Roots and Branches is a comprehensive sourcebook focusing on the primary theological issues that concern Christians and Jews. Encyclopedic in scope, this resource text will help students of the Bible understand the innate connection between Judaism and Christianity. It is designed specifically for use in academic, church, and synagogue courses or adult education programs. The reader will learn: The difference between Hebraic and Western thinking; how Judaism understands the remission of sin; the ancient sacrificial system and its relevance today; the Jewish understanding of suffering and vicarious atonement; the difference between the historical Jesus and the theological Jesus; how the story of Jesus is related to the story of Isaac in the Torah; how the miracles of Jesus parallel the miracles of Elijah and Elisha; how Jesus' teaching methods are firmly rooted in the Rabbinic tradition; the Biblical concepts of messiah and salvation; how Judaism understands faith, works, and grace; how Jesus' teachings and the spiritual practices of Jesus are firmly rooted in the Jewish tradition; the theological parallels and differences between Judaism and Christianity; the roots of Replacement Theology and Anti-Semitism; the fulfillment of prophesy and the final redemption from a Jewish perspective.--Publisher description.