From Scratch To Salvation

DANIEL BOYARIN — THE JEWISH GOSPELS, THE STORY OF THE JEWISH CHRIST — 2012

This small book is essential if you want to understand what Judaism and Christianity are all about, and what the connections between the two are.

The first fundamental element is the method. The author takes the gospels, along with other documents, in chronological order of their writing dates, so Mark first and then Matthew and Luke, but not so much John though he was the youngest apostle when Jesus was crucified. But the fundamental element is that he uses the basic methodological principle of Robert Eisenman who is behind the complete methodological re-designing of Biblical studies. Boyarin takes into account all written elements we have from the period going from the first century BCE to the second and third centuries AD. He also founds his work on the Book of Daniel and on some older Biblical prophets, visions, and many apocryphal documents that are not included in the Bible, Old or New Testaments alike.

The second fundamental methodological element is that he does not take words and their standard interpretations, even linguistic common meanings. He…