Dialogue between Christianity and Judaism is as old as its youngest interlocutor. But moderns find themselves in the shadow of the Holocaust, where the urgency of respect and a ‘coming-to-terms’ with identity are all monitored by the frailty of past efforts or by the sincerity of disagreements. In academe, there has been a growing effort to incorporate the two religions in cross-sectional courses, and the issue of oral tradition has encouraged Christian engagement with ancient Jewish sources. Yet such efforts are often internally motivated. Christians study Judaica to understand Christianity, and Jews Christianity to educate themselves in order to respond to the growing knowledge of their religion by Christians. Missing in modern attempts at dialogue, or suggestions to the same, are definable parameters: what is their common ground and what do Christians and Jews have to discuss?

A short answer has often been proposed: the Hebrew scriptures/Old Testament. But that is a solution less productive than it might seem. How do two religions relate in one text when they approach it with such different assumptions, the Jews their Talmud and the Christians their Testament? The answer is, with difficulty. Yet the desire for genuine dialogue persists. Here enters the real strength of Chilton's and Neusner's effort. They, in the course of the book, outline some parameters wherein Christian and Jewish scholars may find meaningful dialogue. They have outlined these parameters in broad terms, ‘Creation’, ‘Nature of Man’, ‘Sin and Atonement’. Anyone of these might contain a full study. The key strength of the book is its focus on ‘theology’. By engaging one another theologically, which they define as thinking ‘philosophically about the revealed truth that a religion puts forth’ (p. 15), the authors penetrate the shell of practice and give us a paradigm for further dialogue.

The shortcomings of the book are of the microscopic variety. Christians reading Chilton's assessment may find it assumptive in places. In his treatment of sin and atonement, he regards Hebrews as ‘the classical teaching of sin and atonement in Christianity’ (p. 203). One might find this statement abrupt, particularly considering the synoptic positioning of Christ within the context of ritual purity and forgiveness of sins (cf. Matt 9). Chilton does engage with the synoptic accounts in this section (see p. 216), but the treatment is not sustained. Considering the aim of the book is an engagement of the two religions, a text that positions them together might feature more prominently. As to Neusner, care should be taken to mention that there is not one Jewish theology which he does not do. There is, as Emil Fackenheim has put it, ‘no such thing as a Jewish “orthodoxy”’, and Neusner's treatment often gets caught up in rather sweeping statements.

These objections notwithstanding, the book will certainly stand as a useful tool in the efforts towards dialogue. The authors are clear and engaging, as well as immensely informed of their particular perspectives. The book is accessible and should be encouraged as a study guide to those interested in Jewish–Christian dialogue.