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RECOVERING THE TRUTH & A COMING TO A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS
Bet Emet Ministries ^ | Unknown | Craig Lyons

Posted on 07/01/2003 10:22:12 AM PDT by ksen

RECOVERING THE TRUTH & A COMING TO A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS

Jesus and all his followers were Jews who were faithful to Biblical Judaism and never intended to separate from or start a new religion; after their deaths the Gentile Christian church will condemn the Jewish Christians as heretics...in time fruit of the Jewish Church (Gentile Christianity) will destroy it's mother

We have a unique paradox in Biblical history; one which touches every follower of Jesus yet today and which reaches to the very core of our own culture and time. It is impossible to understand Jesus or his message until we come to a correct understanding of the events that fashioned such persecution of the Jews by the Gentile believers and which contributed to the alteration of the faith of Jesus as can be found to have existed in the first century of Second Temple Judaism. As stated earlier the first and greatest division in the early church concerned the relationship of the followers of Jesus to Judaism; it shaped everything that was to follow. One of the greatest problems facing Christianity today is how to reconcile what it has become with G-d's intended vision for the Gentile nations of the world whereby they become part of the Israel of G-d and not "replace" it with a religion of their own creation. The answers for such a problem come only when one personally acquaints himself with an unbiased presentation of the facts of the tragic events of this part of Biblical history and traces the repercussions of such events down through the corridors of history and ultimately seeing the shock waves from them that are present in our own religious beliefs systems and cultures of today.

Today many scholars tell us the truth today about the early church and courageously break from "church traditions" and "mind control" to present the facts concerning these "events" and the corruption of the early faith of the historical Jesus by the Gentile "converts" who would later steer the direction of this "faith" throughout recorded history. It is so simple today to find this information, but sadly few look or even know the need to see if "they be in the faith." That being the case, we accept the "spin" of religious leaders down through history and the real message of Jesus is never heard, or at best, is overlooked for more "orthodox teachings" espoused which have taken it's place. Keith Akers, in his The Lost Religion of Jesus, states the case as well as any. Jewish Christianity consisted of those early Christians who followed the teachings of Jesus, as they understood him, and also remained loyal to the Jewish law of Moses as they understood it. Messianic Judaism was not to replace Judaism with a new faith; it was the goal and zenith for which the prophets wrote and hoped. This simple statement is of profound importance, because the Jewish Christians were eventually rejected both by orthodox Judaism and by orthodox Gentile Christianity. The understanding of the Jewish follower of Jesus was not that of orthodox Christianity (as it came to be where Jesus is seen more like the sun-g-dmen of the Gentile nations than a human messiah). Likewise the Jewish follower of Jesus possessed an understanding of the law of Moses that was the same as orthodox Judaism, but yet this view would later be rejected under the influence of Paul and his churches. Jerome's celebrated comment in the fourth century summarizes this dual rejection: "As long as they seek to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither Jews nor Christians" [Letter 112] (Akers, The Lost Religion of Jesus, p. 7).

The Jewish Christians considered Jesus to be the "true prophet" who would lead the people back to the eternal law that commanded simple living and nonviolence. They saw in Jesus their hopes for physical redemption and the fulfillment of the prophets. It was their hope that the Law would go forth from Zion with Jesus at its head as the long awaited Messiah and King of Israel. It was their hope that the enemies of Israel would be vanquished by the word of this anointed one of the LORD as taught in the Psalms of Solomon (no not the psalms you are familiar with but a separate Jewish books that was recognized by Jews as authoritative in the first century). The law, which was cherished by all G-dfearing Jews, had been given to Moses; indeed, it had existed from the beginning of the world, and was intended to be cherished and observed by both Jew and non-Jew alike because in the Commandments one finds the unique Covenant stipulations of his Covenant before G-d. In sharp contrast with the gentile Christian movement, which emerged in the wake of Paul's teaching, Jewish Christianity strove to make the Jewish law stricter than the Jewish tradition seemed to teach ("you have heard it said but I say unto you...'much more'"). Such was the Jesus' love for G-d and His Word. But this cannot be said for the Gentile churches which strove to find ways to lay aside the law for the laxity that was taught under the disguise of "grace." In other words, the non-Jews loved the large "gray areas" that came from the teaching of Paul and others who negated the Law through their own personal "revelations" and their own personal "gospels" (Paul is found saying in Rom 2:16 16: In the day when G-d shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel and again in 2 Tim 2:8 8: Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel). It is a little early in this article to address this concept but if you study continues you will reach a point in your understanding and knowledge where you will see beyond any doubt that the "gospel of Paul" replaced the "gospel of Jesus and Judaism."

Jewish Christianity is the blind spot in virtually all accounts of Jesus. Everyone agrees that Jesus was a Jew and that his initial followers were Jews. Yet of the thousands of books written about Jesus, almost none acknowledge the central importance of Jewish Christianity; at least until the end of the previous century and the beginning of the present one. That was true up until the latter part of the last century when Jewish, as well as European scholars began to reevaluate the Jewish Jesus and contrast the Historical Jesus with the Christ of Faith. There are many who are eager to focus specifically on the Jewishness of Jesus, until they get to the point of examining those of his followers who, like their teacher, were also Jewish, and in doing so see for themselves that actually nothing really changed within this community of the closest followers of Jesus until the early fourth century when Rome would effectively destroy the Jewish "followers of Jesus" by declaring them official heretics. The power of Rome would propagate a Gentile understanding and not a Jewish understanding of Jesus (see Constantine's Easter letter if you have any doubts).

The "Jewishness" of these early Christians does not refer to their ethnic group or nationality, but rather to their beliefs. Paul was a convert to Judaism (H. Maccoby, The Mythmaker, Paul And The Invention Of Christianity) and only later converted to Judaism; first a Sadducee, and after rejection by the Chief Priest he turned to the Pharisees, again only to be rejected by them for his prior cruelty to them as an agent of the Temple police who routed them out and killed them (the Messianic believing strict branch of the Pharisees called Nazarenes/Essenes). Paul also preaches freedom from the law and therefore explicitly rejects Jewish beliefs. Paul, and some of the other Jews who became Christians, renounced the law of Moses and, therefore, were not part of Jewish Christianity. The churches of Paul today (vast majority of Christianity as it exists today) lay outside the true faith of Jesus and will continue to do so unless they encounter the truth about this man of Galilee and the truth about their own religious history.

Without understanding Jewish Messianic Judaism or "intended Christianity", we cannot understand the historical Jesus let alone the earliest church nor the corruption of it within the New Testament correctly. Lacking this knowledge we are doomed to misinterpret most of what we read in the New Testament and our worship let alone our conduct will be in error...much of which is defined as sin in the Torah.


TOPICS: Apologetics; General Discusssion; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS:
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To: ET(end tyranny)
oh by the way, thanks for getting restornu banned by the way. She's a lost soul and you shoved her right over the edge
141 posted on 07/01/2003 3:03:49 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: ET(end tyranny); restornu
okay,I see she's back. Did you even apologize! She's my woman and you leave her alone from now on
142 posted on 07/01/2003 3:12:56 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: ksen; Invincibly Ignorant
No, I really did forget. It must be OLD REGGIE that doesn't like all of Paul's writings.

I may be and do lots of things, but I won't intentionally misrepresent what you believe. That's why I asked for clarification.

ksen must have been thinking of me. I have said several times that I have problems with Paul. It is not so much his Scriptural teaching as his extra-Scriptural attitude and teaching.

To give Paul his due, he is careful to state when it is his opinion and/or when he is speaking for himself and not the Lord.

IOW, Paul's writing is replete with I say's and the big I.

(The fact I also think Paul is a misogynist has some bearing on my "problem" with Paul.

143 posted on 07/01/2003 3:16:03 PM PDT by OLD REGGIE ((I am a cult of one! UNITARJEWMIAN))
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To: Invincibly Ignorant
You're a breath of fresh air then. Most others have me burning in hell already. :-)

I believe that it is necessary to bring together a number of OT & NT scriptures to synthesize this particular understanding ... a luxury that the early Christians didn't have.

144 posted on 07/01/2003 3:17:36 PM PDT by A_Thinker
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To: ThomasMore
>>I personally am inclined to put a question mark next to >>James.

>If you cast a doubt on part, you cast a doubt on all.

Not at all. It is criticle to keep in mind the reason why doubt is cast, and on what it is cast. In my first post to you, I built up the canon piece by piece, judgeing the books one by one. Catholics are correct when they point out that just simply an up or down on the exact 27 books in the so called NT is a bit arbitrary. An up or down decision on the whole 27 is in reality an up or down decision on the group that selected those 27. In point of fact, that group did a very good job.

However, the only way to logically go about justifying the canon, especially as people put forward other candidates in addition to the 27, without a barefaced appeal to the origional authority, is to examine the books one by one. I have cast a bit of doubt, it is true, on one of those books, but at the same time I have asserted the others more strongly, by suggesting that the process of sorting them works, that the divisional process between clear scripture and others is effective in an objective sense.

The argument for striking James is specific. The main 24, (which do not include Hebrews, James, Jude), cannot seriously be attacked. They stand in a class by themselves, in a strong self-supporting rigid structure, with an incredible legacy of ancient manuscripts clearly showing that they have been faithfully passed down. What makes James different, is that, for one thing, James, like Jude, was not one of the twelve. We learn very little about him from Luke, unlike Paul who is clearly portrayed as an Apostle sent by God. Nothing from the other 24 gives any clue about what we should think about the book of James.

So we look inside the book, and try to judge the book based upon what it says. This is where I follow Martin Luther in saying that the book of James seems very legalistic. It is unlikely that the book of James alone could give a man a proper understanding of Redemption, which is criticle for salvation. Though it is quite right in much of what it says, its lack of grace, forgiveness, and the plan of salvation raise questions. Could a book truly inspired by God lack the most important message of all, especially one written after the accomplished fact of salvation? James fails to give us the message that Jesus died and rose again, and we can be justified if we confess him!

You see, applying arguments like that to, say, Romans is absurd.
145 posted on 07/01/2003 3:24:35 PM PDT by thirdheavenward
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To: JesseShurun
I don't have to apologize. I didn't jump into a thread where I hadn't been posting, and spam 40 posts of garbage.

146 posted on 07/01/2003 3:26:35 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny) ( Luke 16:17 -- And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.)
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To: OLD REGGIE
(The fact I also think Paul is a misogynist has some bearing on my "problem" with Paul.

Ok. I have to ask. What is a misogynist?

147 posted on 07/01/2003 3:28:46 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny) ( Luke 16:17 -- And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.)
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To: ET(end tyranny)
that's just a game they play on that thread and it's done all the time. Because of her dyslexia she got confused. Who do you think you are anyway? Your theology is all put together from websites that you visit and whatever takes your fancy. You never answer one thing I ever ask you about Jewish studies and the Torah so you are obviously a fraud
148 posted on 07/01/2003 3:30:05 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: JesseShurun; All
Thank when did I get back I thought I was out until 21:44!:)

BTW I want to thank all of my Estange Friends who stuck by me.

Where there is light there is hope!

I had this wonderful feeling that no matter how insufferable things a person might say, the Lord told us to focus on the good in one another.

I will always have a small corner in my heart for my estange Calvinsit Friends drstevej & RnMonof7 and Jesse!:)

I am also thankful for all of you who have gone to bat for me!

I also thank the Admin Moderator who allowed me to return!:)

149 posted on 07/01/2003 3:33:31 PM PDT by restornu
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To: restornu
you're welcome, can't have my 35th wife disappearing on ol' JesseDuke now
150 posted on 07/01/2003 3:35:57 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: JesseShurun
I've posted material from the Catholic Encyclopedia, does that make me a Catholic (Yahweh, please no.... you already delivered me from there!)

I've also posted material from sites that house documents from the writings of Eusebius, Hegesippus and others. Just because you don't like the material from other sites doesn't mean that the material is in error.

151 posted on 07/01/2003 3:37:45 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny) ( Luke 16:17 -- And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.)
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To: ET(end tyranny)
call yourself whatever you want to, you're against Jesus. so you're against me and mine, and I'll fight you to the bitter end (of the tyranny)
152 posted on 07/01/2003 3:40:32 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: JesseShurun
You are full of crap. I am not against Yeshua. I do not approve however of committing idolatry in Yeshua's name.
153 posted on 07/01/2003 3:43:26 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny) ( Luke 16:17 -- And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.)
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To: restornu; ET(end tyranny)
Welcome back restornu! I was going to post this 40 or 50 times but didn't want ET to have a hissy fit.

-drstevej (the estrange Calvinist)
154 posted on 07/01/2003 3:44:08 PM PDT by drstevej (Ask Me about Freeper Purgatory)
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What is a misogynist?

mi·sog·y·nist n. One who hates women. adj. Of or characterized by a hatred of women.
155 posted on 07/01/2003 3:44:32 PM PDT by restornu
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To: JesseShurun; ET(end tyranny)
ET = Yahweh, My Way
156 posted on 07/01/2003 3:45:22 PM PDT by drstevej
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To: ET(end tyranny)
you are against Jesus Christ the Son of God and the Son of Man, and His people who call themselves after Him, the Christians. You're the Oscar Mayer batboy around here, all we have to do is read the balogna you are constantly putting forth as Jewish theology
157 posted on 07/01/2003 3:47:33 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: restornu
yeah, like he had to ask
158 posted on 07/01/2003 3:49:14 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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To: restornu
mi·sog·y·nist n. One who hates women. adj. Of or characterized by a hatred of women.

Thanks. By the way, do you ever hear from Illbay?

159 posted on 07/01/2003 3:49:34 PM PDT by ET(end tyranny) ( Luke 16:17 -- And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.)
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To: drstevej
post it stevie!!! With clowns and balloons
160 posted on 07/01/2003 3:50:46 PM PDT by JesseShurun (The Hazzardous Duke)
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