Jewish Scholarship on the Resurrection of Jesus by David Mishkin

Abstract

Reviewed by: Jewish Scholarship on the Resurrection of Jesus by David Mishkin Glenn B. Siniscalchi david mishkin, Jewish Scholarship on the Resurrection of Jesus (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2017). Pp. xiv + 256. $33. One of the common objections to the reliability of the Gospels is that they were written by committed believers whose bias prevented them from telling us the truth about Jesus. Apparently, the weight of this objection is only compounded by the fact that most scholars of the historical Jesus are influenced by ecclesiastical presuppositions. This challenge is one of the main reasons why David Mishkin's newest book will illuminate current discussions on the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus: "It is certainly legitimate to raise the issue of objectivity among such scholars. Jewish scholars do not have a specific view of the resurrection of Jesus. It has been at best a secondary issue, hidden behind more pressing topics in the historic Jewish–Christian interaction" (p. 35; cf. 202). A major part of the book covers the history of Jewish responses to the resurrection (pp. 1-34, 118-57). Although most Jewish theologians have not offered much commentary, Mishkin notes that a shift is taking place, especially in the last several decades: "As Jewish interest in Jesus has continued, so has the documentation of this field of study. . . . The progress has been steady, based on the climate of both Jewish–Christian relations and the latest New Testament scholarship" (pp. 32, 34). Some Jews stay away from the resurrection because it was not of interest to them personally. Still others have not found it relevant to Judaism as a whole. More recently, there has been a slight interest in addressing the question of what happened to Jesus after the crucifixion. Concentrating on the resurrection of Jesus as a historical phenomenon, M. argues with consistency that Easter faith is not a matter of exploring the contents of faith alone. In the aftermath of the crucifixion (which was seen as a curse from God), something must have triggered the disciples' belief that God raised Jesus from the dead. He pointedly asks, "Why a resurrection (of one individual messiah) when there were other options regarding the afterlife which would have fit much more naturally?" (p. 172). This leads M. to highlight the biblical scholarship of Pinchas Lapide (The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective [Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2002]), Alan Segal (Life after Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion [New York: Doubleday, 2004]), and Geza Vermes (The Resurrection: History and Myth [New York: Doubleday, 2008]). While Lapide believed that the evidence pointed conclusively in favor of Jesus's resurrection, Segal and Vermes remained skeptical. [End Page 742] Other Jewish scholars have argued that the resurrection is indefensible because the Gospels are untrustworthy. When they turn to Paul's conversion experience, they often explain it away in terms of psychological categories. Nonetheless, M. observes that all of these Jewish NT studies are a promising sign for further developments. By the end of the book, one may conclude that almost all major contemporary Jewish scholars writing on the subject affirm the existence and Jewishness of Jesus, the crucifixion, the postmortem appearance to Paul (which resulted in his conversion to Christ), the origin of disciples' belief in the resurrection of Jesus despite having predispositions to the contrary, and the rapid dissemination of the Christian movement. Despite Christian scholarship on the credibility of the resurrection (which may appear biased and unreliable), "the main historical events that make up this discussion are virtually the same for both groups [i.e., Jewish and Christian historians]: crucifixion, burial, disciples' belief, empty tomb, and Paul's dramatic turnaround" (p. 210). After reading M.'s book, one is further convinced that the question concerning the historicity of the resurrection is not about establishing the NT evidence as much as it is about explaining that evidence in a convincing way. In an area of biblical scholarship in which it is often difficult to find new avenues of research, M. is to be commended for taking advantage of the opportunity to write a book on Jewish perspectives on the resurrection. This book will undoubtedly be of great use to specialists...