Shalom Paul,

Quote:

In recent years, the Jewish press has devoted an increasing number of articles to the attempts and problems in the relationship between Jews and Christians. Speaking as a former Baptist preacher, I can attest that the primary cause of the problems is endemic Christian ignorance of the extent, influence and effect of Roman Hellenism on their authentic roots. While the assertion of a 1^st-century Ribi being the Mashiakh is within the realm of the understandable to Jews, the Hellenism inherent in Christianity – with its Hellenist man-g*o*d demonizing Jews to save gentiles – intractably conflicts with the basic core of Judaism taught by the 1^st-century Ribi: Torah.

I’m an Orthodox Jew instead of a Baptist preacher today because I realized that this not only conflicts irrefutably with the Torah that Ribi Y^әhoshua taught, it is self-contradictory! You can follow Ribi Y^әhoshua if you will do so as he taught: in harmony with keeping Torah. It is post-135 C.E. Hellenist Romans who perverted his teachings into anti-Torah – misojudaic – Christianity. Follow Ribi Y^әhoshua, instead of the post-135 C.E. Roman Hellenists, and you can develop a shared foundation upon which to build a solid and enduring relationship with the Jewish community.

Jewish-Christian Relations are typically undermined by a misnomer – “Jewish-Chistianity” – which precludes meaningful discussion, hobbling the best and most well-intentioned attempts to improve relations between Christians and Jews.

While Jews can, and frequently do, practice religions ranging from Hinduism to Buddhism to Christianity, often injecting their own “Jewish” symbols and terminology, Judaic trappings don’t transform any of these religions into Judaism. Such syncretism is unique to Hellenism and its offspring, Christianity. The only claim that Jewish-Christianity could make with integrity would be historical. However, the notion that “Jewish-Christianity” is a form of Judaism depends upon well-documented post-135 C.E. distortions of history (see The Conflict of the Church and the Synagogue).

Attempts to promote relations between Jews and Christians that impose this misnomer ensure that subsequent discussion must bog down in the same intractable conflicts that have hobbled such attempts for millennia. Nearly 2,000 years of totally consistent failure should have taught that progress can be made only after some basic assumptions have been reevaluated, harmonizing opening positions with a deeper understanding of documented history. Jews and Christians who both understand the history documented by Parkes are far more likely to share solid historical footing on which to build a relationship. This historical shared footing is the basis of all teachings by every 1^st-century P^әrushim Ribis: Torah. On Torah as the foundation, Jews and Christians can build an enduring relationship. Failing to develop this solid historical foundation that Jews and Christians can share inexorably leads back to today’s intractably contradictory starting positions.

“Jewish Christianity” is invariably presented as portrayed in the NT, which even Christian historians and scholars acknowledge was extensively redacted by post-135 C.E. gentile Roman – Hellenist – Christians, who were antithetical to the 1^stcentury Jews who followed Ribi Y^әhoshua. Corroborating The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (“Text, NT,” 2^nd edition; Abingdon, 1962) and Qumran scroll 4Q MMT (Elisha Qimron, Discoveries in the Judean Desert, Oxford), Parkes indisputably documents that the NT reflects exclusively the post-4^th-century Hellenist Roman Christianity that was, and is, intractably antithetical to the original, 1^st-century, N^әtzarim Jews. The earliest extant Church historian, Eusebius (260-340 C.E.), documented that the N^әtzarim never accepted the NT, approving only their own Hebrew (not Greek) Matityahu (EH, III, xxvii, 2-6).

While even gentiles should be aware of this history, it is even more true for Jews, who have had the opportunity to recognize and reject paganism and avoid mixing the unholy with the holy.

The key position to foster relations between Jews and Christians is the leader of those who follow the authentic 1^st-century Judaic teachings of Ribi Y^әhoshua as the Mashiakh in the Israeli Orthodox Jewish community. This is the position founded by the brother of Ribi Y^әhoshua, the first Paqid of the N^әtzarim: PaqidYa·aqov ha-Tzadiq Ben-David. Today’s Paqid 16 is a former Baptist preacher who is recognized by Orthodox rabbis as an Orthodox Jew in good standing: Paqid Yirm^әyahu, ha-Tzadiq Ben-David

Learn more at www.netzarim.co.il

I read what you write on your profile. Indeed the Messiah wasn’t divine. This is what is found in the Hebrew Bible –which Christians call the “OT”. Did you know that the Messiah was prophesied to keep and teach Torah. You will find this if you study Yeshayahu – Isaiah – 9:6 according to the Hebrew numbering in Hebrew. The word mishpat is used, and if you study the Hebrew Bible, you will see that it is connected to Torah-observance. I.e. the Messiah would teach his followers to not eat pig, to not eat shellfish, to celebrate the Shabbat and the Jewish khagim; and many more directives.
What the Hebrew text reads according to etymology differs heavily in many passages compared to Christian ‘translations’. What are your comments about what I wrote in this post??

Learn more in this post about Rabbi Yeshua and who he was: Link
I hope that you found this comment helpful! Have a great day! Shalom! /Anders

Hebrew roots and the Nazarenes

Parts of the following article are based on a quote – with some changes by me – from the book Who are the Netzarim [‘Nazarenes’] [1]:

Jesus, say the Christians, replaced “law” (Torâh – books of Moses) with ‘grace,’ displaced the OT with the Christian NT, displaced “natural Jews” with Christian “spiritual Jews” as the chosen people. Is that Displacement (or replacement) Theology? Christians claim to have displaced “natural Israel” with the “true spiritual Israel.” These Church claims logically claimed that “Jews of the flesh” had been invalidated and rejected by ‘God.

Is the Christian claim true or not?

The Creator conditioned His promises of punishment upon His Omniscient certainty of Israel’s teshuvâh – return to Torah-observance - and resulting forgiveness (see Devarim – ‘Deuteronomy’ –4.25-31 and Yekhëzqeil – ‘Ezekiel’ - 16.59-63). According to these verses, the Creator wouldn’t displace the People of Israel.

What about the New Covenant?

Yirm^eyâhu – ‘Jeremiah –  31.30-32 reads: “ ’Behold, days are coming,’ declares ha-Sheim [the Creator], ‘when I will inscribe with Beit-Israel and Beit-Yehudah a ברית חדשה (B’rit Khadâshâh – New covenant).’ ”

This covenant would be with Israel. Israel as it is defined in the Bible. It doesn’t say it would be a Covenant with people not including in Am Israel – People of Israel.

If you want to know what is required – for a person who believes that Rabbi Yeshua from Nazareth was the Messiah – to become part of Israel, I recommend you to study this link: Follow Yeshua and Torah? Course for non-Jews who wants to follow Yeshua

The Jews were officially made enemies of the Christian  and the Church. Earliest church historians described the Torâh-observant and halakhic Netzarim – Nazarenes - Jews as belonging to “the wicked demon” (Sâtân).

I will quote the late Scholar James Parkes. He was a Christian, but it didn’t affect his research about this:

“By the second century [i.e., 100 C.E.] the controversy over the Law had ceased to play the role which it had played at the earlier period. The Church had become predominantly Gentile in membership and almost exclusively so in leadership. Justin refers pityingly to some few [non-Jew geirim- Torah-observant proselytes] who, from weakness, still observed the [Torâh], and as a magnanimous concession on his part admitted that they might be saved (Justin, in “Trypho,” xlvii; cited by Parkes), but he adds [demonstrating the already-evident separation and enmity between the Nazarenes and the Christian Church] that other Christians would not venture to have any intercourse whatever with such persons. – The mechanism (cf. geirim and Y^erei-ha-Sheim) arranged in Ma’avâr and the concessions made by [Shimon "Keiphâ" Bar-Yonâh] and [Paul [2] ], had absolutely no further validity, and the actions of the [Sh^elikhim of the Nazarenes], approved in the 1^st century, would, as Jerome and Augustine later agree, have been the rankest heresy once the Church was properly established. The field of controversy has shifted from the [Torâh] to the promises, in other words, to the whole question of the fulfillment of all prophecy in the person of Christ.”

“We may at first wonder why the attempt to prove the reality of the Divinity of Christ made it necessary to falsify the whole of Jewish history, as the Gentile Church undoubtedly did, but if we study their approach to the problem we see that they were led on inescapably by the method of their own argumentation from the first legitimate assumption to the last and most extravagant fabrications” (Parkes, pp. 96-97).

“… The [Christian] Fathers insisted on [' ] relation to Jewish prophecy and the divine history of His [sic] people. But … they were compelled to interpret the whole of the Jewish scriptures in such a way as to support their own view [3].”

I also recommend you to study this article on my other blog: Yeshua or Jesus? Virgin birth? Man-god? Trinity?

There are plenty information that is needed to be learned and I hope that you will continue to study!

If you are interested in following Rabbi Yeshua and want to become one of his Netzarim – Nazarenes-followers you will have to study this article and apply that which you learn: Follow Yeshua and Torah? Course for non-Jews who wants to follow Yeshua

Notes

1. Quote: Who are the Netzarim?
2. Learn more about the differences between the Nazarenes and Paul in this link: Link
3. Tana”kh Perverted to the ‘Old’ Testament.

“This action apparently attracted the comment even of certain pagans. Cf. Eusebius, Prep. Evan., I, ii-v; Patrologia Graeca-Latina, XXI, p. 28ff.”

Hebraic roots??

Many Christians claim that there are Hebraic roots in the religion of Christianity. Is this correct? I will here quote an illuminating quote about

[Click on the words below if there is any word that you don’t understand.]

“And he shall make words לְצַד (l^ә-tzad; [as though] beside) the Most High…” I.e., the beast would allege that his own words issued from his place “beside the Most High.” “And the holy ones of the Most High יְבַלֵּא (y^әvalei; he shall exhaust—from בָּלָה); and he shall suppose to change זִמְנִים וְדָת; and they shall be given into his hand for a season and seasons and half a season” (see The 1993 Covenant).

The “Times of the Gentiles” (cf. The 1993 Covenant) began in this time window defined by the destruction of Y^әru•shâ•lay′ im – Jerusalem – and the בְּלָא- exhaustion - of the N^әtzâr•im′ in 135 C.E.

The conclusion of this window, marked by the re-emergence of Israel as a nation, the recovery of Y^әru•shâ•lay′ im and the re-emergence of the Netzarim′ , permits the calculation of the 3½ units used by Dânieil′ . This equals 1948 (or 1967 or 1985, depending on one’s interpretation) minus 135 (C.E.), yielding a difference of 1813, 1832, or 1850 years, respectively.

Dividing each of these by 3½ produces 518, 523, or 529 years, each, respectively, equalling 1 “Dâ•ni•eil′ ‘s year.”

From this, one can easily calculate Dâ•ni•eil′ months, weeks, and days. Plugging these values back into the prophecies of Dâ•ni•eil′ yields interesting results.

A person adding to or subtracting from Torah is a false prophet by the criteria of D^әvâr•im′ - ‘Deuteronomy’ - 13:1-6. Many of the persons whom can’t even read Hebrew much less follow the Aramic of Dâ•ni•eil′ , point to Dâ•ni•eil′ 2:34-35 & 44. However, Dâ•ni•eil′ 7.25 is far more illuminating—”and think to change זִמְנִים וְדָת.””

Dâ•ni•eil′ encoded, and so it was fulfilled, that this period would be closed by 1993 (cf. The 1993 Covenant for a discussion of the N^әviy•im′ – prophets - concerning our times,” [Quote]

So does Christianity have Hebraic roots?

Hebraic roots are defined in the Torah – books of Moses. Torah require non-selectively Torah-observant.

What does Tana’’ch and Torah teach about the Mashiach – Messiah?

Prophecies about Ribi [title] Yeshua ha-Mashiach?

Here is one of the prophecies in the Tana’’ch about the Mashiach: “In those days and at that season I will implant a Tzëmakh of tzedâqâh for Dâwid, and he shall make mishpâtand tzedâqâh in hâ-Âretz” (Yirm^eyâhu[”Jeremiah”] 33.15).

The Mashiach – the Messiah – will make mishpat [note 1].

What must Ribi Yehoshua [Aramaic Yeshua] have taught about ‘salvation’ if he was the Mashiach?

Yeshayâhu [’Isaiah’] 1.17-18: ‘Wash up, clear yourself.… Learn [what is] good, seekmishpât.… Prithee come, let us reprove,’ says HaSheim, ‘If your kheit are like scarlet they shall be whitened like snow.’”

As stipulated in Devarim ["Deuteronomy"] 6:4-9,11:13-21 one is required to keep all of the directives of Torâh′ to one’s utmost—viz., “with all one’s heart, psyche and might [lit. "very"]“—”for the purpose of extending your days and the days of your children… like the days of the heavens above the earth” (i.e., eternal life). According to the Tan’’kh -Yekhezeqeil ["Ezekiel"] chapter 18 et.al –  the Creator confer His atonement in His loving kindness to those turning away from their Torah-transgressions and (re)turning to non-selectively Torah-observance including mishpat.

Clearly, seeking mishpat is required in order to be forgiven by the Creator according to the above verses

According to the above and many more verses of the Tana”ch, the Creator does not confer His atonement to persons whom wilfully reject any directive of the Torah, e.g. a person who eats pork or shellfish.

It is possible to be forgiven by the Creator in His loving kindness when one does his/her utmost to live as the Creator desires as stipulated in His Torah! This is great news!! Observing the Will of the Creator, including a relationship with Him, is immensely meaningful; and I highly recommend it!

Now I recommend you to study the below article [note 1] about what the Torah teaches about mishpat.

Based on this article it is very easy to make a conclusion on whether Christianity has Hebraic roots or not.

After this I recommend you to read the article ‘Follow Yeshua – our course for non-Jews whom want to follow Yeshua.’

Thanks for reading!
Shalom!

Notes:

1.Definition of mishpat: http://followyeshua.com/2011/01/06/yeshua-oral-torah-and-kosher/