I will be doing a small summary of each article and extracting the authors point and purpose, what it teaches and how it can help readers better understand this controversial topic. With a conclusion …show more content…
These are the Jews John speaks of in his gospel. Vasholz is unpacking the term in order to help us understand that John’s words or statements of the Jews where not to condemn but to show their stubbornness and disbelief in Jesus as messiah and leader. There is also mention of Jews that did believe in Jesus but where overpowered by the Jews in power and therefor too week to make change or say anything. Therefore the writings in the Gospel of John should not be seen and a taken as anti-Semitic but as the point of view of an apostle whose sole purpose and intent laid in the belief of Jesus, his teachings and his title of Messiah. The simple fact that Jesus chose to include the Gentiles in to the covenant caused disturbances and division amongst the Jews of the time, as this opposed all previous teachings from Moses which had established the laws following the Torah and belief of the Jews as the chosen ones and sole holders of a covenant with God. Not wanting to share the spotlight or be dethroned from their positions in power created this conflict between the Jews and the “Christian Jews” the author also questions whether John makes so many references to the conflict between Jesus and Jews to show the intra-Jewish struggle at the time of theses occurrences, he also gives examples of how the Jewish people where spoken of by previous prophets in the Torah only to show their stubbornness and disbelieve of their own god even after the miracles and signs God had showed