I
discovered, with Renaissance images of Jesus, his family and followers. In one
respect a vast trove of Renaissance artworks inspire devotion and intensify
faith in Christianity. On another level, though, they falsify biblical history and
reinforce the divide between Christians and Jews, which has had lethal
consequences for Jews over many centuries. The falsifications were all the more
compelling because they were made subtly, by omission. What has been omitted is
Jesus' Jewish identity. You can walk through gallery after gallery in museums
around the world, as I have, and you will rarely see any evidence that Jesus
was a Jew or had any connection to Judaism or to the Middle East where he was
born and where he preached. Indeed, he is typically pictured as Northern
European in appearance, with fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. And you will
likely find him and his family and followers in regal attire, in palatial
Renaissance settings, surrounded by symbols of a religion -- Chr…
Blogs about the life of the real Jewish Jesus whose actual name was Yeshua. View his life, teachings and movement in the cultural context of first century Galilee and Judea. Using a Linguistic Model to more accurately understand what his words meant to his original Jewish apostles, followers and audiences.