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Submit Your Reflection about "The Jewish Roots of the Christian Story."

Editorial Note:
Speaking of Faith has received a number of e-mails in response to Joel Marcus referring to himself as a "Jewish Christian." Many of them not only posited this as an impossibility, but believed this crossed a line and was offensive. We regret that.

We were attracted to Joel Marcus on the basis of his scholarship on Christianity's Jewish origins. We wanted a New Testament scholar who could look at the New Testament references to Judaism and put them in context. The fact that Joel Marcus was born and raised Jewish made him more interesting, as did his recent work to apply the core meaning of the Passion story to the persecution of the Jewish people across history.

Read replies by Joel Marcus and Rabbi Barry Cytron, director of the Jay Phillips Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, to the questions raised by these criticisms.

Affirmation (October 31, 2007)
It was by accident that I stumbled upon your conversation with Joel Marcus regarding the New Testament and anti-Judaism. He used to be a lecturer at the University of Glasgow and a member of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral here. It was wonderful to listen to such an intelligent, faith-affirming and thought-provoking programme. Thank you and good wishes from Scotland!

Roy Henderson
Glasgow, Scotland (Listens to SOF Podcast)

Countering Hatred (May 6, 2005)
I have been a pastor in central Pennsylvania for 20 years. As you may know, there are many hate groups in our country. Many of us have been deeply concerned about intolerance and hatred. In your program, "The Jewish Roots of the Christian Story," Dr. Joel Marcus spoke so very well about the potential in the Christian faith to promote anti-semitism. He says that what was once an in-house argument in the New Testament between Jews who followed Jesus and Jews who did not becomes a far more dangerous conflict when seen from a different point of view years later between different religious groups.

At the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, we are in the process of providing online resources to counter hatred and promote understanding among people of different faiths. We would very much like to provide a link from our Web site to this show. This program shares a timeless truth that is important for people to hear no matter what their religious background.

Bruce Bouchard
Hanover, PA (WETA, 90.9 FM)

God's Power (April 14, 2005)
The thing that I found most interesting was the fact that the term Jewish became a negative term some 60 to 70 years after Jesus' death. I think that Joel Marcus helped me to understand this when he used the analogy of a Jewish person telling a Jewish joke and that being okay because it was in the family, but when another person (non-Jewish) tells it or reads it, it is taken out of context and takes on a whole new meaning. This makes sense to me. It is easy to understand something that takes place in my family or heritage because of my background but the same thing that doesn't even phase me my be completely offensive to someone interpreting what they think it means.

I also really liked Marcus' statement "Our suffering and our despair can become the arena in which God's power is revealed." I have heard many messages in church saying the same thing. Until we have an issue or are in trouble it seems like life is going along with no problem. When life is great people tend to forget about God and the fact that they need him in their lives. It is when trouble arises that God has the opportunity to show his power. He does this in many ways — sometimes through a miracle and other times by giving us peace in a situation.

Kristin Enger
Rogers, MN (Listens via Web Audio)

A Way to Grow (April 14, 2005)
I did not wish to complain about Joel Marcus. I appreciated what he had to say and learned things I did not know. The comment I want to make is: Please continue to offend some of us. It is a way to grow spiritually. I learn from all of your programs and actually have no complaints.

Jeanne Rapp
Lakewood, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)

Taking Comfort in Asking the Question (April 13, 2005)
I was very enlightened by the interview of Joel Marcus. The discussion about Jesus and the Holocaust was very interesting. I liked Marcus's comment about raising the questions about why people suffer. He says it is not "unchristian" to ask, because Jesus did too on the cross. "Our suffering and despair can become the arena in which God's power is revealed." In today's society I find myself asking that very question, and I found comfort in Marcus's comment. We will triumph through Him, and will know peace when it is our time.

I also wanted to say as I was listening to the show, I was intrigued by Marcus calling himself a "Jewish Christian." I myself am a Christian, and did not find his comment offensive. Reading other comments from Jewish listeners, I understood their point of view. I believe through dialogues like these we can learn even more from one another and respect others points of view.

Melinda Donner
Big Lake, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)

Mesmerizing Conversation (April 3, 2005)
I listened with fascination to Krista Tippett's conversation with Joel Marcus and have to say, despite the elevated, informative and sometimes moving discussion, there were several moments which, as a Jew, I found offensive and in the realm of proselytizing whether consciously on Ms Tippett's part or not.

Examples:

1. Ms. Tippett introduces Prof. Marcus by saying that, while now a Christian, he was raised as a Jew and thinks of himself as one, which is in accordance with Jewish law. The source for that is Prof. Marcus himself, now a Christian. I am curious whether your staff bothered to do any fact-checking to see what the Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstructionist wings of Judaism have to say on the matter, and to make that part of the program, rather than assume that a "Jewish Christian" such as Mr. Marcus was the sole knowledgeable authority. I was disappointed that Ms. Tippett offered no clarification — not a whisper that the vast majority of Jews reject Prof. Marcus's self-definition.
2. At another point Prof. Marcus points to Isaiah 53 and mentions that it is a text that JEWS use to convince other Jews of the true Messiahship of Jesus. Actually, it is a text that CHRISTIANS use to attempt to convince Jews of the true Messiahship of Jesus. Again, I was disappointed that, in the program, Ms. Tippett does not question Prof. Marcus's assumption. Would she have sat silently by if a Jew or a Muslim pointed to a passage of Christian scripture and said that this is a passage that Christians use to convince other Christians of the superiority of Judaism or Islam? I was gratified when, a little later in the program, Prof. Marcus himself explains the Jewish perspective on the passage, i.e., that it is the Jewish people that is referred to as the "suffering servant."
3. Toward the end of the program, again, referring to himself as a Jewish Christian, Prof. Marcus speaks of a church that accepts Jews, Gentiles, African Americans, etc. Importantly, the Church accepts them as Christians first. The implication is that a Jew who now believes in Jesus as the Messiah and is a regular church-goer, is still a Jew. He or she certainly is by origin and perhaps by ethnic food preferences and culture, but no longer by religion. This is an important point. Because most Jews who are religious go to synagogue and believe in a direct line to God through prayer without the need of an intermediary for salvation.

I have more than once come upon an attitude of condescension to Judaism, a sort of pity for those who have not yet seen the light: tolerance instead of reverence…. The children did not arise to call the mother blessed; instead, they called the mother blind. Some theologians continue to act as if they did not know the meaning of "Honor your father and mother." Others … speak as if they suffered from a spiritual Oedipus complex.

Steve Brand
New York, NY (Listens via Web Audio)

Mesmerizing Conversation (March 27, 2005)
Your interview with Joel Marcus was mesmerizing: the Jewish roots of Christianity is a subject that has long been of personal interest to me, as a Protestant Christian, and as a graduate of a department of religious studies. Professor Marcus's insights were both enlightening and expanding — I would love to hear future interviews with Dr. Marcus, and to learn more about him and his personal and professional visions of Christianity.

Peter Kalnin
Riverside, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)

Pronunciation (March 27, 2005)
Oy! "Chaim" isn't pronounced [kaim]; if she can't do the guttural, then [haim] would work. Great show, it's just that Potok is a very fine writer whose first name deserves the extra effort it might take to say it correctly.

Ron Caldwell
New York, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)

Bridging a Difficult Discussion (March 27, 2005)
Thanks so much for another outstanding program. I so much appreciate the fabulous job you all are doing in exploring faith. The timing of this and the subject were of great interest given the fact that I'm a practicing Jew who's on the Board of the Jewish Community Relations Council of MN and the Dakotas and my wife's family are devout Christians (actually practicing next door to MPR [Minnesota Public Radio] at Central Presbyterian Church where my father-in-law has been the organist for 46 years and my mother-in-law is the parish nurse and sings in the choir).

I learned a great deal from the program and it helped make them more aware of my sensitivities dealing with anti-semitism. It allowed us to have an informed discussion about a subject that is often difficult. Thanks for creating another bridge.

Terry Gips
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)

Who Killed Jesus? (March 27, 2005)
I was intrigued by the discussion on the program which aired on Easter Sunday. It addressed so many of the issues that have held a special concern for me for many years. And one thing that came out of listening to the program is my resolve to read the Bible in its entirety. I am frankly embarrassed to confess that, at sixty-seven, I have not read the Bible throughout— and I am a churchgoing individual, a church musician, no less. While, oddly, I have read book after book ON the Bible, I have never read the Bible itself except for particular chapters, snippets, smidgens, and such.

While I found the discussion in reference to the Jews killing Jesus of uncommon interest, I found the comment of the guest from Duke University especially thought-provoking: It was not just the Jews or the Gentiles who killed Jesus, he said, humanity killed Jesus. I found that, based on what I know, to contain not just a kernel of truth, but Truth itself. I agree wholeheartedly with that observation.

Your program is of enormous interest to me and I listen to it as often as I possibly can. Thank you for such a provocative program — a real feast for "religious people" who THINK, rather than merely accepting the diet they are force-fed in the churches across the land each week. I think that one has the responsibility to examine issues of faith and spirituality for himself/herself and arrive at a concept of both that he or she can live with comfortably.

Speaking of Faith is one of my favorite programs on National Public Radio. I will look forward to more illuminating discussions such as the one I heard earlier this evening.

Charles Semones
Harrodsburg, KY (WEKU, 88.9 FM)

Beyond Suffering and Blame (March 27, 2005)
I was raised in a Christian dominant society with a blue blood heritage, and an Anglicized family name of Silliman, from the earlier Sillimandi of Lucca c. 1400, and according to the crest with a crescent moon, a six pointed star and cedar tree, it was probably Suleiman from the eastern Mediterranean and Soloman originally. The name used by the family now but more particularly the name used for God divides me and puts me into a simple box outside yours. My path may be seem different and I may appear different, but those are perceptions and words we use. Examine please the feelings, for they are real, common and shared.

Why can't we see that HE didn't die for our sins, but because of our ignorance. HIS death, HIS suffering is ours, not for us to blame ourselves or others. It is to transcend our own small individual isolated selves. When suffering in despair we are truly vulnerable and have to face immediate fears, but then in the stillness when we stay with it long enough, realizing it is not self, not about me, this identified body and persona, but it is the LOVE here in my own heart radiating all around, to which I must turn and allow IT to shine forth and be PRESENT, now in everything I do. Realizing as Buddha did 2600 years ago that suffering is common to everyone. It is through suffering that we come nearer to God and as Karen Armstrong and the Dhali Lama so clearly saying it is all about compassion.

HIS resurrection and our redemption are synonymous, our turning to HIM, or rather, the LOVE HE showed to all, was the way to salvation. Now in everything we do, with all we meet! HE gave HIMSELF, showing us it is only LOVE that turns enemies into friends, heals angers and fears, cures or makes bearable the pain of loss and breaks the bounds which divide us from all that is most beautiful. If only we could get beyond our self-centeredness and feel IT! HE has showed us repeatedly in the beloved Jesus, Gandhi, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and so many beautiful Hindu, Jewish, Sufis, and saints from all paths that all are ONE.

The time is Easter by one recording of history. The time is surely NOW to be mindful and present as Thich Nhat Hanh tells us. And as Eknath Eswaran tells us, if you want to see God, look at your arms, they can provide the miracles in HIS service.

Benjamin Gray
Cornwall, CT (WNPR, 89.1 FM)

Excellent Program (March 27, 2005)
I enjoy Speaking of Faith immensely. This morning's program on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Story was outstanding; I look forward to reading more from Joel Marcus. I was a bit surprised that the discussion did not seem to mention the Book of Hebrews, which gives a good spiritual "connection" between the old covenant and the new. I guess I will have to get some more books in the library. Thanks for the continued fine work. And may the Lord bless you.

Robin Davidov
Severna Park, MD (WYPR, 88.1 FM)

Discussion on the Book of Hebrews? (March 27, 2005)
I enjoy Speaking of Faith immensely. This morning's program on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Story was outstanding; I look forward to reading more from Joel Marcus. I was a bit surprised that the discussion did not seem to mention the Book of Hebrews, which gives a good spiritual "connection" between the old covenant and the new. I guess I will have to get some more books in the library. Thanks for the continued fine work. And may the Lord bless you.

Rev. Bill Sarasin
Rives Junction, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)

An Oxymoron to Jews (March 27, 2005)
I was interested and disturbed by your interview on Speaking of Faith with Prof. Joel Marcus who called himself a "Jewish Christian." For most Jews, this is an oxymoron. One may be ethnically Jewish (of Jewish descent) and convert to Christianity. But once one accepts as historical fact the resurrection, one has crossed the boundary between Judaism and Christianity.

If you wish to establish a constructive dialogue between Jews and Christians, you might interview (again) Bishop John Shelby Spong (Resurrection: Myth or Reality?). He considers the story of the resurrection to be a powerful myth, not a historical event. But a myth that has insights for all people. As you know, Judaism considers the resurrection to be a story told by devout followers of Jesus who could not believe that their messiah was dead. Probably they were influenced by the Pharisaic doctrine of resurrection and perhaps by such mystery cults as Mithraism.

But those Christians who speak of the Christ myth (from Bultmann to Tillich to Spong) imply that the difference between Judaism and Christianity is which myth is chosen to express certain spiritual insights. You might even interview Jewish scholars to present their understanding of the resurrection: e.g., Ellis Rivkin (What Crucified Jesus?), or Michael Cook of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

Rabbi Henry Cohen
Wynnewood, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

Not a Message of Hate (March 27, 2005)
Your program this morning centered on two statements that are relevant to the meaning of Easter for Christianity. Pardon me for being pedantic, but I must break them down thus:

• Statement 1: God sent his son Jesus to earth to die on the cross for the salvation of humanity.
• Statement 2: The Jews are responsible for killing Jesus.

Kimberly Mims
Chicago, IL (WBEZ, 91.5 FM)

Not Possible to Be a Jew and a Christian (March 27, 2005)
As a Jew, the entire New Testament seems to be one long Christian polemic to prove Christianity's moral superiority to Judaism. It goes way beyond blaming the Jews for Jesus's execution. All the Gospels distort Judaism. It seems the only truly decent Jews in the New Testament are followers of Jesus. The rest are petty, superficial, and hypocritical at best.

I don't know what Joel Marcus means when he says that he is a Jew and a Christian. That is not possible, unless it is some sort of Zen Koan to meditate on. Marcus is either deluding himself or lying if he believes that one can accept Jesus as his personal savior and be Jewish at the same time. There is a Jewish prayer where we say, "but for you, G-d, we have no savior." The Messiah is not a savior or G-d's son. Indeed if you believe in G-d, I don't see why you would need G-d's son.

Susan Stein
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

So-Called "Jewish Christians" (March 27, 2005)
I turned on the radio when I got up this morning and heard a little of the end of your program. Your host and guest were discussing the crucifixion, which was no surprise on Easter morning, but I was puzzled at the expression "gentile Christian," which is redundant. Then it became clear that the guest was a so-called "Jewish Christian." Putting it bluntly, both guest and host have been dupes. There is no such thing, and cannot be such a thing.

"Jewish Christians" are a recent invention in the age-old attempt by Christianity to eliminate it's embarrassing parent, Judaism. When you spoke of the Holocaust, you illustrated your historical ignorance of Christian history, from the doctrinal struggles or the original accession of power in the early centuries through the enormous massacres of the Crusades on. In radical contrast to mainstream Christianity, mainstream Judaism respects the good people of other faiths. Please be more careful in the future about showcasing wolves in sheep's clothing.

Neil Rest
Chicago, IL (WBEZ, 91.5 FM)

More Conversations Like This (March 27, 2005)
Your program is consistently one of the best media presentations of the issues lying between, or even dividing, the civil and the religious spheres of our American life. Your discussion/interview this morning on the Jewish context of the Gospel Passion narratives was knowledgeable, balanced, and informative. Of particular importance to me was the explanation of the forces that shaped the Gospel perspectives over the four decades that the Gospels were being formed — e.g., the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans, the destruction of the Temple. Would that such conversations could take place in the public media more often. Keep up the good work.

Arthur Carrillo
Detroit, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)

The Point Is Being Closer to God (March 26, 2005)
This is perhaps tangential to the main discussion, but central to Joel's identification of Jewish and Christian, and something that is always controversial, especially among Jews. I had a somewhat similar experience as Joel Marcus. For a time, I was a practicing Catholic after growing up without any Jewish religious practice. I have since returned to Jewish practice and rejected the idea of Jesus as anything but a good teacher (the kind of choice C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity insists I can not make — if someone wants to take his line and tell me that Jesus is either a madman, a demon of Hell, or God, I'll take madman, but only if I'm forced).

I suspect that some Jewish listeners will be irked and upset by Joel's referring to himself as a Jewish Christian. But I know what he means. When I was trying to be a Catholic, I still knew I was Jewish as well. For me, it prevented me from really accepting Jesus. I could never believe in Jesus enough to placate the Jewish part of me that saw the same ideas of forgiveness and redemption in the "old testament" without the necessity of Jesus.

My mom identifies herself as both Jewish and Christian — born Jewish, raised secular, but nominally Christian. She doesn't have a deep religious practice, but she likes the holidays and Jesus' message of love and mercy, something that she did not get a lot of in her upbringing.

Many Jews will be upset with Joel, both that he has converted and that he identifies himself as Jewish AND Christian. The logic for such Jews seems to be that when Jews are secular and live a life apart from God altogether, this is OK. But if they find a connection to God through Jesus and Christianity, it's a terrible thing. We are to believe that people like Joel converting to Christianity and marrying outside their faith (as I did) is a more terrible calamity than the Holocaust. But I see the faith and closeness to God that Joel has as a Jewish person practicing Christianity as much preferable to his life as someone nominally Jewish but apart from God altogether. For me, my faith in God and desire to serve God is something that was born for me in Catholic observance, even though I am no longer a Catholic. And I believe that God cares more about us seeking God and having a close relationship with God more than about which route we take to that closeness.

Lee Tracy
Los Angeles, CA (Subscribes to Audible)

Elaborating on Jewish Ritual (March 25, 2005)
Thank you for your excellent program on the Jewish roots of the Christian story. As Joel Marcus pointed out, Jesus and his followers were just as Jewish as those who opposed them. We tend to be misled by our English translations. The Greek word translated "Jews" in the Gospels is Ioudaiwn, "Judeans," and in some passages should be translated as such to mark it as the opposite of Galilaiwn, "Galileans." In some parts of the Gospel accounts, there is an undercurrent of conflict, not between Jews and Christians, but between Judeans and Galileans. It is in this context that we see Peter, waiting to see how Jesus' trial would turn out, being accused with, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." (Mark 14:70)

I do take exception, though, with the statement that "of course" the Last Supper was not a Passover meal. In the context of Judean vs. Galilean praxis, it is seen to be a legitimate Passover in the Diaspora, of which Galilee was a part. Today in Jewish practice there still exists the Yom Tov Sheni Shel Galuyot, "the Second Festival Day of the Diaspora." It is an additional day added to festivals for Jews who do not live in Israel. But in the days before scientific calendars it might be added to either the beginning or to the end of the festival depending on what day the new moon appeared. The Rosh Hodesh, "the first of the month," was declared by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem when the new moon was seen and word was sent to all Jews throughout the world. Because of slow communications, Jews in the Diaspora celebrated the extra day so that the correct day might not be desecrated.

In the year that Jesus was executed, Passover came on Friday, but the Yom Tov Sheni Shel Galuyot came on Thursday. As Jews of the Diaspora followed their calendar, even when visiting Jerusalem, the Galileans properly celebrated their Passover on Thursday night. When this is understood, a number of minor inconsistencies in the Gospel accounts become clear, such as why on Sunday the Galilean followers of Jesus were in Shiva in the upper room, but two Judean followers were traveling on the road to Emmaus. When a death occurs during a festival, Shiva, mourning, takes precedence over the festival, but when a festival occurs during mourning, the festival takes precedence.

This also sheds considerable light on the perspective in which Jesus followers and opponents saw the events of Good Friday. The Galileans came to understand Jesus death in terms of sacrificing the Pascal lamb on Passover, whereas the Judeans viewed his execution as "cleaning out the leaven" from Judaism on the Day of Preparation. And both perspectives have value. Jesus took the sin of the people, the leaven, and put it to death on the cross by becoming the Lamb of God. Again, thank you for the excellent program.

Editor's Note: In December 2004, Speaking of Faith produced a program focusing on Jewish rituals and practices, Hanukkah, and a Rediscovery of Jewish Customs. Book designer Scott-Martin Kosofsky describes how he discovered new facets of Jewish tradition when he adapted a medieval Jewish guidebook called The Book of Customs.

Elisabeth Kellogg
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)

Sharing Your Fans' Devotion (March 24, 2005)
What follows are an entry from my husband's blog and a comment from my best friend on that entry. The background I must share with you is that these two people were both raised as atheists and came to religious belief later — my husband in college, my best friend just a few years ago. He, like me, is now an Episcopalian, my best friend is a Jew.

bigbrotherinlaw wrote on 2005-03-24 14:12:00
The hour is at hand. Krista Tippett will be speaking about the connection between Judaism and Christianity. It's shameful that we need to remind ourselves that Jesus was Jewish. It's unconsionable that modern Christians could look at our Jewish brothers and sisters and see anything but the closest of theological cousins. For that matter much the same can be said about our relationships with Muslims.

When we Christians read the stories of the betrayal and put anyone other than ourselves in the roles of Judas, the Sanhedrin, Pilate, the Mob, Herod, or Peter and the rest of the Disciples, we deceive ourselves. The Passion story makes clear that everyone betrayed Jesus. If we were there, we would have done the same. Anti-semitism, like all racisms, is just wrong to begin with. When it gets dressed up in religious clothing, it's blasphemy.

kriz1818 2005-03-24 12:25
Krista's show is the one and only regular media event in the entire mediasphere that I ever arrange my schedule around. (I make sure I get up and shower so I can listen to the show, and still have time to make breakfast and take Nick to Sunday school).

7:00 a.m., Sunday morning - be there!

Kate Byroade
West Hartford, CT (WNPR, 89.1 FM)

"Good Friday, 2005" (March 24, 2005)
This is the day when we try to remember
the nature of Jesus of Nazareth
and why some call him
the Christ, Messiah,
son of man, and
son of God.

We do not remember him as a warrior,
taking up the sword to lead his people
in an insurrection against Rome.

We do not remember him as a faith leader,
leading his people in obedience to
the Jewish establishment.

He resisted the devil's temptation
to assume temporal power as a passionate patriot
or a towering Rabbi.

Paradoxically, we try to remember him
as a man who moved amongst
the most despised of his time:
lepers and prostitutes,
with power of healing
and forgiveness.

We try to remember him as a man
who lived a life of non-violence
expressing human anger
at those who defiled
the temple with
greed.

But in the crunch refusing to defend himself
when the powers of Imperial Rome and
the Jewish establishment decided
he was the terrorist they
must crucify.

We try to remember him, on this day, 2,100 years ago,
as the man who refused to resist when good
obedient soldiers drove nails
through his hands and feet.

We try to remember how the good soldiers
nailed his body to the rough hewn
heavy wooden timber cross they
obliged him to carry alone through
the delighted, blood thirsty,
obedient crowd up
to the hill, Golgatha.

We try to remember him as the man
who was lifted high on this cross,
set in a hole and then left to die
as surely all terrorists must.

We try to remember him as the man who,
in spite of his pain, assured Barnabas
that he would join him after death.

We try to remember him as the man
who called out to God in excruciating pain,
asking to be released from this pain,
this role of loving others so much
that he allowed them to take his life
rather than to take theirs
in self defense.

But as we try to remember, his life remains a mystery
to those of us who are passionate patriots,
good soldiers serving the state
in the name of God.

We cannot conceive of a terrorist who could heal and love
a terrorist who lived as a mirror of a loving God.
We faithfully follow orders or intentions
and abuse and humiliate the new terrorists
in spite of any call for justice. We follow
the new Caesar as we gamble over his oily cloak
thrusting our sword in his side
just to make sure he dies.

We try to remember but we can’t
as we have become the antithesis
of the living Jesus of Nazareth
and we just cannot fathom he
whom we proclaim loudly
we are trying to remember.

Harold Confer
Washington, DC (WETA, 90.9 FM)

Tolerance and Public Policy (March 24, 2005)
I recently had the chance to speak about the history and development of Christianity with a non-practicing Jew. I was amazed at how much our cultural heritage and personal identities stem from religious tradition in this modern world of this new century. My opinions concerning the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict were not tolerated by this person, as well as the idea that the tenets of monotheism for Western peoples seem to transcend categories of ethnicity, nationality, language, and religious exclusiveness. I think we all need to approach spirituality with the goal of embedding within our characters that which "religious" beliefs, faiths, and practices purport to engender. If we do not, we shall continue to tolerate and encourage hatred and intolerance in the civic life of our nations.

Daniel Wargo
Arcata, CA (Listens via Web Audio)

Respect for Differences (April 15, 2004)
It's heartening to hear scholars such as Joel Marcus emphasizing the Jewish context in which Jesus' teachings were put forward. Jesus was clearly a Jew, and was clearly acquainted with the Pharisaic/Mishnaic tradition. It's also important to point out, though, that Jesus, as depicted in the gospel narratives, brought a fairly radical message that did not harmonize well with the developing Torah tradition. As an observant Jew, I have some reservations about Christian efforts to emphasize the Jewish roots of their faith. On the one hand, this may result in increased understanding and interfaith goodwill. But, on the other hand, some of these efforts are directed towards "reclaiming" first-century Judaism as a rightfully Christian inheritance. Christianity is the true Judaism, this reasoning goes. Some churches appropriate Jewish liturgy, ritual items, holidays, and ritual observances for Christian uses. Some groups use the Jewishness of Jesus as a stepping stone for evangelism to Jews, encoding Christian doctrine in Jewish-sounding terminology. I think that hand-in-hand with dialogs like this on the Jewishness of Jesus should come a discussion of respect for our differences.

Daniel Nachman
Austin, TX (Listens via Web Audio)

Variation on One of Mr. Marcus' Thoughts (April 3, 2004)
I am a Buddhist, raised as a Catholic. Your observation that we all killed Jesus opens up a door to a more personal sense of his death. Yes, we all killed him. And yes, we all died with him on the Cross. Each of us was there, is there; it's part of being human, part of what Buddhists call "dukkha" (suffering).

William Ford
Goldens Bridge, NY (Danbury Public Radio)

Fantastic Guests (April 4, 2004)
Just want to say that your choice of guests is fantastic!! Faith is a rather tricky topic, but your interviews are right on the money. NPR is worth every penny we pledge, and you are one of the big reasons. Keep up the good work, and I do mean GOOD. I am a Catholic priest, a retired university professor, and a faithful listener.

Warren Carlin
Joliet, IL (WBEZ 91.5 FM)

The Jewish Roots of Christian History (April 6, 2004)
I so enjoyed your program and was thrilled to be able to listen again online today. A thought occurred to me as I was listening to the discussion regarding who might be responsible for Christ's death. What I believe is that Christ was not killed but gave his life. In more recent history we see so many leaders of faith who do not hide from the inevitable threats to their lives but are able to face it and have some peace of mind. Those such as Ghandi and Martin Luther King are the most obvious. I also think of all of those who were willing to suffer at the hands of the Nazis so that others might be saved, Buddhist monks who were killed at the hands of the Chinese, and perhaps those who died on 9/11 in the airline flight in Pennsylvania. Thank you for a wonderful show and I look forward to more.

Joan Kennedy
Clyde, NC (WCQS 88.1 FM and via Web Audio)

Positive (April 5, 2004)
The April 4, 2004 interview with Joel Marcus was another fine program! I share his sentiments about the implicit anti-semitic message that continues to waft through sermons and Gospel readings in the Catholic Church. Why can't the Church embrace Judaism the way it has accepted (albeit grudgingly) Protestantism in the last 30 years?

Nick Bayer
Washington D.C. (WETA 90.9 FM)

The Spirit of the Law (April 4, 2004)
It was pleasant to listen to [Joel Marcus] with Krista Tippett. He seemed to be sincere and, if I may, I would like to share some of my thoughts in this regard. I do not believe that Jesus was speaking to the scribes as the whole of the Jewish nation, but he was addressing them as individual spirits that did not have the love of God in their hearts, otherwise they would have also loved him whom God sent into the world. [Joel Marcus] should be mindful not to fall into the same trap that so many of us fall into by trying to intellectually justify the road he has chosen, thereby becoming a stumbling block to others as well as himself. It is the spirit of the law, we are told, not the letter of the law that is more important. It is first our Faith in God and the Christ whom he sent that leads us to truth, not our very limited and biased intellect. We are the student, not the teacher.

Peter Anthony
Staten Island, NY (WNYC 820 AM)

Christian Persecution (April 3, 2004)
Thoughtful program, but I have to take exception to your apparent assumption that the world we live in is no longer a world of persecution for Christians. Please take the time to read some of the superb reporting by former New York Times journalist/editor David Horowitz. Worldwide, more people die and suffer for professing their Christian faith in our era than during the infamous first century.

James Munis
Byron, MN (KZSE 90.7 FM)

Jewish Roots of the New Testament (April 4, 2004)
I was very impressed with today's program on the Jewish Roots of the New Testament and the commentary by Joel Marcus. As a life-long Roman Catholic, long suspect and uncomfortable with the Christian perspective on the role of the Jews as written about throughout the New Testament and particularly regarding the passion and death of Jesus, I was grateful for the opportunity to hear a biblical scholar discuss this issue in greater detail and with such candor. I feel much better informed having heard Mr. Marcus.

Today, at church, we read the passion narrative from Luke's gospel and there was no homily provided after the reading (as is the custom now for this particular liturgy), to put things in proper perspective (as your guest did this afternoon). This would have been quite helpful to many of us who remain quite uninformed or misinformed about the Hebrew scriptures, Jews of the ancient world, and how the New Testament texts evolved. Thank you for a quite relevant and well-researched program.

Jane O'Brien
Silver Spring, MD (WETA 90.9 FM)

Puzzled (April 4, 2004)
I am 100% in favor of interfaith dialogue. I am Jewish and my wife is Christian. But neither of us understand what a "Jewish Christian" is—we decided to raise our son in one faith (which he now questions, but as the radio was on while he and a friend were playing X-Box, he asked, "How can you be a Jewish Christian?"). Everyone I know of calling themselves "Jewish Christians" are really "evangelical Jews," former Jews who now pronounce Christianity but somehow find themselves connected to Judaism (why?) or fundamentalists who pretend to be Jews but are not. So please, let us have dialogues between Jews and Christians, but there is no such thing as a Jewish Christian—any more than there is such a thing as a Muslim Christian or a blue banana. You can be one or the other and that is fine. But the two theologies have fundamental differences (e.g., whether belief or actions are fundamental) and to ignore them denigrates at least one—and these days it is always Judaism that fares worse. "Jewish Christianity" is based upon the assumption that Christianity has superceded Judaism (new covenant replacing the old).

Eric Uslaner
Potomac, MD (WETA 90.9 FM)

Very Insightful Program (April 4, 2004)
We were discussing some of the same passages from Isaiah in a Bible study this Sunday morning. I listened to the program in the afternoon with great interest. Thanks for having a person like Joel Marcus share his knowledge and deeply engaged perspective.

I am very troubled by the so-called literalists who use their claim of "literal authority" to support their particular interpretation — as "God's truth". The faith value of our stories is in the human/divine relationship that Marcus spoke of (as especially exemplified in the shared struggle/pain found in the history of the Jewish people and through the passion story), the words in scripture illuminate that relationship for us; they should not be used to delimit it.

Literalists want to limit God and the passion of Christ to their narrow perspective, i.e., to particular words written in a particular language — and only in reference to a particular narrow historical context. In so doing, they come very close to blasphemy, i.e., by making God into their own image. Dr. Marcus and your program help to open up the scriptures to everyone's experience.

Ken Truitner
Falcon Heights, MN (KNOW 91.1 FM)

Jesus Just a Prophet? (April 4, 2004)
I guess my question is if Jesus was a Jew and the son of God, then where did the idea come from that Jews believe that Jesus was just a prophet and not the son of God? I mean did that idea come from someone down the line years ago deciding that Jesus is not really the son of God, but just a prophet? It just seems kind of backwards to me. If He was a Jew, then why don't Jews believe in Him too? I believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Nobody comes to the Father except through Him. That's the way it always has been; that's the way it should be today.

Rachel Christensen
Woodbury, MN (KNOW 91.1 FM)

Relationship Between Judaism and Christianity (April 4, 2004)
After listening to Joel Marcus reflect on being a Jewish Christian, it called to mind a profound reaction I had to viewing Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. As an individual who believes all faiths take us to the same place by different roads, it occurred to me that to fully, fully appreciate the message of Christ, a complete and perhaps intuitive understanding of Judaism is necessary. The sense of living history that most Jews appear to have, that dramatically connects them to that history and God, seems to me to be crucial to experiencing the revelatory nature of Christianity.

Carol Conneer
Bridgeton, NJ (WHYY 91.0 FM)

Disagree (April 4, 2004)
Once a Jew has become a Christian he or she can no longer claim to be a Jew. Mr. Marcus is a Christian. Not a Jewish Christian and although he still has the right of freedom of speech, he has forgone his right to speak as a Jew. At this time of year when anti-semitism rages across the world he is one of "them" not one of "us".

Robert Katz
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY 91.0 FM)

Defending The Passion (April 3, 2004)
Although overall I enjoy Speaking of Faith, I was a bit disappointed to see that this week's show sought to cast the same sort of thoughtless and knee-jerk criticism on The Passion of The Christ as other less religiously contemplative media sources. Just to point out some of the inaccuracies in your and Prof. Marcus's criticism of it (did either of you actually take the time to see it before jumping on the PC bandwagon?), I witnessed quite clearly in the film that after Jesus' arrest, in His hearing before the Pharisees, several among them came to his defense thereby showing that it was obviously Mr. Gibson's intention to reveal that not all the Jewish authorities were set against Him.

Additionally, to suggest, as Prof. Marcus does at one point, that the film made it seem that Jesus and His followers were not clearly of Jewish identity is not only false but, in the larger context of common knowledge, ridiculous. For in addition to the fact that the film portrays, within the utterances of the Christ from the Cross, that very same intimacy with the Hebrew Scriptures that Prof. Marcus discussed, there were also much more subtle and thoughtful gestures toward portraying Jesus' Jewishness. I refer to the scene after the scourging where the two Marys are offered a towel to wipe up His blood, which I understand was in line with Jewish custom of the time. Furthermore, if anyone who sees Mr. Gibson's film is so ignorant of the facts of this fundamental feature of the Western cultural tradition as to be unaware of the roots of Christianity in Judaism, it is hardly fair to hold this against the film, or suggest that filmmaker who is primarily an artist, should have made accommodation for such shameful intellectual shortcomings. This attitude is yet another example of how the good intentions of those who wish to foster social compassion end in the dumbing down of the culture and consequently the desecration of all we have that is truly valuable.

Nicholas Melucci
Brooklyn, NY (Listens via Web Audio)