Oskar Skarsaune, In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002)
I was introduced to this book soon after it was published. I bought the book, but since I had no time to read it, I sold it. Only in recent months have I repurchased it and read it.
I have to confess that I don’t know much about Judaism. The shortcut to remedy is to consult study Bibles that use Jewish literature to illustrate the New Testament Text. Books such as the Zondervan Background Commentary, the IVP Background Commentary, and the Complete Jewish Bible are helpful. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, written from a Jewish perspective, is valuable too. Certainly, Strack-Billerbeck’s massive commentary also helps, if used according to its original purpose.
Oskar Skarsaune’s In the Shadow of the Temple is divided into four parts. It begins by describing the development of Judaism up to Jesus’ time. Then it describes the beginning of the church and the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. The third part is about the Jewishness of the early church, and ends with an epilogue in part four.
I read this book in preparation for the Bible class at the church. I find parts one and three most helpful. I chose four topics for the Bible class, namely, 1. JudaismS in the New Testament times; 2. Jewish roots of baptism; 3. Jewish roots of the Lord’s Supper; 4. Where Jews and Christians part their ways.
Still need to re-read the relevant portions.