12 Comments
  1. Listening to the Rabbi’s objections and other debates with Rabbi Singer and Rabbi Blumofe. We can see that even if Dr. Brown openly and clearly rebuts their objections with the word of God they seem to be dead set on their believes.

    We can only pray that revelation comes to the Jewish people that indeed Yeshua is the Messiah and that we as believers can be God’s vessel to Jew and gentile.

    Dr. Brown, may the Lord continue to use you and may you and your family be greatly blessed.

    Raul

  2. I can’t wait to hear the debate. The answers for objections in the series are really well linked with each other. If the antimissionary rabbi would remember dr.Brown’s 2.10 answer he didn’t need to get into a heaviness. So let them do their homework better next time.

  3. Why has Dr. Brown not responded to the articles critiquing his writings that are posted on jewsforjudaism.org? I am referring to the articles entitled “Contra Brown – Answering Dr. Brown’s Objections to Judaism” and “The Elephant and the Suit”
    These articles put up arguments that refute many of Dr. Brown’s core arguments and bring up some more arguments that Dr. Brown has never responded to.
    The first of these two articles contains a lengthy piece on Isaiah 53 that directly attacks Dr. Brown’s arguments on this specific passage.
    Why has Dr. Brown not responded?
    Chaim

  4. Chaim,

    I just spotted your note here, and I responded to it in your most recent post. For the sake of those reading here, however, the answers are:

    1) Rabbi Yisroel Blumenthal, the author of these articles, is a dear friend of mine, and we try to talk at length by phone every week. He sent me the articles before they were ever posted, so I am well aware of them.

    2) To date, we have not received emails from Jewish believers in Yeshua who have been confused by the articles, so there has been no sense of urgency to provide refutations.

    3) As time permits, I am writing refutations of these articles, beginning with “Correcting Contra Brown,” and I’m confident that once these articles are posted, they will not only dispel Rabbi Blumenthal’s criticisms (and I say this with all respect to my friend’s erudition), but they will indicate that the truth is on the side of those who confess Yeshua as Messiah. (This will be seen with particular clarity with regard to Isaiah 53.)

  5. Here is the prevalent rabbinic opinion of Isaiah 53:
    “Isaiah 53 contains a deeply moving narrative which world leaders will cry aloud in the messianic age. The humbled kings of nations (52:15) will confess that Jewish suffering occurred as a direct result of “our own iniquity,” (53:5) i.e., depraved Jew-hatred, rather than, as they previously thought, the stubborn blindness of the Jews.”
    http://www.outreachjudaism.org/sin.html

    Isaiah 53:8b
    “For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was stricken.”
    Rabbinical translation:
    “For MY PEOPLE (he) was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of MY PEOPLE, MY PEOPLE were stricken.
    Go, (dis)figure.

  6. Very good, Dr. Brown. I have posted this to my Facebook page. I wrote a piece on this in April, after listening to Israel Radio’s Rabbi Singer.
    http://spirituality.org.au/?p=169 As I say in my article, Isaiah 53 is central to the claim of Jesus to be Israel’s Messiah. Keep up your excellent work! (Author of “The return of the Royal Priesthood” and “Faith: God’s Gift to the Human Heart.”)

  7. I do hope Dr Brown hurries up with the response to “Contra Brown.” I found the paper’s arguments very sound and strong–and I’m a believer!

  8. KB
    Jewish arguments can be very convincing at first, but when you start to dig deeper problems occur. I’m half way through and I see lots of problems with Contra Brown.

    For example many of their claims are based on a rejection of the trinity. One quote, “Scripture consistently warns against worshipping –
    “gods that neither you nor your fathers have known” (Deuteronomy 11:28…” However we worship the same God of Deuteronomy, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

    There is also the claim that lineage is through the father alone and since Jesus had no earthly father he cannot trace his lineage. However I’ve asked a Jew whether their mother or father makes them Jewish and they say mother.

    I also have yet to hear what importance sin sacrifice/offering meant if it only took repentance to have forgiveness. We see that it is only through Jesus that sin is atoned for (and I have yet to hear a Jewish view on God redemption), so not only would it be foolish to have people do human sacrifices, but why is there a rejection of sacrifices for forgiveness and yet a looking forward to Temple observance?

    Last they claim that since the Messiah didn’t fulfill all of certain prophecies (which we claim he will in the future) he is not the messiah. however Abraham was called the father of many before he had children. So a person can be called “x” before it actually happens. However we claim that Jews have removed prophecies.

    As the author writes, “Does scripture provide comprehensive support for the doctrine in
    question?” Yes scripture does point to Jesus as Messiah, because Jesus is all over the place in the OT.

  9. Dear Dr. Brown,

    I appreciate the opportunity to listen to the broadcast, however there are many other issues with Isiah 53 that anti-missionaries bring up that are not addressed here.

    For instance, how can Jesus have physical “seed” which is what that Hebrew word is, not the word for spiritual seed. How can his days be prolonged when he was cut off at 33 years old?

    As well, you stated that many Jewish scholars say that other places in Isiah “my servant” is translated as meaning one person, not necessarily the Jewish people…other times it is the Jewish people. Do any of them have varying opinions on Isaiah 53 in particular or do they all agree on one position or the other?

    I am asking these not to be contrary, but because I would really like to know your position. I am asking other questions of the other side as well that do not seem to fit their view of Isaiah 53…like the fact that he made his grave with the rich in death…can that be Israel? How so?

    Thank you for any insight you might give here.

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