(Is. 43:10)
THE TRADITIONAL JEWISH RESPONSE
TO CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES
Yisroel C. Blumenthal
PUBLISHED BY THE BUCKS COUNTY COMMUNITY KOLLEL
INTRODUCTION
On the Sabbath of August 4 in the year 1263, the
synagogue of Barcelona was host to a royal guest. James the
first, king of Aragon, had come to talk to his Jewish subjects.
The king attempted to persuade the congregants that they
ought to convert to Christianity. When the king finished his
speech, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (RaMBaN, Nachmanides)
stepped forward to give expression to the feelings of his
brothers.
After a preliminary demonstration of respect for the
crown, the Rabbi addressed the king with these words. A I am
amazed. The words said in our presence to convince us that
the Nazarene is the Messiah, were said by the Nazarene
himself when he brought this same message to our ancestors
and tried to persuade them. They refuted him to his face with a
perfect and strong rejection despite the fact that it was he who
spoke, who knew and could argue his claim that he is divine,
in accordance to your opinion, better than you can today. Now,
if our ancestors who saw him and knew him did not heed him,
how then can we believe and heed the voice of the king, whose
only knowledge of the matter stems merely from the hearsay
of distant reporters who heard it from people who neither
knew him nor were his countrymen as our ancestors knew him
and witnessed his life.”
The simple words of Nachmanides reflect the clarity of
vision, the calmness of spirit, and the solid conviction of the
Jew’s rejection of Christianity. Throughout the ages the Jew
faced hardship, and persecution and sometimes even death as a
result of this rejection. But the Jew was not moved. The Jew
went about doing whatever he had to do, patiently negotiating
the various obstacles the hostile Christian world threw into his
path. But it never occurred to him to join that world. Being a
Jew was as essential as life itself, and even more than that.
When being a Jew meant death, the Jew went to die
accompanied by his wife, his little children, and a simple love
for his God. But Christianity? Never.
It happened however, that in certain phases of Jewish
history, many Jews seem to have lost this resistance to
Christianity. We live in one of those periods today. Hundreds
if not thousands of Jews have joined the Messianic, and
Hebrew Christian congregations. This wave of apostasy, as did
those which preceded it, comes on the heels of another wave.
A Jewish conversion to Christianity, whether it takes place on
the individual level or on the communal level, follows a
breakdown of the Jewish educational system. Most converts to
Christianity had little connection to their heritage before they
converted. A Jew who is truly connected to a living Judaism
would sooner die than be a Christian.
Why? What is it that the Jew knows about Christianity that
inspires him to reject it? How can the Jew be so confident that
it is better to be dead than to be a Christian?
The traditional Jew knows very little about Christianity.
But the little that he knows is far more than enough. The Jew
knows that Christianity rejects the fundamental beliefs of
Judaism. The Jew knows that Christianity calls a man, god.
All the philosophical explanations offered to justify Christian
theology are wasted on the Jew. These simple facts cannot
change. The law of Moses is not Christianity, and the God of
Abraham is not a trinity. His faith in the God of Abraham and
Moses, inspired the Jew with the confidence to reject
Christianity.
A Jew who lives as his ancestors did before him,
experiences the law of Moses in his daily life. Love and
awareness of the God of Abraham, fills the Jew’s heart and
soul. Perhaps he cannot articulate how it is that he knows the
law of Moses to be immutable, but he knows it nevertheless.
Some Jews who walk with God may find it difficult to point
out the faults in the various arguments presented by the
missionaries in their attempt to justify their worship of Jesus.
Nevertheless, these Jews know that worship of a human-being
is idolatry. But in our generation, when so many Jews are
disconnected from the simple faith of their ancestors, it has
become necessary to articulate and to explain the Jewish
rejection of Christianity.
In the following pages you will find an articulation of the
traditional Jewish viewpoint. These words are not written to
replace a living connection with authentic Judaism, but rather
to encourage it. As a Jew you have probably wondered what
went through the minds of our ancestors when they went to die
for the “crime” of rejecting Jesus. It is possible that your
interest in this subject was fueled by the increased efforts of
the missionaries in recent years. You have found that the
missionary campaign to “save your soul” has reached
obnoxious proportions. This may have served as an inspiration
for you, to learn more about the traditional Jewish response to
the missionaries. In any case, we hope that you will find in this
work a starting point for research in this field.
Some of those who read this booklet may be Christians. As
a Christian, you may have wondered why it is that the Jewish
people have such a resistance to Christianity? Why is it that
most Jewish people do not even bother to read the Christian
scriptures? Do these Jews think that just because they were
born into the religion, then this religion must be right? How
are these people so confident that they are right? These, and
similar questions may have been troubling you. The purpose of
this booklet is to answer these questions. We hope that you
find this work helpful in understanding the traditional Jewish
mind-set.
If you are a Jew, who subscribes to the Christian belief
system, then please read this work as an appeal to your sense
of honesty. Do not take me on my word, check things out for
yourself. Please acquaint yourself with the richness of your
heritage. Find out what it means to be a Jew. Find out what it
means to be chosen as God’s witness to the world. Taste, and
see that God is good, fortunate is the man who takes shelter in
Him. (Ps. 34)
FOCUS
Both Judaism and Christianity are belief systems. Each has
its own way of looking at the world. These two systems are
fundamentally different from each other. Only one of these
systems can be correct. Judaism and Christianity are mutually
exclusive.
The foundations of Judaism are the events of the exodus and
the revelation at Sinai. These established the relationship that
the Jewish people have with God. These events established the
credibility of Moses as God’s prophet. The Jewish people
worship the God which revealed Himself to them at Sinai. The
Jewish people follow the teachings of Moses, the prophet of
God. The Jews of all generations accept this belief system
based on the testimony of their parents. A Jew is born into a
nation which worships the God of Sinai, and which lives by
the teachings of Moses. It is through the testimony of his
nation that the Jew learns the belief system which is Judaism.
Christianity has a dual foundation. First, Christianity
believes in the prophets of Jewish scripture. The second
foundation of Christianity is the life and teachings of Jesus.
The Jewish prophets are the ones who proclaimed that the
Messiah is to come, and Jesus supposedly came and fulfilled
that prophecy. The miracles that the Christian scriptures claim
were performed by Jesus, establish the credibility of Jesus and
his message. The person of Jesus is worshipped by Christians
as a god, and the teachings of Jesus form the belief system
which is Christianity. Christians of all generations accept this
belief system based on the testimony of the Christian
scriptures.
These two belief systems clash on several fundamental
points. From the Jewish perspective, the important differences
between the two belief systems relate to the nature of God, and
to the teachings of Moses.
Who is God?
Judaism worships the Almighty God. Jews believe that God
is not a physical being, nor can God be represented by a
physical being. God is not constrained by time or space. God
is all powerful and all knowing. God is one. The Jewish belief
about the oneness of God is described by the term “absolute
unity”. This means that any plural number cannot be used in
describing the essence of God. This is the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. This is the God who spoke to His people at
Sinai. The focus of Judaism is on God. The life of the Jew is
devoted to this God.
Christianity worships Jesus. Christianity believes that god is
one at the same time that he is three. The Christian god
consists of the father (who roughly parallels the Jewish God),
Jesus, and the holy ghost. These three are considered by the
Christian to be coequal members of the godhead. The focus of
Christianity is on Jesus. The life of the Christian is devoted to
Jesus.
What are the teachings of Moses?
Judaism believes that the law of Moses is a living law. It is
a law which can, and should be followed by a nation. A nation
which includes all types of people. The law of Moses is
applicable in all generations, and in all situations. The full
teachings of Moses include more than that which is written in
the five books of Moses. The five books of Moses only
contain the general structure of the law. Moses also taught the
definition of the law. These teachings of Moses which clarify
the law were not recorded in the five books, but rather, these
were retained in the collective memory of the nation. As a
static body of law the teachings of Moses require living people
to apply it to practical life. Moses taught the nation the
methods they are to use in order to render the law applicable to
every situation. When a Jew does not know how to apply the
law to a particular situation, he consults with the teachers who
are familiar with the methods of application which were taught
by Moses. The Jew finds practical guidance for daily life
within the law of Moses.
Christianity does not recognize any teachings of Moses
which are not recorded in the five books. Christianity rejects
the Jewish testimony which pertains to the practical
application of the law. Christianity believes that many of the
scriptural teachings of Moses are no longer relevant.
Christianity does not see in the law of Moses a guide to
practical living. (Indeed today some Messianic congregations
have taken steps towards recognizing the binding nature of the
law of Moses. These people are also beginning to realize the
importance of the defining teachings of Moses. But this is not
the traditional Christian position.)
From the Christian perspective, the important differences
between the Jewish and Christian belief systems, are the
differences in attitude towards atonement and the Messiah.
How does one achieve atonement for sin?
Judaism accepts that the only method for expiation of sin is
repentance. If one sincerely regrets his sins, confesses his guilt
before God, and redirects his life towards God, then God
forgives the sin. There are many actions through which one
can express the attitude of repentance. Prayer, charity, and
bringing offerings to God’s altar, are legitimate expressions of
a repentant heart. In some situations God commands us to
bring an offering to give expression to our repentance. But it is
the sincerity of the repentance which ultimately achieves the
reconciliation with God.
Christianity believes that the only method for atonement of
sin is through blood sacrifice. The only blood sacrifice which
can actually redeem from sin, is the sacrifice of Jesus. Through
worship of Jesus the Christian connects with the blood that
expiates his sins.
What is the role of the Messiah?
Judaism believes that the Messiah will be a human king. In
the time of the Messiah there will be universal peace. The
temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. The Jewish people will
return to the land of Israel. In the time of the Messiah everyone
on earth will be united in their worship of the God of Israel.
The Messiah will lead all of mankind in service of God.
Christianity believes that the Messiah is a human god.
Christianity believes that the chief role of the Messiah is to
die. Through the death of the Messiah the world is redeemed
of its sins. According to Christian theology, the Messiah will
come a second time. When the Messiah returns, then all those
who worshipped him will be rewarded, while those who
rejected him will be punished.
These are the basic differences between the two belief
systems. Judaism and Christianity differ on their
understanding of the essence of God, the teachings of Moses,
atonement, and the role of the Messiah. Judaism and
Christianity have different beliefs concerning these basic
matters. Only one set of beliefs can be true. Christian
missionaries spend much energy in an effort to convince Jews
that the Christian belief system is the one which is correct. All
the arguments of the missionaries are wasted on the
knowledgeable Jew.
In order for the Jew to be convinced that his belief system is
correct, he must be sure that the testimony of his nation is true.
If the Jewish nation is bearing true witness, then any belief
system which runs counter to their testimony must be false. If
the Jewish people are telling the truth when they testify that
God revealed Himself as an absolute unity, then any belief
system which denies the absolute unity of God must be false.
If the Jewish people are telling the truth when they testify that
Moses taught them a living teaching (Torah), then any belief
system which denies this fact must be false. It is not necessary
for the Jew to examine the testimony of other belief systems to
know that Judaism is true.
For the Christian to be convinced that his belief system is
true, it is not enough to be sure that the Christian scriptures are
reporting actual events. In order for the Christian to know that
his belief system is correct, he must also determine that the
Jewish nation is bearing false witness. For if the Jewish nation
is telling the truth, then even if Jesus performed all the
miracles which the Christian scriptures claim for him, he
would still be a fraud. If indeed God revealed himself at Sinai
as an absolute unity, then anyone who advocates worship of a
trinity is advocating idolatry. No miracle, no matter how
spectacular, can serve as justification to worship an idol. In
order to be an honest Christian one must be convinced that the
Jewish people are bearing false testimony.
TESTIMONY
The history of each of the world religions consists of two
periods. The first period is the formative period. This is the
time when the belief system was established. The formative
era is when the founders of the belief system came to believe
in that particular system. Generally this consists of a sequence
of events which convinced the founders of the religion as to
the veracity of the faith that they were about to adopt. Then
comes the era of transmission. This is the time period which
separates the foundation of the belief system and the present.
Each belief system must provide some way of transporting its
message safely through the ages. People who subscribe to any
particular belief system must be confident that the founders of
their belief system were correct in their assessment of the
situation. If there is no way to determine that the founders of
the religion were not mistaken, then it is naive to accept their
belief system. One must also be sure that the message of the
belief system did not get distorted through the passage of time.
If the method of transmission is not fool-proof, then again, it is
naive to accept the belief system. If there is no way to
ascertain the integrity of the transmission, then there is no way
of knowing that the belief system being presented is the same
system which was adopted by the founders of the faith.
The entire belief system which is Judaism is founded upon
two pieces of information. The first piece of information is the
simple fact that God is an absolute unity. The second piece of
information is the fact that Moses is the prophet of God. Both
of these pieces of information came to the Jewish people
directly from God. At Sinai, God revealed Himself to the
Jewish people. It is through this national prophecy that the
Jewish people came to know that God is absolutely one. At
Sinai, God spoke to Moses while the entire nation listened in.
This is how God demonstrated to His people that Moses is His
prophet. For forty years, Moses lived among the Jewish nation.
During these forty years the nation lived in seclusion. They ate
bread that rained down from heaven, and they drank water
which poured out from a rock. And during this time, Moses
taught them the law which God had revealed to him. When
Moses died, he left behind him a complete body of law.
Nothing can be added to the teaching of Moses, nor can
anything be detracted from it. With the death of Moses, the
formative era of Judaism came to a close.
After Moses, Judaism had many prophets and many
teachers. But the prophets and teachers did not come to
introduce a new law. The role of the prophets which followed
Moses, was to encourage the people to uphold the law of
Moses. The prophets were appointed by God to reprove the
nation when they went astray from the law of Moses, and to
guide the people in bringing their lives back in line with the
law of Moses. The prophets also took the basic themes
presented by Moses, such as the suffering of the Jewish nation
and their ultimate redemption, and illustrated how these
concepts would be played out. But never do the prophets add
or detract from the law of Moses.
The role of the teachers of the Jewish nation which
followed Moses, is to guide the people in the practical
application of the law of Moses. Using methods of deduction
which were laid down by Moses, the teachers of Israel draw
from within the law of Moses, precise instructions which
render the law of Moses applicable to every situation. But the
teachers did not introduce new law. The prophets and the
teachers did not participate in the formation of the Jewish
belief system. These men could not be involved in the
formation of Judaism. Moses remains the only man authorized
by God to deliver His holy law to the people.
Judaism recognizes the limited authority of the prophets
and the teachers, only because Moses taught that these men
should be granted this measure of authority. It is the law of
Moses which defines the terms; prophet, and teacher. And it is
the law of Moses which delineates the roles of the prophets
and the teachers. According to these guidelines, the Jewish
people recognized many great teachers and prophets. But these
men did not affect the formation of the belief system. The
formation of the Jewish belief system was completed by
Moses. At the time of Moses’s death the Jewish nation already
possessed a complete belief system.
The era of transmission began when Moses left his people
encamped on the eastern bank of the Jordan river. God chose
to transmit His message, through the living legacy of the
Jewish nation. By the time Moses died, the entire belief system
which is Judaism was firmly planted in the hearts and minds
of the Jewish nation. This belief system was the focal point of
their daily lives. The second generation was born into a nation
that worships the God of Sinai, and lives with the teachings of
Moses. It is through the living action and belief of an entire
nation that we receive the word of God.
The written word is also utilized in the transmission of the
Jewish belief system. The core of the teachings of Moses was
recorded by Moses in the five books. The words of some of
the prophets were also written down. Together, the five books
of Moses, and the books of the prophets, make up the Jewish
scriptures. The books of the Mishna and the Talmud, also play
a role in the process of transmitting the Jewish belief system
through the ages. The Mishna and the Talmud record many of
the decisions which were made by the teachers of Israel
pertaining to the application of the law. These books also
contain many of the teachings of Moses which were not
recorded by Moses in his five books. The books of scripture,
the Mishna, and the Talmud, enabled the nation to retain a vast
amount of knowledge. But the role of all of these books, is
secondary to the testimony of the living people. It is only the
testimony of the living people which informs us that these
books are authentic and authoritative. The fact that these
books were in the possession of a living nation, preserved the
accuracy of the texts. And it is only through the living legacy
of the nation that we can arrive at a true understanding of the
spirit of these books. The written word, no matter how
explicit, can always be misinterpreted.
The Jew can be confident that the testimony of his nation is
true. Both the formation of the belief system, and the
transmission of the system were national experiences. In order
to assume that the Jewish belief system is false, one must
accept that an entire nation is unanimously lying.
A Jew is born into a nation of witnesses. A child who is born into a
Jewish community in which the educational system is still
intact, enters a world of living Judaism. The Jewish
educational system is not limited to the scholastic experience.
The Jewish home, is the keystone of the Jewish educational
system. Long before the Jewish child can read, he has come to
know the Creator of the world. Through the simple faith of his
parents, the child begins to develop a real relationship with the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The living example of his
parents will teach the child what Sabbath means to the Jew.
Passover, Pentecost (Shavuot), and Tabernacles (Succoth), are
living realities in the Jewish home. Through the observance of
these holidays the Jewish child learns of the exodus, the
revelation at Sinai, and the seclusion of the Jewish nation in
the wilderness for forty years. (These were the formative
events of the Jewish belief system.)
As the child grows older, he is introduced to the holy books of Judaism. The child learns
the position that each of these books occupy, in the minds and
hearts of his people. The meaning and the spirit of these books
come alive for the child through the example of his parents
and teachers. The child comes to realize that this world of
Judaism is the same all over the globe. Wherever Jews who
are faithful to the teachings of their ancestors can be found, the
belief system is the same. Jews all over the world teach their
children to worship the Creator of the world who is absolutely
one.
Wherever Judaism is alive, Sabbath is the same, kosher
food is the same, and family purity is the same. Whenever the
Jew has a question concerning the law of Moses, he will
consult with the teachers of the law. All over the world, the
teachers of Israel use the same methods of deduction to
provide answers to the questions posed to them. The Jewish
people teach their children that this is how their parents taught
them to live, who learned it from their parents etc. in a chain
which extends back to Moses. There is no Jew alive today, nor
is there any record of a Jew, who claims to possess a deviant
tradition which goes back to Moses. All the Jews in history
who deviated from the unanimous practices of the nation,
admitted that they did not receive their deviant teachings from
the previous generation. There is only one belief system which
comes with the claim that it goes back to Moses. And that is
the Judaism into which the Jewish child is born. He knows
that his people are not lying. And he will pass on to his
children the testimony that he received from his parents.
Throughout history many people rejected or ignored the
national testimony of the Jewish people. The Jew faced the
rejection of these people with equanimity. The Jew saw that no
one else possesses a belief system which claims to have been
established by God on a national scale. No other belief
systems began its journey through time on a national level.
Every other belief system is placing its trust in the testimony
of individuals. Individuals can lie. Individuals can be
mistaken. A nation cannot unanimously lie. A nation cannot be
unanimously mistaken concerning concrete events which were
collectively experienced. As long as no rival belief system is
claiming a national revelation, the Jew can be confident that
Judaism is true. As long as Moses remains the only prophet
who had the truth of his mission attested to by God on a
national scale, the Jew can be confident that his teachings still
stand.
If the Jew faces other belief systems with equanimity, then
he faces Christianity with sheer amazement. Other belief
systems may reject the Jewish testimony outright. But
Christianity is different. Although Christianity rejects the
Jewish testimony, they still accept the Jewish scriptures.
The Jewish scripture is one of the pillars of the Christian faith. The
Christian claim to the messiah-ship of Jesus, is founded upon
the presumption that he fulfilled the prophecies of the Jewish
scriptures. If the Christians would recognize that Jesus did not
fulfill these prophecies, they would then admit that he is not
the Messiah.
All the alleged miracles of Jesus would be tossed
out the window if his message would be seen as running
contrary to Jewish scripture. It is only because Christians
believe that Jesus’s mission conforms with the vision of the
Jewish prophets, that they accept him as the Messiah.
Who were the prophets of Jewish scripture that the
Christian belief system considers their words so powerful?
How do we know that they really existed? And how do we
know that the books of scripture were indeed authored by
them? How can we know that these people were not frauds? In
the history of mankind few terms were misused as often as the
title “prophet”. What criteria was used to establish the
authenticity of the scriptural prophets?
The only way that the world knows of the existence of the
Jewish prophets is through the testimony of the Jewish people.
The Jewish nation bears witness that these men existed and
that the books of scripture were written by them. The Jewish
nation testifies that these men were able to demonstrate that
they were really sent by God. The criteria used to determine
the authenticity of the prophets were the teachings of Moses as
applied by the teachers of the Jewish nation. If these teachers
would not have acknowledged that the prophets of scripture
were authentic, we would not have their books today. The
testimony of the Jewish nation is the means through which the
message of the prophets travels through time.
But Christianity places no trust in the testimony of the
Jewish people. Christianity maintains that the Jewish people
are lying about the fundamental concepts of their belief
system. Christianity is founded upon the notion that the Jewish
people are bearing false witness concerning the revelation at
Sinai. All of Christendom admits that this was an event which
took place in the presence of the entire nation. Christianity
acknowledges that this revelation made it clear to the Jewish
people if God is, or isn’t, an absolute unity. The Jewish people
testify that God revealed Himself as an absolute unity. Yet
Christianity asserts that the Jews are unanimously lying, every
last one of them. Christianity believes that the Jewish people
falsely attribute to Moses a massive body of law which he
never taught. So how can Christianity be sure that this nation
of liars is not attributing the books of scripture to prophets
who never wrote them? Christianity accuses the Jewish nation
of maintaining loyalty to a fraudulent belief system. So how
can Christianity rely on the this same nation to sort out the
genuine prophets from the frauds?
The Jew accepts the words of the Jewish scripture based
upon the testimony of the Jewish people. But upon which
foundation does the Christian base his acceptance of Jewish
scripture?
Christianity uses the words of the Jewish prophets to lay
the groundwork of their belief system. At the same time
Christianity has total confidence that the Jewish nation is
bearing false witness. This is hypocrisy. Either the witness is
lying or he is telling the truth. It cannot be both.
SCRIPTURE
In the early years of Christianity, the Church came to the
realization that in order to establish its own credibility, it must
first discredit Judaism. There were many methods the Church
used in order to achieve this objective. These included
spreading lies about the Jews, teaching that the Jews are
children of the devil, and general vilification of the chosen
nation. The only attempt that the Church made to appeal to the
human intellect was their exploitation of the Jewish scriptures.
The Church attempted to present the Jewish scriptures as a
document which supports the Christian belief system, and as
one which stands in contradiction to the Jewish belief system.
The Church would have us believe that the authors of Jewish
scripture, namely; Moses and the prophets, all subscribed to
the Christian belief system. In order to substantiate this
preposterous theory, the Church spent millions of man-hours
combing the length and breadth of the Jewish scriptures. They
were looking for verses which could be read as supportive to
the Christian belief system. From the thousands of verses in
Jewish scripture, the Church has found a handful of statements
which could be manipulated to read as supportive of the
Christian belief system, and as standing in contradiction to
Judaism. The Church then presented these verses, together
with the Christian explanation of these verses, and made the
claim that the authors of these verses were Christians by
belief.
The Church proposes the argument that the Jewish
people are not loyal to their own holy books. Based on the
Christian interpretation of these verses (known as “prooftexts”)
the Church advances the theory, that the Jewish belief
system stands in direct contradiction to the sacred books
venerated by the Jewish people. According to the Christian
claim, the authors of these books subscribed to the Christian
belief system, while their disciples confused their message,
and created Judaism. The Church thus claims that Judaism
failed in the transmission of the very foundations of their
religion.
If indeed the Church has succeeded in demonstrating that the
Jewish belief system possesses inherent contradictions, then
the Jewish scriptures should be discarded. We must bear in
mind that it is only through the testimony of the Jewish people
that we have scripture. It was the religious leadership of the
Jewish people who determined the authenticity of the
scriptural prophets. If the Jewish method of transmission
managed to distort the very essence of their religion, then it is
foolhardy to accept their scriptural canon.
The truth of the matter is, that the Jewish nation has been
studying scripture since it was put down in writing. Every
word, and every nuance of the text is precious to the Jew. Jews
have been reading these “proof-texts” centuries before
Christianity was born. Each one of those verses has a classical
Jewish interpretation, which clearly explains how these verses
conform with the Jewish belief system. The Church maintains
that the Jewish interpretation is wrong. The Church asserts that
it is only an anti-Christian bias, which blinds the Jews from
seeing the true meaning of these verses. The problem with this
assertion is that many Christian scholars have come to agree
with the Jewish interpretation of these verses. These people
were not blinded by an anti-Christian bias, yet they accept the
Jewish understanding of these verses as honest interpretation.
It seems perhaps, that the Church is operating under a bias. It
is this pro-Christian bias which causes them to read these
verses as proof to the veracity of the Christian belief system.
Much of the missionary effort to attract Jews to Christianity
is focused on these proof-texts. These are the verses in the
Jewish scripture which Christians see as supportive of their
belief system. These verses relate to the areas of difference
between the Jewish and Christian belief systems. The verses
which the missionaries use as proof-texts are not the only
verses which speak about these subjects. Jewish scripture
gives a lot of coverage to each of these subjects, and the proof-
texts form only a small segment of the overall picture which
scripture presents. Scripture gives us a clear picture
concerning each of these subjects. The general message of
scripture conforms with the Jewish belief system. The few
missionary proof-text verses are generally vague and
ambiguous. If the Christian interpretation of these verses is
honest, then we would be facing an inherent contradiction
within scripture itself. If one would not know the Jewish
interpretation for a given proof-text, the honest thing to do is
to say “I don’t know what it means” rather than assume that
this verse stands in contradiction to the general message of
scripture.
Judaism and Christianity differ in their attitudes towards the
essence of God, the teachings of Moses, atonement, and the
Messiah. What is the clarity that scripture gives us on these
subjects? What is the overall message of scripture? In this
brief study we will not examine the missionary proof-texts. It
will suffice for us to see that the Jewish belief system is firmly
rooted in the words of the prophets.
1 The essence of God
The Jewish scriptures testify that God revealed Himself to
the entire body of the Jewish nation. The entire nation heard
God’s voice proclaim “I am the Lord your God who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You
shall not have any other gods beside Me.” This is how God
demonstrated to His people who it is they are to worship. At
the same time God was teaching the people whom they are not
to worship. Worship of anyone other than the God who
brought the nation out of Egypt, is idolatry. The Jewish
scriptures testify that the Sinaitic revelation was an allinclusive
demonstration. After the revelation at Sinai there can
be no room for doubt. Concerning this revelation Moses tells
the Jewish people “To you it was demonstrated in order that
you know that the Lord is the God, there is none beside Him.”
The people who were privileged to witness this great
revelation were commanded “you should make it known to
your children and to your children’s children.” When God
commands the nation to kill people who are involved with
idolatry, He makes reference to this revelation. In those cases
where the death penalty is to be implemented, God identifies
the idol by the simple terms “that which I have not
commanded” or “those which you do not know.” It is clear
that God expects the Jewish people to identify the idol by
process of elimination. If this is not what you were
commanded to worship, then it is another god. The Jewish
people testify that God revealed himself at Sinai as an absolute
unity. Worship of anyone else, is by definition, idolatry. (The
biblical quotations in the preceding paragraph can be found in Exodus
chapter 20, and Deuteronomy chapters 4, 13, and 18.)
No one ever claimed that it was Jesus who was revealed to
the Jewish people at Sinai. The first worshipers of Jesus did
not claim that with their worship they were following a
tradition which goes back to Sinai. According to the definition
of scripture, worship of Jesus is idolatry.
The Jewish people were granted a revelation in order that
they should know whom to worship. This was an extra. It is
clear from Jewish scripture that God expects the human
conscience to be able to distinguish between worship of God,
and idolatry. Time and time again, the prophets appeal to
human logic, and sometimes even to human humor in order to
demonstrate the evil of idolatry. Jeremiah exclaims (Jer.
10:11) “Tell them, gods that did not create heaven and earth
should go lost from this earth and from beneath these
heavens.” Jeremiah is pointing out the absurdity which is
inherent in worship of anyone aside from the Creator. A god
who operates in an arena which he did not create, is no god.
Similarly, Isaiah points out the foolishness of placing faith in a
human-being. (Is. 2:22) “Cease ye of man that has breath in
his nostrils for of what worth is he.” Isaiah is demonstrating
the futility of worshipping a man. If he is dependent on a
constant supply of oxygen for his own well being, then how is
he going to help you?
Worship of a human being, is abhorrent to the human
conscience. Yet this is what Christianity advocates. Whichever
way you wrap it, Christianity is pointing to a man, and saying
“that is god”. Scripture is clear that when it comes to idolatry,
you should not ignore the cry of your conscience. Again, by
scriptural definition, worship of Jesus is idolatry.
2 The teachings of Moses
Judaism testifies that Moses taught them an entire body of
law which defines the scriptural commandments. Judaism also
testifies that the law of Moses authorizes people to make
decisions in order to implement scriptural law. These
decisions are binding upon the entire nation. Christianity
rejects this testimony. Christianity asserts that Moses taught no
more than what he wrote in the five books. And he certainly
didn’t authorize anyone to make decisions concerning the
application of God’s law.
Upon examining scripture, one discovers that the Christian
rejection of the Jewish position is illogical. If we read scripture
with the Christian position in mind, we will find that the
teachings of Moses are practically meaningless. Take the
scriptural holidays as an example. God directs His people to
celebrate the holiday of Passover. Anyone who eats leaven
during this holiday is liable to the divine punishment of having
his soul cut off. This is to take place from the fourteenth day to
the twenty-first day of the first month. Scripture does not tell
us when this first month is to begin. In fact, scripture says
nothing about the construction of a calendar. If we assume that
Moses was told nothing more than what he wrote in the five
books, then we are facing a serious problem. How are we
expected to know when Passover is going to begin? It is
obvious that Moses was told by God how to construct a
calendar which would determine when God’s holidays are to
be celebrated. Indeed the Jewish people testify that Moses
taught them how to construct a calendar which would
determine the times of the scriptural holidays. Throughout
history this is the calendar that the Jews have been following.
The Jews observed the holidays according to the teachings of
Moses which were not recorded in the five books.
There are many groups today who subscribe to the Christian
belief system, but at the same time they attempt to observe the
scriptural holidays. These people observe Passover on the
same days that the Jewish nation celebrates Passover. This is
hypocrisy. If indeed these people believe that Moses was
taught nothing which he did not record in the five books, they
should construct their own scriptural calendar. And if they
admit that there were some teachings of Moses which were not
recorded in scripture, then they should ask themselves the
following questions. How did God expect us to learn of these
unwritten teachings of Moses? What means did God use to
transport this information to us? If God considered the
testimony of the nation a reliable means of transporting a
complicated calendar, then how can these people be so
confident that the testimony of this same nation is not reliable
concerning simple matters, such as the absolute unity of God?
Scripture is equally clear concerning the authority of the
teachers of Israel to render decisions concerning God’s law. In
chapter 17 of Deuteronomy, Moses directs the people to
consult with the courts. The decision of the court is to be
heeded. One who blatantly ignores the court decision should
be put to death. Similarly, we find in chapter 19 of second
Chronicles, how the righteous king Jehoshaphat fulfilled this
directive of Moses. The chapter describes how Jehoshaphat
established courts in the land of Judah and in the city of
Jerusalem. The king refers to two leaders to whom the judges
can turn to with their questions. One was to direct the courts
concerning God’s law, while the other officer’s role was to
decide matters which pertain to the king. It is quite clear that
the scriptures expected these judges to make decisions
concerning the application of God’s law.
In chapters 13 and 17 of Deuteronomy, Moses directs the
entire nation to participate in the execution of people involved
with idolatry. It is obvious that the guilt of these lawbreakers
was determined by a court of qualified judges. Yet the entire
nation is commanded to implement the decision of these men.
It is clear that not only does God authorize men to make
decisions concerning the implementation of His holy law, but
God also instructs the Jewish people to abide by these
decisions.
3 Atonement
The Jewish belief system maintains that it is only
repentance, turning back to God, that can achieve atonement
for sin. The worship of Jesus, can do nothing to help expiate
sin. Christianity on the other hand maintains that it is worship
of Jesus which achieves atonement for sin. Repentance can do
nothing to achieve atonement for sin. (Some prominent
Christian scholars concede the point and admit that repentance
plays an important role in the process of expiating sin. They
believe that it is repentance together with the blood of Jesus
which gains God’s forgiveness. But this opinion is not
accepted by the vast majority of Evangelical Christians.)
The Jewish position is firmly rooted in scripture. The book
of Jonah describes how the wicked people of Nineveh were
threatened with destruction. The inhabitants of that city
repented and as a result, God rescinded the decree of
destruction. The prophet Ezekiel (in chapters 18 and 33) tells
the people ‘and the wicked, should he repent from all his sins
that he has done and he will keep all my statutes and do
justice and righteousness, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
All his iniquity shall not be remembered against him, in the
righteousness that he has done he shall live.” These are not
isolated passages in scripture. The concept of repentance is
one of the predominant themes in scripture.
The Christian cannot point to any one verse in scripture
which will tell you that repentance does not bring about the
expiation of sin. Nor can the Christian find a verse which
states that worship of the messiah can achieve atonement. The
Christian attempts to assemble several scriptural themes,
which when pieced together, point to the Christian system of
atonement. This type of argument has an obvious weakness.
Since there is no explicit scriptural quotation to support the
Christian position, then it must rely on the capabilities of
human analysis to draw accurate conclusions from a
complicated conglomeration of scriptural themes. There is
simply too much room for error. When we pit this argument
against the straightforward statements which support the
Jewish position, we are pitting human reason against the
explicit word of God.
When one examines the scriptural themes which the
Christians quote to support their position, it becomes clear that
not only do these themes fail to lend support to the Christian
argument, but these themes actually testify against the
Christian position.
The Christians point to the scriptural theme of the sinful
nature of man. If man is so sinful, then how can his repentance
count for anything before God? Indeed, scripture declares
“how can one born of a woman be righteous?” (Job 15:14)
This sits well with the Jewish belief system. Judaism believes
that indeed every created being must be imperfect before God.
But it is the Christian belief system which stands in
contradiction to this basic scriptural teaching. The entire
Christian belief system is founded upon the notion that one
born of a woman was totally righteous.
The Christian scriptures (Ro. 4) quote the verse in Genesis
15, where it says that God credited Abraham’s faith to him for
righteousness. The Christian argument is that only faith can
count before God as righteousness, and not action. But whom
did Abraham place his faith in? It certainly was not Jesus. It is
the Jew’s faith in the words of the God of Abraham which
leads him to believe all that God has taught. It is the God of
Abraham who said “return to me and I shall return to you”
(Mal. 3), and the Jewish nation takes God on His word.
Christians point to the scriptural concept of blood sacrifice.
The law of Moses spends so much time describing the various
offerings. Does this not demonstrate clearly how blood
sacrifice is central to the atonement process? But what is a
blood sacrifice? A blood sacrifice was an offering brought by a
sinner to God’s altar as an expression of his repentant heart.
Some of the sacrifices were national offerings. These offerings
were paid for, through a fund which was replenished every
year by a collection taken from each individual Jew. These
offerings were brought in the Temple which was built by the
Jewish people. The national offerings were an expression of
the entire nation’s sincere desire to be reconciled with God.
But according to the Christian belief system no action on
man’s part could bring about atonement for sin. The blood
offerings of scripture testify that man’s action can, and do
achieve atonement for sin.
4) Messiah
This is how Moses describes the Messianic era (Deut. 30).
“And it shall be that all these things come upon you, the
blessing and the curse that I have set down before you, and
you will bring it to your heart amongst all the nations that the
Lord your God has driven you. And you shall return unto the
Lord your God and you shall hearken to His voice according
to all that I command you today, you and your children, with
all your heart and with all your soul. And the Lord your God
will return your captivity and He will have compassion upon
you, and he will return and gather you from all the nations
that the Lord your God has scattered you there. If your
outcasts be at the ends of the heaven, from there will the Lord
your God gather you and from there will He fetch you. And the
Lord your God will bring you to the land which your ancestors
inherited, and you shall inherit it, and He will do you good
and He will multiply you more than your ancestors. And the
Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of
your children to love the Lord your God with all your heart
and all your soul for the sake of your life. And the Lord your
God shall place all these curses upon your enemies and upon
those that hate you who have persecuted you. And you will
return and hearken to the voice of the Lord and you shall do
all His commandments that I command you today. And the
Lord your God will make you plenteous in all the work of your
hands, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle,
and in the fruit of your land, for good, for the Lord will turn to
rejoice over you for good just as he rejoiced over your
ancestors. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord your
God to keep His commandments and statutes which are
written in this book of teaching, when you return to the Lord
your God with all your heart and all your soul.”
The prophets of scripture elaborated upon the basic
messianic theme presented by Moses. The prophets describe in
great detail, the ingathering of the Jewish exile, the rebuilding
of the land of Israel, the temple in Jerusalem, peace on earth,
and universal knowledge of God. The prophets provided a
clear and unambiguous picture of the age of the Messiah. The
fact that these prophecies were not fulfilled tells us that the
Messiah has not arrived. But these prophecies tell us more
than that. These prophecies testify that when the Messiah does
arrive he will not be a Christian. What would a Christian
Messiah do in a world in which obedience to God is expressed
through observance of the law of Moses? Who would the
Christian Messiah teach, in a world that looks to the Aaronic
priests for guidance in their observance of God’s law? (Ezekiel
45:23) For whom would the Christian Messiah be providing
atonement, in a world which sees the blood offerings of Moses
being offered in the Jerusalem temple as they were in days of
old? Not only do the Jewish prophets tell us nothing about the
Christian Messiah, but they leave no room for him in their 29
vision of the future.
In the face of the explicit message of the Jewish scriptures,
the missionaries quote these same prophets to lend support for
their version of the role of the Messiah. It will suffice us to
point out that every one of the Christian proof-texts is a
subject of debate, even amongst Christian scholars, as to their
true interpretation. There is no way one can honestly invoke
these difficult and ambiguous passages to support a position
which stands in contradiction to the entire messianic theme
presented by the prophets.
All in all, the message of scripture is quite clear. One who
reads the Jewish scriptures from cover to cover will certainly
encounter many vague and ambiguous passages, but at the
same time he will find clarity concerning the most basic
subjects. Scripture leaves the reader with no doubt that the
Jewish people are the witnesses to whom God chose to reveal
His glory. Scripture leaves the reader with no doubt, that the
law of Moses is a living law which applies to every generation.
Scripture is abundantly clear that sincere repentance achieves
God’s forgiveness for sin. And the picture the Jewish prophets
painted of the Messianic age is a complete portrait which
leaves no room for a dying god who is supposed to be an all
atoning sacrifice.
The traditional Jew was never moved by the Christian
argument. When the Jew rejected Christianity it was with
confidence and with clarity. The Jew’s rejection of
Christianity is founded upon the testimony of an entire nation.
A nation whom God Himself chose as His witnesses. The
clarity of the Jewish rejection is reflected in the words of the
Jewish prophets. This is what empowered our nation to
overcome all obstacles and preserve the message which was
handed to them at Sinai. The message is still intact. Come and
learn.
NOTE: The following section is included, not because it
reflects the attitude of the Jew’s rejection of Christianity. The
Jew never saw a need to examine the testimony of Christianity
in order to expose its emptiness. A clear understanding of the
Jewish testimony is all that is required for the Jew to be
confident in his rejection of Christianity. The reason this
section was included is because it illustrates how an
accusation to the effect, that a given belief system failed in the
transmission of its message can be substantiated.
THE TESTIMONY OF CHRISTIANITY
The formative era of the Christian belief system, was the
time that Jesus revealed his teachings to his disciples. The fact
that the disciples understood that Jesus fulfilled certain
prophecies of the Jewish scriptures, and the miracles that Jesus
allegedly performed, established his credibility in the eyes of
his followers. Once his credibility was established, his
disciples accepted his teachings. The entire Christian belief
system should be contained within the teachings of Jesus.
Judaism rejects the Christian belief system at its foundation.
According to the Jewish belief system, the disciples of Jesus
were mistaken. Christianity claims that Jesus taught that he is
god. The disciples should never have accepted this claim.
Both, the national testimony of the Jewish people, and the
human conscience, equate worship of a human being with
idolatry. All the miracles that the disciples believed that Jesus
performed, and all the prophecies that the disciples thought
that Jesus fulfilled, cannot justify idolatry. Judaism does not
recognize the authority of the founders of Christianity, to
establish the type of belief system which is credited to them.
The formative era of the Jewish belief system, was the time
that the Jewish nation were in the desert, on their way from
Egypt to the land of Israel. The national revelation at Sinai,
and the teachings of Moses, form the basis of the Jewish belief
system. Christianity recognizes the authority of the founders of
Judaism. Christianity acknowledges that whatever God
revealed to the Jewish nation, and that whatever Moses taught,
is absolutely true. Christianity does not reject Judaism at its
foundation. Christianity rejects Judaism, because it questions
the integrity of the transmission of the Jewish belief system.
Christianity accuses Judaism of distorting the original
teachings of their founders. Christianity makes this accusation
despite the fact that;
a) it was God Himself who established the method through
which the Jewish belief system should be transmitted to all
generations,
b) from its inception, the Jewish belief system was in the
hands of a nation,
c) there is only one belief system which claims a direct line of
tradition which goes back to Moses,
d) the Christian accusation is self-contradictory, (Christianity
accepts the Jewish scriptures, while rejecting the testimony of
the Jewish nation which is the only basis for accepting the
veracity of the Jewish scriptures)
e) the scriptural evidence presented to substantiate this
accusation is practically, nonexistent,
f) there is no historical evidence to substantiate the accusation.
(there is no point in Jewish history which Christians can point
to and say “here is where the Jewish method of transmission
went wrong”)
In spite of all this, Christianity places its full faith in this
accusation. If this accusation is false, and the Jewish nation
truly managed to preserve the original message of their
founders, then Christianity is the greatest fraud perpetrated
upon mankind. Christianity admits to this. Still, they are fully
confident that Judaism is a distortion of the teachings of its
original founders.
We will now turn our focus upon the Christian method of
transmission. Which method does Christianity rely on, in order
to transmit its message throughout the ages? How does
Christianity attempt to preserve the original teachings of
Jesus? The Evangelical Christian will answer these questions
by pointing to the books of the Christian scriptures. According
to Evangelical Christianity, these books should have
accurately preserved the message of the founders of
Christianity. We will note that;
a) Jesus, the god of Christianity did not write any of these
books. Neither did he specify that any of these books be
written. In fact Jesus did not authorize anyone to teach in his
name except for his immediate disciples. Jesus expected to
return in the lifetime of his immediate disciples, so he saw no
need in establishing a chain of tradition.
b) The entire Christian tradition is founded upon the testimony
of individuals.
c) There were many groups in the early years of Christianity,
each claiming a direct tradition which goes back to the
disciples of Jesus. Each of these groups had a distinctly
different belief system. Some of these groups had their own
version of the Christian scriptures. (Those divergent gospels
did not survive the centuries of Church censorship.)
In spite of all this, Evangelical Christianity places its full
faith in these books of Christian scripture. Evangelical
Christianity is totally confident that these books represent the
original teachings of Jesus.
An unbiased reading of the Christian scriptures will reveal
that this confidence is misplaced. Not only do the Christian
scriptures reveal that Jesus did not teach Evangelical
Christianity, but these books provide the historical evidence
necessary to substantiate the accusation that the Church
distorted the original teachings of Jesus.
In order to make this accusation against Christianity, it is
not necessary to grant that the Christian scriptures are anything
more than the words of men. We recognize that the Christian
scriptures were written in the later half of the first century of
the common era. These books were written by men who
believed a certain way, and we expect these books to reflect
their beliefs. We do not read these books in order to discover
direct words of truth. We can only hope to gain an
understanding as to how the writers of these books viewed the
world. And more importantly, we will discover how these
writers wanted the world to view them.
The authors of the Christian scriptures describe the
development of the early church in the following manner.
Jesus was a Jewish man, who lived in the land of Israel. When
he was about thirty years old, he began to travel throughout the
country. For about three years, Jesus traveled and taught. By
the time Jesus died, he had created a small following. All of
his followers were Jews. Prominent among Jesus’s followers
were his twelve disciples. These disciples formed a
community with its center in Jerusalem. The community of
Jesus’s followers was lead by James, a brother of Jesus. This
community is referred to as the “Jerusalem Church”. In the
years following Jesus’s death, the Jerusalem Church grew in
size. At one point, the authors of Christian scriptures claim
that they numbered several thousand. But the members of this
church were all Jews.
Christianity reached the non-Jewish world through the
person of Paul. Paul traveled the length and breadth of the
Mediterranean, teaching the gentile world about Jesus. Paul
founded many churches throughout the Roman Empire. The
churches which Paul established were predominantly gentile.
The Christian scriptures end their narrative at this point.
They leave the reader at the historical point where there are
two churches; the Jewish church of James, and the gentile
church of Paul.
History tells us that the Jewish church of James did not
survive as a separate entity. By the time Christianity became
the established religion of the Roman Empire, there were
almost no Jewish Christians left. The few Jewish Christians
which still existed, were persecuted as heretics by the gentile
church. All of Christianity as it exists today, was transmitted
through the body of the gentile church. The books of Christian
scripture were products of the gentile church. They may have
included in these books, material which came from the Jewish
Christians. But the gentile church was the editor of this
material. It was the gentile church who determined the
contents of the Christian scriptures, and who transmitted these
texts to the future generations.
In order to be convinced that the gentile church is truly
transmitting the original message of Jesus, one must determine
that Paul’s teachings conformed with the teachings of Jesus.
The gentile church only learned of Jesus through the teachings
of Paul. If Paul’s teachings were not synonymous with the
teachings of Jesus, then the gentile church does not possess the
original message of Jesus.
To determine Paul’s connection to Jesus, we will turn to the
books of Christian scripture. It is clear that the editors of these
books were strongly motivated to present Paul as one who is
faithfully transmitting the original message of Jesus. Yet even
these biased writers, were not able to do so.
The Christian scriptures describe the basis of Paul’s mission
in the following manner. Paul never saw Jesus in real life.
Neither did Paul learn of Jesus’s teachings through the
disciples of Jesus. Paul emphatically states (in the 1st and 2nd
chapters of Galatians) that no living person was involved in
transmitting Jesus’s message to him. Paul only learned of the
teachings of Jesus through a series of visions. In these visions,
Jesus appeared to him and imparted his teachings. Paul’s
entire message was the product of these visions.
The only way we can verify the truth of Paul’s claim, is by
determining the reaction of Jesus’s disciples to Paul’s
message. These men who lived with Jesus and heard him
teach, could compare the teachings that they heard, to the
prophecy of Paul. How did the Jewish following of James
react to Paul’s claim to prophecy?
Paul makes the claim (Galatians 2:9) that the leaders of the
Jerusalem Church acknowledged the fact that he was
appointed (by the dead Jesus) as a messenger to the gentiles.
But Paul was lying. James and the Jerusalem Church never
acknowledged the validity of Paul’s visions. It is the Christian
scriptures themselves who contradict Paul’s claim.
The 15th chapter of the book of Acts, describes how the
leadership of the Jerusalem Church disregarded Paul’s claim
to prophecy. Paul had come to Jerusalem. He had been
preaching to the gentiles that they are not required to practice
the law of Moses. Some members of the Jerusalem Church
disagreed with Paul. They felt that in order for a gentile to join
their following, he should be required to observe the law of
Moses. This question was brought before the leadership of the
Jerusalem Church. The elders of the church discussed the
question, and James handed down his decision. His judgment
was that the gentiles were not obligated to observe the entirety
of the law of Moses as a prerequisite to joining the Christian
community. But he stipulated that the gentiles were obligated
to observe certain dietary laws, and to avoid immorality.
If Paul was telling us the truth when he claimed that the
leadership of the Jerusalem Church acknowledged him as a
true prophet, then this story makes no sense. Here we have
Paul, who was personally appointed by the dead Jesus as his
emissary to the gentile world. Whatever Paul taught was
personally revealed to him in these prophetic visions. One of
the central teachings of Paul was that the gentile world is not
bound by the law of Moses. Yet when the leaders of the
Jerusalem Church are in doubt as to what Jesus would have
said concerning the gentiles, they discuss the question, and
look to James for guidance. If there was any truth to Paul’s
claim, that these leaders acknowledged the truth of his
prophecy, then they should have simply asked him “what did
Jesus tell you?” The fact that they considered the question, and
the method that they used to resolve the question, clearly tells
us that these men did not believe that Jesus had ever spoken to
Paul. The author of the book of Acts, his bias
notwithstanding, could not hide this simple fact.
The difference between the gentile church founded by Paul,
and the Jerusalem Church founded by Jesus, was not limited to
the question of the authenticity of Paul’s prophecy. These two
institutions espoused two totally different philosophies. The
central teaching of Pauline Christianity is, that faith in the
redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, is the only valid method through
which atonement for sin can be achieved. The entire
philosophy of Paul, revolves around this one teaching.
Evangelical Christianity is founded upon this basic teaching of
Paul. If you were to ask an Evangelical Christian to sum up his
belief system in one sentence, he would respond with this
point. That faith in Jesus is the only redemption from sin. In
fact the entire concept of the messiah-ship of Jesus is basically
limited to this one point. Jesus is the messiah of Evangelical
Christians, only because they believe that his death provided
atonement for sin.
But the Jerusalem Church which was established by Jesus, and which was guided by his disciples, did not believe in this teaching of Paul. They did not believe that faith in Jesus could effectively atone for their sins.
But the Jerusalem Church which was established by Jesus,
and which was guided by his disciples, did not believe in this
teaching of Paul. They did not believe that faith in Jesus could
effectively atone for their sins. This is demonstrated by the
testimony of the Christian scriptures. The 21st chapter in the
book of Acts reports that the normal activities of the members
of the Jerusalem Church included the offering of animals for
the explicit purpose of the expiation of sin. The book of Acts
describes how four members of the Jerusalem Church had
taken a Nazirite vow. This means that they had voluntarily
brought themselves into a situation where they would be
required (by the law of Moses) to bring an animal as a sin
offering. It is clear that these people saw in the temple
offerings a valid method for the expiation of sin. If they
believed as Paul did, that Jesus died for their sins once and for
all, then there would be no point in bringing a sin offering in
the temple. The fact that the Jerusalem Church still
participated in the temple offerings after Jesus had died, tells
us that they did not see in Jesus’s death an all atoning
sacrifice. These people were not Evangelical Christians.**
The Christian scriptures provides both the theological and
the historical justification to the accusation that Christianity
has failed in the transmission of its own message. The
Christian scriptures tell us that the disciples of Jesus never
believed the fundamental teaching of Evangelical Christianity.
These people who lived with Jesus and heard him preach did
not believe, that with the death of Jesus, the world is redeemed
of its sins. The Christian scriptures also tell us, at which
historical point the break in the transmission occurred. These
books tell us that Paul, the father of modern Christianity, had
no connection to Jesus. Christianity is an edifice erected upon
the testimony of one man. All of Christianity stands upon
Paul’s word that Jesus appeared to him. The only people that
were qualified to verify Paul’s claim, contradicted him to his
face. This emerges from the pages of the very books which
Christianity regards as true witnesses to its claims.
SUMMARY
Judaism and Christianity are two different belief systems.
Each one of these belief systems categorically rejects the
fundamental teachings of the other.
Christian missionaries attempt to persuade Jews to abandon
Judaism in favor of Christianity. In their efforts at achieving
this objective, the missionaries try to present logical arguments
which would justify a conversion from Judaism to
Christianity. The typical missionary sales pitch has the
missionary pointing to a verse in the Jewish scriptures which
seems to be supporting the Christian belief system. Essentially,
the missionary argument is that the original teachers of
Judaism (the authors of Jewish scripture) were Christians by
belief. If Jews today are not Christians, it is only because they
have distorted the message of their original teachers. This is
the thrust of the missionary argument.
The Jew cannot accept this argument for several reasons.
1) It was God Himself who established the original Jewish
belief system. The missionary admits as much. It is clear that
God expected the message of Judaism to be available to the
last generations. The means through which God transmitted
His message, is the national testimony of the Jewish people. If
God deemed the living testimony of this nation to be a reliable
method of transmitting His message, the Jew will not differ.
2) The missionary argument has an entire nation
unanimously corrupting the essence of their belief system. In
order for the missionary argument to be true, one must accept
one of the following scenarios. Either a national conspiracy is
involved, or a nation unanimously made the same series of
mistakes. Both of these are statistical improbabilities.
3) The missionary argument is self-contradictory. If the
Jewish nation managed to corrupt the very essence of their
belief system, then there is no reason to accept the sanctity of
Jewish scripture. It is only through the testimony of the Jewish
nation that we know these books to be sacred. If the national
testimony of the Jews cannot be trusted, then there is no way
of knowing that there is any authenticity to the books of
Jewish scripture.
4) The authors of Jewish scripture were quite clear about
their beliefs. And they were not Christians.
As a general rule the Jew felt no need to counter every
missionary argument. However, it often happened that the
Church would force the Jew to respond to each of the
missionary arguments. Many books contain a record the
Jewish responses to the various missionary arguments. Any
decent Jewish library will include some of these books. In
addition, many of the prominent Jewish commentators of
scripture will explain why Jews do not accept the missionary
interpretation of a given verse. (These include, but are not
limited to, the commentaries of Ibn Ezra, and Abarbenel.) It is
not difficult to find Jewish responses to the individual
missionary arguments. Furthermore, many Christian scholars
have come to recognize the dishonesty of the various
missionary applications of Jewish scripture.
There is yet another factor which should be taken into
consideration when we examine the missionary argument.
There is an old Jewish saying which advises “before you point
to the splinter between the eyes of your friend, remove the
beam from between your own eyes”. If the missionary
demands that the Jew search the Jewish scriptures for evidence
that the original teachers of Judaism were not Jews by belief,
then the missionary should first search the Christian scriptures.
Had the missionaries the honesty to undertake this search, they
would discover sufficient evidence to substantiate the theory
that Jesus, James and Peter were not Christians. In place of the
futile attempt to assail the solid foundations of Judaism, the
missionary should examine the breaches in his own house.
LISTEN TO RABBI TOVIA SINGER: BEARERS OF THE TORCH
