To be sure,only those Jews who accepted Baptism in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit could be counted as "trinitarian." I think I have already said that only Christians could search the Scripture and find traces of the Holy Trinity in the Jewish Scripture. The Resurrection must be taken as a new revelation and if the great majority of Christians are gentiles< , then Jewish sacraments such as circumcision will not survive even as "sacramentals." As Paul says most clearly, the Law can no longer be regarded in the same light as before if Jesus rose from the dead and sent the Spirit to all the nations and not just the Jews(although the Jews remains as first-born?). You are right to say that the Jews were forced to choose between Christ and the Law, as both dispensions could not exist simultaneously, anymore than one can be a Christian and Muslim simultaneously. My point is simply that the Jewish nation, as represented by its leadership, and probably the majority of the people, firmly rejected Jesus as the Christ, and after a time disenfranchised Jewish Christians.
You quote me : Do you deny that the latter, who had been persecuted ever since they first claimed that Jesus was the Christ were formally excluded from the synagogues, barred from worshipping with "real" Jews so long as they did not reject their "false" Messiah?
You answer:
Nope, not in the least. But this is totally aside from the comment you made above, wherein you implied that it was the Jews who had established a 'new religion', when any reasonable reading of history demonstrates that the opposite was the case. The point is too ridiculous to even argue.
I am saying that the Jews shared responsiblity in making Christianity and Judaism into separate religions.
Do you think the Catholic Church should have the authority to "bar" from their worship services those who believe and promote heretical doctrine? Should the Catholic Church be forbidden from excommunicating dissenters? Or should no religious entity be allowed to determine its membership requirements?
Hellenist Christians seems early to have abandoned the Law entirely, but the attitude of Jewish Christians was hardly so clear cut. Let us not forget the circumcision party that Paul railed against. The Jewish leadership did in fact "bar" Jewish Christians from the national assembly thereby creating a rift between the two, thereby making it difficult or impossible for men like Paul to continue to call themselves Jews. More moderate men, were persecuted and even, like James, executed. Yes, I know the authorities were frightened and they turned on others besides the Christians. But I wish to charge that they share blame for the bad blood between Jews and the Christians. Like both sides during the Reformation, the Jewish authorities in the first century were in no mood for toleration and so they persecuted. Looking at the matter coldly, they ought not to be blamed more than any other government challenged by an active and growing sect that threatens the established order. Knowing what political pressures faced them, I feel nothing but pity for the priests who lashed out as they saw their world collapsing around them, or admiration for the rabbis who were trying to create a new order after the destruction of the Temple. I think any Christian ought to regard this as a great tragedy in so far as it lays the groundwork for even greater tragedies in the future.
And I say that disciples of Jesus who developed beliefs contrary to the teachings of Judaism (specifically, the divinity of Jesus) were responsible for splitting themselves off from Judaism. The Jews 'excommunicated' them, which was their right.
I think any Christian ought to regard this as a great tragedy in so far as it lays the groundwork for even greater tragedies in the future.
On this point we agree.