The Talmud & Jesus Christ
Since we are asked to embrace the teachings of the Talmud and various other writings and
teachings of the Hebrew people, we should start by inquiring as to what these teach about our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I John 5: 10‑ 13
"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself;
he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he
believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the
record, that God hath given us eternal life; and this life is in his
Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son
hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on
the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have
eternal life; and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of
God."
From a Jewish article about Jesus we learn that the Talmud slanders our Savior, Jesus Christ.
"... the Jewish Encyclopœdia admits that Jewish legends concerning Jesus are
found in the Talmud and Midrash and in " the life of Jesus ( Toledot Yeshu) that
originated in the Middle Ages. It is the tendency of all these sources to belittle the
person of Jesus by ascribing to Him illegitimate birth, magic, and a
shameful death. " 1.
Upon scrutiny one also finds that Jesus is maligned as a false teacher:
"¼ He [Jesus] is referred to in the Talmud as Otho Isch‑ "That man," i.e. the one
who is known to all. In the tract Abhodah Zarah, 6a, we read: "He is called a
Christian who follows the false teachings of that man, who taught them to
celebrate the feast on the first day of the Sabbath, that is, to worship on the first
day after Sabbath¼Talui, ‑"The one who was hanged"¼" 2.
Many people believe that the name for Jesus in Hebrew is Jeschua or Yeshua. However, the
complete,
"¼name in Hebrew would be Jeschua Hanotsri‑‑Jesus the Nazarene. He is called
Notsri from the city of Nazareth¼ In the Talmud Christians are also called Notsrim.
(Amongst other things). 'Since the word Jeschua means 'Savior,' the name Jesus
rarely occurs in the Jewish books. It is almost always abbreviated to Jeschu¼"3.
In the Talmud, the name "Jeschu [Ieschu]" can apparently be translated:
"¼as if it were composed of the initial letters of the three words Immach SCHemo
Vezikro‑‑ (meaning)‑ ‑'May his name be blotted out.'" 4.
Hebrew Roots proponents might say that these teachings are in the past. However, a review of
various sources reveals the same or similar teachings.
The Talmud and Cabala teachings of the Toledot Yeshu‑‑ (or Tolodoth Ieschu or Sepher
Toldoth Jehoshua) represent various teachings regarding Christ, which may be shocking to
many. A brief overview of these teachings refers to writings that quote the Talmud, (treatise
Sabbath, folio 104, treatise Sanhedrim, folio 107, and Sota, folio 47) which presents this falsified
account of Jesus:
"...the Toledot Yeshu relates with the most indecent details that Miriam, a
hairdresser of Bethlehem,4. affianced to a young man named Jochanan, was
seduced by a libertine, Joseph Panther or Pandira, and gave birth to a son whom
she named Johosuah or Jeschu. According to the Talmudic authors of the Sota
and the Sanhedrim, Jeschu was taken during his boyhood to Egypt, where he was
initiated into the secrets doctrines of the priests, and on his return to Palestine
gave himself up to the practice of magic. 5. The Toledot Yeshu, however,
goes on to say that on reaching manhood, Jeschu learnt the secret of his
illegitimacy, on account of which he was driven out of the Synagogue and took
refuge for a time in Galilee."
"Now, there was in the Temple a stone on which was engraved the
Tetragrammaton [YHWH] or Schem Hamphorasch, that is to say, the Ineffable
Name of God; this stone had been found by King David when the foundations of
the Temple were being prepared and was deposited by him in the Holy of Holies.
Jeschu, knowing this, came from Galilee and, penetrating into the Holy of Holies,
read the Ineffable name, which he transcribed on to a piece of whom parchment
and concealed in an incision under his skin. By this means he was able to work
miracles and to persuade the people that he was the son of God foretold by
Isaiah. With the aid of Judas, the Sages of the Synagogue, succeeding in capturing
Jeschu, who was then lead before the Great and Little Sanhedrim, by whom he was
condemned to be stoned to death and finally hanged." Such is the story of Christ
according to the Jewish Kabbalists ..." 5.
This false witness to the person of Jesus in the Talmud is also confirmed by Rev. I. B. Pranaitis
in his online report, The Talmud Unmasked: The Secret Rabbinical Teachings Concerning
Christians, and other sources" 6.
Another Jesus?
In his article, "Some Disturbing Aspects of the So‑called 'Hebrew Roots' Movement and Their
Implications" Andrew Gould presents the Hebrew Roots doubtful view concerning the validity of
the Gospel account of Jesus.
"¼It has been widely accepted in "Hebrew Roots" circles that Jesus spoke Hebrew
and that the Gospels were originally written in Hebrew. Most "Hebrew Roots"
ministries have been influenced in this notion by the output of a body called the
Jerusalem School Of Synoptic Research, [JSSR] and most especially due to the
widespread influence of the book "Understanding The Difficult Words Of Jesus"
published by David Bivin (Director of the JSSR) and his partner Roy Blizzard. in
1984 and reprinted in 1994 and 1995¼" 7.
According to the JSSR, there is a more authentic Life of Jesus than the gospel accounts:
"¼ There was an original Hebrew 'Life of Jesus', from parts of which our
canonical Greek Gospel Texts are mere compilations and translations. The
individual words of the Greek texts that we have are standard Greek equivalents
used to translate Hebrew documents into Greek, therefore we can retranslate back
into Hebrew to discover what Jesus really said. Failure to appreciate the
Hebraic origins of the Gospels has led to mistranslation, misinterpretation,
spiritually damaging error and doctrinal confusion." 8.
Toledot Yeshu, with its various components, is one of the Hebrew or Jewish views of Jesus for
those who rejected him as God come in the flesh. It has been established that the original
manuscripts for the New Testament were composed in Greek. If one accepts Jewish thought
regarding who Jesus was according to Judaic writings and teachings, then Jesus was not divine.
It is also conveyed that He was not viewed as divine by his disciples, but was viewed as the
human Messiah. This subject will be pursued in the next section on Jewish Thought.
Sir James Frazer, author of The Golden Bough, mentions that to cast doubts on the historical
reality of Jesus, would be hardly less absurd than it would be to doubt Mohammed and so on.
Other historians reiterate that the existence of Christ is an historic fact. However, Rene'
Guenon,"who writes with inside knowledge" of Theosophy in Le Theosophisme (1921), cites a
reference to the occultic Le Lotus of 1887 which states that Jesus Christ of the New Testament
never existed, but the Jesus of the Talmud did exist:
"... Madam Blavatsky's writings, on the person of Christ, ... 'For me, Jesus Christ,
that is to say the Man‑God of the Christians, copy of the Avatars of all countries, of
the Hindu Chrishna as of the Egyptian Horus, was never a historical personage.'
Hence the story of His life was merely an allegory founded on the existence of the
'a personage named Jehoshua born at Lud.' But elsewhere she asserted that
Jesus may have lived during the Christian era or a century earlier 'as the Sepher
Toldoth Jehoshua indicates.'
"And Madame Blavatsky went on to say of the savants who deny the historical
value of this legend, that they‑ 'either lie or talk nonsense. It is our Masters who
affirm it. If the history of Jehoshua or Jesus Ben Pandera is false, then the
whole of the Talmud, the whole of the Jewish canon law, is false. It was the
disciple of Jehoshua ben Parachai, the fifth President of the Sanhedrin since Ezra,
who re‑wrote the Bible .... This story is much truer than that of the New Testament,
of which history does not say a word." 9.
Is it possible that Jehoshua Ben Pandera of the Talmud, who was initiated into the secrets
doctrines and gave himself up to the practice of magic, is Jehoshua or Yeshua whom the
Hebrew Roots ministries worship?
The following is a portion of an e‑mail exchange dated 1/28/99 between the writer and Uri
Marcus of Nehemiah Trustee Covenant Fund:
Vicky Dillen: The name Jesus Christ is known world wide and synonymous with
Christianity. That is a historical fact.
Uri Marcus: Today, yes. 200+ years ago it was synonymous with nothing. How
naive you are of history...
Vicky Dillen: The Jewish people reject that Jesus Christ was divine and believe
that He was not God come in the flesh. I believe on the other hand that He is all of
that. Where do you stand Uri? In the Jewish belief or in what Christ himself said and
what is taught in the New Testament?
Uri Marcus: I believe in the Jewish belief. But your definition is somewhat lacking.
Doesn't look like you would understand it, since its already been explained, and it
just goes right over your head.
From the La Science des Esprits, by the 19th century occultist, Eliphas Levi, we learn that the
Cabalistic Toledot Yeshu and similar Talmudic teachings were purposely hidden from
Christians.
"¼the Toledot Yeshu, or the Sepher Toldos Jeschu, described here as originating
in the Middle Ages¼belongs in a much earlier period. Eliphas Levi asserts that 'the
Sepher Toldos, to which the Jews attribute a great antiquity and which
they hid from the Christians with such precautions that this book was for a
long while unfindable, is quoted for the first time by Raymond Martin of the
Order of the Preaching Brothers¼ This book was evidently written by a Rabbi
initiated into the mysteries of the Cabala 1.'" 10.
History reveals that The Talmud itself was put on trial and ordered to be burned, by King Louis
IX in June of 1242, because of the various slanders against Christ, and Christianity. It was
stated that The Talmud contained such things as it being acceptable to deceive a Christian
without any scruple; that it was permitted to break a promise, and so on.
The stories contained in Toledot Yeshu and similar teachings were known in Jewish circles, but
did not come into the hands of 'Gentiles' or 'Christians' until Raymond Martin translated the
Toledot Yeshu into Latin. Later, Martin Luther summarized it in German under the name Schem
Hamphorasch and his expose can be found in French in Gustave Brunet's, Evangiles
Apocryphes. 11.
According to Geschichte der Juden, by Jewish historian Heinrich Graetz, the image of Jesus
Christ is simply as an offshoot of Essenism and Jesus was just performing what any adept in the
mysteries could do.
"¼Thus the Jewish historian Graetz declares that Jesus simply appropriated to
himself the essential features of Essenism, and that primitive Christianity was
"nothing but an offshoot of Essenism"2" 12a.
Nesta Webster summarizes the Christ of the Talmud:
". . . So after representing Christ as a magician in the Toledot Yeshu and the
Talmud, Jewish tradition seeks to explain His miraculous works as those of a
mere healer‑an idea that we shall find descending right through the secret
societies to this day¼ if the miracles of Christ were simply due to a knowledge of
natural laws and His doctrines were the outcome of a sect, the whole theory of His
divine power and mission falls to the ground¼" 12.
Many sources state that when the teachings regarding Jesus Christ in the Toledot Yeshu and
other Jewish books were discovered in the early 1600's, there were serious repercussions. A
Jewish synod in Poland in 1631, ordered the offending passages to be expunged, to be
replaced by circles which the Rabbis were to fill in orally when giving instructions to young Jews.
This is documented by P.L.B Drach:
"Drach, op.cit. I.168, 169. The text of this encyclical is given in Hebrew and also in
translation, thus: " This is why we enjoin you, under the pain of excommunication
major, to print nothing in future editions, whether of Mischna or of the Gemara,
which relates whether for good or evil to the acts of Jesus the Nazarene, and to
substitute instead a circle like this O, which will warn the Rabbis and
schoolmasters to teach the young these passages only viva voce. By means of
this precaution the savants amongst the Nazarenes will have no further pretext to
attack us on this subject. Cf, Abbe'Chiarini, Le Talmud de Babylone, p. 45 (1831)."
13.
These passages are said to have been reinserted since then, although such offensive
passages would not necessarily be in any English translations or newer editions. 14.
These then, are some of the Hebrew Roots ‑ a significant part of which are the teachings and
thought within the Talmud regarding our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Some might say, that the views presented from the past regarding Jesus Christ do not apply
today, or have no effect on our studying Jewish tradition, teachings or thought within the Hebrew
Roots movement. That perhaps, the above information is no longer taught. We must ask
ourselves, then, what was and is today, Jewish thought regarding the Messiah, salvation, sin,
the Son of God, and the divinity of Christ? Do these Jewish terms mean the same as what we
think?
John 14:6
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Acts 4:10
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved."
In his volume, The Talmud, Joseph Barclay confirmed the writings of Drach, a talmudist turned
Catholic whose writings were never refuted by Jews, that Jesus was a sorcerer:
" ¼ Abominable calumnies on Christ and Christianity occur not only in the Cabala
but in the earlier editions of the Talmud. In these, says Barclay ‑ "Our Lord and
savior is "that one", "such an one", "a fool", "the leper", "the deceiver of Israel",
etc. Efforts are made to prove that He is the son of Joseph Pandira before His
marriage with Mary. His miracles are attributed to sorcery the secret of which
He brought in a slit in His flesh out of Egypt. He is said had been first stoned and
then hanged on the eve of the Passover. His disciples are called heretics and
opprobious names. They are accused of immoral practices, and the New
Testament is called a sinful book. The references to these subjects manifest
the most bitter aversion and hatred." 15.
Jewish and Christian Terms
Knowing that there is much diversity of thought inside Judaism with four [some say three, under
different terms] basic groups: Orthodoxy, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Judaism,
it is difficult to present their respective ideas as being i agreement with one another. However,
there are some underlying beliefs that appear to remain constant and accepted by most Jews
regarding Christ, the Messiah, salvation, sin, and so on.
Jesus and Messiah
Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, considered a Conservative Jew, explains some of today's thinking
pertaining to "The Differences between Judaism and Christianity":
In "THE JEWISH VIEW OF JESUS", Dr. Epstein gives Jesus credit for being a good teacher, but
not God:
"To Christians, the central tenet of their religion is the belief that Jesus is the Son
of God, part of the trinity, the savior of souls who is the messiah. He is God's
revelation through flesh. Jesus was, in Christian terms, God incarnate, God in the
flesh who came to Earth to absorb the sins of humans and therefore free from sin
those who accepted his divinity. To Jews, whatever wonderful teacher and
storyteller Jesus may have been, he was just a human, not the son of God
(except in the metaphorical sense in which all humans are children of God). In the
Jewish view, Jesus cannot save souls; only God can. Jesus did not, in the
Jewish view, rise from the dead." 16.
The "Jews for Judaism" web site explains Jesus as a false prophet predicted in the Old
Testament.
"¼Jesus the Nazarene, who imagined that he would be messiah and was killed, is
alluded to in the book of Daniel, as it is said, `And the sons of the transgressors
among thy people will rise, in order to establish a vision, and will stumble' (Dan.
11:14). Can there be a greater stumbling then this? All the prophets said that
messiah will be a redeemer and a savior to the Israelites, will bring together their
outcasts, and will strengthen their obedience to the Divine precepts, but he
(Jesus) caused destruction by the sword to Israel, the dispersion of those
left, and their humiliation. He changed the law, and misled many people to
worship a being beside G‑D¼." 17.
Rabbi Hyam Maccoby, in Revolution in Judaea, written in 1973 and still proclaimed accurate
today, defines the Jewish view of Messiah as an anointed one, and angel or king, but not divine:
"The title "Messiah' (Greek‑Christos) was not a divine title among the Jews. It
simply means ' anointed'. It was given to two Jewish officials, King and the High
Priest¼ every Jewish king of the house of David was known as Messiah, or
Christ¼" 18.
"The 'Son of Man', was not a Messiah. He was an angel identified with the
Guardian Angel of Israel, with Metatron, with the angel who guided the
Children of Israel in the wilderness¼" 19.
"¼There is hardly any reference in the Prophetic writings of the Old Testament to
the Messiah as a person. There is no splendid shining figure judging mankind,
sitting at the right‑hand of God and coming very near to eclipsing God Himself by
His glory." 20.
"Messiah¼in Jewish eyes, belonged to royalty, not divinity. Even the title
'Son of God" was to Jews (but not to the Gnostics) a human title applied at
various times in the Hebrew Scriptures to Kings such as King David¼"Son of Man"
also was not a divine title¼far better known as a mode of address to a prophet¼to
mean simply 'human being'." 21.
The Jews for Judaism web site explains the historical "Jewish Belief in Messiah," from the
Mishna (Torah) by Maimonides:
"... In his monumental work Mishneh Torah, Maimonides (1135‑1204) spelled out
the fundamental Jewish concept of the messiah as it was handed down to us,
generation after generation, from the time of the prophets¼"
"¼from the Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim XI ‑ XII. The King Messiah will in some
future time come, restore the kingdom of David to its former power, build the
Temple, bring together the scattered of Israel, and all the ancient laws will again be
in force. Sacrifices will be offered, and years of release and Jubilees will be kept as
prescribed in the Torah. Whoever does not believe in him, or does not hope for his
coming, shows a lack of faith not only in the prophets, but also in the Torah¼" 22.
Many Jews have believed there would be many Messiahs. At the time of Christ, Hyam Maccoby
states:
"¼ Any leader who succeeded in driving out the Romans and setting up an
independent Jewish state would have little difficulty in being recognized as the
Messiah. His very success would prove his claim. Thus Bar Kochba was
recognized as the Messiah by Rabbi Akiva even though there was no
evidence of his descent from David." 23.
From the Jewish Guardian of 1924, we read that the great messianic prophecy, Isaiah 53, refers
to the sufferings of Israel, rather than Christ:
"¼ an article in the Jewish Press,¼ according to the teaching of the "Liberal Jewish
Synagogue," the beautiful passages in the fifty‑third chapter of Isaiah concerning "
the Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief, "usually supposed by Christians to relate
to the promised Messiah, are interpreted to modern Jewish youth as relating to
Israel and signifying that Israel's " sufferings were caused by the sins of other
nations," who thus "escaped the suffering they deserved." Consequently, "Israel
was offered for the sake of the whole world.2. " 24.
Messiah and Peace
According to Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, current Jewish teaching excludes Jesus because it is
unanimously believed that the Messiah will bring peace:
"Jesus is not seen as the messiah. In the Jewish view, the messiah is a human
being who will usher in an era of peace. We can tell the messiah by looking at
the world and seeing if it is at peace. From the Jewish view, this clearly did not
happen when Jesus was on Earth or anytime after his death." 25.
Hyam Maccoby considers Jesus to be a rebel, but misrepresented by the gospel accounts out of
fear of reprisals by Rome:
"¼Jesus was executed as a rebel, against Rome, not as a blasphemer against the
Jewish religion, and that the Gospel's misrepresentations on this point are
politically motivated‑‑I regard as strongly established¼" 26.
Hyam Maccoby, author, is considered a classical scholar and Rabbi of Reform Judaism, and has
in recent years been director of the library at the Leo Baeck College of Judaistics in London. His
books appear to present accepted ideas regarding Christ, Christianity and the New Testament
and the Jewish thought. Clarifying the various Jewish thought and Christian misconceptions
redefines Jesus' mission:
"¼The phrase 'the kingdom of God'¼meant the reign of God (not His heavenly
territory) and referred to a projected return to a Jewish system of theocracy¼"
27.
"¼.He [Jesus] had campaigned among 'the lost sheep of Israel', calling them to
repentance, because he felt that the coming of God's Kingdom was being held
back by Israel's sin's. Pharisee writings often stress that God's promises to Israel
are not automatically fulfilled; they depend on Israel's worthiness and
co‑operation ... " 28.
"¼Jesus' mission as a prophet was exclusively directed towards the Jews,
not towards the Gentiles. The idea that Jesus rejected the Jews and transferred
the Old Testament 'promises' to the Gentiles was a later invention of the
Gentile‑Christian Church¼" 29.
"¼ Some believed that the Messiah would inaugurate a new era for the whole
world; that the nations of the world would acknowledge the One God and his
Temple in Jerusalem; that the Jews would be revered as the chosen priests of the
One God; and that an era of world peace would begin when, in the words of
Isaiah's wonderful internationalist vision, the swords would be beaten into
plowshares and the wolf would lie down with lamb. Some, however, did not believe
that the coming of the Messiah would necessarily bring about an era of
international peace. There might be many Messiahs ‑ many more sorrows and
comfortings, defeats and victories ‑ for the Jewish people before that happened.
After all, there had been Messiahs before and none had brought everlasting
peace. The vision of Isaiah was acknowledged by every Pharisee, as the word of
God but it was not necessarily attached to the expectation of the coming Messiah
who would defeat the Romans." 30.
In The Traditions of the Jews, from the Talmud (treatises Baba Bathra folio 74b, Pesachim folio
32, Bekhoroth folio 57 and Massektoth Ta'anith folio 31), J.P Stehaln presents a glorious
scenario of the Messianic era ‑ without Jesus Christ as the Messiah:
"¼ when the Messianic era arrives. After the return of the Jews from all nations and
parts of the world¼ the Messiah, we are told in the Talmud, will entertain them at a
gorgeous banquet, where they will be seated at tables and regaled with wine from
Adam's wine‑cellar. The first course is to consist of a roasted ox named Behemoth,
so immense that every day it eats up the grass upon a thousand hills; the second
of a monstrous fish Leviathan; the third of a female Leviathan boiled and pickled;
the fourth of a gigantic roast fowl known as Barjuchne, of which the egg alone was
so enormous that when it fell out of the nest it crushed three hundred tall cedars
and the white overflowed threescore villages. This course is to be followed up by
"the most splendid and pompous Dessert," that can be procured, including fruit
from the Tree of Life and "the Pomegranates of Eden which are preserved for the
Just."
"At the end of the banquet "God will entertain the company at a ball"; He
Himself will sit in the midst of them, and everyone will point Him out with his finger,
saying: "Behold, this is our God: we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice
in His salvation." 31.
Sin and Salvation
Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
From "The Differences between Judaism and Christianity, we see the great partition between
Jewish and Christian thought on sin confirmed.
"Judaism does not accept the notion of original sin, the idea that people are
bad from birth and cannot remove sin by themselves but need an act of grace
provided by the sacrificial death of Jesus as atonement for all of humanity's sins.
For Christians, there are no other forms of salvation other than through Jesus." 32.
Dr. Epstein goes on to explain that Jewish thought about sin and atonement. The sinner may
seek forgiveness from God through human works:
"He [Jesus] also did not absorb the sins of people. For Jews, sins are removed
not by Jesus' atonement but by seeking forgiveness. Jews seek forgiveness from
God for sins against God and from other people (not just God) for sins against
those people. Seeking forgiveness requires a sincere sense of repenting but also
seeking directly to redress the wrong done to someone. Sins are partially removed
through prayer which replaced animal sacrifice as a way of relieving sins. They are
also removed by correcting errors against others. " 33.
Hyam Maccoby explains:
"... There was no concept of a Suffering Messiah who would die on the cross to
purge mankind of sin¼. To the Jews salvation was a physical not a purely spiritual
concept. The Messianic age, to the Jews, was to be the culmination of human
history on earth. 34.
Also, regarding prayer Maccoby believes that it is possible for man to approach God in a sinless
condition:
"¼The belief in the efficacy of prayer was very strong among the Pharisees¼.
Only the most concerted beam of concentration, directed from Gethsemane to
God, could obliterate the traces of the sins of Israel, and bring about the hour of
redemption. Jesus alone was not sufficient¼This explains why Jesus narrowed
down his company to the Twelve on that night. He wanted the company of those
on whom he could most rely, for the power of sinless prayer would be far
more important than the strength of mere number." 35.
Heaven and Hell
The writings of Dr. Epstein present the Jews' overly spiritualized and less severe view of the
afterlife:
"...Traditionalists gave the name Gehenna to the place where souls were punished.
Many Jewish thinkers noted that since, essentially, God is filled with mercy and
love, punishment is not to be considered to be eternal. There are, similarly,
many varying conceptions of paradise, such as that paradise is the place where we
finally understand the true concept of God. It is also possible that there is no
separate Heaven and Hell, only lesser or greater distance from God after death.
In addition, punishment might be self‑determined on the basis of suffering in
kind the suffering the person brought about. That is, Judaism doesn't have a clear
sense of Heaven and Hell, with different places in Hell for different punishments.
Rather, the idea is that God uses the afterlife to provide ultimate justice and for the
wicked to seek some sort of final redemption." 36.
Note Scripture says:
Romans 6:20‑23:
"For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from
righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye
are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now
being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have
your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord. "
Hebrews 9:27:
"And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the
judgment.
Oneness Doctrine & the Trinity
Dr. Epstein summarizes the Jewish doctrine of "oneness" as opposed to the "Trinity" or
Christian doctrine of three Persons in one God.
"Judaism insists on a notion of monotheism, the idea that there is one God. As
Judaism understands this idea, God cannot be made up of parts, even if
those parts are mysteriously united. The Christian notion of trinitarianism is
that God is made up of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Such a view, even if called monotheistic because the three parts are, by divine
mystery, only one God, is incompatible with the Jewish view that such a division is
not possible. The Jewish revolutionary idea is that God is one. This idea allows for
God's unity and uniqueness as a creative force. Thus, for Jews, God is the creator
of all that we like and all that we don't. There is no evil force with an ability to create
equal to God's. Judaism sees Christianity's trinitarianism as a weakening of the
idea of God's oneness." 37.
Peter Michas, of Messengers of Messiah, asserted in an email discussion this belief in the
"oneness" doctrine.
"¼ Yet the minute I saw the Hebrew thinking of the oneness and the rest of it, it
was never unclear to me again." 38.
In his book, THE ROD OF AN ALMOND TREE IN GOD'S MASTER PLAN, Peter. Michas expands
upon his approval of the Hebrew viewpoint of God and the Trinity.
"The unity of Yeshua HaMashiach with God the Father and the Holy Spirit has
never been clearly understood from the doctrine of the Trinity..." 39.
"To understand the true relationship of God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit, it is essential to preserve the concept of oneness..." 40.
"The aspect of the Father may be simply understood as the Will of God. The
aspect of the Son may be understood as the Word of God. The aspect of the
Spirit of the Holy One may be understood as the Power of God..." 41.
"To say God is three 'persons' opens the door to misunderstanding God.
God is Spirit and cannot be reduced to the concept of a person..." 42.
"The Spirit of the Holy One is the very essence of the power of God the Father
and not some separate entity." 43.
Peter Michas refers to the Godhead as three "aspects" and the Holy Spirit as an "essence"
rather than a Person. It is already established by the Jewish people themselves that the Hebrew
teachings reject the doctrine of three Persons in one God. They do not believe God would
manifest in the flesh as Jesus Christ nor do they believe that He is God. Their oneness doctrine
is that there cannot be a Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which means the rejection of Jesus Christ
as divine Savior and Lord.
There is no Trinity concept in Judaism, unless, however, one embraces the Jewish Kabbalah.
"M. Vulliaud quotes Isaac Meyer's assertion that, "the triad, of the ancient Cabala is
Kether, the Father; Binah, the Holy Spirit or the Mother; and Hochmah, the Word or
the Son." But in order to avoid the sequence of the Christian Trinity this
arrangement has been altered in the modern Cabala of Luria and Moses of
Cordovero, etc." 44.
The Jewish Encyclopœdia clarifies that the Cabalistic trinity is not to be confused with
Christianity.
"... The Jewish Encyclopœdia¼goes on to say that what appears to be Christian in
the Cabala is only esoteric doctrine." 45.
2 John 7:
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an
antichrist."
2 John 9:
"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he
hath both the Father and the Son."
Christians & the Chosen People
Jewish people characterize Christians in terms different from what we may think.
Avi ben Mordechai states that Jews are specifically called to prostelyze:
"¼ He said to go out into all the world (as you go) and make talmidim of all the
goyim. ¼we are His talmidim or students of His Oral Traditions which is the proper
definition of the term "Gospel." We are to follow His Mishnah and Gemara, i.e.,
His Talmud, and take it to the goyim, teaching them to observe all that He
commanded us!¼" 46.
Isn't this precisely the ministry of Peter Michas, Jacob Prasch and other Hebrew Roots teachers:
taking the Talmud to the goyim. The term "goyim" which Mr. Mordechai uses needs to be
understood in its historical context. Citing information from the Kabbalistic book, the Zohar, a
part of the Jewish mysticism which Avi ben Mordechai teaches, we note:
"¼ the Chosen People¼forms the basis of all Talmudic and Cabalistic writings.
¼According to the Zohar, "All Israelites will have a part in the future world," and on
arrival there will not be handed over like the goyim (or non‑Jewish races) to the
hands of the angel Douma and sent down to Hell.5. Indeed the goyim are even
denied human attributes." 47.
According to The Emek ha Melek, the work of the Cabalist Naphtali, a disciple of Luria, the
goyim are of the devil:
"¼Thus the Zohar again explains that the words of the Scripture "Jehovah Elohim
made man", mean that He made Israel. 6. The seventeenth‑century Rabbinical
treatise Emek ha Melek observes: " Our Rabbis of blessed memory have said: "Ye
Jews are men because of the soul ye have from the Supreme Man (i.e, God). But
the nations of the world are not styled men because they have not, from the
Holy and Supreme Man, the Neschama (or glorious soul) but they have the
Nephesch (soul) from Adam Belial, that is the malicious and unnecessary
man, called Sammael, the Supreme Devil." 7" 48.
Another way of saying or spelling goyim, is Goi. Rev. I. B. Pranaitis, in his online work, The
Talmud Unmasked, notes that this term has been removed from recent editions:
"Goi ‑ Race, or people. The Jews also call a man a Goi ‑ a gentile; they call a
gentile woman a Goiah. ... It is mostly applied to non‑Jews, or idolators. In
Jewish books which treat of Idolatry, worshippers of idols are often called by this
single word Goi. For this reason, in more recent editions of the Talmud the use of
the word Goi is purposely avoided and other words for non‑Jews are substituted.
It is well known that in the Jewish language, the Jews call Christians among whom
they live, Goim. Nor do the Jews deny this.
Sometimes in their popular magazines they say that this word means nothing
harmful or evil. But the contrary can be seen in their books written in the Hebrew
language. For instance, in Choschen Hammischpat (34, 22), the name Goi is used
in a depraved sense:
"Traitors and Epicureans and Apostates are worse than Goim"49.
Indeed the whole idea of gentiles or "goyim" studying the Jewish oral law as suggested by Jacob
Prasch, Peter Michas, Avi ben Mordechai and others, is in direct disobedience to the
proclamations in the Talmud. Even a Christian who is found studying the Law of Israel merits
death. Sanhedrin (59a) states:
"Rabbi Jochanan says: A Goi who pries into the Law is guilty to death. "Even a
Christian who is found studying the Law of Israel merits death."
It seems very perplexing indeed that leaders of the Hebrew Roots movement would direct our
thoughts to the teachings of the sages in the Talmud, Mishna and Midrash, when these same
sages have been teaching the Jewish people to destroy the writings of the Christians including
the New Testament.
"Shabbath 116a. Jews must destroy the books of the Christians, i.e. the New
Testament."
Christian Jews
The organization, Jews for Judaism, "the Worlds foremost countermissionary organization",
insinuates that the Jews are not fooled by Christians who assume a Jewish image to proselytize
them. Even Jews recognize the great divide between Judaism and Christianity.
"¼ Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not¼ It
deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance (i.e. community
Passover seders, menorahs, messianic services, etc.) as a cover to convert Jews
to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism¼ Hebrew Christianity is
not a form of Judaism and its members, even if they are of Jewish birth, cannot be
considered members of the Jewish community. Hebrew Christians are in radical
conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people.
They have crossed an unbreachable chasm by accepting another religion. ¼"
"¼ practice of any other religious tradition has been understood to lead to the loss
of rights to full participation in the Jewish community¼Our history has clearly
shown that when confronted with a group of Jews which has adopted another faith
and seeks to convert others, we must stand firm in asserting that this other faith is
not Judaism and that its adherents have forfeited their privileges as Jews. Jewish
tradition believes that the opportunity to return to participation in the Jewish
community is always open. When this occurs, all privileges are restored." 50.
This repudiation of those who apostatize from Judaism is stronger in the Talmud teachings of
the Oral law of the sages. Hilkhoth Akum (X, 2) states that defectors must be killed.
"These things [supra] are intended for idolaters. But Israelites also, who lapse from
their religion and become epicureans, are to be killed, and we must persecute them
to the end. For they afflict Israel and turn the people from God." 51.
Christians or converted Jews who affect a Jewish demeanor or compromise Christian doctrine to
appeal to the Jewish mindset are surrendering the precious pearl of Jesus Christ who alone
leads to salvation. The ecumenical approach does not lead Jews to Jesus Christ, but patronizes
their religion of dead works, and results in the Christian's acceptance of religion on Jewish
terms.
Galatians 5:1‑8
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Behold, I Paul, say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall
profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is
circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is
become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by
the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait
for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither
circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith
which worketh by love. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that
ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him
that calleth you.
Common Ideas
Contemporary Jewish thought reflects the same aversion to Jesus Christ as historical Judaism:
"Jews vary about what they think of Jesus as a man. Some respect him as an
ethical teacher who accepted Jewish law, as someone who didn't even see himself
as the messiah, who didn't want to start a new religion at all. Rather, Jesus is seen
by these Jews as someone who challenged the religious authorities of his day for
their practices. In this view, he meant to improve Judaism according to his own
understanding not to break with it." 52.
Hyam Maccoby sums up Jewish thought regarding Jesus as this:
"With the composition of the Gospels, then, a fictitious Jesus was created,
suitable for the needs of the Hellenistic Gentile‑Christian Church. The Prophet
King, human and Jewish, who was revered but not worshiped by the
Jewish‑Christian Church was turned into a Divine Sacrifice. Jesus, who was, in
reality, an apocalyptic Pharisee rabbi who claimed the titles of Prophet and King,
was turned into a pagan god." 53.
Dr. Epstein concludes:
"Whatever the Jewish response is, one point is crucial. No one who is Jewish, no
born Jew and no one who converts to Judaism, can believe in Jesus as the literal
son of God or as the messiah. For the Jewish people, there is no God but God."
54.
We could elaborate further on the Jewish thought regarding the New Testament, the writings of
Paul, who was viewed as a heretic, and the disciples. We could expand the idea that many Jews
believe that James and Peter were Pharisaic Rabbis, who believed in the Jewish idea of the
Messiah‑‑ that Jesus was not divine.
We could expand on the theory that James, believed to have been the head of the Nazarene
movement, was not in any way in conflict with the teachings of the Pharisees, but was devout in
promoting them. We could expand on the Jewish idea that Paul, not Jesus, is viewed as the
originator of Christianity, of the concept of Jesus being divine, and that notion came from Greek
paganism. We could, but one only has to go to Jewish sites and see that their beliefs are
diametrically opposed to Christianity. Sadly, we would also see the denial of the virgin birth and
condemnation of all connected to Christ. They are devout in their convictions.
While the Hebrew or messianic movements urge us to embrace "our foundational Hebrew roots",
Scripture tells us that our foundation is none other than Jesus Christ:
I Corinthians 3:11:
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ. "
If Jewish teachers or teachings cannot entertain the idea of a divine Christ or Messiah, sin,
salvation, eternity, and other issues, what then? How are we to learn the 'True Meaning' of
Scripture from them, unless we reject the very truths of Jesus Christ, salvation, sin and the rest
of the New Testament?
As stated above, "No one who is Jewish, no born Jew and no one who converts to Judaism, can
believe in Jesus as the literal son of God or as the messiah."
Jewish convictions proclaim a Christian cannot be considered Jewish or adopt the Jewish
beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, and still remain a Christian. It would be like becoming a Christian
Muslim or a Christian Mormon ‑‑ an impossibility.
Romans 2:28‑29 : "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God."
Galatians 3:2
"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"
We cannot be both. Cultural heritage and genealogy cannot take precedence over our faith and
obedience to Christ. If it does, we are not serving Him, as we should.
If the Talmud and other Jewish works are upholding the doctrines as described above, from the
past and today, what business do Christians have embracing these teachings, rituals and
ceremonies and the reasons for them?
Reason tells us that the theology of the Jewish Rabbis and teachers, which are opposed to the
very foundations of our beliefs, influences every aspect of their sacred books¼and their
teachings. We need to explore the instructions within the Talmud further.
Next: To Embrace Hebrew Roots IV: The Talmud & Demonology
All Scripture Quotes from the Authorized King James Bible
Footnotes
1.Jewish Encyclopædia, article on Jesus; as Cited in: Nesta H. Webster," Secret
Societies and Subversive Movements", p. 20; Omni Publications, 1964
2.Rev. I. B. Pranaitis; The Talmud; Part One, ch.1, Jesus Christ in the Talmud;
holywar.org/txt/talmud_unmasked.html
3.Ibid.
4.Ibid.
5.cf. Baring‑Gould, op.cit., quoting Talmud, treatise Sabbath, folio 104, (S.
Baring‑Gould, The Counter Gospels, 1874); 5. Ibid., p.55, quoting Talmud,
treatise Sanhedrim, folio 107, and Sota, folio 47; Eliphas Levi, La Science des
Esprits, pp.32,33. As Cited in Nesta H. Webster, op.cit., p..20
6.Rev. I. B. Pranaitis; op.cit. Part One, Ch. 1, Jesus Christ in the Talmud
7.Andrew Gould, "SOME DISTURBING ASPECTS OF THE SO‑CALLED "HEBREW ROOTS' MOVEMENT,
AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS, 1998
8.Ibid.
9.Rene Guenon, Le Theosophisme, (1921) p.193, quoting Le Lotus for December, 1887;
as Cited in: Nesta H. Webster, op.cit.,p.299.
10.Elipha Levi, La Science des Esprits, p. 40; as Cited in: Nesta H. Webster,
Ibid., p.20.
11.The book was translated in Latin by Raymond Martin; German by Luther under the
name Schem Hamphorasch; French by Gustave Brunet, Evangiles Apocryphes; as Cited
in: Nesta H. Webster, Ibid., p.21.
12.2. Graetz, Geschichte der Juden, III. 216‑52 as Cited in: Nesta H. Webster,
Ibid., p. 23
13.Nesta H. Webster, Ibid., p.20
14.Ibid., p.22.
15.Joseph Barclay, The Talmud, pp.38,39; cf Drach , op.cit I. 167 as Cited Webster,
Ibid. p. 18‑19.
16.Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein; "The Differences between Judaism and Christianity"; The
Conversion to Judaism Home page: http://www.convert.org/differ.htm
17.Jews for Judaism,
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/javasite/webdocs/messianicjudaism.html
18.Hyam Maccoby; "Revolution in Judaea: Jesus and the Jewish Resistance"; p. 100;
Ocean Books; 1973
19.Ibid., p.101‑102.
20.Ibid.,p.106.
21.Ibid.,p. 128.
22.Jews for Judaism, http://www.jewsforjudaism
23.Hyam Maccoby, op. cit., p.100.
24.Jewish Guardian for January 25,1924; as Cited in: Nesta H. Webster, op.cit.,p.
375.
25.Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, op.cit., http://www.convert.org/differ.htm
26.Maccoby, Ibid. , acknowledgements.
27.Ibid., p. 147‑148
28.Ibid., p. 194
29.Ibid., p. 149
30.Ibid., p. 102‑103
31.J.P Stehaln, The Traditions of the Jews, II.215‑20, quoting from the Talmud
treatises Baba Bathra folio 74b, Pesachim folio 32, Bekhoroth folio 57,
Massektoth Ta'anith folio 31. The Zohar also refers to the female Leviathan
(section Bô, de Pauly's trans., III.167) Drach shows that amongst the delights
promised by the Talmud after the return to Palestine will be the permission to
eat pork and bacon. ‑‑De l'Harmonie entre l'Eglise et la Synagogue, I. 265, 276,
quoting treatise Hullin, folio 17, 82. As Cited in, Pg. 372, "Secret Societies
and Subversive Movements" by Nesta H. Webster; Omni Publications, Eighth
edition, 1964.]
32.Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, op.cit., http://www.convert.org/differ.htm
33.Ibid.
34.Maccoby, op. cit., p. 105.
35.Maccoby, Ibid., p. 194‑195
36.Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, op.cit., http://www.convert.org/differ.htm
37.Ibid.
38.Peter Michas; Ha‑Talmidim Trinity Discussion; also see Rod of the Almond Tree.
39.Peter Michas, THE ROD OF AN ALMOND TREE IN GOD'S MASTER PLAN, WinePress
Publishing, (Mukilteo, WA 98275) Chapter 14. p. 255‑56.
40.Ibid. p. 256.
41.Ibid. p.257.
42.Ibid. p.257.
43.Ibid. p.257.
44.Paul Vulliaud, La Kabbale Juive: histoire et doctrine, Vol. II. p. 411, as Cited
in Nesta H. Webster, op.cit., p.15.
45.Jewish Encyclopœdia, article on Cabala, p.478; Cited in: Webster, Ibid. p. 15.
46.Avi ben Mordechai, Halacha, www.millenium7000.com/halacha.htm
47.Zohar, treatise Toldoth Noah, folio 59b, (De Pauly trans., I, 347; 5. Zohar,
treatise Lekh‑Lekha, folio 94a (De Pauly trans., I, 535); as Cited in: Nesta H.
Webster, op.cit.,p.13.
48.Zohar, treatise Bereschith, folio 25a (De Pauly trans. I, 161); 7. The Emek ha
Melek is the work of the Cabalist Naphtali, a disciple of Luria; as Cited in
Ibid.,p.13
49.Rev. I. B. Pranaitis; The Talmud Unmasked; holywar.org/txt/talmud_unmasked.html
50.Jews for Judaism, www.jewsforjudaism.org/javasite/webdocs/chalenge.html
51.Pranaitis, op.cit.
52.Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, op.cit., http://www.convert.org/differ.htm
53.Maccoby, op. cit., p. 246.
54.Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, op.cit, http://www.convert.org/differ.htm