Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 155:618 (Apr 1998)
Article: Apologetics to the Jews
Author: Alister E. McGrath

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BSac 155:618 (Apr 98) p. 131

Apologetics to the Jews*

Alister E. McGrath

Alister E. McGrath is Principal, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, Oxford, England, and Research Professor, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia.

* This is article two in a four-part series, “Biblical Models for Apologetics,” delivered by the author as the W. H. Griffith Thomas Lectures at Dallas Theological Seminary, February 4-7, 1997.

A major issue facing early Christian writers was the question of the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. In what way did Jesus Christ relate to Israel? To what extent was there continuity and discontinuity between God’s dealings with the Jewish people and the new dispensation inaugurated through Jesus Christ?^*

For some people these interesting theological questions have their place in the early history of Christian thought but have little contemporary relevance. Others, however, see them as being of continuing importance. The rise of “Messianic Jews,” who retain their Jewish identity while affirming that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, has been an interesting development in Christianity in the last quarter of a century. Apologetics to Jewish people can no longer be viewed as of historical interest only; it is of major importance to the modern church. The Book of Acts offers invaluable guidance on how that apologetic ministry should be conducted. The apologetic approaches adopted by early Christian writers for Jewish audiences can also be adapted for other audiences.

Christianity and Judaism

Most of the first converts to Christianity were Jews. The New Testament frequently mentions Christians preaching in local synagogues. Outside observers, such as the Roman authorities, tended to treat Christianity as a sect within Judaism, rather than as a new movement with a distinct identity.

This raised a number of serious difficulties for the early Christians. First, there was

BSac 155:618 (Apr 98) p. 132

the question of the role of the Jewish Law in the Christian life. Did the traditional rites and customs of Judaism have any continuing place in the Christian church? This issue was of particular importance during the 40s and 50s, when non-Jewish converts to Christianity were pressured by Jewish Christians to maintain such rites and customs. The issue of circumcision was particularly sensitive, with Gentile converts to Christianity often being pressed to become circumcised in accord with the Mosaic Law. This controversy is recorded in Acts 15, which notes how, in the late 40s, a section of the church argued that it was essential that male Christians should be circumcised. In effect, they seeme...

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