subjects:B Paul Apostle
B Jesus Christus
Description
Summary:German and American Jews tend to be the focus of many of the standard treatments of Reform thought in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Anglo-Jewry is usually regarded as something of an intellectual backwater and any ripples of innovation have tended to be explained in terms of foreign influence. There are exceptions to this rule, however, and Claude Montefiore is one striking example of a radical English Jew. A co-founder of Anglo-Liberal Judaism, Montefiore was a scholar who specialized in New Testament studies to an extent unparalleled by his German or American contemporaries, and who arguably set the agenda for Jewish New Testament scholarship. This essay considers the ways in which Montefiore viewed the two central figures of Christian thought and the ways in which he utilized their teachings as a means to justify his own brand of Judaism. In particular, it considers in what sense he regarded Jesus' teachings as original and new and how he believed various aspects of Paul's thought could be used to inspire religious Jews. By placing Montefiore's views in the context of other Jewish writers, it is hoped that his innovative contributions to Jewish-Christian understanding and his unique place among Jewish religious leaders will be made clear.
ISSN:0360-9049
Contains:In: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion