The personality of Jesus Christ in the religious, historical and cultural context of Palestinian Judaism. Review of the monograph: Hengel M., Scftwimmer A. Jesus and Judaism / Translated by V. Vitkovsky. Moscow: Publisfting house BBI, 2016. 724 p

The article is a review of the monograph of German biblical scholars Martin Hengel and Anna Maria Schwemer “Jesus and Judaism” (“Jesus und des Judentum”). In this regard, special attention is paid to the description of the cultural and historical context of Palestine, where the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ took place. The chronological scope of the study covers the period from 63 BC (the conquest of Palestine by Pompey) to 70 AD (the destruction of the Jerusalem church). The book provides a general, but detailed overview of the history of the religious and cultural life of Palestine during this period. Not only political leaders are represented, but also the main religious movements (“parties”) of Judaism of that era - Pharisees, Essenes, Sadducees, Zealots, Samaritans, etc. Separately, the question of historical sources that inform about the Lord Jesus Christ is studied, and the assessment of their significance is given. Most of the monograph is devoted to the consideration of the main milestones of the Savior's earthly life through the prism of the historical and cultural context of the I century after the birth of Christ. The article notes that, despite the high scientific value of the book, not all the ideas and conclusions of the authors correspond to the Orthodox tradition.