Jesus the Jew
It’s easy to forget sometimes that Jesus wasn’t a Christian.
Despite his revolutionary teachings and heterodox approaches, he was
considered a Jewish Rabbi, or teacher. This means he understood Judaism with a
richness and depth that few others had. So why do so many Christians know so
little about their own Jewish heritage?
By Christian Piatt from
http://myjesusproject.com/my-mentors/
Crossfire: What is
wrong with the quote above? Let me
count the errors! Let us begin at the
start.
“Jesus the Jew”, First
of all no one ever called Him “Jesus” when He walked this earth. It is not even a translation of His name, the
translators are responsible for changing His name when translating the Bible
into English. There are no “J”’s in
Hebrew. Yahshua the Christ (Christ is a title and not His name) came in His
Father’s name. What part of “Jesus” is
His Father’s name? Some may argue that
means that He came in His Father’s authority.
While it is true that He did, He also came with His Father’s name (just
as I came with my Father’s name, His last name)
Many people, at the time were called by their father’s name (in some
countries they still are). Example, some
people had the word “Ben” and then their father’s name following it to indicate
that they were the son of whatever the name was. "ben" and "bin" are called
cognates (words that share similar language roots). They mean "son
of" in Hebrew & Arabic respectively. Using that form, I could have been known as
Son of Carl, or Son of Hart ( which is actually done by my sharing my father’s
last name, Hart ).
The Bible tells us the short form of God’s
name. “Sing unto God, sing praises to
his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice
before him.” Psalms 68:4 The word “JAH”
is Strong’s # 3050, . Yahh, yaw
contraction for 3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name:--Jah,
the Lord, most vehement. Compare names in "-iah," "- jah."
Keep in mind that there are no “J”’s in Hebrews, note that #3050 is Yahh
pronounced yaw (the self-existant)
. I believe that it is short for
Yahweh and that Christ name is “Yahshua”
(which means the self existent ones provided salvation / God’s
Salvation). Some have mis-spelled His
name as “yeshua”, which I do not believe to be correct and have some
information on that, but let’s not chase rabbits. Note: when we sing the song Hallelujah, we
pronounce the jah as yah, Praise Ye the
Lord, understanding that the “Lord” is Yahweh, therefore we are saying Praise
ye Yahweh.
Next, for “Jesus” to be a “Jew” or
Judean, He would have to been the son of Joseph and not the Son of God. What about His mother? The best I have been able to find is that she
was a Levite and not a Judean. She was a
virgin vessel, He came in the form of man, but not from man. He was not called a Jew, by those who knew
Him, but as a Judean (resident of Judea).
Here we could go into the Bible’s genealogy and look at various verses,
but it is simple if we remember that He is the Son of God.
“Jesus wasn’t a Christian”
? To me that is like saying Christ was
not Christ (some do not believe that He was).
Or it would be like saying that He did not believe in the words that He
spoke. Christianity is based upon
Christ, His person, His words, His life, and His gift to us. While it is true that He was not a follower
of Himself, His word is true and is the founder of Christianity. To say “Jesus
wasn’t a Christian”, is misleading.
“ he
was considered a Jewish Rabbi, or teacher
“ He was not a “Jewish Rabbi”. While the word “rabbi” does mean teacher, He
was not a teacher of Judaism, which is what is inferred by the term “Jewish
Rabbi”. The only time the word “Jewish”
is used in the Bible is in Titus 1:14
“Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the
truth.” The word “Jewish”, in that verse is Strong’s # 2451. Ioudaikos,
ee-oo-dah-ee-kos' from 2453;
Judaic, i.e. resembling a Judaean:--Jewish.
Note that it is “Judaic” or “resembling a Judaean” and does not mean someone from the
tribe of Judah. At that time there were
lots of different people living in Judaea.
Note also that the word is from Strong’s # 03054. yahad,
yaw-had' denominative from a form
corresponding to 3061; to Judaize, i.e. become Jewish:--become Jews. You cannot become a race, therefore it has to
do with their customs and beliefs rather than their linage. The word “fables” in Titus 1:14 (#3454) means “fiction” or "myth". The only time “Jewish” is used in the Bible
is referring to their fables, fiction, myths.
The point is that “Jewish Rabbi”
has to do with Judaism and Christ had some very harsh words to say about the
founders of Judaism (see Matthew Chapter 23).
“. . . Judaism . . . Pharisaism became Talmudism, Talmudism became
Medieval Rabbinism, and Medieval Rabbinism became Modern Rabbinism. But throughout these changes in name . . .
the spirit of the ancient Pharisees survives, unaltered . . . “
from page XXI of “Pharisees, The Sociological
Background of Their Faith”, first
edition. by Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, the
head of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, often referred to as “ The
Vatican of Judaism “
"The return
from Babylon and the introduction of the Babylonian Talmud mark the end of
Hebrewism and the beginning of Judaism."
[Rabbi Stephen F. Wise,
formerly the Chief Rabbi of the United States as quoted in the article by Bertrand L. Comparet “The Bible is not a Jewish Book”]
‘This means he understood Judaism with a richness and depth that few others
had.” The statement seems to infer that Christ was a “Jewish
Rabbi” teaching Judaism. Yes He did
understand Judaism (even before the name had been coined) and that is why he
rebuked it so strongly in the 23rd Chapter of Matthew. Need I say more?
“So why do so many Christians know so
little about their own Jewish heritage?”
The Christian’s “Jewish heritage” is a fable, fiction
or myth. Christianity has no “Jewish
heritage”, it is misinformation that has been repeated over and over again in
an attempt to deceive Christians into believing it and there by Judaizing Christianity.
Salt cannot be destroyed but it can be made useless by deluding it with
something else, like sand. This is what
has been happening to Christianity for many years. Many, otherwise good, preachers, teachers,
laymen, and “Christian” authors, have, without even realizing it, helped to
Judaize Christianity, making it useless and mixed with errors.
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:13
Statements, like the one at the beginning
of this article a far too common and it is these errors that I endeavor to
correct. Let Christ’s church return to
Him. #
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