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271 Richard Harvey, Mapping Messianic Jewish Theology Book Reviews / Ecclesiology 7 (2011) 265–290 271 Richard Harvey, Mapping Messianic Jewish Th eology: A Constructive Approach (Milton Keynes, Colorado Springs, Hyderabad: Paternoster, 2009) xii +316 pp. £14.99; $22.99. ISBN 978-1-84227-644-0 (pbk). Th e underlying diffi culties inherent in addressing this area of theology are set out in the opening defi nition of Richard Harvey’s comprehensive study. Messianic Jews are those of Jewish background who believe in Jesus as Messiah; Messianic Judaism is, says Harvey, ‘a Jewish form of Christianity and a Christian form of Judaism, challenging the boundaries and beliefs of both’ (p. 1). Th is basic problem is not shirked, but here it often seems insur- mountable. In setting the scene, Harvey highlights the vast range of congregations of believers in ‘Yeshua’, which he categorises according to their approach and background. Th us we must distinguish between, for example, Hebrew Christians, JBY’s (Jewish Believers in Yeshua) and Messianic Jewish Congre- gations. However, the distinctions are not arbitrary; rather they underline the inherent problems involved in living and worshipping in the light of two divergent religious systems. Christianity nowadays has very few problems with the acceptability of Messianic Jews; the confl icts occur because of the desire by such believers for an identity in relation to mainstream Judaism. From time to time, Harvey appears to call for a process to synthesise or at least address together Jewish and Christian streams of thought, and then fi nd a Messianic stream from the product of this. Th ere are problems of tension here, though, between the standard view of Christianity as a doxology and Judaism as a praxology; how can one hope to reconcile complex Christian theology with an essentially ‘lived-in’ religious system? Hebrew has no specifi c word for ‘religion’; instead it uses dat , tradition. Harvey embraces this Herculean task with a thoroughness which is breath- taking. Few works of this size require the reader to move from ideas of revela- tion and the nature of God to Eucharistic practice and discussions of Law versus Grace. While there are stock references to traditional theologians and thinkers – Moltmann, Barth and McGrath are among the many cited – the reader is also introduced to an extensive but probably less familiar set, includ- ing Daniel Juster, Mark Kinzer and Baruch Maoz. Extracts from their works provide a refreshing approach to essential elements of Christian theology, and Harvey does indeed deliver a defi nitive map to such thinkers, clearly set out chapter by chapter. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011 DOI 10.1163/174553111X559544 272 Book Reviews / Ecclesiology 7 (2011) 265–290 Th e reader is also made aware of mainstream Jewish thinkers on many related topics, since these are often cited by Messianic Jewish theologians. Indeed, one constructive contribution of Messianic Jewish theology to the Church may be the opportunity to reinterpret or revisit Jewish rabbinic thought in the context of Christian experience and vice versa, especially when one remembers that rabbinic approaches were largely crystallised during the emergence of the early church. A central point of divergence is, of course, Christology. Harvey notes a Messianic Jewish aversion to ‘creedalism’; the issue of the divinity of Christ is such a sensitive issue in the Jewish/Christian dynamic that attempts by certain bodies to impose affi rmative assent to stated doctrines have resulted in rifts in the Messianic movement. Such an aversion to creedal statements is not spe- cifi c to Messianic Jews, of course, but while the affi rmation of Christian faith affi rms the community, underlining a shared tradition which allows worship- pers to assent ‘this is our faith’, such creeds for Messianic believers are designed to be trials, imposed to root out any who would slip back into the beliefs of Judaism concerning Jesus. It seems that the statement of faith for the majority of Messianic congregations remains the Shema . A particularly surprising chapter is that dealing with Israel. Jewish thought is based on the three pillars of God, Torah and Israel and, while there are many diff erences in approach, Messianic Jews are united in their concern for Israel both now and eschatologically. Harvey points out that: ‘Whereas Christians have looked at Israel, Messianic Jews see themselves as part of Israel’ (p. 224). It seems suddenly obvious that eschatology and prophecy should assume an immense signifi cance in Messianic Jewish theology, where Israel has a specifi c – indeed ultimate – role in the Divine Purpose. Rather than being sidelined or superseded as in much mainstream Christian thought, Israel (Zion) is elevated as a real place of enthronement for a crowned and glorious Christ. For these reasons, Messianic Jewish eschatology generally espouses a literalist, even fundamentalist approach. Nevertheless, it comes as something of a shock to turn the pages from an essay on Torah practice to be confronted with a very detailed diagram setting out Dispensational Premillennialism. Th e examination of the full range of Messianic Jewish eschatologies here off ers implicitly a timely insight into more fundamentalist Christian perspectives, including Christian Zionism. It also highlights hitherto unimagined problems for most of us, but of great importance for Messianic Jews. What are the implications, for example, for a Jewish believer if the Messianic remnant is caught up into the Rapture before the rest of the Jews acknowledge Jesus as the Christ? .
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