The Messiah Confrontation: Why Israel Knohl Says the Pharisees Wouldn’t Have Executed Yeshua

In this video, I review Professor Israel Knohl’s groundbreaking book The Messiah Confrontation, a work I first discovered through the excellent Kedem YouTube channel. Knohl argues that Yeshua’s execution was not the result of Pharisaic hostility—since the Pharisees, the ancestors of Rabbinic Judaism, would not have condemned Him—but rather the outcome of a trial dominated by Sadducees, a sect that no longer exists. Knohl laments that centuries of Christian–Jewish tension have been fueled by blaming “the Jews,” even though the group responsible disappeared long ago.

From a Christian perspective, I highlight an important point: if Yeshua is the Messiah, then His innocent death was necessary to fulfill prophecy. Without His death and resurrection, there is no Messiah and nothing for the crowds in Acts 2 to repent of. Antisemitism, which long predates Yeshua’s crucifixion, stems from ancient hatred of the children of Abraham—not from the gospel story itself.

Knohl devotes most of the book to tracing the development of messianic expectation in the Tanakh, the Qumran texts, and first century Judaism. He explains why many Jews expected a warrior king who would overthrow Rome, and why Yeshua’s message challenged those assumptions. While I disagree with Knohl’s rejection of Yeshua as the Messiah, his scholarship is honest, rigorous, and fair toward both Jewish and Christian traditions.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves deep, academic study of Scripture and the history of God’s people. Knohl’s treatment of messianic divinity alone is worth the read. My one critique is that he does not address Daniel 9, where the Messiah is linked to the destruction of Judea—something Yeshua explicitly referenced when He foretold the fall of the Temple.

If you enjoy serious biblical scholarship, this book is a treasure. I’ve also linked Knohl’s interview on the Kedem channel so you can explore his ideas firsthand. Shalom, and may YHVH bless you and keep you in the Name of Yeshua.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipr7qJZZLx8

https://www.youtube.com/@KEDEMChannel

https://firstcenturychristianity.net/