Rabbinic Judaism has no clear anti-Christian polemic, but it could not develop in ignorance of the growing strength of Christianity, which claimed to be the true religion of Israel because it was empowered by God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. Hence I have no doubt that the dearth of messianology in the Mishnah should be seen also in the context of the struggle for survival of rabbinic Judaism alongside of, and sometimes against, a messianic movement heavily indebted to Judaism, called Christianity. Professor