The Book of Nestor the Priest explained

The Book of Nestor the Priest, originally titled Account of the Disputation of the Priest (Qissat Mujadalat al-Asquf Arabic: قصة مجادلة الأسقف) or its Hebrew textual avatar Sefer Nestor Ha-Komer (written c. 900 CE)^{[1] [2]} is thought to be the earliest surviving anti-Christian Jewish polemic.^{[3] [4]} The original version of the book was written in Judeo-Arabic (Arabic written in Hebrew script with religious terms in their original Hebrew.) and also a translation to Hebrew which confused an opening quote from Nestorius with the name of the author of the book, who is actually unknown.^[1] It cites extensively and critically from the New Testament and Church sources. The title komer (כומר) describes a Christian priest (in modern Hebrew the word is used both for Catholic or Orthodox priests and for Protestant ministers), rather than a kohen or Jewish priest. The text is written as the story of a Christian priest (wrongly named Nestor in the Hebrew translation) who converted to Judaism and wrote a critical account of the fundamental Christian doctrine regarding the nature of Jesus and the Trinity.^[1]

The text uses the spelling Yeshu (ישו) for Jesus.^[5]

A modern edition פולמוס נסתור הכומר The Polemic of Nestor the Priest by Daniel J. Lasker and Sarah Stroumsa was published by the Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East, 1996.

See also

• Toledot Yeshu
• Milhamoth ha-Shem of Jacob Ben Reuben 12C
• Sefer Nizzahon Yashan or Nizzahon vetus 13C
• Sefer Joseph Hamekane of R. Joseph hen R. Nathan l'official 13C (Paris MS)
• The Touchstone of Ibn Shaprut

Notes and References

1. Reeves. John C.. The Polemic of Nestor the Priest, Qiṣṣat Mujādalat al-Usquf and Sefer Nestor Ha-Komer: Introduction, Annotated Translations, and Commentaryby Daniel J. Lasker; Sarah Stroumsa. Journal of the American Oriental Society. 1999. 119. 2. 346–347. 10.2307/606138. 606138 .
2. Daniel J. Lasker, « Qissat Mujadalat al-Usquf and Nestor Ha-Komer : The Earliest Arabic and Hebrew Jewish Anti-Christian Polemics. », in Joshua Blau and Stefan C. Reif (eds.), Genizah Research After Ninety Years: The Case of Judaeo-Arabic, University of Cambridge Oriental Publications, ed. University of Cambridge Press, 1992, pp. 112-118, quoted by Theo L. Hettema (ed.), Religious Polemics in Context: Papers Presented to the Second International Conference of the Leiden Institute for the Study of Religions (Lisor) Held at Leiden, 27–28 April 2000, ed. Uitgeverij Van Gorcum, 2004, p. 546
3. Joel E. Rembaum, The Influence of "Sefer Nestor Hakomer" on Medieval Jewish Polemics, in: Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, Vol. 45, (1978)
4. Daniel J. Lasker, Jewish-Christian Polemics at the Turning Point: Jewish Evidence from the Twelfth Century, in: The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 89, No. 2 (Apr., 1996)
5. Daniel J. Lasker, Sarah Stroumsa, Nestor (proselyte.) - 1996 (138) והלא תדע כי ישו בא בגליל ובא אליו איש אחד ואמ׳ לו טבלני. אמ׳ לו ישו איני יכול לטבול אותך אלא לך לכהן והקרב קרבן ... תמיה נא לי למי היה מתפלל אם ישו אלוה? ואם תאמר שאינו אלוה כזבת בתפלתך שאתה מתפלל בכל יום האב והבן ורוח הקודש