01.00.6. Preface

Preface For twenty-two years the writer has been Field Secretary of the Department of Jewish Evangelization of the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, during which time he has travelled over virtually all of America, most of Europe, Palestine and other parts of the world, and has been associated with many of the outstanding Jewish and Gentile Christian leaders. By word of mouth and through the printed page the author has sought to bring a better understanding, a more generous appreciation on the part of the Christian of the mighty contribution of the Jew to the culture, ethics and, most of all, the religion of the world; and, on the other hand, to remind the Jew of his debt to Christianity for its help in spreading the teachings of his forefathers. There has never been a time when such an attitude is more needed than today. Both Christians and Jews are facing cataclysmal changes which are bound to affect their thinking, even their living, for many years to come.

These pages are not intended to be a scholarly contribution to the literature already existing on the subject but are written from the standpoint of the average man. The author claims no brilliant originality; his fountains of information come from many sources. He has read widely on this subject.

Space prohibits the mention of all literary documents perused. However, he wishes to make specific mention of Dr. Cecil Roth’s The Jewish Contribution to Civilization, from which he has quoted several times. Anyone wishing to make a deeper study of the subject will do well to secure a copy of his book.

If the reader will receive any information and inspiration from the following pages, the author will feel amply rewarded for his efforts.

Jacob Gartenhaus