Star of David Recommended Books
An Introduction by Ken Morgan
Evangelism that targets specific groups has certain requirements. First and foremost, it requires a special love for those people. Second, it requires work and preparation to gain sufficient knowledge of that group to communicate effectively to it.
I believe God has called me to use my retirement years in ministry to the Jewish people. Since the days of my graduate work in the area of Old Testament (the Tanakh) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, I have had an intense interest not only in this part of the Bible, but also in all things Judaica. For those who might also wish to equip themselves to witness to Jewish people, I have put together this list of recommended books, which will probably grow with time. The bibliography is partially annotated, giving you some information about several of the books.
With regard to the next two books: David Baron (1857-1926) was a Jewish believer in Yeshua as Messiah and the founder of the Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel missionary organization in London. He was an accomplished Hebrew and Tanakh scholar.
Baron, David. Rays of Messiah’s Glory: Christ in the Old Testament. 2nd ed. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1888.
This book traces Messianic themes, titles, and offices through the Tanakh. A set of appendices gives detailed exegesis of a number of Messianic passages.
Baron, David. The Servant of Jehovah: The Sufferings of the Messiah and the Glory that Should Follow. 2nd ed. London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1922.
This book is a detailed exposition of the Suffering Servant passage, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Baron begins with a thorough review of both the ancient and modern Jewish interpretations; additional details are provided in a helpful appendix. The bulk of the book is a detailed, verse-by-verse exegesis of the text.
Brown, Michael L. Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus. 4 volumes. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
- Volume 1 (2000): General and Historical Objections
- Volume 2 (2000): Theological Objections
- Volume 3 (2003): Messianic Prophecy Objections
- Volume 4 (2007): New Testament Objections
- Volume 5 (2009): Traditional Jewish Objections
Dr. Brown is a Jewish believer in Yeshua as Messiah and the founder and president of ICN Ministries, which is devoted to taking the message of repentance and revival to Israel, the Church, and the Nations. He is also a published Old Testament and Semitic scholar, holding a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literature from New York University.
Goldman, Louis. Our Jewish Friends. Chicago: Moody Press, 1977.
In this book, Goldman gives a good overview of Judaism, Jewish holidays, doctrines, and messianic prophecy.
H. Wayne House, General Editor Israel: The Land and the People. An Evangelical Affirmation of God’s Promises.. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1998.
This book is a compilation of excellent essays by numerous Christian scholars on the subject of Israel and the land promised to them. The different papers examine various issues related to this subject, but all the authors affirm that the covenantal promises to Israel, including the land, are eternal and not vitiated by Israel’s current unbelief or the advent of “the church.” God intends to brings his covenant people Israel back to himself at the end of the age and fulfill all the blessings he promised them.
Kac, Arthur W. The Messianic Hope: A Divine Solution for the Human Problem. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1931.
This is a major work (355 pages) that gives a detailed review of Messianic passages in the Tanakh and their fulfillment in Yeshua.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
A concise, semi-technical discussion of all the Messianic texts in the Tanakh by the former president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It offers some of the best solutions to questions raised about these texts.
McCaul, Alexander. The Messiahship of Jesus: The Concluding Series of the Twelve Lectures on the Prophecies. London: John W. Parker and Son, 1852.
This is without doubt one of the finest books I have ever read on the Messiahship of Yeshua and is often quoted by David Baron. McCaul was an outstanding Hebrew scholar and wrote clear and cogent analyses of the Messianic prophecies. In these lectures, he includes extensive interaction with Jewish writers such as Rashi, Kimchi, and Ben Ezra, as well as the Targumim, Midrashim, Talmud, and other historic Jewish writings. It is a “must read” on the subject. The book is difficult to find, but it is part of the Google collection of online books and can be found at this link. To give you an idea of McCaul’s scholarship and how familiar he was with Jewish sources, one of his other books is an English translation of Kimchi’s commentary on Zechariah.
Meldau, Fred John. The Prophets Still Speak: The Messiah in Both Testaments. Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1988.
Meldau identifies some of the major messianic prophecies of the Old Testament and shows their New Testament fulfillment in Christ. This book is exciting, informative, life-transforming.
With regard to the next three books: Moishe Rosen is the founder and former president of Jews for Jesus.
Rosen, Moishe, and Rosen, Ceil. Christ in the Passover: Why Is This Night Different? Chicago: Moody Press, 1978.
Rosen, Moishe, and Rosen, Ceil. Share the New Life with a Jew. Chicago: Moody Press, 1976.
Rosen, Moishe. Y’shua: The Jewish Way to Say Jesus. Chicago: Moody Press, 1982.
From the preface: “If Jesus is not the Messiah, Christianity is merely the concoction of liars and fools…But…suppose the Christians are right? What if Jesus is the Messiah?…If what Christians have been saying for two thousand years turns out to be right, we owe it to ourselves, to the world, and especially to the God of Israel to believe in the Messiah whom he has sent. At the very least, we should be willing to examine the evidence to see if it’s so.” This book is a short, non-technical review of that evidence. Moishe Rosen is the founder and former president of Jews for Jesus.
Wood, Leon. A Survey of Israel’s History. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970.
Leon Wood was a Gentile Christian, but this need not alarm Jewish readers: the book is mostly non-theological. This fully indexed book is one of the finest in print on the history of Israel throughout the period of the Tanakh. Though easy to read, it gives detailed attention to technical problems, especially dates, and is complete with pictures and time lines. Wood believes the Tanakh and the inerrant Word of God and is a scholar of the highest order. If you would like to learn more about the history of your own people, this book is highly recommended.