The Nazarene

work by Asch

Also known as: “Der man fun Netseres”

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

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"The Nazarene" is a controversial novel by Sholem Asch, written in his later period. Asch aimed to bridge Judaism and Christianity by emphasizing their historical and theological connections. The novel reconstructs the life of Jesus, presenting him as an expression of essential Judaism. This work, along with others like "The Apostle" and "Mary," sought to portray Christianity as fundamentally a Jewish phenomenon. However, these themes led some Jewish readers to criticize Asch, viewing him as an apostate. The term "Nazarene" itself, in the New Testament, refers to Jesus and later his followers, and can also denote a Jewish sect of "observants".1234

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Sholem Asch
…Der man fun Netseres (1943; The Nazarene), a reconstruction of Christ’s life as expressive of essential Judaism; The Apostle (1943), a study of St. Paul; Mary (1949), the mother of Jesus seen as the Jewish “handmaid of the Lord”; and The Prophet (1955), on the Second (Deutero-) Isaiah, whose message…
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…Der man fun Netseres (1943; The Nazarene), a reconstruction of Christ’s life as expressive of essential Judaism; The Apostle (1943), a study of St. Paul; Mary (1949), the mother of Jesus seen as the Jewish “handmaid of the Lord”; and The Prophet (1955), on the Second (Deutero-) Isaiah, whose message…
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