The purpose of this book is to answer objections commonly raised by Jewish outreach websites and YouTube debaters challenging Jesus' messiahship and the New Testament (Christian Scriptures).
Most Christians, including pastors, would be at a loss to answer objections such as:
"In Isaiah 53:5, Christians translated the Hebrew word [מִפְּשָׁעֵ֔נוּ] 'because of our sins' as 'for our sins,' in order to make the passage fit their theology that Jesus died for people's sins."
"The prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 ? 'Look, the young woman [not virgin] is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel' ? has nothing at all to do with Jesus. Nevertheless, they apply it to him 700 years after the fact! Many texts in the Old Testament (Tanakh) are applied randomly to Jesus."
"Christians resort to mistranslations and distortions to support their beliefs."
Much effort has gone into formulating robust replies to these and similar questions and objections. A great deal of the information is a product of personal research and therefore unavailable elsewhere. Of course, a lot of biblical, Talmudic and historical information is presented as proof of statements made. Jews are naturally inclined to share with Christian friends and associates what they learn on Jewish outreach websites. Christians, hard pressed to give meaningful answers, might feel embarrassed, even appalled, that their faith is exposed as false. Unfortunately, the amount of misleading and totally false information presented as fact by anti-missionary websites makes finding the truth challenging. Not that these are necessarily bad people; they feel they are on a holy mission to "protect" their brethren and are justified to fudge on the truth ? and Christians may do the same.
But there is also financial side to the question. Big bucks can be made because everything today can be monetized. The more aggressive the attack, the more financially rewarding. That part of the equation adds another dimension to an already complicated matter: As if: "God blesses us richly for protecting our brothers, so we're okay, even if we cheat just a little."
As a Hebrew speaking Jew (American Israeli) who has lived in Israel, the pursuit of Truth is my objective; the facts are of more concern than defending a religious position. Certainly, many Jews and Christians feel the same as I do. They love truth for its own sake. Many desire to put false arguments aside so they can get to the bottom of the question of whether Jesus is the promised Messiah.
This book is not just for Christians or Jews who value truth above other considerations, but for everyone interested in the subject. It is meant as a resource to uncover what the truth is regarding Jesus and the Christian Scriptures rather than as a debating tool.
It is my sincere hope that truth seekers ? regardless of religion or worldview - find the answers provided herein reasonable, coherent and, most importantly, faith strengthening. (The book is open source and free of charge, wherever permitted, and without monetizing. Amazon requires a minimum cost of $0.99 for eBooks.)
"If you seek it as you do silver And search for it as for treasures, 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord And attain knowledge of God."? Proverbs 2:4, 5 (Jewish Study Bible).