Posted on 04/03/2010 11:08:19 PM PDT by nickcarraway
THROUGH a locked door in the coal-darkened boiler room of No. 1 Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Kaifeng, there’s a well lined with Ming Dynasty bricks. It’s just a few yards deep and still holds water. Guo Yan, 29, an eager, bespectacled native of this Chinese city on the flood plains of the Yellow River about 600 miles south of Beijing, led me to it one recent Friday afternoon, past the doormen accustomed to her visits.
The well is all that’s left of the Temple of Purity and Truth, a synagogue that once stood on the site. The heritage it represents brings a trickle of travelers to see one of the more unusual aspects of this country: China, too, had its Jews.
Ms. Guo, who identifies herself as a Jew, says she hears it from scholars, visitors and Chinese people alike: “ ‘You Chinese Jews are very famous,’ they say. ‘But you are only in the history books.’ “
That seemed a good enough reason to come looking, and I quickly found that I was hardly alone. Ms. Guo and I were soon joined by a 36-year-old French traveler, Guillaume Audan, who called himself a “nonpracticing Jew” on a six-month world tour of “things not specifically Jewish.” Like me, he’d found Ms. Guo by recommendation, and made the detour to see what the rumored Kaifeng Jews were all about.
Earlier, Ms. Guo had brought us into a narrow courtyard at 21 Teaching Torah Lane — an alley once central to the city’s Jewish community, and still home to her 85-year-old grandmother, ZhaoCui, widow of a descendant of Chinese Jews. Her one-room house has been turned into a sort of dusty display case, with Mrs. Zhao as centerpiece.
“Here are the Kaifeng Jews,”Ms.Guo said, a little defiantly. “We are they.”
(Excerpt) Read more at travel.nytimes.com ...
The truth is that Paul was indeed a mass murderer. Not only was he a mass murderer, but he requested the job and carried it out with great relish.
Furthermore, Paul never met Jesus nor heard Him speak.
Is it possible that you do not know the story of the beloved Steven?
Is it possible that you do not know that Paul opposed the teachings of Jesus many times over and sought to divide between his own followers and followers of Jesus who were Hebrews?
"And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to them that are under the Law, as under the Law, that I might win them that are under the Law" (1 Cor. 9:20). Note that Paul himself is not really under the Law; he only pretends to be when the occasion calls for it.
Sounds downright muslim to me. Do you know about the muslim practice of taqiyya?
In Matthew 5 the following warning is attributed to Jesus–against those who teach that the Law will pass before the kingdom arrives:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the Law… For truly I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, not the smallest letter or stroke will pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great…" (Mt. 5:17–19)
In comparison to the above passage let’s now note what Paul stated on the same issue:
"Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified…" (Rom. 3:20)
And also, regarding circumcision:
"For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace." (Gal. 5:3–4)
This was a direct hit against the Hebrew followers of Jesus who by Law, were circumcised.
And again, regarding the Sabbath:
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” (Rom. 14:5)
Yet Jesus said regarding the day of destruction in Jerusalem to pray that it did NOT fall in winter or on the Sabbath day, for no man could run.
Indeed this concept of liberation from the Law is alluded to both in Paul’s letters and in Matthew. Most interesting however is that Paul and Matthew actually oppose each other on the issue. The Jesus of Matthew commands his followers to observe all of the law, not withstanding the smallest letter or stroke; whereas Paul teaches the opposite.
In Matthew 19:16–17 Jesus tells the young aristocrat that in order to have eternal life that he must keep the commandments. But again Paul taught the opposite, as documented above; and in 2 Corinthians 3:6–7 Paul refers to the Law of Moses as the “ministry of death.” In these conflicting passages we can see that the earliest Christians were deeply divided, and that the Jesus of Paul and the Jesus of Matthew are irreconcilable in terms of the concept of redemption. Thus in Paul’s letters, Jesus saves man from the Law; whereas in Matthew, Jesus saves man through the Law. These two concepts of redemption are irreconcilable–and represent the teachings of two opposing Christian factions.
The point is that Paul is not referring to some abstract or mystical concept of unity and equality in Galatians 3:28. Paul refers to a new social order, and a new ethic, among Christians, which would soon overtake the world in the coming Messianic age. This is why Paul argues against the practice of circumcision (Gal. 5:4), and is not concerned with prohibitions against eating meat sacrificed to idols (1 Cor. 8:9–11), and is not concerned about which day Christians should rest, or even if they bother to observe any Sabbath at all (Rom. 14:5). In other parts of the New Testament, Jesus censures those who cease from observing the law before the end of the age is fulfilled (Mt. 5:17–19).
Seems to me Paul was the first preacher of liberation theology and would feel a lot more at home in Jeremiah Wright's church than I would any day of the week.
That is absolutely UNTRUE. Look up Noahide. ANYONE who follows the Laws are G-d's "people." Hebrews have an extra burden.
While Jews are commanded to observe hundreds of laws, non-Jews are expected to follow seven that are presumed to date from the time of Noah. Judaism regards any non-Jew who keeps these laws as a righteous person who is guaranteed a place in the world to come.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Not to deny God.
2. Not to blaspheme God.
3. Not to murder.
4. Not to engage in incestuous, adulterous, bestial or homosexual relationships.
5. Not to steal.
6. Not to eat a limb torn from a living animal.
7. To set up courts to ensure obedience to the other six laws.
Peter, not the Rock, Jesus Christ is. Look up petra vs. petros
in the Greek.
Paul was guilty of persecuting the early church-even unto death,
which after getting saved, he regrets, gets forgiveness, and
moves on, receiving the majority of the inspired Word of God
for his age, which you seem not to like nor understand.
Peter to the Jews, Paul to Gentiles, both converted the
unbelievers to Christians. Your understanding of the
Scriptures is quite twisted. You don’t seem to know
anything about dispensations in the Bible. Without dispensations the Scriptures seem to disagree or conflict. Without knowing about the sacred secret it can be confusing, especially to a secular Jew. You can begin
at truthortradition.com . But you may be looking for
answers or you may just enjoy the banter, whatever,
most importantly Jesus Christ was raised from the dead,
sat down on the right hand of God, and will return
for his people some day. Will you be included?
I hope so. Bless you. Lenny
Gotta be the Jews’ fault. /sarc
Wow! I actually don’t think you have the first clue about that which you are speaking. That you would even go so far as to call me a “secular” Jew shows that you have less knowledge than what I even originally gave you credit for.
If you don’t know the Old Testament, the New Testament is worthless to you...which is what Jesus preached and Paul preached against. Why is that so hard for you to understand?
You are allowing someone else to do your thinking for you. That is NOT a good thing.
Wow! I don’t have a clue in what you think you are.
You are clueless if you don’t believe that the
Church Epistles are the inspired Word of God, just
as much as Genesis or Malachi. Please keep that preverted
Paul slamming made-up crap to yourself. You will be
held resposible for that which you say against one
of Jesus Christ’s greatest apostles, evangelists, and
and writers. God speed - you’re gon’a need it.
Whoa,you are way off.We Jews do not believe that non-Jews aren’t G-d’s people.When we say we are G-d’s chosen we mean that G-d chose us to be a light among the nations,to spread peace amongst one another.We chose to adhere to the Torah,even though it is a very difficult undertaking.To say that we believe that non-Jews are not G-d’s people is incredibly ignorant.Also,one can convert to Judaism.I did.Converts are considered to be legitimate.The Torah states that we are as Jewish as anyone who is born Jewish.I don’t know where you are getting such ignorant info.
We Jews are “stiff-necked” because we don’t accept Jesus? Wow.More ignorance.I used to be a Christian but I do not see the truth in it.If this means I’m “stiff-necked” than so be it.We believe in the Torah.Nothing else.
Fine.
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