A piece of the puzzle

"GETHSEMANE, The Hour Is Near" by Anthony Falbo

This recently came in from a friend of mine; I post it here for future reference:

I came across this free PDF file study on Galatians on the www.bereansonline.org So far I have just looked at the initial chapters which set the historical context of the letter to the Galatians. These chapters are particularly insightful with respect to the "18 Articles" which were issues of contention between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel, prior to the incarnation of Christ but carrying on into 1 Century Judaism even up to the destruction of the temple. I think that a re-reading the gospels/apostolic scriptures against the backdrop of the debate around these 18 Articles, regarding Gentile/Jew relationships, will clarify many of the passages that are used to support anti-nominism and could be a helpful piece in the puzzle of reconstructing faith. It seems to me that many 1st Century Jewish believers needed a paradigm shift, away from the influence of these 18 articles. Hence the thrust of Paul's letters was against the 18 articles and not against the Torah. (Paul talks in Romans 14 about 'disputable matters'. He wouldn't have seen the Biblical kosher standards, and festivals as disputable matters.) You might want a look-see into it.  

She also subsequently sent me this link with additional discussion regarding the 18 articles.

E P Sanders on Paul

Chagall - Abraham and the three angels

From E P Sanders' "Paul and Palestinian Judaism:"

The view that Rabbinic religion was a religion of legalistic works-righteousness in which a man was saved by fulfilling more commandments than he committed transgressions I have argued is completely wrong: it proceeds from theological presuppositions and is supported by systematically misunderstanding and misconstruing passages in Rabbinic literature.

Christianity and Anti-Semitism

These Jews should be treated with sharp mercy, their synagogues set on fire with sulfure and pitch thrown in , their hosues destroyed, They are to be herded together in stables... Their prayer books, their Talmud, and their Bibles are to be taken from them. Their rabbis are to be forbidden on pain of death to give instructions, to praise God in public, and to pray to him.... Their money and jewelry, gold and silver, are to be taken from them since everything they possess has been stolen through usury.

Martin Luther.

Shocking stuff. Written in 1534 and repudiated by the Lutheran Assembly of America in 1993.

Paul's righteousness v Luther's righteousness

This is from B H Young's "Paul the Jewish Theologian"pp 81-82:

In large measure, Paul's use of the word righteousness is the source of the differing interpretations [regarding faith and works]. Luther understood it in the sense of the German word Gerechtigkeit, meaning "justification," or a position of right standing before God. I believe that this interpretation does not adequately deal with Paul's employment of the term in numerous contexts.

In fact, Paul would feel that he has been grossly misunderstood if the righteousness of God is interpreted to mean only a state of justification. Paul's problem was a believers problem. How is it possible to experience God's redemption in everyday life? Paul clearly states that the believer is to become a "slave of righteousness" for obedience (Rom 6.17). When the force of Paul's message is grasped, Luther's views become unsatisfactory. His concept is too static. Righteousness is so much more than a state of justification.

The life of righteousness is a dynamic experience! It is the power of God to live righteous lives of obedience. This is true redemption and salvation because it embraces the new life of following Jesus. As a path of salvation, the way of righteousness is experienced as a present reality that culminates in the Parousia. A supernatural strength enables the believer to participate in the redemptive movement -- the kingdom of God (Gal 5.21). For Paul, God's power is released through faith in Jesus.

The Sabbath and Colossians 2

Chagall - The Praying Jew

Last night at our bible study we were discussing how Colossians 2.16-17 was used to justify why Christians shouldn't observe the Sabbath or any other festival for that matter. During the discussion the following points were made:

• The statement "let no one judge you..." could equally be applied in the positive, that is, to support those who wish to observe the Sabbath as those who do not.
  
• Many translations insert the word "but" or "only" in verse 17 which unfortunately belittles the references to kosher eating, festival observance and the Sabbath.

A second reading of the passage suggests that, if there is a warning, it is against overly oppressive Oral regulations (Colossians 2.20-23) not the written Torah. B H Young in his book "Paul the Jewish Theologian" also points out that the shadow imagery in no way diminishes the value of these festivals. The purpose of using the shadow imagery is to point out that they point to the one who makes the shadow, that is, Jesus.

Marcionism makes a comeback

I recently came across this interesting quotation from A J Heschel's "The Insecurity of Freedom:"

The spiritual alienation from Israel is most forcefully expressed in the teaching of Marcion, who affirmed the contrariety and abrupt discontinuity between the God of the Hebrew bible and the God whom Jesus had come to reveal.

Marcion wanted a Christianity free from any vestige of Judaism. He saw his task as that of showing the complete opposition between the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels.

Although in the year 144 of the Christian Era the church expelled the apostle of discontinuity and anathematized his doctrines, Marcion remains a formidable menace, a satanic challenge. In the modern Christian community the power of Marcionism is much more alive and widespread than is generally realised...

According to Rudolf Bultmann (as summarized by Bernhard W Anderson), "for the Christian the Old Testament is not revelation, but is essentially related to God's revelation in Christ as hunger is to food and despair is to hope... The God who spoke to Israel no longer speaks to us in the time of the new Covenant." Here is the spiritual resurrection of Marcion. Was not the God of Israel the God of Jesus? How dare a Christian substitute his own conception of God for Jesus' understanding of God and still call himself a Christian!"

The 3 Giants

In deciding to become Torah observant, especially in an OT sense of the phrase, I've come to identify at least three theological Giants that require overcoming (i.e. developing defensible answers for):

1. What is Legalism, and how is Torah observance not Legalism?


2. Who is a Jew, and what implications does the answer to this question have on me as a Christian?


3. What to do with the Oral Traditions such as Halachah, the Midrashic writings and the Talmudic writings?