In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity

by Oskar Skarsaune

Oskar Skarsaune makes a fresh contribution to our understanding of the development of the early church in its practice (e.g., worship, baptism and Eucharist) and doctrine (e.g., Scripture, Christology, pneumatology). This book offers the new perspective that Christians were in ongoing and deep conversation with Jews during the early centuries leading up to Constantine. The common perception of a drastic "parting of the ways" after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. has tended to distort our understanding of the succeeding decades and centuries of Jewish and Christian history. Notwithstanding the fact that there were points of bitterness and strife, the relationship is better viewed as that of a younger and older sibling. There is much evidence of interaction between the early Christians and rabbinic Judaism, both at the level of leadership and laypeople, and this left its impression on the church. Skarsaune gives us numerous fascinating episodic and topical glimpses into this untold story.

Genres: Theology, Church History, History, Christian, Nonfiction, Jewish, Christianity

455 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[Amy Hardison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fascinating. I have read a lot of books about the socio-cultural setting of the Old and New Testaments and some are great but a lot of work. This one is great and a lot of fun to read. In the Shadow of the Temple has the recent scholarship that redefines some of the older concepts and gives me whole new ways to think about the first century.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exemplary study traces all the major (and many minor) ways that the theology and practice of the early church was influenced by its Jewish heritage. Or, as I prefer to say, how the church understood herself to be in continuity with Israel. All the OT promises, of which Jesus was the fulfillment, were lived out, taught, and preached in the church.

This was my second reading of the book. I’ll be returning to it again and again. Though written by a scholar, its language is very accessible to everyone. The Additional Reading suggestions are also a treasure trove.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skarsaune's work in this book provides a strong basis for understanding the profound and continuing influence of Judaism in the early centuries of Christianity. For Skarsaune, Christianity is borne out of a fundamentally Jewish context, and he believes that fact was understood and adopted in the early centuries of the church era. With significant evidence gleaned from the Bible, early Jewish writings, and the church fathers, Skarsaune builds an impressive case for the continuity of thought between Judaism and Christianity (save, of course, the important issue of the Messiah's identity). Skarsaune doesn't ignore the difficult texts. Neither does he run off to one of the extremes in this debate in his characterization of Jews, Christians, or Roman pagans. Instead he presents a nuanced picture of the complex relationships that often existed between these groups, and in turn has produced an important and accessible work on this topic. The book is neatly divided into chapters that deal with particular theological, liturgical, or cultural issues, while each chapter comes with a significant bibliography for anyone interested in pursuing these issues further.

[John Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oskar Skarsaune is widely recognized as a leading voice on Jewish influences on early Christianity. Skarsaune is professor emeritus of Church History at MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo, Norway. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Incarnation: Myth or Fact, The proof from Prophecy: A Study in Justin Martyr’s Proof-Text Tradition, and the present volume In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity.

In the Shadow of the Temple offers a unique and fresh contribution to the study of the development and practice of the early Church. Skarsaune argues against the common notion of a “parting of ways” after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and contends that early Christians were in continuous conversation with Jews about practice and doctrine in the early centuries leading up to Constantine—shaping the way they worshiped and thought about God. Skarsaune is honest about the strife that was present between the two groups, but ultimately paints a much more convincing portrait of early Christianity than the alternative.

The book is divided into three major sections with an epilogue to tie it together. The initial section of the book aims to uncover and present Judaism as the “mother soil” for the Christian movement, and thus examines Judaism from the Maccabees to the Rabbis. This section is dense and detailed, and Skarsaune’s understanding of the milieu shines brightly throughout. The next section of the book aims to position the beginnings of the Christian movement into the previously established context. This section comprises the heart of the book as Skarsaune constructs the foundation for his thesis. The final section of the book aims to explore the persistence of the Jewish heritage within the Christian movement beyond AD 70. Skarsaune brings the reader full circle and solidifies his thesis in nearly every aspect of the early Christian movement.

In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity by Oskar Skarsaune is praiseworthy on many levels. Skarsaune is clear and concise without jeopardizing the needed details to solidify his thesis. As a leading voice of early Jewish and Gentile Christian history, Skarsaune provides an authoritative, comprehensive introduction to the Jewish basis of early Christianity and challenges the notion of a “parting of ways” after AD 70. Skarsaune has written a book that is both accessible and informative, and his effort superseded my initial notion of the book’s endeavor. I can confidently say that this is one of the most important books on early Christianity that I’ve encountered in some time. It comes highly recommended!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating overview of the beginnings of Christianity with a special emphasis on its Jewish roots and the central role of the Temple. Lots of good footnotes / suggested reading for those who want to dig further, but overall the book's style is pretty easy to read. My one criticism is the way that author seems to pick and choose scholarship that supports his viewpoint and put forward some original historical reconstructions without a lot of solid evidence (to be fair, however, the author states upfront that his goal is to present the story from this particular vantage point). There's some good stuff in this book, but be prepared to take it with a grain of salt.

Note: I only made it through about half of the book (plus some skimming of a few sections in the latter half) before returning this book to the library.

[Jacob Hudgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an amazing feeling when someone is able to shed entirely new light on things you have been familiar with your entire life. That was my experience with Skarsaune’s book. He surveys Jewish influences both thematically and chronologically. Each chapter represents years of study and insightful conclusions.

Every chapter is worthy of study, but I was quite impressed by the sections on the early church and book of Acts. Who were the Hellenists in Acts? Why were there “God-fearers” in the synagogues who weren’t quite proselytes? Why aren’t Jewish Christians told to stop keeping the Law of Moses?

The author also traces the Jewish influence on early Christian worship (which reflects the synagogue rather than the temple), Christology, and canon.

There is so much to digest and rethink. Very highly recommended.

[Rob Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. Wow. This will likely be the one book outside of scripture that has moved me to studying with deeper appreciation our Jewish roots as Christians! This is not an overly technical book and perhaps his weakest chapter in my opinion is 20. His strength is in the ease of reading what is shared in each chapter, along with keeping to his main point, “Christianity originated within a Judaism that still had a temple…” what a read!

[Vinnie Santini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Covers a lot of ground but well done. You will definitely get a better understanding of the situation surround the time of Christ and the apostles and stopping at the end of the fourth century.

[Sakarias Ingolfsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be mandatory reading in Seminary. It looks all the way back to the origins of the diaspora and forward to the early Church fathers. It demonstrates how the Church was dependent on and deeply influenced by its Jewish roots, while also being independent, and even posing a challenge.

[Justin Wheaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have other Skarsaune books and I absolutely love this one. Such great information and everyone needs to read this. It’s written to the general public, so it’s not hard to read. Read it!

[Steve Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book. The best part, for me, is the historical information about the Jewish history and practices. The author's arguments are well presented and argued. Highly recommend.

[slaveofone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction and reference to various socio-historical situations in Judaism from the first century to Rabbinic times and its influence upon or relation with the nascent Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua. A primary focus is how Temple thinking and understanding shaped and/or defined both religious milieus. Instead of forging its own academic arguments, this surveys many of the various scholastic views, choosing to substitute bibliographic lists of important books on the subject for argument-bearing footnotes. As befits a broad-reaching survey, many conclusions are not thoroughly examined and tested, leaving this to the reader. I did feel, however, that at some points, arguments or conclusions were so insubstantial that the author was chasing shadows. Overall, this is an easy-to-understand, well-organized foundation with many jump-off points to delve into more serious academic study about first century Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, and the Jewish makeup of Christianity.

[Dr. Paul T. Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the book wasn't so long, I would probably have given it 5 stars. It's a summary of events in the first 4 centuries, granted he obviously does cover it all since there is so much. He uses Christian vocabulary instead of Messianic Jewish vocabulary, yet the content is still quite helpful as Skarsaune is a well-respected scholar in the Jewish-Christian studies circle. Overall, I highlighted a lot of this book.

[Rhesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

After waiting for almost 2 years, finally I got this book, it is very readable as well as insightful. I am so amaze how good the composition, content & organization of this book. Just finish chapter 1 and hungry for more.

[Dmcconkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an outstanding resource text for the 2nd Temple period. This is an area that as western christians are traditionally weak in.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly readable, accessible, and interesting survey of Judaism during the period when Christianity was born. This book is indispensable to the serious New Testament interpreter.

[Matt Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, informative, and enjoyable.