Hebrew in the Church

Book excerpt: This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. This book represents the only comprehensive attempt made thus far to survey all the efforts among Christians and Jews from New Testament times onward to translate the New Testament and the Christian liturgy into Hebrew. Whether the translators were intended to convert the Jews or to equip them with information necessary for the discussion of religion with Christians, they served to promote conversation and overcome divisions. The author's intimate knowledge of not only Biblical but also Michnaic and Modern Hebrew has enabled him to appreciate the various efforts at translation with acute sensitivity. Thus, the book is virtually a catalog of successes and failures in mutual understanding. More than the mere data of history, Hebrew in the Church is a penetrating contribution to the entire history of Jewish-Christian relations. It sheds fresh light on history itself, and it suggests important implications for anyone concerned with the exegesis of the New Testament. This unprecedented volume should receive the serious attention not only of specialists, but of all who work for a new understanding between Christians and Jews.