The Messianic Jewish movement includes a broad spectrum of claims regarding authentic Jewish life and expression of faith in Jesus as Messiah. Mark Kinzer represents one band of thought within that spectrum and is recognized for his scholarly work in Jewish-Christian relations, particularly his advocacy for inclusion of the Catholic Church in Jewish-Christian dialogue. Although never officially joining Roman Catholicism, his extensive familiarity with and knowledge of Catholic tradition was gained during many years of work within a Catholic Charismatic community. Coupled with his ethnic Jewish family background, Kinzer now focuses on the 1965 Roman Catholic declaration Nostra Aetate as the backdrop for furthering his efforts to develop the identity of the Church in linkage with the Jewish people.

Messianic Jewish Theologian, Rabbi Mark S. Kinzer

Nostra Aetate (NA) promotes the reversal of centuries-long antagonism toward those of other non-Christian religions; most significantly, §4 specifically addresses the Jewish people and Judaism. Searching Her Own Mystery (SHOM) is Kinzer’s attempt to evaluate NA-4 for the contribution it may have had in overturning Christian antagonism towards the Jewish people; he also seeks to bring Jewish identity to the foreground of the Church’s purview. Ultimately, SHOM’s nine chapters and four appendices comprise Kinzer’s next step in positing the need for a Bilateral Ecclesiology (xiii). Introduced in his earlier 2005 work, Post-Missionary Messianic Judaism (PMMJ), Bilateral Ecclesiology idealizes the Church comprised of Jews and non-Jews, yet retaining ethnic distinctiveness within two parallel but separate ecclesiological communities.

The biblical judges are well known for their less than exemplary behavior. In the past, these judges have been appreciated largely as examples of how a charismatic leader should NOT behave. In spite of the judges’ questionable morals, the writer of the book of Hebrews commends four of them (Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson) for their faith. This paper evaluates these judges in light of their characterizations in the book of Hebrews and in the book of Judges and suggests that our struggle with the judges parallels the contemporary integrity crisis in Christian leadership.

Introduction

‘Time would fail me’, declares the writer of Hebrews, ‘to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight’ (Heb. 11.32-34; NRSV).¹ With these words the judges of the Old Testament are forever enshrined as heroes of the faith, and consequently they have served as examples to Christian believers from the First Century until now. Careful readers of the book of Judges, however, might suggest a few changes to Hebrews 11, so that the text would read: ‘Time would fail me to tell of the judges, … who through unbelief tested God, committed murders, pursued pleasure, enabled idolatry, and turned Israel into a land of anarchy’.

As these hypothetical changes to Hebrews show, we are faced with paradoxical depictions of the judges; for although the book of Hebrews applauds the faith of the judges, the book of Judges records the obvious flaws and failings of those same judges.² Both Jephthah and Samson are particularly unfit for the designation ‘heroes’, given their apparently immoral character. Jephthah is an outlaw who makes a rash vow that results in the sacrifice of his daughter, and Samson is a divinely chosen nazirite who breaks his sacred vows, marries a forbidden foreigner, sleeps with a prostitute, and loses his God given power while asleep on the lap of Delilah.

Did Jephthah really kill his daughter?
The debate over this question has persisted at least since the 18th Century.
This image comes from the Maciejowski Bible (France, c. 1250), via Wikimedia Commons.

In my monograph on the book of Judges, I point out that the human characters of Judges have received the primary attention of biblical scholars while the character of Yahweh has not been sufficiently treated. I argue that considerable theological insight can be mined from Judges by paying attention to the previously unappreciated speeches of God in the book.⁸ It remains to be seen, however, if anything good can be salvaged when it comes to the actions and attitudes of the judges themselves. Biblical scholarship has doubted that the lives of Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson can offer any positive theological models for righteousness, holiness, or faithful leadership. Recent interpreters, however, have constructed a theological view of the book of Judges that promises hope for redeeming the judges from the hands of their judges.⁹

In this paper, I will examine the place of the judges within the argument of the book of Hebrews, and I will evaluate the judges as they are characterized in the narrative of Judges. I will attempt to discover the ways in which the judges may serve as positive figures, and I will suggest connections between the biblical portrait of the judges and our own integrity crisis in contemporary Christian leadership.