An Educated Man

March 1, 2010
Rosenberg (translator, "The Book of J"), a scholar and poet, believes that Jesus' life was deeply influenced by the life of Moses and by his own Jewish upbringing. So, through most of the volume, Rosenberg creatively interweaves his recounting of the life of Moses and that of Jesus. In doing so, he argues that Jesus "was a teacher of Moses' Torah, a rabbi, and thus the final narrative could not avoid being steeped in it and the Hebraic cosmic theater"not the generally received Christian interpretation. Rosenberg eloquently advocates for a community of readers today, making his own contribution as he responds to Pope Benedict's recent "Jesus of Nazareth", which itself contains a response to Jacob Neusner's "A Rabbi Talks with Jesus". Rosenberg writes engagingly, in a conversational but poetic manner that will appeal to a wide audience and contribute to Jewish/Christian dialog and understanding so important in our global culture. VERDICT Recommended for a wide audience, including lay readers, clergy, and scholars engaged in formal and informal interfaith dialog, as well as spiritual seekers not identifying with a particular religion.Carolyn M. Craft, Emerita, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA

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