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Product Description

What was the extent and nature of Jewish proselytizing activity amongst non-Jews in Palestine and the Greco-Roman diaspora leading up to and during the beginnings of the Christian era? Was there a clear missional direction? How did Second-Temple Judaism recruit converts and gain sympathizers? This book strives to address these questions, representing an update of the discussion while also breaking new ground. A “source book” of key texts is provided at the end.

“One of the more fascinating discussions in New Testament scholarship today involves the question as to what pre-Christian Judaism thought about mission, if it did so at all. In this book, Michael Bird not only brings much-needed definitional clarity but also offers a sensible and clear path through the multifaceted thicket of historical evidence. Anyone seeking a deeper understanding of either first-century Judaism or Christian origins can ill afford to neglect taking a study like this along for the journey.”
—Nicholas Perrin, Franklin S. Dyrness Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College, Illinois

“To what extent were Jews in the late Second Temple Period engaged in a conversion mission to non-Jews? Put differently, to what extent was the Christian mission to Gentiles simply the continuation of a missionary impulse already present in the Jewish matrix of the Christian movement? In Crossing Over Sea and Land, Michael Bird provides us with an up-to-date, balanced and thoroughly readable introduction to this complex and hotly debated issue. Highly recommended, both for those already engaged with the issue and for those seeking a reliable introduction to it.”
—Terence L. Donaldson, Lord and Lady Coggan Professor of New Testament Studies, Wycliffe College, Toronto

Reviews

"This excellent study takes up the question of whether ancient Judaism at the time of Jesus and the early church was missionary in character. Scholarly opinion has been divided on this issue, although most recent authors question whether Judaism was a missionary religion as such. Bird notes that the question of what the fate of the Gentiles might be stems from two fundamental biblical convictions: first, that God is the God of the whole world, and second, that Israel is an elect people. After carefully reviewing the evidence Bird concludes that, while Second Temple Judaism welcomed proselytes and in some instances significant number of Gentiles became incorporated into Judaism, deliberate outreach or attempts to convert Gentiles were only sporadic and not at the core of Jewish consciousness. By contrast, the mission sense of Christianity was not simply a later development of a Jewish impulse but was triggered by Christology (Jesus as the messiah and savior of the world) and eschatology (the final drama of salvation was at hand)."
—The Bible Today

Michael F. Bird is lecturer in New Testament at the Highland Theological Institute. He has published several articles on the linguistic background to the gospels and the Gospel of Mark and is the author of the forthcoming Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission.

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