How Jewish was Jesus?
Fact, Fiction and History
with Prof. Adele Reinhartz
6 Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. ET
Jan. 13 - Feb. 17
All classes will be recorded and sent to registrants.
The belief that Jesus was the Messiah is the cornerstone of Christian faith. But Jesus himself was not a Christian — a religion that did not yet exist in his lifetime.
As we now know, he was and remained Jewish.
According to the Gospels — our only sources for the historical Jesus — it is clear that Jesus identified as a Jew, participated in Jewish rites and practices, and held to key aspects of Jewish belief.
And yet, it was not until some decades after the Holocaust that Jesus’ Jewishness became widely known and accepted.
In this new online course with the world-renowned Professor Adele Reinhartz, we will look at the Gospels’ evidence for Jesus’ Jewishness, and at whether, why, or how his Jewishness might (or might not) matter for Christians and Jews.
Don't miss the rare chance to learn online from a top expert!
There are no refunds for this course.
About Your Teacher
Adele Reinhartz is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Ottawa, where she teaches in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies. Her main research areas are the Gospel of John, ancient Jewish/Christian relations, and Bible and Film. Adele served as the general editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature from 2012-2019 and as the President of the Society of Biblical Literature in 2020. She will serve as President of the Society of New Testament Studies in 2026-27. Adele was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada in 2005 and into the American Academy for Jewish Research in 2014. In 2021, she won the Konrad Adenauer Prize, awarded to one Canadian annually by the Humboldt Foundation in Germany, and in 2025 she received the Eternal Light Award for her contribution to Catholic-Jewish relations. Her most recent books are "The Bible and Cinema: An Introduction" (2nd edition, 2022) and "Jousting with John: Essays on Jews, Gender, and Ethics in the Fourth Gospel" (2025).
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