Many people believe that the only difference between Jews and Christians is that Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but the Jews do not. What they fail to understand is that there is a whole theology that supports the belief that Jesus was the Messiah. Jews, because of what the Bible says, sees this theology as diametrically the opposite of what the Bible says.
| IN SHORT... Christians identify Messiah with Jesus and define him as God incarnated as a man, and believe he died for the sins of humanity as a blood sacrifice. This means that one has to accept the idea that one person's death can atone for another person's sins. However, this is opposed to what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 24:26, "Every man shall be put to death for his own sin," which is also expressed in Exodus 32:30-35, and Ezekiel 18. The Christian idea of the messiah also assumes that God wants, and will accept, a human sacrifice. After all, it was either Jesus-the-god who died on the cross, or Jesus-the-human. Jews believe that God cannot die, and so all that Christians are left with in the death of Jesus on the cross, is a human sacrifice. However, in Deuteronomy 12:30-31, God calls human sacrifice an abomination, and something He hates: "for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods." All human beings are sons or daughters, and any sacrifice to God of any human being would be something that God would hate. The Christian idea of the messiah consists of ideas that are UnBiblical. |
A FULLER EXPLANATION...You must understand that both Jews and Christians use the word messiah, but the meaning of the word is different in each faith.The Christian understanding is that the Messiah, Jesus, died for the sins of the people. The messiah is supposed to be a human sacrifice that is the blood sacrifice necessary for the forgiveness of sin. But we are taught in our Bible that no one can die for the sins of another. In Deuteronomy 24:16 it specifically says this:
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. [Deuteronomy 24:16]In Exodus 32:30-35, Moses believes that, perhaps, he can atone for the sin of the People of Israel, when they made the Golden Calf. He tried to offer himself as an atonement for the sins of the people. When Moses tells God to write Moses out of His book, he means to be written out of the Book of Life, which means Moses was asking to die for the sins of the People. God's response was "No, it does not work that way, each man dies for his own sin:"
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Eternal; perhaps I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Eternal, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Eternal said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. And the Eternal plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made. [ Exodus 32:30-35]The whole of chapter 18 of the book of Ezekiel is about this idea, that no one can die for someone else's sin. Further, this chapter of Ezekiel teaches us that all we have to do for God's forgiveness is to stop doing the Bad and start doing the Good, and God will forgive us. No where in this chapter does it say that we have to have a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. (But more on this later.)
The word of the Eternal came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Eternal God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Eternal God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Eze 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. [Ezekiel 18:1-4; 20-24; 26-27]So, the Bible is clear, no one can die for the sins of another, and this means that Jesus cannot die for the sins committed by someone else.
The Christian idea of the messiah is that Jesus was the blood sacrifice that saves everyone from his or her sin. But who, EXACTLY died on that cross? If it was Jesus-the-god, then how can God die? If it was only Jesus-the-human, then all Christians have in the death of Jesus is a human sacrifice. And what, EXACTLY does God say about human sacrifice in the TaNaCH?
In Deuteronomy, God calls Human sacrifice something that He hates, and an abomination to Him!:
Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Eternal thy God: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. [Deuteronomy 12:30-31]In Jeremiah, God tells us that Human sacrifice is so horrible a concept to Him, that it did not even come into His mind!:
Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Eternal, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter. [Jeremiah 19:4-6]We see the same thing in Psalm 106 and in Ezekiel 16:
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. [Psalm 106:37-38]And yet we are to then turn around and believe that God changed His mind and required human sacrifice, and then it was the sacrifice of His own human son that God wanted? After telling the Jews to stay away from pagan practices and pagan beliefs, God then changes His mind and says, "Okay, now go ahead and believe in a human sacrifice, just as these very pagans believe?" Everyone is a son or a daughter. God tells us that any human sacrifice is an abomination, something He hates, and something so horrible, that it would never even come into His mind to demand it of us. And human sacrifice was practiced by the pagans.
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter? [Ezekiel 16:20]
You must understand that the Christian definition to the term, Messiah, is pagan. How do all Christians, define the term messiah? They define it exactly as the pagans understood their dying/saving gods and heroes. The ancient world is filled with examples. Mithra, Adonis, Dionysis, Attis, Ra, and many others were born in the Winter, died in the Spring, and came back to life. Along with this, they believed that their followers would not die, but have immortal life, since the death of the hero/god acted as their sacrifice for their sins. The pagan world was filled with gods who were the product of a human mother and a god for the father. Even Hercules had Zeus for a father, and a human mother.
When the earliest Christians would come into the synagogues and missionize, they would get kicked out. They were not allowed to stay and preach, they were rejected, because their message was pagan, was recognized as such by the Jews, and they were removed and separated from the Jewish people as a result.
So how have we Jews, who invented the term, always defined the term Messiah?
- The Messiah is born of two human parents, as we said.But Jesus, according to Christian theology, was born of a union between a Human woman and God, rather than two HUMAN parents, as was Hercules, and Dionysis, as well as many other pagan gods.
- The Messiah can trace his lineage through his human biological father, back to King David (Isaiah 11:1,10; Jeremiah 23:5; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:21-28; Jeremiah 30:7-10; 33:14-16; and Hosea 3:4-5). But Jesus's lineage cannot go through his human father, according to Christian theology, as Jesus's father was not Joseph the husband of Mary. According to Christian theology, Jesus's father was God.
- The Messiah traces his lineage only through King Solomon (II Samuel 7:12-17; I Chronicles 22:9-10). But according to Luke 3:31, Jesus was a descendant of Nathan, another son of King David, and not a descendant of King David through King Solomon.
- The Messiah cannot trace his lineage through Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, or Shealtiel, because this royal line was cursed (I Chronicles 3:15-17; Jeremiah 22:18,30). But according to both Matthew 1:11-12 and Luke 3:27, Jesus was a descendant of Shealtiel.
- The Messiah is preceded by Elijah the prophet who, with the Messiah, unifies the family (Malachi 4:5-6), which is contradicted by Jesus in Matthew 10:34-37.
- The Messiah re-establishes the Davidic dynasty through the messiah's own children (Daniel 7:13-14). But Jesus had no children.
- The Messiah brings an eternal peace between all nations, between all peoples, and between all people (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4; Ezekiel 39:9). Obviously there is no peace. Furthermore, Jesus said that his purpose in coming was to bring a sword, and not peace (see Matthew 10:34, as referenced above.)
- The Messiah brings about the universal world-wide conversion of all peoples to Judaism, or at least to Ethical Monotheism (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Zechariah 8:23; Isaiah 11:9; Zechariah 14:9,16). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.
- The Messiah brings about an end to all forms of idolatry (Zechariah 13:2). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.
- The Messiah brings about a universal recognition that the Jewish idea of God is God (Isaiah 11:9). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.
- The Messiah leads the world to become vegetarian (Isaiah 11:6-9). It isn't.
- The Messiah gathers to Israel, all of the twelve tribes (Ezekiel 36:24). Many of the ten lost tribes remain lost.
- The Messiah rebuilds The Temple (Isaiah 2:2; Ezekiel 37:26-28). It hasn't been rebuilt.
- There will be no more famine (Ezekiel 36:29-30). People starve to death every day.
- After the Messiah comes, death will eventually cease (Isaiah 25:8). People die every day.
- Eventually the dead will be resurrected (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; Ezekiel 37:12-13; Isaiah 43:5-6);
- The nations of the earth will help the Jews, materially (Isaiah 60:5-6; 60:10-12;
- The Jews will be sought out for spiritual guidance (Zechariah 8:23);
- All weapons will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39:9,12);
- The Nile will run dry (Isaiah 11:15)
- Monthly, the trees of Israel will yield their fruit (Ezekiel 47:12);
- Each tribe of Israel will receive and settle their inherited land (Ezekiel 47:13-13);
- The nations of the earth will recognize that they have been wrong, that the Jews have been right, and that the sins of the Gentile nations, their persecutions and the murders they committed, have been borne by the Jewish people (Isaiah 53)
Even Christians recognize that none of the changes made by the Messiah according to Judaism as read in the Bible have not happened yet. This is why Christianity invented the idea of a Second Coming. The real Messiah has no need to come a second time to do those things he must do the first time around in order to actually be the Messiah.
Christians also believe that one needs a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, that one who does not have such a blood sacrifice will die in their sins, and go to hell, except for the sacrifice of Jesus.
This, too, is UnBiblical. The Bible describes blood sacrifices for the forgiveness of sin in the Book of Leviticus. But it is in Leviticus itself, in the middle of the discussion of the sin sacrifices, that we are taught that we do not need a blood sacrifice to be forgiven for our sins. It was very expensive for any family to offer an animal for a blood sacrifice. The offering of turtledoves and pigeons were the cheapest of offerings. If one could not even afford this cheapest of offerings, was forgiveness then granted only to the rich? In Leviticus we are told that one who sins can bring flour, which has no blood and no life as their sacrifice, and God forgives them!
But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the Eternal: it is a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat offering. [Leviticus 5:11-13]Furthermore, read the Book of Jonah. In Jonah, the People of Ninevah do three things in order to be forgiven by God. They fast, they pray for forgiveness, and they stop doing the Bad and start doing the Good, and God forgives them! This is exactly what we do on Yom Kippur, we fast, we pray for forgiveness, and, hopefully, we stop doing the Bad and start doing the Good, and God forgives us. And what book do we read on Yom Kippur afternoon? The Book of Jonah!
And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Ninevah, by the decree of the King and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock taste anything; let them not feed nor drink water; but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did not do it. [Jonah 3:7-10]Please notice that Jonah tells us that God saw their WORKS, their deeds, how they turned from their evil ways, and God forgave them. It does not say that God saw their blood sacrifice, they never offered one. It does not say that God saw that they had the right faith, but rather it says that God saw their deeds.
There are plenty of other examples that show that we do not need a blood sacrifice for our sins, in order for God to forgive us. (For example, the giving of incense in Numbers 16:47; the giving of jewelry in Numbers 31:50; and, for Isaiah, a live coal on the lips in Isaiah 6:6-7). However, if I can show only one time, as we find in the Book of Jonah, where God did not need a blood sacrifice, or a sacrifice of any kind, it proves that we do not need a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
Quite simply, we Jews invented the term, "messiah." When we are told by those of the Christian faith (which includes the "Jews" for Jesus and the Messianic "Jews" and the "Hebrew" Christians) that our definition, the Jewish definition of "messiah" is incorrect, it is like someone who does not speak English telling a person whose native tongue is English that the word "electrician" means someone who fixes the plumbing.
Who died on the cross? Was it Jesus-the-god, or was it Jesus-the-human? If it was Jesus-the-god, Jews don't believe that God can die. If it was Jesus-the-human, then all Christians have in the death of Jesus was a human death, a human sacrifice. Jews believe that God hates the very idea of human sacrifice.
| IN SHORT... What, EXACTLY does God say about human sacrifice in the TaNaCH? In Deuteronomy 12:30-31, God calls Human sacrifice something that He hates, and an abomination to Him, "for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. In Jeremiah 19:4-6, God tells us that Human sacrifice is so horrible a concept to Him, that it did not even come into His mind to demand it from His creation, "They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind." We see the same thing in Psalm 106:37-38, and in Ezekiel 16:20. This means that God would not accept Jesus's death on the cross as a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. The very idea of that God would accept a human sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins is UnBiblical. |
A FULL EXPLANATION...The Christian idea of the messiah is that Jesus was the blood sacrifice that saves everyone from his or her sin. But who, EXACTLY died on that cross? If it was Jesus-the-god, then how can God die? If it was only Jesus-the-human, then all Christians have in the death of Jesus is a human sacrifice. And what, EXACTLY does God say about human sacrifice in the TaNaCH?
In Deuteronomy, God calls Human sacrifice something that He hates, and an abomination to Him!
Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Eternal thy God: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. [Deuteronomy 12:30-31]In Jeremiah, God tells us that Human sacrifice is so horrible a concept to Him, that it did not even come into His mind!
Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Eternal, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter. [Jeremiah 19:4-6]We see the same thing in Psalm 106 and in Ezekiel 16:
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. [Psalm 106:37-38]And yet we are to then turn around and believe that God changed His mind, and required human sacrifice, and then it was the sacrifice of His own human son that God wanted? After telling the Jews to stay away from pagan practices, and pagan beliefs, God then changes His mind and says, "Okay, now go ahead and believe in a human sacrifice, just as these very pagans believe?"
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter? [Ezekiel 16:20]
The Christian definition of the term, Messiah, is closer to the pagan notion of a dying/saving god or hero than to the Jewish understanding of Messiah. The ancient world is filled with examples. Mithra, Adonis, Dionysis, Attis, Ra, and many others were born in the Winter, died in the Spring, and came back to life. Along with this, they believed that their followers would not die, but have immortal life, since the death of the hero/god acted as their sacrifice for their sins. The pagan world was filled with gods who were the product of a human mother and a god for the father. Even Hercules had Zeus for a father, and a human mother.
When the earliest Christians would come into the synagogues and missionize, they would get kicked out. They were not allowed to stay and preach, they were rejected, because their message was pagan, was recognized as such by the Jews, and they were removed and separated from the Jewish people as a result. This shows the real reason why Judaism and Christianity separated from each other. It also shows that one cannot be a Jew and a Christian at the same time.
| IN SHORT... Many people, Christians and some Jews as well, erroneously believe that just as one can be Black and Christian, just as one can be Oriental and Christian, one can also be Jewish and Christian. It is not true. The Jews are not a race. There is no genetic code passed from either mother or father to the child that makes that child a Jew. Even if all, or some, of the genetic code in a child could be proved to be of Jewish Origin, that would not make the child a Jew. Jewish law determines who is a Jew, and Jewish law is quite clear. If a person's mother is a Jew, and that person has not converted to another faith, then that person will be considered fully Jewish, so long as that person wishes to identify solely as a Jew. Although one cannot convert to become a member of a race, for example one cannot convert to become an Oriental or an African-American, one who converts to Judaism does, indeed, become fully a Jew. Similarly, if one converts from Judaism to another faith, one is no longer a Jew. |
A FULL EXPLANATION... When the non-Jewish world makes the claim that one who was Jewish but converts to Christianity can retain the "Jewish Culture and Ethnicity," one must ask, "Which Jewish Culture? Which Jewish Ethnicity?" The culture and ethnicity of a Jew from Morocco has little in common with the ethnicity and culture of a Jew from Eastern Europe. Yet both are Jews because their faith, their Jewish theology, is the same.And just as many people convert to Judaism, and thus become Jews, those Jews who convert to another faith are no longer Jews.
The Biblical basis for this is I Kings 18:21. Elijah the prophet asked Jews who were beginning to slip into the worship of the idol, Baal, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the God of the Jews is God, follow Him! but if Baal is God, then follow him!" Elijah told the Jews, one or the other, not both! You cannot believe in two opposite, mutually exclusive ideas simultaneously. Judaism and Christianity believe in opposite, mutually exclusive ideas, and you cannot be a Jew and a believer that Jesus was the Christ at the same time. (See question 3.)
A Rabbi in the later Middle Ages named the Hai Gaon, as quoted by Aderet in Responsa, VII #292, stated that a Jew who converted out of the faith was no longer a Jew. This was shared by numerous rabbis, which can be seen in the Responsa literature of Simon ben Zemah of Duran, Samuel de Medina, Judah Berab, Jacob Berab, Moses ben Elias Kapsali, and others in the Middle Ages.
Most recently this can also be seen in the Responsa of the Satmar Rov in his Divrei Torah, Yoreh Deah #59, paragraph 5, as well as in the Responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Even Haezer Volume 4 Number 53.
The very famous rabbi, Moses ben Maimon, called Maimonides, also wrote that if a Jew converted to Christianity, he or she was no longer a Jew. See Maimonides, Hilchot Mamrim Perek 3, Halacha 1-3, as well as in Maimonides's Mishnah Torah, Avodat Kochavim 2:5.
Rabbi Moses Isserles demanded a formal conversion back to Judaism for those who converted out of Judaism but who then wanted to return to Judaism. He demanded ritual immersion (mikveh) and repentance before a court of three (beit din). You will see this also in other Responsa literature: Radbaz, Responsa III, 415; Moses Isserles to Yoreh Deah 268.12; and Hoffman, Melamed Leho-il II, 84.
It was only after the experience of the Marranos, Jews who were forced by the Church to convert to Catholicism but who secretly practiced Judaism, that the Rabbis stated that one who converted involuntarily out of Judaism did not have to convert back to Judaism. This assumes that because it was done out of force, the Jew in his heart never really left the Jewish religion. This also concerns only those who wish to return to Judaism. It says nothing about those who accept the theology of Christianity as their own and therefore remain Christian.
Nor is it true in the case of anyone else, anywhere else, converting to Christianity today. In the modern world, no one is given the three choices: leaving the country of their birth, death, or conversion to Christianity, as the Jews of Europe were given by Christians in the Middle Ages, and which gave reason to this leniency.
Modern Israel has a law called the Law of Return. This means that because Israel is the Jewish homeland, one who is Jewish can come to Israel, and immediately become an Israeli citizen, as one coming home.
Daniel Rufeisen was born Jewish, of two Jewish parents. Because of the Nazi persecutions, his parents hid him with a couple who were Catholic. The couple raised him as a Catholic, and he became a Catholic priest. Father Daniel, aware of his parents' heritage, came to Israel and applied to become a citizen of Israel under the Law of Return. The Israeli Supreme Court denied his application, stating that since he converted, he was no longer a Jew. He had to wait the customary time for any other non-Jew to become a naturalized Israeli citizen, just as in the U.S., one has to wait six years in order to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.
It is important to note that the family who hid Father Daniel did not follow the wishes of Daniel's parents. They wanted to save their child as a Jew, but as a Jew he was lost.
More recently, Israeli made the same decision concerning a so-called Messianic "Jewish" couple. The Beresfords from South Africa tried to become citizens of Israel under the Law of Return. They were denied on the same basis as Father Daniel. Remember that all of the parents involved, the parents of Daniel Rufeisen, and the parents of both of the Beresfords, were Jews. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the man leading the fight against the Beresfords for the Israeli Department of Immigration was an Orthodox rabbi and member of the Orthodox Israeli political party known as Shas. As an Orthodox rabbi, he would have known Jewish law on this subject.
Furthermore, this is the attitude of many Orthodox rabbis today. Orthodox Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, writing for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, for the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, the Orthodox Youth Group, in his book The Real Messiah, on page 21 wrote:
This brings us back to our original question: What can a Jew lose by embracing Christianity?As an act of leniency, however, few rabbis today ask the ex-Jew returning to Judaism to go through any ceremony of conversion. This might be a "stumbling block before the blind," before those who wish to return. So long as one remains a Christian, one is no longer a Jew. But if one wishes to return to Judaism, the return is made easy as an act of compassion. However, a return must be made, because the person left both Judaism and the Jewish People by converting to another faith.
The answer is: Everything.
Christianity negates the fundamentals of Jewish faith, and one who accepts it rejects the very essence of Judaism. Even if he continues to keep all of the rituals, it is the same as if he abandoned Judaism completely.
A Jew who accepts Christianity might call himself a `Jewish Christian,' but he is no longer a Jew. He can no longer even be counted as part of a Jewish Congregation.
Similarly, so long as one believes that Jesus was anything more than a human being who lived and died around 2,000 years ago, that person cannot convert TO Judaism, and become a Jew. The two faiths of Judaism and Christianity are simply mutually exclusive and incompatible.
The "Jews for Jesus" are not Jews. Originally founded by a very old organization known as The American Board Of Missions To The Jews, as their San Francisco office, they changed their name to "Jews" for Jesus, as the newest technique in missionizing the Jews to Christianity. Were you to compare the theology of the "Jews" for Jesus with the theology of the Southern Baptist Convention, you would see no difference. Compare the statements of faith of the Messianic "Jewish" Alliance of America (whose original name was the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America), with the statement of faith from the Southern Baptist Convention. Both the MJAA and the SBC have web sites.
Christian missionaries (and this includes the "Jews" for Jesus, the Messianic "Jews," and the "Hebrew" Christians) claim that this deceptive technique originates with Paul, in I Corinthians 9:20, where he says that it is okay to pretend to be anything, so long as it gets converts to Christianity. One can also see this in Phillipians 1:18. Furthermore, it is expanded in the idea of Indigenous Cultural Evangelism. This is the name to the missionary technique which says so long as you make the targets think that they can be both a Christian and whatever they were before their conversion, then missionizing will be easier. See Understanding Church Growth, by Donald A. McGavran, the chapter on The Sociological Foundation.
So, the "Jews for Jesus" are merely another Christian Missionary organization, which make converts to Christianity by dressing up the Christian theology in Jewish clothing.
This leads to other questions:
Q: Are the majority of Jews who are secular, many not believing in God at all, really Jews?
A: Yes, just as a U.S. citizen is still a citizen even if they never vote, even if they do not celebrate July 4th, or even have turkey on Thanksgiving, they are still U.S. citizens. But if they become a citizen of another country, especially another country who is hostile to America, they lose their U.S. citizenship. Similarly, if a person converts TO Judaism they become a Jew, and if one converts out of Judaism one is no longer a Jew.
A Jew is a member of the religion of Judaism, and a Jew is a member of a nation defined by the religion of Judaism. Let me explain:
First, understand that I am not talking about a nation meaning a country (like the STATE of Israel), which is defined by borders and passports. Rather, I am talking about a nation in the same sense we understand it in relationship to the Native American Indians. For them, we used to use the term "tribe," but the term "nation" is more accurate. For the Jews, the analogy to a nation is a perfect analogy, because that, indeed, is what God told Abra(ha)m God would make Abra(ha)m into, in Genesis 12:2, "And I will make of you a great NATION...." We are a nation, a nation defined by our religion.
For a person to become a citizen of a nation the process is called Naturalization. To become a citizen of the Jewish nation, the naturalization process is called conversion to the religion of Judaism. On the other hand, just because a "citizen" of this Jewish nation is totally non-practicing of the religion of Judaism, it does not mean that he or she is no longer a citizen, no longer a Jew, unless that person converts to another religion. This can be explained by taking a look at 4 analogies:
1. Andy is born in the U.S. of two U.S. citizens, but Andy moves to Australia. There he remains involved in every U.S. election, he knows every issue for his home city, his home county, his home state, and even on the federal level. He writes his congressional leaders, he has turkey on the fourth Thursday in November, and celebrates July Fourth with fireworks. Even though he lives in Australia, does Andy remain a U.S. citizen? Yes, he remains a U.S. citizen because he has done nothing to give up his citizenship. Similarly, there are those Jews who actively pursue being Jewish, who affiliate, celebrate the holidays and holy days, life cycle events, etc.The ONLY time that Andy, Bert, or Charlie would ever lose their U.S. citizenship is if, and when, they accepted the citizenship of another country, an act that usually renounces their U.S. citizenship. Of course, the U.S. recognizes dual citizenship in some instances with certain countries, but Judaism and the Jewish nation do not recognize dual citizenship at all, and the act of accepting another faith removes that person from "citizenship" in the Jewish "nation." A Jew who has accepted the theology of another faith is no longer a Jew. (see Aryeh Kaplan, THE REAL MESSIAH, p.21, referencing Maimonides Mishneh Torah, Avodat Kochavim 2:5, as quoted above, and so stated by other rabbis in their Responsa as well).
2. Bert is born in the U.S. of two U.S. citizens, but Bert moves to Belgium. There Bert cannot care less about anything of, or from, the U.S., so long as Bert has a job and his food and his TV, Bert is quite content. Bert cannot remember who is president, much less what any issues there might be, does not even realize that the fourth Thursday in November means anything, nor does Bert think that July fourth is significant. Even though Bert lives in Belgium and does NOTHING to actively be a U.S. citizen, to express the values of democracy, etc., does Bert remain a U.S. citizen? Yes, he remains a U.S. citizen because he has done nothing to lose his U.S. citizenship.Similarly, there are those Jews who do nothing Jewishly, who do not affiliate, but who remain, nevertheless, Jews, until such time as they convert to another religion.
3. Charlie is born in the U.S. of two U.S. citizens, but Charlie moves to China. There, Charlie does everything Charlie can do to overthrow the U.S. government. Charlie puts on sackcloth and ashes every July fourth, and ignores Thanksgiving. Charlie attempts to smuggle arms into the U.S. to overthrow it, and works to fight everything it stands for. Even though Charlie lives in China and works to destroy the U.S., does Charlie remain a U.S. Citizen? Yes, because working to overthrow the U.S. does not constitute grounds to lose one's citizenship. Those who oppose the U.S. in this way, merely go to jail. Similarly, there are those Jews whose actions could be, and are, detrimental and destructive to Judaism and to the Jewish People but again, they nevertheless remain Jews.
4. Now, we come to Danny. Danny is born in the U.S. of a father who is a U.S. citizen, but Danny's mother is Dutch. At the age of 18 (or is it 17?) Danny must choose between Dutch and U.S. citizenship. But Danny cannot choose Brazilian citizenship because he was not born there, and because he has no connection through his mother or through his father to Brazil. So, according to international law, and U.S. law, we can obtain the rights for citizenship to countries through either the mother or the father.By Jewish Law, citizenship rights in the Jewish nation only come through the mother, while inheritance rights, which are related to lineage, come through the father. An example of the latter might be for inheriting property or for being a member of a specific tribe, like that of Benjamin, or Levi, which come through the father. Now, in the past couple of decades, only the Reform movement of Judaism has accepted the citizenship rights in the Jewish nation to also come through the father. However, this is true only if the child was raised with specific and exclusively Jewish ceremonies and affiliations (a fact usually not stated when referring to the Reform movement's position, but nevertheless true of the Reform movement's position).
The Jews are those who are followers of a religion and the Jews are members of a nation defined by that religion, even if they do not follow that religion. This is no different than citizens of the United States who do not exercise their right to vote. They may not do what one is supposed to do as a citizen, but they remain citizens.
One final note: as a Jew, one has been chosen by God to act as God's advertising agent in the world. God needs Jews to be a constant reminder to the rest of the world that God exists, and that God demands moral and ethical behavior from God's creation. Jews have a mission in the world. That mission, as defined by our covenant with God, is to be a light unto the nations, by our actions, and by our invitation to all others to join us in our mission by converting to Judaism and thereby becoming Jews. Those actions that make us a light to the nations are not merely ethical behavior on our part; they also serve to make us different, and "holy" means "different," through the observance of the commandments.
Q: If being Jewish is not belonging to a race but a religion then what do you say is the status of the large number of 'Israelis' who are accepted by the State of Israel as Jewish but who are into the 'New Age' - a religion which is indeed not Jewish?
A: Please understand that if one joins a completely Other faith, as messianic "Jews" have done by accepting Jesus as their personal savior and messiah, they are no longer Jews. They are Christians. One might also exclude the New Agers from the Jews as well, as well as the now ex-Jewish Buddhists, etc. To deny an element of a faith is not the same thing as joining another faith, getting baptized into it, etc. Those messianic "Jews" want to see themselves as still Jewish even though they now believe exactly the same as the members of the Southern Baptist, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and Assemblies of God churches. It is these churches and denominations that fund and establish and maintain messianic "synagogues."
This leads to two related issues.
First of all, if these groups are still Jewish, how come the people who fund them are not their "fellow" Jews? They do not receive their monies from any recognized national Jewish religious organization like the United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism, or the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (which is Reform). The Messianics do not receive their monies from donations from individual synagogues or temples. When these Messianic "synagogues" form, they usually start meeting in churches. They begin meeting there, not because the Liberal Christian church is being nice, which happens often for real Jewish congregations, rather the Fundamentalist church where they start meeting is sponsoring the Messianic "Synagogue." The Messianics also do not receive any monies from any national Jewish secular organizations either, like the Federations, the Anti-Defamation League, or the American Jewish Committee. As a matter of fact, these organizations have committees and sub-committees to fight the missionaries.
Another question is, If the messianics claim to remain Jews, what do these messianics say about their supposedly "fellow" Jews? Messianic "Jews" will say that the real Jews are going to Hell because they don't accept Jesus. This means that the messianic "Jews" condemn to hell the very group of which they still claim to be a part. Does this make sense? That means that as soon as they become a Christian, as soon as they accept Jesus as their personal savior, son of god, and messiah, they then condemn what is supposedly their own group. But no one else who claims to be Jewish, no one else who does, indeed, remain a Jew, condemns his or her own Jews to Hell for their lack of belief in Jesus. Many churches do, indeed, condemn the Jews to Hell for not accepting Jesus. Talk about trying to have one's cake and eat it too!? To the Jewish community, it is ridiculous to claim one can be a Jew and a Christian at the same time, and knowledgeable Jews are not fooled.
| IN SHORT... The newest technique used by Christian missionaries and other Christian Clergy, is what they call learning about "The Jewish Roots of Christianity." One might think this means how, in their opinion, Christianity began with Jews, or developed from Judaism. However, this is not what they mean by "the Jewish Roots." The way they show that the roots of Christianity are to be found in Judaism is that they put a Christian theological interpretation into a Jewish ceremony or ritual. Then they claim that this planted Christian theological interpretation, having been "found" in something Jewish (because it was planted there by them in the first place), shows that Christianity came from Judaism. This is nonsense, and shows the lengths they will go to, in order to obtain for themselves Jewish legitimacy. |
A FULL EXPLANATION..A Story:
David had a garden that was absolutely beautiful. In it, he grew the most perfect tomatoes that you have ever seen! One day, Matthew came along and planted cucumbers right in the middle of David's garden. When the cucumbers started sprouting, Matthew told everyone that the tomatoes were the root of his cucumbers. In other words, that the cucumbers had developed from the tomatoes, and were the natural result -- the goal -- of the tomatoes as they grew to maturity.The above story may seem to you to be ridiculous, but this is exactly what many people who teach "The 'Jewish Roots' Of Christianity" actually do. They plant Christian cucumbers, so to speak, in the midst of the Jewish tomatoes, and then claim that what they planted there sprouted naturally from what was already growing there. In other words, they put a Christian theological interpretation into a Jewish ceremony or ritual. Then they claim that this planted Christian theological interpretation, having been "found" in something Jewish (because it was planted there by them in the first place), shows that Christianity came from Judaism. This is nonsense, and shows the lengths they will go to, in order to obtain for themselves Jewish legitimacy. Let me give you an example:
Most people are aware that there are three pieces of matzah on the Passover seder plate. Most people know that the middle matzah is taken out, broken into two, and one of the two pieces is then hidden away, brought out at the end of the meal, and is called the Afikoman. The matzah has stripes and lines of holes on it. Christians will claim that the matzah as well as the ritual with the Afikoman is symbolic of Jesus, and therefore indicates that the basic theology of Christianity can be found in Jewish rituals. This, to them, shows the "Jewish Roots" of Christianity. They will claim that the stripes and holes represent the marks on Jesus from the scourging he received, and the holes represent those on Jesus that were caused by the crucifixion. They will claim the three pieces of matzah represent the trinity of the Father, the SON, and the Holy Spirit. Please take note that it is the middle matzah, the "son" in the trinity, that is taken out and broken (crucified), hidden (buried), and brought back out (resurrected).
The problem with this is that it is an absolute lie. There was no seder, no Haggadah, no three pieces of Matzah on any seder plate, at the time of Jesus. There was not even a seder plate. The whole ritual developed hundreds of years after Jesus lived. The first discussions of a Passover ritual describe only one half of a piece of matzah. This half piece of Matzah was then broken in half, and one of these two pieces, now a fourth of the original whole, was set aside, to be eaten as the last part of the meal. It was not hidden, it was merely set aside, remaining in plain view. The idea of hiding it came in the middle 1600's, in Germany, as a way to keep the children interested in the service, an idea that eventually caught on throughout the world. The reason that the matzah has stripes and holes is that it is machine made. The machine causes the stripes and the holes as it pulls the dough through the machine. This machine was invented only about 150 years ago, in the middle of the 1800's.
Of course, Christian missionaries and those who want to see Christianity as coming from Judaism, can interpret anything at all in a Christian way. But that does not mean that Christianity developed from whatever they are interpreting.
A Christian might ask, "But weren't the first Christians actually Jews?" Yes, but this is irrelevant. The first Protestants were Roman Catholics. Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic Priest. The Roman Catholics do not consider Protestant Christianity to be merely another form of Roman Catholicism.
If you read the Apocryphal book of I Maccabbees, you will see that the first person killed in the Maccabbee's rebellion was a Jew. He was willing to go ahead and sacrifice a pig to Zeus, just as Mattathias had refused to do. Obviously, he had to have been a very secular, assimilated Jew. Had he survived Mattathias's attack, and later formed a religion that was dedicated to the worship of Zeus and Zeus's half-human sons, would that make his newly formed faith just another form of Judaism? Should he call his new faith, "Jews For Zeus," or "Jews For Zeus And His Half-Human Sons?" Would that mean that his new faith had "Jewish Roots?"
Christian missionaries, and this includes the "Jews" For Jesus, the Messianic "Jews," and the "Hebrew" Christians, will go to any length to get even one real Jew to convert. They will take anything that is Jewish and put into it Christian symbolism. Then they will claim that, since they can now find Christian symbolism in it, that it proves that Christianity developed from it, that it was the source of Christian theology, and that the Jews are too stupid to see how Christian theology is what Gd wanted them to see in it, in the first place.
However, this can be done with anything that is not Jewish as well!
One could do the same thing with pizza. Pizza has three basic elements to it, the bread, the tomato sauce, and the cheese. The middle element is the tomato sauce, which is red.
One could easily give a Christian interpretation to these three elements that define pizza:
The three basic ingredients of pizza represent the Christian trinity of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit.
The bread: Jesus is called the bread of life. The dough is kneaded. This image of kneading the dough is the same as someone being beaten which could represent Jesus being scourged. The dough to make the bread is rolled over with an instrument, which pokes holes in the dough to remove any air before baking. This could be likened to Jesus receiving the holes in his body from the crucifixion, just like they say of the matzah.
The tomato sauce: The sauce is red like Jesus's blood, and it is spread all around the dough like the blood of a sacrifice is put on an altar.
The cheese: The cheese covers the rest, like the death of Jesus covers the sins of the people.
From what you have read above, you can easily see how anything, even pizza, can be used to symbolize Jesus. But does that mean that the symbolism found in pizza indicates The Pizza Roots of Christianity?
There are no Jewish Roots to Christianity, because the theology that supports it is antithetical to what the Bible says, and is diametrically opposite of what Judaism believes.
Copyright held by Rabbi Stuart Federow 2003
No comments:
Post a Comment