Mantheo (an Egyptian temple scribe) was the first to attack Jews with different types of myths that he invented. Anti-Jewish writers in Alexandria Egypt seized upon the tales of the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes’ experiences in the Jerusalem Temple. The Greeks of Alexandria detested the Jews because they disagreed with the Greek’s ethics and morals based upon the Jewish religious code. As a consequence of this strife, there were many people in Alexandria who wrote and spoke out against the Jewish people. As a result, the first Jewish apologists made their appearance to refute these false claims.²

This first generation of Jewish apologists were active from the beginning of the first-century BCE through the middle of the second-century CE. The majority of these apologists were involved in countering attacks made upon the Jewish people from the pagan community.²

The two most important apologetic writings of this first generation of apologists were the “Sibylline Oracles” and “The Wisdom of Solomon.” The Sibylline Oracles contrast the ethics and righteousness of monotheism as compared to the pagan religion of the Greeks.² The Sibylline Oracles consist of 12-14 books. The oldest surviving manuscripts (books 1-5) are considered Jewish in origin (although books 1-2 seemed to have been adapted and changed by Christians). “The Wisdom of Solomon” compares the morality of the Jewish religious writings to the immorality and folly of the pagan world.² The book is addressed to the rulers of the earth and urges them to love righteousness and seek wisdom.

Philo, one of the most eminent thinkers of Judaism, was among this first generation of apologists in Alexandria. He attempted to show the pagan world the beauty of the Jewish texts. [16] He attempted to show “that the Jewish prophets and the Greek speculative thinkers strove after one and the same truth, and that, therefore, the difference between Judaism and Greek philosophy was one merely of external appearance or expression.”²

The authors of the Jewish-Hellenistic literature in Greek saw their roles as defending Judaism and its role in history. They attempted to emphasize the human characteristics of the Torah regarding converts and non-Jews. [18] They also made attempts to explain the reasoning behind some of the mitzvot. In addition, they also emphasized the difference in the loving attitude of Judaism toward strangers and children as compared to the often cruel attitude of the pagans.¹

These Jewish-Hellenistic writers interpreted Judaism allegorically declaring that Judaism contains all the best of the systems of the great Greek philosophers. They also wrote that the Jews also pioneered all the “intellectual and material basis of universal civilization.”¹ In addition to these general Jewish-Hellenistic apologetic writings, there were also specific apologetic works written by various authors.¹

One of the most well-known of these works is “Against Apion” written by Josephus. “Against Apion” is a defense of the Jews who refused to participate in the local cults of the cities and provinces where they lived. Josephus and others also attempted to emphasize the humane character of the “precepts in the Torah regarding proselytes and Gentiles to counter the widespread accusations that these injunctions demonstrate pride, contempt, and hatred of mankind.”¹

The apologetics we see in the Midrash and Talmud is mostly aimed at the Jewish Hellenizers and heretics within the Jewish world.¹

“We learned in a Mishna there (Avot 2:14): Rabbi Eliezer says: Be persistent to learn Torah, and know what to respond to the heretic [la’apikoros]. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This was taught only with regard to a gentile heretic, but not with regard to a Jewish heretic, as one should not respond to him. All the more so, if one does respond he will become more heretical. His heresy is assumed to be intentional, and any attempt to rebut it will only cause him to reinforce his position.” (Sanhedrin 38b)³

The Babylonian Talmud speaks about the Minim and the Epikoros – heretics – who attempt to use Jewish sources – especially the Tanakh – to try and prove their own beliefs. Rabbi Yohanan said that all the passages which the Minim use as grounds for their heresy have a refutation to their heresies close by in the Scripture. There are multiple examples throughout the Tanakh. Here are but two examples:

1. And God said: Let us [plural] make man in our image, after our likeness … (Genesis 1:26)

And God created [singular] man in His own image… (Genesis 1:27)

2. Come, let us [plural] go down, and there confound their language … (Genesis 11:7)

And the Eternal One came down [singular] to see the city and the tower … (Genesis 11:5)

With the rise of the Church and the spread of Christianity, Jewish apologetics were met with a new set of issues. The Jews maintained their ground in understanding the Tanakh. They insisted that there are answers to each Christian textual interpretation. Part of the Church’s attacks upon Judaism was what became known as “replacement theology.” In essence, the Church maintains that it has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. Jews have steadfastly maintained that Israel is still the chosen people of God even though they have been placed in exile. The Jews of the Medieval period claimed that there continued a sovereign Jewish state in the East and therefore Israel maintained its status as an independent people under God’s protection.¹

Replacement theology is still a dogma of many churches – especially those of the Evangelical persuasion.

David al-Mukammis was a Jewish convert to Christianity who – after returning to Judaism – wrote two tractates refuting Christianity. These tractates served as refutation sources for the Karaite scholar al-Qirqisani and the Rabbinic scholar Saadiah Gaon.

Judah HaLevi wrote an apologetics work called Sefer HaKuzari where he uses history – that of the conversion to Judaism of the king of Khazaria – to defend “the values of human faith in the revealed religion and of Jewish law above those of philosophy… At the basis of his defense of Judaism, he places the history of the Jewish nation and its election by God.”¹

During the Renaissance there arose a Karaite scholar known as Isaac ben-Abraham of Troki. He was well-known as someone who had frequent contact with various Christian scholars from whom he learned about the Christian faith. What came out of his extensive reading of the Christian scripture, Christian theological writings, and anti-Jewish literature was his famous apologetic work Chizzuk Emunah. This work became extremely popular for its powerful defense of Judaism as well as its calm and reasonable emphasis of the vulnerable points in Christian tradition and theology.⁴

Islam, as opposed to Christianity, has received very little attention in Jewish apologetics literature. Two reasons are given for this situation. First, the fact that Islam states that the Tanakh is corrupted abolishes any common ground on which the explanation of the Jewish scholars can be based. Second, Muslims did not taunt the Jews about their exile as much as the Christians did which meant there was less of a reason for writing apologetic literature directed toward Islam.¹

There were however two works of apologetics that were written specifically toward Islam. Solomon ben-Abraham Adret wrote Ma’amar al-Ishma’el which rejects a Muslim’s argument who disparaged the inclusion of the stories of Reuben, Tamar, and Judah in the Torah. This same Muslim also attacked the Jews for observing certain mitzvot which he believed merited abolition. Keshet u-Magen, written by Simeon ben-Zemah Duran discusses the attitude of the Qur’an toward Judaism. He also points out the contradictions found within the Qur’an, “its ignorance of the principles of natural science and philosophical doctrine of the soul, and complains about its obscure style.”¹

During the Enlightenment of the eighteenth-century there was a weakening of religion in the West. This meant that the Jewish apologists had to prove “that the Jews constituted an advantageous element from an economic standpoint; that any faults with adverse social consequences, such as the practice of usury, were the result of the economic position into which they had been forced by medieval laws; and that they were loyal to the countries whose national culture they wished to adopt.”¹

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Jewish apologists continued to emphasize the contributions of the Jews to civilization which meant they had to emphasize Judaism’s universal character. In addition, these apologists continued to be preoccupied with the questions of emancipation. Among these apologists was Abraham Geiger who defended Judaism is the spirit of the times and was known to make scholarly investigations of apologetics.

With the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe during the second part of the nineteenth-century there came a renewal of apologetic literature – especially in response to blood libels. Joseph Samuel Bloch was a significant contributor to the defense of Judaism. He was especially known for combating anti-Semitic accusations made by Catholic theologian August Rohling. In Eastern Europe Jewish apologetic writings were mostly restricted to the struggle for civil rights. The apologists wrote in defense against anti-Semitic attacks – most importantly speaking out against blood libels. They fought for the abolition of residential restrictions made upon Jews while also emphasizing the role of Jewish merchants in the economy.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the growth of Jewish apologetic literature has been mostly an attempt to defend the universal nature of Judaism to the non-Jewish world while also attempting to bring Jews back to Judaism.¹

Jewish apologetics is the attempt to disprove the challenges of the non-Jewish world and the heretical Jews. Jewish apologetics also attempts to bring back the lost people of the Jews.

Read and study Torah and learn that there are always answers to the challenges of the heretics and hostile non-Jews.

What to Do When Confronted by A Missionary

1. Look at the entire context of the verse in question (It is best to use a Hebrew-English Tanakh). – If the Jewish proof can be made strictly from a Christian Bible however it has more impact.
2. Check to see if the verse is mistranslated.
3. Check to see is the verse is misinterpreted.
4. Check to see if the verse can be applied to a person other than Jesus.
5. Do not quote one’s rabbi.
6. Do not quote the Talmud/Mishnah.
7. Ask for logical proofs of their beliefs if they use psychological tricks such as warning you that you will burn in hell if you do not accept Jesus.
8. When you ask a question do not allow them to simply ignore it. Make sure that they answer your question or admit that they do not have an answer.
9. Speak calmly.
10. Never be on the defensive.
11. Remember that most missionaries are sincere and should be treated in a respectful manner.

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¹American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. “Apologetics.” Jewish Virtual Library, 2020.
²Kohler, Kaufmann & Baeck, Samuel. “Apologists.” Jewish Encyclopedia, 2011.
³Sefaria. “Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin.” Koren-Steinsaltz, n.d.
⁴ben-Abraham, Isaac. “Chizzuk Emunah.” Jews for Judaism, n.d.