DID JESUS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS? A Guide for Christians to Jewish Holidays Christie L. Jenkins and Alice Hugh Brown PDF, $29.95 192 pages, 8½" × 11" ISBN 0-89390-713-8 View Excerpt Quantity: (see download instructions below)

This E-book is designed to help Christians understand their heritage as derived from the Jewish tradition and to see how some of the Christian observances have been adapted from the Jewish ones. Each chapter contains a background section, a section that connects it to Christian holidays, and a story page for young children. The session plans are divided into four age groups: primary, intermediate, youth, and adult with discussion questions and activities designed for each age group. Each chapter includes suggestions on how to observe this holiday within the parish or as a family. Each chapter concludes with a brief prayer service and includes photocopiable activity pages. The appendix contains a calendar for the Jewish liturgical year. The book will not only lead to greater understanding of the Jewish tradition, but will encourage the participants' understanding of meaning within their own Christian tradition as well as engage them in actions which will lead to a deeper and more meaningful practice of their own faith.

Reviews

"In the introduction to their book, Jenkins and Brown state 'This is quite simply, a book for Christians about Jewish holidays/festivals and observances.' Quite frankly this resource serves as an excellent vehicle to further interfaith understanding and the common heritage shared by Jews and Christians. Through stories, activities, liturgies and background material the reader is personally invited to engage in developmentally appropriate experiences designed to inform and inspire students of the Jewish influences on the Christian faith. Due to the creativity of its authors this book may be used as a reference or a text." -Brother Ralph Darmento, F.S.C., Deputy Superintendent of Schools, Archdiocesse of Newark, Newark, New Jersey

"Christie Jenkins and Alice Hugh Brown offer a fascinating resource for Christian churches, inviting church communities to engage in traditional Jewish rituals to discover some of the Jewish influences on early Christianity, and to celebrate God's creation. In a practical and lively book, they offer stories, activities, and creative resources for all ages." -Mary Elizabeth Moore, Professor of Religion and Education, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

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Once the e-book file is saved on your hard drive, you can open it as follows: From My Computer, or Windows Explorer, or My Documents, browse to the folder and double-click on the file named DJCC.pdf. This action should launch Adobe Reader. You will see the title of the book, and you will be able to navigate the entire book. Note that bookmarks have been added to the file to make it easier for you to jump to what you want to use. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, it can be downloaded free of charge from www.adobe.com.

About the Authors

Christie L. Jenkins earned her doctorate in microbiology from the University of California at Davis and did postdoctoral research at UC Davis and UC Riverside. She has taught at the undergraduate level and has published in a variety of scientific journals. She also studied at the Claremont School of Theology in CA. Dr. Jenkins has written for Celebrating the Lectionary, and has had articles in Church Worship, Church Educator, and Liturgy. She has authored two previous books: Loving Our Neighbor the Earth: Creation Spirituality Activities for 9-11 Year-Olds and Your Will Be Done on Earth: Eco-Spirituality Activities for 12-15 Year-Olds. She resides in Northridge, CA.

Alice Hugh Brown earned a Masters in Christian Education at Princeton Theological Seminary. She has taught as a catechist for many years and served as Associate Director of Adult and Adolescent Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Newark. She has written articles for The Catechist and Modern Liturgy. Brown has been a member of local, county, and New Jersey State human relations councils striving to secure fairness for all people. She and her husband, Percy, reside in East Brunswick, NJ.

Click on the link to see the Introduction, and how to use this book: Open Excerpt, including the Table of Contents