A rare book that combines searing passion with a subject that has affected all of our lives. "Chicago Tribune" Novelist, cultural critic, and former priest James Carroll marries history with memoir as he maps the two-thousand-year course of the Church s battle against Judaism and faces the crisis of faith it has sparked in his own life. Fascinating, brave, and sometimes infuriating ("Time"), this dark history is more than a chronicle of religion. It is the central tragedy of Western civilization, its fault lines reaching deep into our culture to create a deeply felt work ("San Francisco Chronicle") as Carroll wrangles with centuries of strife and tragedy to reach a courageous and affecting reckoning with difficult truths."

The idea of a Jewish Church has been banned from the Christian horizon for almost two millennia. But things are changing. Since the middle of the 70s the Messianic Jewish movement has strived to build an ecclesial home for all Jewish believers in Christ. This new phenomenon brings to life issues that had disappeared since the first centuries of the Church. What does it mean to be a Jew in the Church? Should there be a distinction between Jews and non-Jews among believers in Christ? Is such a distinction compatible with the unity of the whole Body of Christ so ardently preached by Paul? What lifestyle should this Church promote? In his various works, Mark Kinzer, a prominent Messianic Jewish theologian, has attempted to provide substantial answers to these questions. Antoine Lévy is a Dominican priest. With Kinzer, Lévy has launched the “Helsinki Consultation”, a cross-denominational gathering of Jewish theologians. In Jewish Church: A Catholic Approach to Messianic Judaism, Lévy examines Kinzer’s positions critically, bringing forward an alternative vision of what a “Jewish Church” could and should be. This is only the beginning of what promises to be a fascinating discussion.

Three life-changing parts: 1) The Biblical story of Israel's ongoing calling and centrality in the plan of God; 2) The history of the Church's rejection of the Biblical story; 3) A Biblical critique of past and present theologies. "Thoroughly biblical. I have never seen things stated so courageously and forthrightly ...I think you have a breakthrough ... This is a very, very important book." Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. "It contains material rarely dealt with in any depth in theological literature ... seeks to grapple with the biblical evidence rather than seeking to defend the readily accepted conclusions ... fine research ... It deserves a large reading." Marvin R. Wilson "I believe what you have presented is a key to understanding the Scriptures and God's purposes in creation and redemption of fallen and disaffected humanity." Joseph R. Flower Elijah Publishing

In this meticulously researched, unflinching, and reasoned study, National Book Award finalist David I. Kertzer presents shocking revelations about the role played by the Vatican in the development of modern anti-Semitism. Working in long-sealed Vatican archives, Kertzer unearths startling evidence to undermine the Church’s argument that it played no direct role in the spread of modern anti-Semitism. In doing so, he challenges the Vatican’s recent official statement on the subject, We Remember. Kertzer tells an unsettling story that has stirred up controversy around the world and sheds a much-needed light on the past.

In the The Misunderstood Jew, scholar Amy-Jill Levine helps Christians and Jews understand the "Jewishness" of Jesus so that their appreciation of him deepens and a greater interfaith dialogue can take place. Levine's humor and informed truth-telling provokes honest conversation and debate about how Christians and Jews should understand Jesus, the New Testament, and each other.

Scholarly and thorough, yet written with the layman in mind, this book offers a fresh perspective in pre-millennial eschatology and deep insight into the relations between Jews, Gentiles, and the church. Larsen's book represents a lifetime achievement in the study of church history and practical theology.

In Augustine and the Jews, Fredriksen draws us into the life, times, and thought of Augustine of Hippo (396–430). Focusing on the period of astounding creativity that led to his new understanding of Paul and to his great classic, The Confessions, she shows how Augustine’s struggle to read the Bible led him to a new theological vision, one that countered the anti-Judaism not only of his Manichaean opponents but also of his own church. The Christian Empire, Augustine held, was right to ban paganism and to coerce heretics. But the source of ancient Jewish scripture and current Jewish practice, he argued, was the very same as that of the New Testament and of the church—namely, God himself. Accordingly, he urged, Jews were to be left alone. Conceived as a vividly original way to defend Christian ideas about Jesus and about the Old Testament, Augustine’s theological innovation survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, and it ultimately served to protect Jewish lives against the brutality of medieval crusades. Augustine and the Jews sheds new light on the origins of Christian anti-Semitism and, through Augustine, opens a path toward better understanding between two of the world’s great religions.

A compelling account of Christianity’s Jewish beginnings, from one of the world’s leading scholars of ancient religion How did a group of charismatic, apocalyptic Jewish missionaries, working to prepare their world for the impending realization of God's promises to Israel, end up inaugurating a movement that would grow into the gentile church? Committed to Jesus’s prophecy—“The Kingdom of God is at hand!”—they were, in their own eyes, history's last generation. But in history's eyes, they became the first Christians. In this electrifying social and intellectual history, Paula Fredriksen answers this question by reconstructing the life of the earliest Jerusalem community. As her account arcs from this group’s hopeful celebration of Passover with Jesus, through their bitter controversies that fragmented the movement’s midcentury missions, to the city’s fiery end in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, she brings this vibrant apostolic community to life. Fredriksen offers a vivid portrait both of this temple-centered messianic movement and of the bedrock convictions that animated and sustained it.

In his new book, Israel, the Church and the Jews, Jacob Prasch explains how contemporary Middle Eastern events fulfill biblical prophecy. Just as Israel experienced repercussions for their renunciation of religious faith and moral decline, current Christian democracies are beginning to experience similar repercussions for digressing from their biblical heritage and moral backslide. Prasch discusses the significance of current political events such as the Annapolis Summit. The event, held in November of 2007, was attended by President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, and several European, Middle Eastern and Israeli heads of State. The ramification of the recent Hezbollah attacks and the situation in Iran, in light of the prophecies in the biblical book of Daniel, are covered in his book. Prasch discusses the controversies surrounding John Hagee s latest book regarding the relationship between Israel and the United States. Prasch is swamped with letters and emails questioning how our political and church leaders can seek peace with Islam while ignoring the plight of Christians in the Muslim countries. Prasch believes in a divine judgment on nations cursing Israel and persecuting the true church. In addition to demonstrating how current events tie into biblical prophecy, Jacob discusses what he believes to be false teachings within the Evangelical church. The true church must understand and follow the theology presented in the Bible. Biblical understanding can only be achieved by interpreting the scripture in light of the Jewish faith and culture. For example, Jacob uses Jewish Midrash (a method of interpreting scripture) to explain the use of Old Testament quotes found within the New Testament. Jacob has a deep desire to evangelize the Jewish people, and he believes the divine strategy includes the Jewish rejection and then final acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah.