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Here is some more information on the books that we sell ... HOW THE CHURCH LOST THE WAY ... AND HOW IT CAN FIND IT AGAIN Tackling the ‘uncomfortable truth’ for the Church, this book packs a heavyweight punch in a lightweight package. With great clarity and style the author explains how the Church has been strangled by its past and how the faith in Jesus Christ was infiltrated by pagan ideas from Greek philosophy that have remained to this day. This book exposes and explains how this affects our understanding of the Bible, God, Church and everything in-between. In this provocative, entertaining and encouraging book, we will explore our true roots and discover practical keys to move forwards.
PAPERBACK BOOK (192 pages) NOW AVAILABLE. FOR QUANTITY DISCOUNTS OR FOREIGN DEALERSHIPS CLICK HERE. Steve Maltz is a freelance web consultant, writer, blogger and the founder of Saffron Planet, the award-winning Christian web radio initiative. He is married with three sons and two freeloading cats and lives in East London. I would also again want to share with you how much I liked your first book. It is difficult to believe someone who did not attend seminary or bible college could take academic material and recycle it for the consumption of ordinary Chrfistians. The Lord allowed you to do a truly fantastic job by His grace. Jacob Prasch, international Bible teacher … this important book, which if the Christian world were to take to heart would change the face of the Church as we know it today … Julia Fisher, writer and broadcaster I believe that every pastor and ordinand in the country will benefit from reading this book … Mark Weeden, Senior Pastor, Worthing Tabernacle Read this book; enjoy this book; but above all, learn the lessons of this book. They are profoundly important for the successful testimony of the true Church in these end days ... Chris Hill, international Bible teacher and broadcaster He urges today’s Christians to ‘return to the very beginning, to the mindset and beliefs of Jesus and His disciples, the Hebrew roots of Christianity.’ Much food for thought in this book. I am glad I read it. The Good Book Stall Steve Maltz takes us back to the roots of our Christian faith. He reminds us that Christians come from Hebrew stock and then explains how within the first century the church became infected with pagan thought and attitude. For many, the great Greek philosophers are only names but it was their ideas and methods that crept into Christian thinking as a pagan virus. Christian doctrine and practice has become tainted and Christians have become increasingly isolated from their Hebrew origins. Learning to think as the Christians of the first century thought is more than an academic exercise, it is the abiding challenge to walk in the way of Jesus. Whilst written in a distinctive style, readers will be rewarded by the insights this book affords. Christian Marketplace (March 2010) INTRODUCTION It’s a presumptuous title for a book, don’t you think? How the Church lost The Way … It’s a double whammy. There’s a simple angle and a clever one. Firstly, we can take it at face value and ask ourselves what has gone wrong with the Church? Actually, this is not a biting critique of the Church today. There are no crude frontal assaults at the clerical edifices or cunning strikes at the soft underbelly of the ecclesiastical world. It is merely an analysis of a series of events that occurred in the far-off past, in the formative years of the established Church. It is a reference to a process that started many centuries ago and has continued unabated ever since. We can also look again at the title and see something else. Before the Church had got used to calling itself The Church, it was called The Way. So the implication here is that the Church didn’t just lose its way, but it lost touch with its origins. At some point in its history it stopped being called The Way. So what? It’s just a name, isn’t it? Well, it’s a good name if you think about it. It has an air of certainty and exclusivity. For a central figure who claimed that he was not just The Way to God but the only way, this alternative name for the fledgling Church is a pretty good one. Yet once the events of the Book of Acts were all played out, the name disappears from history. And so did the certainty and the exclusivity of the message at the heart of it. Now for the subtitle. … and how it can find it again. To which, your reasonable response is … Oh yes, what makes you so sure you have the answers, if indeed there is a problem to start with? Here is the problem. It’s subtle, but it’s there nonetheless. It was highlighted to me recently in a Church that I was regularly attending. The memory verse for that year was to be Romans 1:16 and they proclaimed it on a card given out to Church members. It read, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes ….” Sounds right, but it’s not the whole story. You see, they had missed out the last bit of the verse, “… first for the Jew, then for the Gentiles”. Also, in that same Church, a sermon series in Romans skipped seamlessly from the end of Romans 8 to the start of Romans 12, as if the missing three chapters – the key New Testament chapters on the role and future of the Jews – inhabited some parallel universe! You may deem me over-sensitive on this issue. After all, I am a Christian of Jewish birth and that would make me over-vigilant for any whiff of anti-Semitism. And this is true, but my concern is not for myself, or for fellow Jews, but for the Church itself. Thumbing through what is described as one of the most widely used textbooks in Christian theology1, authored by one of the most respected theologians of our age, two observations surprised and shocked me. Firstly, in the extensive index, there was not a single reference for any of the following terms, Jewish, Israel or Hebrew (or Hebraic), whether as single words or within phrases. Secondly it was stated that the key debates in the early Church on Jesus Christ were conducted in Greek and in the light of the presuppositions of major Greek schools of philosophy. To an impartial observer studying the Bible and subsequent Christian history, it would seem that a Jewish-based faith, defined by the Bible, had become a Greek philosophy, defined by arguments birthed in the minds of Socrates, Plato and their ilk. Yes, this is a very simplistic deduction, but gut feelings often uncover crude truths, that layers of sophistication, tradition and cleverness can sometimes mask. It is surely significant that the textbook index had as many references to Plato as the apostle Paul and for Aristotle just double the total and add some. But, as for Moses, just a big fat zero. What was it about these Greek philosophers and their influence on Christian thought? Did God use them to shed much needed extra light on our faith? Does that mean that the Bible is insufficient for our needs? Important questions, but seldom asked and rarely answered. I have already stated that the perceived problem is a subtle one, but no way is it a trivial one. The scenarios outlined are just symptoms of a problem in the Church, a historical process that has been going on for centuries in most Churches, whatever their denomination. The process of stripping out every trace of Jewishness from the established Church started officially as a result of a decision made in the Fourth Century AD and has been motoring along quite nicely ever since. Yet it seems to be in direct opposition to one of the Apostle Paul’s major declarations as to what the Church of Jesus Christ was to be, in his letter to the Ephesians: “For he himself (Jesus) is our peace, who has made the two one (Jews and Gentiles) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14-16.) Speaking first in metaphor we see that God’s purpose was that the Body of Christ should be a mixed-race man, part Jew, part Gentile. What this means is that the Church was always meant to have Jewish and Gentile elements. The fact that this has never really happened in history does not prove God wrong, it just paints the Church as unfulfilled. The Church was meant to be an entity with Jew and Gentile at peace and reconciled and no-one can ever claim that it has ever got even close to that ideal. But it doesn’t mean that it is never going to happen because God’s word does not lie. It’s going to happen and some people claim they know how it is going to happen. So are they right or are they wrong? We can only answer that once we find out what they are saying. The “One New Man” movement that has recently appeared in the USA is to be commended in that it seeks to restore the Hebrew roots of Christianity, lost since the Fourth Century AD, when the established Church started its campaign of extermination of all things Jewish. But, just like a catherine wheel, going from a steady jerkiness to all out mayhem in a matter of seconds, some in the movement, after first taking it to a reasonable place, just let rip, confusing some Gentiles into believing that they had, in some way, become Jewish! It is acceptable to restore Jewishness where relevant, but not to the extent that there would be a blurring of identity and Gentiles would be seen worshipping in full Jewish garb, going to Yiddish classes and eating Kosher. This can’t be right. Someone lit the fuse and the whole lot has gone all gefilte fish! This has been something that has troubled me for many years. It is OK to bring back the Jewish elements, but surely God was speaking about a balance between Jew and Gentile? Surely folk could see that a mainly Jewish Church is no more the answer than the mainly Gentile Church that has been the status-quo for sixteen centuries. Isn’t God talking about a balanced arrangement here? If He is, then there is some serious rethinking to be done. As I sit in Churches, I wonder how much that I see and hear would be different if Paul’s “One New Man” declaration had caught on. Would there still be icons, statues and murals? Would there be Churches and Cathedrals as we know it, at all? Would the structures and hierarchies be any different? What about worship styles and liturgies? Then my mind wandered as it wondered. What about the catering? Would Alpha courses become Aleph courses? Will we all be singing choruses in Hebrew? Would the preacher need coaching in stand-up comedy? My imagination was stirred. So I decided to investigate further. PROLOGUE We start with a mental exercise. Not an easy one, but a useful one and one that hopefully will prepare your mind for what it is about to receive. No, I am not proposing a New Age emptying of thoughts, but rather a realisation of what lies beneath them. Imagine you have just woken up to a new day. Then mentally trace through it, concentrating on your voluntary actions, rather than the more mundane (though serious) processes that actually keep your body alive. Here’s what could be a typical day. Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, then realised I had just paid a homage to The Beatles. Ah, The Beatles. Memories flooded back of the previous night at the themed bar, guzzling too much food and beer, while being entertained by a rather good Beatles tribute band. Ah, The Beatles. The first worldwide celebrities of pop culture, trendsetters in music, fashion, drug taking, political agitation and communication. These hazy thoughts were swept aside by pangs of hunger and I had a full fry-up for breakfast, then went to work. Once there, I just counted the hours to clocking-off, mechanically going through the processes of my allotted tasks, but my mind focussed on the football game I was going to later … OK, so what? Given that I’ve just described a typical day for someone living in the West in the 21st Century, there must be a purpose to the exercise. Before the great unveiling I will move to a Sunday and repeat the mental process, but focussing on the daily activities of a typical Christian. Woke up, got out of bed, prayed and did my devotions. Slight dread but duty first, put on my ‘Sunday best’, cleanse my mind of distractions, then Church. Sit there quietly, sing the songs, listen to the sermon, mind wandering … 4,000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire, what the? … walk to the altar, take communion, polite conversation, then leave the Church, change clothes, then an afternoon in town, take in a show, some Chinese food, a few drinks. Home late at night, not looking forwards to work tomorrow, just need to get through the week until the next weekend. Get ready for bed, prayers and sleep. Of course you may not connect with this entire list, but I guarantee there are at least some familiar aspects. Now to the big point, the climax, the denouement. If I told you that, in both lists, you are chiefly following processes flowing from the thoughts and practices of a civilisation that flourished in a land many miles eastward, many centuries ago. And that land was not the Middle East of Jesus, two thousand years ago, but rather the Greece of four hundred years or so earlier than the Christian era. And ideas flowing from that land of Greece are very much still alive and kicking. In fact they set the foundations and principles behind our daily lives in our modern world. Let that sink in for a few moments. Look at people going about their daily lives. Some stride purposefully around, secure in their imagined immortality. They live guilt-free lives filled with pleasure. For a growing number, the working week has no other purpose than facilitating the wild excesses of the weekend. Others are not so secure. The certainties of old had been eroded, leaving behind a confusion of beliefs and philosophies. Some mix and match and hope for the best, others just retreat from the World, yet others reject everything save that which feeds their self-interests. Then there are those who just shrug their shoulders and get on with things. What will be, will be, they chant. Finally there are those who don’t care any more and have given up. There’s nothing new under the sun. This same scenario was a perfect fit just over two thousand years ago, in the streets of Ancient Greece. The difference is that each of the attitudes painted were, for them, schools of thought and philosophy. The names will be familiar to you. The Epicurianists took meaning from modest pleasures, while the Hedonists took this to the extreme. The Eclectics were the mix and matchers, while the Ascectics turned their back on the world and its pleasures. The Sceptics just rejected everything, while the Cynics took this further and just lived for themselves. The Stoics simply put it all down to fate while the Nihilists denied any sort of meaning at all. We may be separated from these folk by two thousand years of Christianity but the cynics (I worked that one in quite cleverly, didn’t I?) among us would wonder why our society, as a whole, seems to have rejected the certainties of the Gospel of Jesus and have slipped back into those ancient ways. To make matters worse, there are aspects of many of these philosophies in the Christian Church too. These and other Greek ideas are very much a part of the modern ecclesiastical world. So when was the Church infiltrated? When did we turn our backs and let these pagan ideas in? The answer is simple, serious and startling and it’s the subject of this book. COST : £9 / $US 13 / 10 Euros (+ P&P first class / airmail)
JESUS, MAN OF MANY NAMES
Are you prepared for a new book about Jesus that does offer fresh insights without boasting new revelations? Drawing on sources from the Jewish world, ancient and modern, the author will take you on an exhilarating, lively and entertaining exploration of the life and times of the Jewish Messiah.
This book has already changed the lives of Christians of all backgrounds and denominations by providing a surprising, refreshing and fresh view of Jesus the Messiah.
"This is excellent - well-written and well researched. Most
importantly, Maltz presents the subject from a Jewish-roots perspective,
vital to the proper understanding of Jesus. Another feature is highlighting
the scourge of anti-Semitism, which has damaged Jewish-Christian
relations over the centuries. The study of some of the key names
attributed to Jesus is very revealing and enhances our understanding
of his person from both the divine/eternal and human perspectives.
" Mervyn Tilley, Direction, Aug 2008 "The book is incredibly well written with some great teaching. Of course like anything else this should be weighed against the Bible, but I find a well argued understanding of who Jesus was and, for me, it confirmed the fulfillment of the disputed passages that the Jews hold refer to a Messiah that they still await! This is an excellent book of Christian teaching. If you think you know all there is to know about Jesus and his earthly ministry I am sure that this skimming of the surface of Hebrew teaching will make you realise you don't know it all - there is a lot more out there to learn! (RATINGS: Biblical content 10/10, Good teaching 10/10, Intreresting 10/10)" Rob Allwright, Soteria magazine "The book is a real eye-opener. I really do believe I have
been privileged to review an important book - an extraordinary tour
de force. Unquestionably this book will make a massive contribution
to current thinking about Jesus at a time when both His humanity
and divinity are being questioned." Chris Hill, author, broadcaster
and international Bible teacher. "Congratulations on a great book ... it is undoubtedly inspired
by the Holy Spirit and written for such a time as this. Your explanation
of Daniel is explosive, revealing the message hidden in all that
coded language which for so long has cloaked many minds regarding
the timing of future events, in particular the coming of the Messiah."
Julia Fisher, author and broadcaster "'In the beginning was the…' - finish this well-known phrase
or saying without using the first verse of John's Gospel, using
neither English nor New Testament Greek and by reference only to
an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible. Can't be done? This
'voyage around Our Father' - and His Son - will open your eyes in
the best tradition of travel and exploration. Steve Maltz has a
gift for combining pacy writing with crystal clear distillation
of his own careful study of scholarly resources, and a firm grip
on the Gospel. The result is a fascinating new landscape of insight
- it's not so much Jewish roots of the Christian faith as 'Jewish
knowledge' of the Gospel. The Bible-believing reader need not fear
any distraction from the Word of God, only reinforcement in some
unexpected places. Enjoy!" David Andrew, editor Sword magazine
(was Prophecy Today) "Jesus, The Man of Many Names is in one sense unique. Steve
Maltz has been able to bridge the gap between the scholar and the
ordinary Christian, and turn scholarship into a life-giving encounter
with a living person. Over many years I have read and studied the
subject of the Jewishness of Jesus, as well as lecturing and writing
about the subject. Reading The Man of Many Names has been an inspiring
experience, making the Jesus of the first century and the New Testament
vibrant and real in a fresh way. Many Christians unfortunately have
a vague and sometimes sentimental notion of' 'Christ' and 'Jesus',
and also completely misunderstand the background to the Jewish rejection
of Jesus as Messiah. This book changes all that, and the more widely
it is read the better. I strongly recommend it." Derek White
(Founder, Christian Friends of Israel UK) "I was and am most interested in your style and approach. As
a writer you are most readable - humourous, leading the reader on,
putting things in a contemporary and user-friendly way, and with
a sense of infectious joy in your discoveries. " Richard Harvey,
Tutor in Hebrew Bible, Hebrew language and Jewish Studies, All Nations
Christian College "Steve writes in a lively, accessible way, that draws in and
fascinates his readers. Anyone with a yen to explore the mysteries
of the Scriptures and meet the totally Jewish Messiah of whom they
speak will love this book." Michele Guinness, author "I enjoyed reading this and found your style of writing to be exciting and creative with a clear pastoral and evangelistic warmth. You share with the reader many key Biblical insights into the person and work of Jesus which leads to much refreshed thinking-
I hope the book does well and I will certainly be recommending it within the context of some CMJ gatherings"
Rev. Alex Jacob M.A Director of Advocacy – Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People "I'm really enjoying it. I just love the way you make what can
be quite complicated theology both accessible and fun. There is
some stuff which I already know but it's presented in a way which
makes it enjoyable and really good revision." Kit Eglinton,
web consultant and counsellor "Written at great cost. So many veils are lifted in this book"
Norma Gregory MBE I will start at the end, the very last declaration in the Gospel account of
Jesus. "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were
written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have
room for the books that would be written." (John 21:25) Well it's just as well they weren't all written down, otherwise
we'd all be drowning in a sea of books and the trees of this world
would be just a memory. We start with a rather large number, 181,026. It's the current
number of books about Jesus, available online through the Amazon
bookshop. From The Laughing Jesus to What Would Jesus
Eat and the Jesus of Suburbia we are presented with a
puzzling plethora of academia, trivia and exotica. This man certainly
made an impact, even on those who would claim otherwise and how
many other figures from ancient history who wrote no book, never
travelled far from his familiar haunts and died in his prime, could
compete with this impact on the human psyche and the publishing
industry? This book adds to that number, but if it does not lead the reader
into a fuller understanding of the life and mission of the most
remarkable man who has ever lived, then I hang my head in shame.
Because, even if only 1% of those 181,026 books are serious contributions,
then a new book on Jesus still has to offer something special to
warrant the months of blood, sweat and sleeplessness in the writing,
to say nothing of freshness and relevance in the reading. So, what's new? What is brought to the table here? As the third
part of the "… of Many names" trilogy, two clues to
the structure and content of this book are evident to those loyal
readers. Firstly, the story of Jesus will be threaded together through
a dozen or so names associated with him and, secondly, there will
be a Jewish angle. This is not the first book that looks at Jesus through Jewish eyes.
The Bible was there first, though many people have not yet woken
up to that fact. As there are 4,962 other books available through
Amazon with the words Jewish Jesus somewhere in the title,
I am not treading in virgin territory. But there's no other book
around that also includes the word fresh in the title, so
there is my claim for uniqueness and I'm sticking to it! If you declare a fresh approach to a subject, the claim really
needs to be backed up. So again, the question is asked, what's new?
I will answer with a provocative statement and that is, if anyone
can lay a claim to know God better than most, it's the Jews. Paul
said as much in Romans 9:4-5: "Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the
covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the
promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the
human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!"
The Jews have been there, done that, bought the yarmulka. In any
biography of God, the Jews take the role of the first wife. Their
sad story is told figuratively in the book of Hosea. They marry
young, it's a first love, raw and exciting. But the young bride
is restless, with a roving eye for a well turned-out idol and, consequently,
a marriage breakdown and a separation sought. For the ten tribes
of Israel, a divorce is granted thanks to her many adulteries (Jeremiah
3:7-9), but for the remnant, a relationship is maintained. The Lord
eventually betroths Himself to a new bride, a union not yet consummated,
but this new relationship is more inclusive, with Gentiles grafted
in to join the Jews of the remnant. So the Jews were there at the
beginning, have seen the good times and the bad times, but have
never ceased to search for God, even while in exile, even under
the severest persecution. Even when the World rejected them, the Jews never stopped searching.
Mostly, they haven't found what they were looking for, but their
search has uncovered many jewels, if not always the pearl of great
price. Those jewels sparkle like stars in the sky, guiding those
who have a mind to follow, to an understanding of the ways of God
that can be surprising and exhilarating. And it is this search that
forms the bedrock for this book. When Nicodemus quizzed him about being born again, Jesus gently
mocked him, amazed that a Pharisee, "Israel's teacher", failed to
grasp his teaching. It was an understandable reaction, because if
anyone was qualified to understand this new message it was he. Nicodemus
was in a privileged position, perhaps unequalled in history. Here
was a learned man, thoroughly acquainted not only with the Hebrew
scriptures, but with the whole body of Jewish thought, "The Traditions
of the Elders". He spoke the language of Jesus and could read and
write in Hebrew and Aramaic, the languages of the Scriptures. And
to cap it all, the greatest privilege of all, a one-to-one Bible
study with the Son of God himself! We read of few such encounters
but there were undoubtedly more. We are as far away from Nicodemus as it's possible to get. Not
only are we denied the privilege of the personal encounter with
Jesus in the flesh, we also suffer in that we do not read and understand
Holy Scripture in its original language and although we may (or
may not be) conversant with the Scriptures, one glaring disadvantage
of looking back 2000 years is that we are divorced from their culture,
mindset, environment and religious heritage. A 21st century sophisticate,
living in a secular society and educated according to principles
founded on the ideas of Greek philosophy, can have little natural
empathy with a 1st century religious culture, founded on a Hebraic
mindset. Looking at the scriptures afresh with Jewish-tinted glasses can
be a thrilling, invigorating, faith-expanding experience. This book
offers you a tiny glimpse of the possibilities. Enjoy. We all have our own take on Jesus. Where do your ideas come from?
They certainly didn't just pop into your mind out of nowhere. You
put them there, consciously or otherwise. Now thousands of books
have been written about Jesus and the views expressed didn't just
pop into the author's mind, they came from somewhere. Every author
is writing from a given viewpoint. They may be Catholic, Pentecostal,
or Church of England and will speak from within those traditions.
They may be reformed, or liberal, or fundamentalist and will argue
from those positions. They may be speaking from such fringe areas
as Mormonism or as Jehovah Witnesses and would want to incorporate
their unique slant. Or they may be totally "left field", insisting
that Jesus was an astronaut/Venusian/peanut and please buy my
book so I can prove it to you. Discounting the lunatic fringe (you know who they are, even if
they don't), the basic tools of the trade, apart from the scholarship
and talent of the author, are the Bible as source material, the
opinion of other commentators who agree with the position you are
taking and an assortment of other opinions of those you are going
to quote as a means of contrast. That's about it. Every serious
book you have read about Jesus comes from the same structure - the
Bible, your views and the views of others. And for a book to offer
something new into the Jesus debate, it has to either come from
a place that has rarely been mined before, or it extracts its nuggets
in new ways. This book hopefully does both. It comes from a mindset lost to
the ages. It comes from a culture that birthed and nurtured our
Saviour. It comes from a religious system that ultimately denied
him. And, although much of the material has already been made available,
a lot of it is from books of a bygone age, written in flowery language,
arranged in labyrinthine paragraphs, or from the dusty halls of
academia, or in the hands of those who are simply not eager to share
their findings, for religious reasons. This book has been written
to share such knowledge in the true spirit of democracy, in a way
that even the author himself is able to understand it! We will meet Jesus in surprising places. We will meet him at the
very beginning of time, in the early days of the Jews and their
struggles with God. We will see him as a fulfilment of unique promises,
living as one among his people, teaching them how to live and how
to understand him better. We will see what happened when his people
failed to recognise him and how they covered up their mistake. We
will then marvel at how some discovered him for themselves, despite
incredible pressures from both within their own community and from
the world that hated them in his name. Finally we will see him in
power and splendour at the end of days. This is a book mostly for followers of Jesus of Nazareth, but also
for those who wonder what on earth it is all about. It's for those
who are honest to admit that they don't have it 100%, that they
wouldn't last 5 minutes in a room, defending all aspects of his
nature and ministry, with a highly motivated sceptic. If you have given any thought to any of the following, then this
book will help:
Before we get started there's one thing that needs to be made clear.
Everything we need to know about Jesus with regards to our personal
salvation is written in the Word of God, the Bible. This book is
not going to uncover any lost truths that diminish or discredit
this basic message in any way. The intention is to provide condiment
to the feast, oil for the mental gears. Your faith will be gently
bolstered, without leaving safe ground. Trust me, you will not be
led astray. The Bible is, as ever, our benchmark, anchor and foundation. Although
we will be dipping into other Jewish writings on our journey, from
the Aramaic Targums, to the Hebrew and Aramaic Midrash and Talmud,
these will be taken as illustration only, to confirm the Word of
God, not to contradict it; to illuminate it, not to read doctrine
into it. Yet, for most of you, you will be venturing into unexplored territory.
You will not be the first to dip your toe in the water of Jewish
scholarship but it can be a daunting experience for the untrained.
So let me assure you that you will not be alone on this exhilarating
voyage of discovery, you will receive all the gentle guidance you
need. Although I have included a description and potted history
of the Jewish literature we will be dipping into, in the Appendix,
at the end of this book, I will also set the scene for anything
that may be unfamiliar to you, as and when you need it. This book will provide a dozen interlocking portraits of Jesus,
all describing him from a different angle, but combining to provide
a full picture. And the picture is so complete, so compelling, so
awesome that you wonder why the Jews, particularly the learned religious
scholars of the 1st century missed the point! The book is written for those Christians who are eager to go deeper
into an understanding of Jesus Christ and are willing to explore
the Jewish roots of their faith, without necessarily having any
prior knowledge of such things. This is not another book for scholars,
although there is much scholarship within its pages. My task has
been to interpret the good work of biblical, religious and historical
scholars into a meaningful narrative. To aid in this process, although
all references from Scripture and religious documents are included,
I have only rarely included direct quotes from academics, scholars
and commentators. This is to ensure a consistent flow to the narrative,
not a petty arrogance. Nevertheless I have included in the Appendix,
all books and articles referenced, for your further study if you
so wish. Finally, remember what Paul said about the Jewish roots: Again
I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!
Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the
Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means
riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles,
how much greater riches will their fullness bring! (Romans 11:11-12)
Greater riches for the World. This book is just the start!
PROLOGUE There is a form of Jewish Bible interpretation known as midrash.
It goes right back to Old Testament times and was well known by
Jesus, who made use of it in his own teachings. It literally means
to search or examine and is the fruit of the questioning nature
of the Jewish soul (both a blessing and a curse). For an example,
as a response to the Commandment, "you shall not murder", Jews have
urged God to be more specific. Is self-defence included here? What
about suicide or warfare? This is midrash. Inasmuch as the Book
of Deuteronomy repeats and comments on events and laws already given
in the first four Books of Moses, one could say that it is a midrash
on them. Genesis Rabbah is a midrash that comments on the Book of
Genesis. It was written around the 4th or 5th century AD, drawing
on traditions passed down by "word of mouth" and makes an interesting
statement concerning things from before the dawn of time. It tells us that six things were already in God's mind before the
creation of the Earth; the formation of Israel, the Throne of Glory,
the Law (Torah), the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, the coming
of the Patriarchs, and the name of the Messiah. (1) When I saw this list it tugged at my spirit, because there was
a familiarity here that I couldn't put my finger on. Then it dawned
on me and I looked up Paul's letter to the Romans, at the passage
where he was answering the rhetorical question, "What have the Jews
ever done for us?" "Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the
covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the
promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the
human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!
Amen." (Romans 9:4-5) Look again and compare these two lists. Virtually identical. I
marvelled at this and thought through the implication. Here Paul
did not just show his knowledge of the Jewish traditions, the "Traditions
of the Elders", but let the Holy Spirit guide him to use them in
Scripture. And not just in any old place, but in this key passage
that validates the Jewish people in the eyes of God. This suggests
two things. Firstly, the content in these two passages suggests that, what
God had in mind before he 'lit the blue touchpaper', came to pass
and that the Jewish people were central to everything. No one could
read these passages and doubt the importance of the Jews in God's
eyes. Secondly, although the Bible is our benchmark for discerning God's
ways, we should not immediately discard all of these "Traditions
of the Elders". The key is to let the Bible be the judge and have
the final say on every matter. The fact is that, on this matter,
the Bible has spoken, in Paul's letter to the Romans, and seems
to suggest that there is an element of truth in the oral traditions
concerning the events that preceded Creation. This is key to the rest of this book and, at this point, I want
to make the following assertion: The Bible is the literal and complete
word of God. All that is necessary for our salvation is in this
book and there is nothing outside the Bible, in any Midrash or other
"Traditions of the Elders", that can gain you an iota of favour
with God. Any biblical Christian would agree with this statement,
I think. For this book to be worth reading you would expect insights into
God's word and into the life and mission of Jesus and that these
insights are going to be provided from Jewish traditions and observations.
What you must realise, those of you who are just dipping your toes
in the swirling currents of the Hebraic world, is that this is not
a cunning attempt at 'judaising' you, distracting you from the straight
path. Quite the reverse, really. The material in this book is going
to enhance your spiritual journey, by filling in the gaps that have
always been there, but have been largely unnoticed by a Church that
has lost its Jewish roots so long ago that it doesn't even realise
that James and Jacob are the same name! I will take this a little further and assure you that, in this
book, new insights brought from an examination of the Jewish literature
would not only confirm existing Biblical knowledge but would illuminate
it and, as a result, boost your faith in a God that desires only
that we should know Him better. This is not a book to mock the Church, to laugh at its mistakes
and misconceptions. Believe me, when we examine how Jews have been
treated historically at the hands of the Church, there is little
to laugh about. It's just about restoration, renewal and return.
"His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the
two (Jew and Gentile), thus making peace" (Ephesians 2:15) When Paul wrote these words in his letter to the Ephesians, he
was an idealist, he saw the Church of God as being an equal partnership
between Jew and Gentile. It never happened, but it's not too late
now to start, to restore what was lost. NOTES 1. "Six things preceded the creation of the world. Some of them
were [actually] created, and some of them [merely] arose in the
thought [of God] to be created. The Torah and the Throne of Glory
were created … The Fathers, Israel, the Temple and the name of the
Messiah arose in the thought to be created …" (Genesis Rabbah 1:4)
Preface Introduction Prologue PART ONE: The First Days 1. Memra 2. The Angel of the Lord 3. The Promised One PART TWO: The Incarnation 4. Yeshua ben Yosef 5. Christ 6. Rabbi 7. Bar Anash PART THREE: The Last Days 8. Mashiach ben Yosef 9. Yeshu HaNotzri 10. Haver 11. Mashiach ben David PART FOUR: Eternity and Antiquity 12. The Man of Many Names APPENDIX A: The Traditions of the Elders B: Recommended Reading C: Glossary of Jewish terms
THE LAND OF MANY NAMES Towards a Christian understanding of the Middle East conflict. This book has been generally accepted in the UK as the most balanced, well-reasoned and clear explanation of the position taken by those Christians who believe that God still has a purpose for Israel today. IT'S THE BOOK THAT HAS SWEPT THOUSANDS INTO A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF SUCH A THORNY AND CONFUSING SITUATION. REVIEWS
CHRISTIAN HERALD 7/6/03 "The book has a number of strengths. It is written
in an agreeable style which is accessible to the non-specialist. At the same time,
Maltz manages to pack a lot of information into this modest volume. His efforts
to inform his readership of different ways of reading sacred texts is commendable.
Furthermore, Maltz articulates the Christian Zionist perspective in a very succinct
and skilful manner … It is to be hoped that Maltz' contribution to the debate
will be read, not shunned, by those taking the opposite viewpoint". Peter
Riddell, Director of the Centre for Islamic Studies at London Bible College
The best way to approach
a subject as emotive as this is to put one's cards on the table
right at the start, so that there can be no misunderstandings or
suspicions. To be as frank as I can, this is an attempt at a response
to books that claim to represent 'different theological perspectives'
but tend to lean towards just one particular perspective. In fact,
of the 12 contributors to one such book, 11 are in basic
agreement that the promises of God to Abraham concerning the 'Promised
Land' have now been inherited by the Church and that the State of
Israel is nothing more than a blip of modern history.
Preface
COST : £7 / $US 10 / 8 Euros (+ P&P first class / airmail)
THE PEOPLE OF MANY NAMES This book pulls no punches in providing an insight into God's plan for the Jew, Christian anti-semitism and includes practical suggestions for reconciliation within the Body of Messiah. Towards a clearer understanding of the miracle of the Jewish people. 'I am enjoying reading it, not least for the wry touches of Yiddish humour. What a saving grace it is to be able to laugh at ourselves. Not much of your information was new to me but you have put it all together in a readable and accessible way. I do hope it will reach some of those who need it most and not just Zionists.' David Pawson, international Bible teacher ‘Steve Maltz writes unashamedly as a Jewish believer in Jesus and for this reason is able to bring some very challenging insights into the Jewish people, both past and present.’ Derek White, founder of Christian Friends of Israel ‘Steve gives a fast paced, witty but both insightful and perceptive framework for his readers to gain a meaningful overview of the Jewish people and their relationship with God and the Nations.’ Fred Wright, author and Director of Chesed ‘I think it's brilliant, inspired, a great read, of interest to both Jews and Christians, a breath of fresh air – and timely! What more can I say!’ Julia Fisher, writer and broadcaster 'I have read about half of it so far; it is excellent. Very readable and informative.' Mark Weeden, chief minister at Worthing Tabernacle Church PREFACEI used to have a dream where I enter a drab airy room filled with nervous people sitting in a circle on wooden chairs. All eyes turn to me as I creep to the front, then I turn to face them and make my admission, a brave confession after years of denial. "My name is Steve and I'm a … Jew." Why the dream? Well, the fact is that there was some truth in it, brought on by vestiges of shame from deep within my psyche. You see, I was not always upfront about my racial origins, even when confronted by direct questioning. "But you do look Jewish." "No, not me, mate, you're mistaken." I was never sure where this shame came from. Perhaps it was the desire not to be different, perhaps it was a need not to be stereotyped. Or, most likely, perhaps there was fear of rejection, the least serious of the whole gamut of emotions and reactions provoked by making the statement, "my name is Steve and I'm a … Jew." Because, let's face it, earlier generations have faced a lot worse than mere rejection. As far as I could remember the only thing Jewish about my family was when we gorged ourselves with food at Uncle Syd's at Passover time. We even had a Christmas tree at my Nana's house every year, though I don't recollect us actually going as far as singing carols. In fact, I was the only religious person in my family, as far as I could see. For as long as I could remember, up to my thirteenth birthday, I was blessed (or cursed?) with the weekly visit of Rabbi Jacobs. He was the one who taught me to be a Jew. I became the World authority on Deuteronomy 12. I could read it forwards and backwards, sing it, even yodel it. My whole reason for being, in a Jewish sense, was to learn that passage until it permeated every pore of my body. And the whole reason behind that was that, on some fateful day in some far-off time, I would be able to stand up in confidence at the front of a Synagogue congregation at the time of my Barmitzvah and sing that passage with the unwavering voice of a pre-pubescent Cantor. And the whole reason behind that was that my dad, a few rows ahead of me, and my mum, hidden among the hats in the gallery, could get that warm glow of satisfaction that only comes from the knowledge that you've brought up your son in a proper Jewish manner. That's what being Jewish was to me. I could say that with confidence because, the day after my Barmitzvah, there was no Rabbi Jacobs, no Hebrew lessons, no Deuteronomy 12. At last I didn't have to be Jewish any more, I could be like everyone else! Deprived of Jewish friends from childhood, due to having a private Hebrew tutor, I drifted more towards Gentiles. If it was up to me I would have hidden my Jewishness under a bush at the school entrance. As things were, my religion was down on the register. I was excused RE and worship in the chapel, being given far more interesting things to do such as learning Braille and corresponding with blind kids. We occasionally had to sit through the odd RE lesson, though, curiously, I can't remember anything about religion being taught. Of the Jewish boys in my class I was only friendly with two of them, one a committed Zionist, no doubt by now a respected settler in Israel and the other a rabid Atheist. The others were more typically Jewish and at least two of them grew up to become very high achievers. One is now a highly acclaimed Q.C. and the other a nationally known journalist. At eighteen I left for University. At last real freedom and this time I not so much left my Jewish identity behind as buried it 12 foot underground! It wasn't without a great deal of shame, and, later, regret, that I went through my three years at college as a WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant, or, in my case, Weak Anti Social Person). This was fine until the last month, of my last term, of my last year, just after Finals, when I inexplicably fell for a Christian girl and I was introduced to Jesus and my life was never to be the same again. But that's another book! Why should I be ashamed of my heritage? I wasn't alone, I knew of many family friends who changed their surnames after the Second World War, to distance themselves from the shame of the Holocaust and the realities of post-war anti-Semitism. Would they have done the same if they had been born Greek, or Swedish, or Icelandish? I very much doubt it. Being Jewish has always been a provocation to others around you, whoever they are, whatever period of history you are living in. Don't you find that strange? It is strange and really needs to be examined. Steve Maltz London 2004. INTRODUCTIONWe Jews are a strange people. Buffeted and battered by the forces of history, we survive with our senses intact. Our story is perhaps the saddest of all, yet we have helped to give humour to the world! A race that was being systematically slaughtered by Nazi brutes in Europe was, at the same time, entertaining America on stage and screen. A people who have, on the world stage, produced the highest proportion to size of Nobel Prize winners have been persecuted and reviled and forced into Jewish ghettos. A folk who provided Gentiles, in Jesus of Nazareth, with a saviour and inspiration are tortured and killed in the name of the same man. Why can't they all just leave us alone - to create, invent, compose and entertain - and find another people to torment? What's it all about? So, the Jews are meant to be different, the 'chosen people'. As Tevya said in The Fiddler in the Roof, 'Maybe we've had enough of being chosen, Lord, can't you go and choose someone else - if just for one day?' Do we feel the same way? Does our chosen-ness mean anything to us now, in the 21st Century? Sure, it's a source of great pride when we look at the achievements of our people, often against great odds. But we don't like reading and hearing about the other side, the Holocaust and the pogroms. Yet they both work together, they are both part of the same package, like strawberries and cream (or should I say 'smoked salmon and beigels'). Jewish achievements in the world at large are nothing short of astounding! There are just over 13 million Jews world-wide (2000 figures), out of a World population of 6,100 million. This means that about 0.21% of the world is Jewish; about 1 person out of every 470. So one would naturally expect that 0.21% of the worlds' scientists, musicians, entertainers, writers etc. would, on average, be Jewish. Well, it hasn't worked out like that, something has gone wrong in our calculations, our decimal point has gone haywire! Just looking in the period since the mid nineteenth century we find that about 25% of the world's scientists have been Jews. That's over one hundred times too many! It has been estimated also that, in 1978, over half the Nobel Prize winners were Jewish. Over 50% of the main contributors to the progress of mankind that year coming from 0.21% of the population! But has mankind been grateful for this contribution? What do people think of the Jews? This book has been written to look at how the World has reacted to the Jewish people over the centuries, from the time of Abraham to the modern day. We will be doing this by looking at the names given to them by their enemies, their friends and God himself and we will be pondering over the significance of the Jewish story to the times in which we now live. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never harm me." How wrong can you be if you happen to be Jewish! Names can be harmful indeed, especially when they are also accompanied by sticks, stones and whatever else can be thrown at you. Jews certainly have been known by a whole library of names, mostly derogatory, but not all. Even God himself wasn't always complimentary, calling them stiff-necked. But He also called them the apple of his eye and this is significant. What is also significant is that, despite all this name calling, the Jews, by the very fact of surviving for so long, have managed to confound all models of history. The historian, Arnold Toynbee, who couldn't fit them into any of the usual moulds, just dismissed them as fossils of history. Oh yes? How many fossils do you know that account for 25% of the world's scientists since the mid nineteenth century? The Jews are certainly an interesting people. We will begin by considering the question, who exactly is a Jew? At a time of unprecedented mixing between the races we find ourselves in a society inhabited by folk of all hues and mixtures of traditions. My own children have the culturally confused heritage of English secular Judaism mixed with Polish Catholicism. My wife comes from a German/Polish background; her German mother is an Atheist and her Polish father was a Catholic. What does that make our children? According to one definition they are not Jewish by birth, but another tradition would make them as Jewish as they wish to be and yet another tradition, the Nazi one, albeit for the wrong purposes, would make them Jewish on account of their grandparents' background and nothing else. If you go to Israel and expect to see a nation of olive skin and brown eyes you'll be surprised at the blond hair and blue eyes you'll see, even in that bastion of national identity, the Israeli Army. These days, contrary to the belief of some, you can't measure your Jewishness by the size of your nose. Mind you I am reminded of a true story of a friend, a Gentile, who only discovered when he was in his twenties that his father was Jewish. His first words at this discovery were, 'Ah, so that explains the nose!' This story aside, we need a better way of defining Jewishness and we do this in our first Chapter, when we look at the question of origins. But what of today? What do modern Jews think of their identity? There is a certain degree of pride. After all, Jewish people have impacted the world in so many different spheres and have influenced the thinking of the world so dramatically, that we need to look deeper at this situation. The three men who have, arguably, most influenced the 20th century, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx, were all Jewish, as were the founders of two of the main world religions, Judaism and Christianity. Even Mohammed, the founder of Islam, drew greatly from Jewish sources. I'm sure someday someone will discover that the Buddha was a victim of the first Diaspora who got lost and ended up in India! Like it or not, we Jews are pretty religious too. There is a joke that is told, in various forms, by Jews the world over. It goes something like this, in a heavy Yiddish accent: Sadie Cohen, an elderly Jewish lady from New York goes to her travel agent. "I vont to go to India." "Mrs Cohen, India! It's filthy, it's too hot, and it's full of brown people!" "I vont to go to India." "But it's a long journey. And what will you eat? The food's too hot and spicy. You can't drink the water, you can't eat fresh fruit or vegetables. You'll get ill. Plague, cholera, typhoid. God only knows. Can you imagine? And no Jewish doctors. Why torture yourself?" "I vont to go to India." So arrangements are made and off she goes. She gets there and despite the noise, the smells, the crowds, she gets to the ashram, a holy place. There she joins the long queue waiting to see the guru, the holy man. She's told she'll have to queue for three days. Out comes her knitting. Eventually she's at the head of the queue. She's told firmly that she's allowed only three words with the guru. "Dat's OK." She's ushered into the inner sanctum where the guru is seated, ready to bestow blessings on eager disciples. Again she's reminded by an aide that she's only got three words. Unlike every other visitor she doesn't prostrate herself at his feet. She stands right in front of him, her arms crossed, staring at him fixedly and says, "Marvin, come home." You may laugh but Jews form a large proportion of both leaders and followers of many spiritual movements, some of them decidedly dodgy. You'll see them in yoga and meditation classes, New Age cults, Hindu and Buddhist groups. One guru had so many Jewish disciples that he called them 'Hinjews'. Jews are not always as material minded as people think, many seem to spend their lives searching to fill a spiritual 'hole in their heart'. So, what is special about this folk? And where does it say that these people are special, chosen for some purpose? Where does it say "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." The Bible, of course. How could the writers of the Bible have known about Einstein, Freud and Marx (though it's hard to discern what sort of blessing we received here, considering the fruits of their endeavours - the atom bomb, overpaid psychiatrists and communism), to say nothing of the scores of other major influences? How could they know about 'this one solitary life', the Jew, Jesus, written about in a famous essay? "Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty, and then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never travelled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself ... I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life." Like it or not the above is true, though the effects felt on the Jewish nation as a result of this particular 'solitary life' has been one of the tragedies of history, a subject that we will explore in later chapters. PROLOGUEIt was an amazing deal, the likes of which had never been offered to a group of people before and never would be offered again. These people had already been through a lot, both good and bad. They had spent their whole lives wandering and wondering. It had been far worse for their parents. They had grown up as slaves and had died in sadness, their potential unrealised, in the unforgiving desert. That whole generation, bar two, had now perished and here we find their children standing on the threshold of a new chapter in their lives. They had trudged around the desert for up to forty years, yet things could have been far worse. They had a ready supply of food and water, their clothes had not worn out and not one of them had suffered so much as a blister in their feet! And they were bolstered by great tales of miracles, involving the parting of great waters, great deliverances from their enemies and everyday provisions. And they didn't travel alone, their God travelled with them. The God who had created them and the World in which they lived, had chosen to lead them personally, through a vanguard of smoke and fire. And this same God now offered them a new deal. It was to be an end of their fruitless wanderings. A land was being offered to them. A land where they could settle, their lifelong travels finally at an end. A land with streams and refreshing valley springs. A land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. A rich land, where copper and iron were easily mined. A land where they would lack nothing. And best of all, it would be handed to them on a plate. Vineyards and olive groves would already be established, wells already dug and large flourishing cities would be theirs, as vacant possession. Their leader, one hundred and twenty years old, surveyed this promised land from a high pace with sadness in his heart. He knew that his days were numbered, that he was at the threshold of death, never to lead his people into this land of milk and honey. But his sadness was not for himself, but rather for the people he had led for forty years. He knew something they didn't. He knew that these blessings would never be fully realised by his people and he knew why. You see, there were conditions attached, simple conditions. God had offered them a choice between life and prosperity on the one hand, and death and destruction on the other. To claim the former all they had to do was to love him, walk in his ways and keep his laws. This oughtn't have been difficult, partly because these laws were there for their protection, safety and well-being. They were to deserve the latter if they were to ignore these instructions and follow their own ways and turn towards the gods of the people already in the land. They were offered life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life! pleaded the God who wanted to give them the world, but they didn't listen. True, they entered the promised land and began to conquer it and began to enjoyed the blessings offered. But they chose the dark side, seduced by the gods and the customs of the native people. As a consequence, they took around a thousand years to fully conquer the land offered to them, then proceeded to lose the lot, before being exiled from the land itself, condemned to wander the world right up to the modern era. Such has been the lot for the Jews. Offered so much, but still going their own way. No wonder they were called a stiff-necked people. The story of Moses and the Children of Israel is not just a cautionary tale, a fable from an uncertain fantasy, conjured up by the mind of man. The story is from the pages of the world's best selling book, the Bible. It is from the fifth section, originally titled 'Words', but saddled with the title, 'Deuteronomy', a name taken from an alien culture hundreds of years after the events took place. This is the point where we take a deep breath and discuss our frames of reference before we go any further. The Bible - that's my frame of reference. But I can't just leave it at that, as many have looked into that particular book and seen different things. So what do I see there? I see a book that speaks from God's mind to our mind and God's heart to our heart. Whether or not you believe in God is not the issue here, that's between you and Him. Whatever your background, all I ask you is to consider the possibility that there is a God, who chooses to communicate to us through the Bible. For those of you who may view the Bible as a relic from history, with no more credibility in the real world as The Hobbit, I may be asking you to take a step in faith. But the fact remains that this is the best place to start to examine early Jewish history. Even if you consider it more fiction than fact, it is the Bible, usually in the hands of other people, that has done more to shape Jewish history than anything else. In the view of many, the explanation from the Bible is the only one that makes sense of the history of the Jewish people to the present day. Political, historical and sociological analysis gets us nowhere on this issue. Jews are an anomaly, mere fossils according to the historian, Toynbee, as mentioned earlier. Most would say that it was the Bible that got them in the mess in the first place, but what the Bible also does is offer hope that everything that has happened to them has been for a purpose and that there is a very real possibility of a happy ending. So, let's begin at the beginning … CONTENTSPreface Introduction Prologue Chapter One: The Children of Promise - From Abraham to Moses Chapter Two: The Kingdom of Priests - From Moses to Jesus Chapter Three: Galut - Exile from the land Chapter Four: "Christ killers" - The history of "Christian" anti-Semitism Chapter Five: Dhimmis - How Muslims have seen the Jews Chapter Six: The Chosen People - The rise of Christian philo-Semitism Chapter Seven: Conspirators of Zion - Scapegoats of the World Chapter Eight: The Jews - What Jews have contributed to the World Chapter Nine: Yids, Kikes and Hebes - Cultural anti-Semitism Chapter Ten: Jude! - What happened in the Holocaust and why Chapter Eleven: Natural Branches - How God sees them. A Biblical investigation. Epilogue: What to do next? Appendix A : Recommended reading Appendix B : Recommended organisations Appendix C : A Liturgy of Reconciliation COST : £7 / $US 10 / 8 Euros (+ P&P first class / airmail)
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE A unique apologetic for God without the usual cringy Christian jargon!
"I
thoroughly enjoyed it. It is well written and very readable" David Pawson,
teacher and writer "I've
been reading your book ... it is excellent - very inspired ... I am very excited
about it" Julia Fisher, broadcaster and writer "Steve
Maltz has written with a breadth of understanding that is astonishing and in a
style that is immensely readable. The book is ideal for honest seekers for truth."
Chris Hill, teacher and broadcaster "t's life as we know it
- but perhaps not as we've thought about it. Cosmic accident or intelligent
purpose? Why are we all here - and how have we survived against the odds?
Steve Maltz has a brilliant way of presenting the facts and leaving us
to argue with ourselves. Go on… paint yourself into a corner - and enjoy!"
David Andrew, editor of PT magazine > "He has a way of
drawing the reader in without them necessarily realising where he is taking
them, and then comes the knockout blow. He makes a good case using examples
such as the delicate balance of relationship between the Sun, Moon and
Earth . The book is littered with scientific facts, which will appeal
to men and you could easily give this to someone without unnerving them.
'Have a read of this and tell me what you think' would be a good line.
Not a bad evangelistic investment this" Clem Jackson, editor
of Christian Marketplace magazine> "Be prepared to have
your mind blown apart, turned upside down, scrambled and then put back
together by this challenging read. It's all about conspiracy theories,
evolution and twists of the media - ultimately, it's about proving the
theory of the world's greatest creator;God. Providing key theories and
answers, Steve does a mind-bending job ... take the challenge and scramble
your mind!" (Joy Magazine) >"I have read your
book and really enjoyed it. It was a real thought provoker and just about
right for a general readership. Having worked as a science graduate for
25 years I would have loved more - it is all intriguing." (Derek
White, Founder Christian Friends of Israel) Steve Maltz has a rare
gift of being able to communicate complex ideas in a way that leaves you
thinking that you have read the work of a genius but can still follow
his argument clearly. The Truth Is Out there is a slim volume but it is
packed with wisdom that is ideal for anyone who wants to have rational
and theologically sound answers to some of the clever contemporary questions.
This title is something of a "tardis" in that you come away thinking that
you have discovered far more than a book of this size should be able to
give. At 93 pages there is not the space to have in-depth answers, but
the reader gets a satisfying sense of being given a good overview of Biblical
responses on many of the fallible contemporary urban myths and conspiracy
legends of 21st century life. A brilliant read for an evangelist to engage
with a sceptic or to give as a gift for "food for thought" (Tim Leffler,
The GoodBookstall.org.uk) I read the book at one
sitting and my thoughts kept wandering off at the tangents Steve offered
me. Not every book I have read has done this ... Steve wants us to stop
and ponder aspects of life that we should have given much more attention
to than we actually have. He wanders through science, history, anatomy
and art to get us to look at the wonders before us and to ask the questions
that we - in our sophistication - might think are reserved for young children
... This 'light' book got me reflecting and triggered again something
of the wonder of God's creation. But I am a Christian and this book was
not written for me - it was written for the unbeliever to get him to ask
questions that he might never had asked before. But if I get awe-struck
at the God of the universe than, perhaps, the God I present will be a
God who is worthy of awe from open-mouthed unbelievers who never knew
that such a God existed! Would I be happy to give this book to an unbeliever?
Yes. Will it bring him to faith in Christ? I think not, because it is
not designed for that. We live in a society where we cannot presume that
the word "God" means the same to an unbeliever as it does to
the Christian. We have to take one step back from such a presumption and
get the unbeliever to first of all entertain the thought that there might
actually be a personal God 'out there'. This book could well do that for
some people and may the LORD be pleased to use it that way. (John
MacLaughlan, Sword Magazine - Prophecy Today)
Look at the
success of 'The Da Vinci code' in this decade, 'The Chariots of the Gods' in the
1960s, or 'The Late Great Planet Earth' in the 1970s. We love intrigues and mysteries,
especially when there is a blurring between truth and fiction. If a major event
occurs that contains just the slightest whiff of uncertainty or controversy, then
watch as the conspiracy industry buds some new shoots. Some, such as the Kennedy
assassination, 9-11 and the death of Princess Diana, have become mighty oaks.
Others, long forgotten, have just withered and died, denied the oxygen of media
attention. Conspiracies
are big news. The media industry loves them because we love them, though there's
a touch of 'the chicken or egg' here - would we be bothered to see the death of
Princess Diana as anything other than an accident statistic if it weren't for
Al Fayed's insistence of a cover up and the gallons of newsprint spilled out in
commentary and speculation? On the other hand there is something gloriously perverse
in believing negative stories of the British Royal family. It is both empowering
and intriguing and lifts us out of our mundane lives into the twilight world of
spies and assassins. Does it matter if there's every possibility that there's
not a scrap of truth in it? Why spoil a thumping good read! Some
conspiracy theories go deeper. Rather than being sparked off by a single event,
they speak of shadowy organisations that have been pulling the strings of history
from the year dot. These speculations have been with us ever since the birth of
the 'gossip column' (about 2 days after the invention of the printing press) and
have created an industry of cosmic tittle-tattle, with a legion of websites, millionaire
authors and a worldwide network feeding the hungry masses. If
there is one central theme that occurs again and again it is this, who really
controls the world? Many have been suggested as prime candidates. There are
the secret societies of the Freemasons, the Rosicruceans, the Bildebergs, the
Illuminati, the New World Order. There are the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers.
There are even the veiled lizards of David Icke, ex-BBC snooker commentator and
now full-time 'messiah'. There are the Jews and the Catholics, favourite scapegoats
for those who are neither. Welcome on board the Paranoia Express, standing room
only! Are we throwing
the baby out with the bathwater if we dismiss them all as the fruits of overactive
or disturbed minds? Can there be elements of truth in some of these theories,
with the secret being how to find the right mix? After all, there are the usual
suspects, such as the Royal Family, The Bush family and Henry Kissinger who
crop up in a number of them. Is it just a case of finding a key that fits all
of the locks? Or is there a deeper conspiracy, concerned not with the machinations
of individuals with agendas, but with unseen powers and forces lurking just out
of view. Just as the
scientists work towards finding 'The Theory of Everything' that would explain
the currently unexplainable, conspiracy theorists must surely, deep down, hanker
for the real truth at the heart of our complicated world. Is history just a random
sequence of events, or are there secret manipulations? What makes us tick? How
did the World as we see it come to be? Is it fair to expect answers, or is it
folly not to be asking the questions in the first place? In
this short book we will be delving below the surface of our existence on this
planet, glimpsing at the possibilities beyond the daily routines of just getting
on with life. Of course you may be quite happy with your lot, but there's surely
no harm having your brain cells tickled and your soul (or whatever it is that
is you) challenged. By doing so we will be discovering that perhaps there is something
going on out there, perhaps even a conspiracy of sorts. Our
conspiracy has tentacles in all spheres of human life, so where it leads we will
follow. We will be taken into areas of science, history, human behaviour, popular
culture and religion. It's a small book, so we will do little more than dip into
each, just enough to tickle the palate. If a thirst has been awakened then recommendations
are made for further reading, where you will be placed in the hands of experts,
who will take you further. Of
course, the very word conspiracy implies dastardly deeds, selfish ambitions
and world domination, so we must tread carefully. Just be true to yourself and
be prepared to evaluate not just all that you read here, but also all that you
have read before. "Truth
is more of a stranger than fiction" Mark Twain.
The press had
called it E-day. It was a unique event, not seen before in Britain for over 70
years and it was going to happen over Cornwall on August 11th 1999 at around 11am.
It was, of course, a total eclipse of the sun and I was ready for it, in the Lake
District, around 600 miles north from ground zero, but still with a reasonable
view. As it turned out, most of Cornwall was in cloud when it happened but we
had a good view on Brant Fell, just outside Bowness by Lake Windermere. Smug in
the thought that a 90% eclipse in clear sky over the Lakes was better than a 100%
eclipse lost in the Cornish clouds I stood with my family, plastic dark glasses
(courtesy of a tabloid newspaper) and pin-hole projection device made from a cereal
box at the ready. It didn't disappoint. We got our cosmic performance, oo-ed and
aah-ed for a few minutes, then followed the sated crowd back into town for lunch.
We tend to take such
things for granted, an entertainment to slot alongside the CGI-laden movies and
technical wizardry of sci-fi dramas on the TV. Yet this was no illusion brought
about by the manipulation of photons by indulged technicians, this was real life,
a mother nature production and free! Yet,
if we only realised it, a total eclipse is a totally unlikely event, not just
because it hardly happens because of the necessary celestial alignments, but because
it happens at all! Patrick Moore, that monacled eccentric (and probably the finest
amateur astronomer of modern times) calls it "unquestionably the finest display
in all Nature" but he also says that the fact that it happens at all is "pure
chance". A total
eclipse of the sun only happens because, from our perspective peering at the skies,
the sun and moon seem to be about the same size, so that when the moon passes
exactly in front of the sun, it blots it out to our eyes, the ultimate sun block!
That's what a total eclipse is, it's simple really. There's nothing magical about
that if, indeed, the sun and moon are the same size. But they are not. The sun
is around 400 times larger than the moon and the only reason they seem to be the
same size is that the sun is around 400 times further away from us. If the moon
was 5% smaller or larger or the sun was 5% smaller or larger then there could
never be a total eclipse. Or if the moon or sun were 5% nearer or further. It's
a fine balance here, a slight nudge either away would deprive us of this "finest
display in all Nature". So
what? You may ask. After all, eclipses have had a bad press in earlier days. They
have generally been seen as portents of doom. Not surprising really as you don't
expect to see a dark star-lit sky in the middle of the day time unless something
dastardly was about to happen. That was the thinking in earlier times, when the
phenomenon was seen as the sun abandoning the earth, usually as a result of being
gulped up by a dragon or demon. The ancient Chinese used to bang away on drums
to frighten away the dragon. The Incas used to fire arrows at the sky. Of course
they were successful, as the sun was rescued as the eclipse finished. They had
no reason to believe otherwise. Then
the scientists came along to sweet-talk us out of our panic and tell us that it's
not the work of angry gods or demons, but rather a trick of geometry. This inclines
us to think that maybe we are better off without such natural phenomena, but something
still nags at me. "The
finest display in all Nature" Surely
this is reason enough. Only if such things matter to you, otherwise we just shrug
our shoulders, mutter "seen that, done that" and carve a fresh notch on
our personal bedpost of life. It may not seem important to you but surely it's
worth a brief consideration. To the scientific community total eclipses have a
further importance. In fact a whole scientific discipline, star astrophysics,
was birthed in the late 19th century simply out of the data that is provided by
observing the sun's surface during a total eclipse. Also, data produced at the
1919 eclipse helped to verify Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.
So it's not just touchy feely stuff here, we're also looking at the cold world
of hard facts benefiting from this "amazing co-incidence" of factors working together
to produce this phenomenon. I've
always wanted to see the Aurora Borealis, but live too far south ever to have
seen it. Of course that's why they are called the 'Northern Lights'. Yet my brain
tells me that it's just an atmospheric effect caused by the solar wind, an accident
of optics just like the eclipse is an accident of geometry. But my heart tells
me otherwise and convinces me that there are some things in life worth experiencing
just for what they are, just as if they have been put in our world for that very
purpose. Things that draw us out of our humdrum lives and fill us with wonder.
And if such things as a total eclipse of the sun are so improbable that their
very existence hangs on a thread statistically speaking, then we should appreciate
them even more. This
book nudges us to consider such things as eclipses and the aurora borealis. To
get to the heart of what is going on in the World, we must use all of our senses.
We are not just brains on legs, there's more to us than that. Perhaps thinking
deeper about this thing called the eclipse is a good place to start …
Introduction Prologue
Chapter One: Starry,
starry night > Chapter
Two: The end is nigh Chapter
Three: Life, just as we know it Chapter
Four: It's all in the design Chapter
Five: Our darkest hour Chapter
Six: The eye of the beholder Chapter
Seven: Ghosts in the machine Chapter
Eight: David Beckham and the little green men Chapter
Nine: Unexpected impossibilities Chapter
Ten: That still, small voice And
finally …
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