The Olive Tree in the Shadow of the Second Temple

Follow in the footsteps of Jesus and his apostles through the courtyards of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in a vivid "You are There" exploration of the sights and sounds of the Second Temple and its religious rituals. Learn why the Apostle Paul believed that Christianity was a "wild olive branch" grafted onto the olive tree of Judaism and why Christians and Jews today should support the growing Jewish-Christian interfaith dialogue. Explore possible answers to:

• what sign Simeon may have seen at the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Second Temple that convinced him Jesus was a "light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory of the people of Israel"
• why Jesus refused to give any sign to his followers other than the sign of Jonah
• what miracles performed by Jesus can be seen as the most significant based on an understanding of Second Temple rituals
• why Ecclesiastes 8:8 is pivotal in understanding why Judaism and Christianity are two separate religions
• why Christianity and Judaism are both validly covenanted sister religions born out of Temple Judaism, worshipping the same God

The Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 C.E., ending the era of Temple Judaism and giving birth to the era of Rabbinic Judaism and apostolic Christianity. Although the Temple and its rituals of animal sacrifices are long gone, the premise of this book is that an understanding of Temple Judaism, combined with later Rabbinic Judaism, can give Christians a better understanding as to the life and significance of Jesus the Christ. This book adopts the techniques developed by the Jewish sages in their scriptural analysis of the Torah and applies them to an analysis of the passages of the New Testament.

The initial "Song of Ascents" portion of the book brings Second Temple ritual to life in order to give the reader a better understanding as to how the Apostles and first century Christians would have understood the life and teachings of Jesus in the context of Temple Judaism. The following main portions of the book " "Sign of Jonah" and "Dominion" " apply scriptural analysis methods and learning from Rashi, Ramban and other scholars of Rabbinic Judaism to the New Testament to provide insights into Christianity as a wild olive branch grafted onto the olive tree of Judaism.

The overarching purpose of the book is to support and promote the growing Christian-Jewish inter-religious ecumenical dialogue. The most recent example of this growing dialogue is the issuance in December, 2015 by the Vatican's Commission on Religious Relations with the Jews of the reflection document entitled "The Gifts of God and the Calling of God are Irrevocable". This landmark Vatican document was welcomed by many Rabbi's, and was warmly responded to in the "Orthodox Rabbinic Statement on Christianity: To Do the Will of Our Father - Toward a Partnership between Christians and Jews" (The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation 2015).

It is hoped that readers of this book will find the author's commentary and the accompanying artwork and illuminated text of Sandra Bowden moving and inspiring from a personal point of view. Also, readers hopefully will take away some sense of how closely related Judaism and Christianity are in faithfully standing witness to God's presence in the world and in the Holy Scriptures. At the heart of both Judaism and Christianity is a shared life-affirming world-view based on a spiritual sense of right and wrong, culminating in salvation in the world to come - which contrasts sharply to the nihilism so evident in today's postmodernist culture. Truly, the Torah and the Bible are "Trees of Life" to those who hold onto them.