Greetings:
Did the attitude of the Hebrews
toward Jesus the Christ lay the seeds for Anti-Semitism? God proclaimed the Old
and the New Covenant. God also ordained the Old and New Testaments. Rejection and
denial have been major factors in the history of the Hebrew people. However the
rejection and denial of Blacks in the Diaspora have been external and not of
their own.
Peace,
Carl A. Patton, FreedomJournal
THE ENIGMATIC HEBREWS
Part 9: Judaism and The Messiah
In
the name of God, Master of the universe, Ruler of the earth.
The word Christ means the Anointed
One. It is also the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. The Old
Testament Scriptures presented the concept of the promised Messiah. The
absolute existence of the Messiah is found in John 8:58. The Messiah belonging
to eternity is also revealed in the Old and New Testament.
In Genesis 1:1 we see the revelation
of the Messiah as noted in John 1:1 Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth." God is an infinite Being that has
always existed. In the beginning is not used concerning time, but to order of
events.
John 1:1. "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In the
beginning is not concerning time because time never had a beginning nor did
God. John is considering the work of the Creation noted in Genesis Chapter 1.
John is also speaking of Jesus about the Word.
When the prophet Isaiah glimpsed the
glory of God he was seeing the Christ (John 12:41). Isaiah is often called the
Prince of Prophets and the Evangelical Prophet, because he said more about the
Kingdom of Christ than all the other Prophets combined. For example Isaiah,
often spoke as if he was an eye witness of the future events which he describes
in Chapter 53 as the Crucifixion. This is the most Messianic Prophecy in the
Old Testament.
Moses and the prophets spoke of Him
(John 5:46; Luke 24:27, 44). Also, prominent Old Testament passages of the
predictive nature of the Messiah are:
Genesis 3:15; Deuteronomy 18:15, 18;
Psalms 2, 16, 22,110; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; 11; 42:1-4; 52:
13-53; 12; 61: 1-2; Jeremiah 23: 5-6;
Micah 5:2.
Therefore before His Advent Christ
had thoroughly identified Himself with his people, so that when He came, He
came unto His own (John 1:11). However, Jesus was not accepted by his brethren
as the Messiah. Thus, many people who embraced Judaism rejected the ministry of
Christianity that followed His resurrection and ascension.
Nonetheless Jesus was the founder of
Christianity. He was also a Hebrew raised in Judaism. Jesus was born in the
first quarter of the 1st century. Although rejected as the Messiah, many Jews
did consider Jesus a miracle worker, magician, healer and prophet.
The followers of Jesus established a
new sect of Judaism that became Christianity. Within this new religion Jesus
was noted as the son of God. The sources for the life and death of Jesus are
found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; These Books were written
in the last quarter of the 1st century.
Meanwhile the Hebrew people that
embraced Judaism still wait on the promise of the Messiah. Thus the evidence of
Jesus as the Messiah is refuted by the Hebrew religious community. Therefore
many Hebrew (Jewish) religious scholars argue that:
"In historical writing in the
ancient world and mythic historic religious writing it was common practice to
put fictitious speeches in the mouths of the characters of history."
These scholars go further to clarify
these arguments by noting the following:
"In the 5th century B.C. Greek
historians Herodotus and Thucydides admitted that they made up speeches for
various characters according to the occasion."
For the record do these same Jewish
scholars apply this logic to the Torah and the Dead Sea Scrolls? The Torah and
the Dead Sea Scrolls are surely ancient writings. However Herodotus and
Thucydides were not known to have written any of the early scriptures.
The conflict of Judaism and
Christianity continued. Thus, conflict was influenced by the revelation that
Jesus the Christ was the Messiah. This led to the arrest and execution of
Jesus. His resurrection on the third day signaled a new day for all people on
earth. Thus they proclaimed Jesus a Spiritual Messiah, the son of God and God
incarnate.
With the death, resurrection and
ascension of Jesus, the seeds of Christianity were firmly planted. Peter and
Paul became the dominant figures in the early Christian church. Peter believed
that Christians should follow Jewish law. However Paul believed that the future
of Christianity lay with Gentile Christians who need not observe Jewish law.
Paul after converting to Christianity
began to preach that Jesus was the Messiah. From 35-48 A.D. he established
Christian churches as the first Christian missionary. By the 4th century A.D.
Christianity had over shadowed Judaism and became the official religion of the
Roman Empire. Thus, Judaism became dominated by Christianity and Islam. After
the 4th century A.D. the majority of Jews lived in Christian lands. After the
7th century a large number lived under Islam. Therefore, the history of Judaism
is interwoven with the history of Christianity, and Islam.
Paul believed that Christianity could
not spread as a universal religion unless made acceptable to the Gentiles and
freed from Jewish law. Thus, Judaism is the foundation of Christianity. The
transition from the Old covenant to the New covenant is part of the Divine
plan. In contrast Christians see Judaism as the foundation but Jews reject the
transition to Christianity.
Meanwhile, the question of
anti-Semitism comes up. Hebrews and Jews see anti-Semitism in the following
areas:
1. The belief of Jews in their own
religion for thousands of years.
2. Refusal too convert to
Christianity.
3. Claim that God's Covenant is with
them.
Gentiles also put forth other reasons
for anti-Semitism:
1. The Jews' involvement with the
death of Christ.
2. The Economics of Judaism.
Cont. Part 10: Anti-Semitism: Race, Religion, or
Economics
Return to Enigmatic Hebrews Page
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