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Who Will You Follow?
Understanding the New Testament from a Jewish Perspective
Joyce Erickson

Article I

Who will you follow?

Matthew 4:19-20. "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed Him.

Who are you following for your basic values and beliefs - your core foundation of Truth?  To whom have you given authority in your life to decide what is Truth? These decisions affect you in this life, and can even affect where you will spend your eternity.  Everyone follows someone or something – a person or an idea, a religion or philosophy. It may be deliberate or subconsciously done by default. It could come from what you learned from your college professor, a co-worker, indoctrination from a pastor or priest, even your parents, or a combination of all of them.  It could have come by your own observations and personal analysis, such as nature, and you have drawn your own conclusions. Regardless, it shows up in what you believe about God, the devil, life, death, salvation, heaven or hell, or even such practical things as how you treat and interact with your family and friends, handle your finances, act toward strangers, or treat those who are different than you.

The Errors of Man

Man is filled with error

No one person or idea has all Truth.  Every one of us, as human beings, has missed the mark because the human mind is flawed, filled with errors and imperfection.  It is inescapable!  No matter what philosophy or religion is followed, man has flawed it in some way.  Even in the Church – there are those who may call themselves Christian, but lean on their church or denomination for their core belief system, and yet, they can still be in error. Traditional teachings, which originally came out of the mind of man, interpretive error, or other such things, have consistently been in the Church throughout history and have taken man away from biblical truth.  Man has never changed. He consistently wants to put his own ideas into what God says is Truth.

Fragments of philosophies, ideas, or even other religions have always tried to enter into the Church to become tradition or claim truth, which eventually tries to override what God states in His Word as Truth. It then turns into another religion, masked under Christianity or the Church, to become a set of rules or traditions of people trying to please God by their own efforts. It must always be remembered that any source of information, other than the Word of God, is traced back to the mind of man, and the mind of man is filled with flaws, errors, and imperfections. Knowing, therefore, what God says in His Word then becomes critical for a believer to know the Truth as God penned it through the fingers of His prophets, whom He spoke to personally, and the apostles, who were eye witnesses of His Son, Jesus Christ, millennia ago.

Heb 1:1-2 God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, and has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…

Understanding Scripture from a Jewish Eastern mind

The land of the Bible comes from a culture, time, and place very different than that of the Western Christian. The inspired writers of the Bible were Eastern (Hebrew) and they wrote to other Jewish Easterners. To study it, therefore, one must think like an Easterner.  The Western Christian, particularly Americans, primarily studies Scripture from a linear prospective, meaning there is a beginning and an end. Everything in between is meant to bring everything to a climax and completion. For example, we, meaning Americans, primarily view the Kingdom of God as detached from this world, believing that eternal life is something that happens after this earthly life is over. The Eastern mind, on the other hand, is far more complex and is cyclical in nature, meaning what was its beginning will keep coming back through a cycle of events. In essence, there is no linear end. It is relational, meaning the Scriptures is about relationships of people to each other and their God. The Hebrew mind views the Kingdom of God as something that begins in this life, seeing eternal life as a life lived in harmony with God here on earth and continues on into eternity. It never ends. So then, to understand the writings of the Scriptures, it is important to study the Old and New Testament from a Hebrew mind to receive the text’s rich meanings so that the pages of the Word of God will come alive in a whole new way. [1]

Greek thinkers (meaning Western thinkers) usually express truth abstractly - using words, ideas, and logical definitions. Hebrew thinkers, on the other hand, express truth concretely, using word pictures and stories.
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Although God spoke His Truth through His prophets under the Old Covenant, there were still those who, throughout time, who wanted to put their own interpretative understanding to what they thought was truth. This then brought other meanings which have filtered into Jewish literature and have played a part in how the Jews understand the Scriptures even today. As a result, their understanding of the Word of God has also been filled with errors. To help understand the complexity of how this has happened, let’s go as far back as the forming of the Torah and work our way to the 1st century A.D. to help understand how the mind of a “religious” and “observant” Jew differs from that of a Western Christian.

The Jewish Writings

The Torah

God spoke to Moses, His chosen prophet, and instituted the Torah, which were laws to obey for the preservation of God’s chosen race of people. Moses then wrote what God spoke on leather and stone, known as the Book of Moses, along with the history of man and the beginning of the history of the Jews. Today, we know it as the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis through Deuteronomy). The results of these 613 laws gave the Jews a land of promise, filled with blessings and cursings, and it was dependent on their obedience to God. There were also sacrifices to offer when they sinned and festivals to celebrate of the blessings which God had given them. Through this, the Jews were to love, honor, and serve their God, Who was not only their God, but the Creator of the universe as well.

The writings of the Torah, held in the Book of Moses, which Westerners recognize as the first five books of the Old Testament, were kept in reserve for the designated elders and prophets.  The majority of the Jewish people had to rely what they heard by the mouth of Moses and the leaders under him. That was the beginning of the Oral Law, or the Oral Traditions.

The Oral Law (Traditions)

Oral traditions are a way for a society to transmit history, literature, law or other knowledge across generations without a writing system. Throughout ancient times, the writings of the Torah (the Book of Moses) were continuously kept in reserve only in the hands of designated elders and prophets. Most of the Jews had to rely on the Oral Traditions that were passed down of the Torah, their culture, and the history of their people. Sadly, interpretations changed through the generations as people and cultures changed. What “Moses received as the (Oral) Torah at Mount Sinai from God, he wrote and handed it down to Joshua, Joshua handed it down to the elders, the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the men of the Great Synagogue…Shim’on the Righteous (300 B.C.) was one of the survivors of the Great Synagogue… Antigonus of Socho received (the Oral Torah) from Shim’on the Righteous…Yose ben Yoezer of Tseredah and Yose ben Yohanan of Jerusalem received (the Oral Torah) from him…Yehoshua ben Perahyah and Mattai of Arbel received (the Oral Torah) from them…Yehudah ben Tabbai and Shim’on ben Shetah received (the Oral Torah) from them…Shemayah and Avtalyon received (the Oral Torah) from them…Hillel and Shammai received (the Oral Torah) from them….” [2] Each generation had a slightly different twist as to its interpretation and it was these interpretations that eventually gained more authority than the written Word of God (the Torah and later the writings of the prophets). During the time of Christ, many schools of Hillel or Shammai had been established by the sages, or teachers, and most of Judaism followed either the Oral Traditions of either Hillel or Shammai. While Jesus strongly supported the written Word of God, He strongly opposed the Oral Traditions of man.

Mark 7:9&13: And Jesus said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition….Making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

The Tanakh

When the Jews began filtering back to Israel after the exile (538 B.C.), part of the rebuilding of their temple meant they needed to find and place the Holy Scriptures back into the temple. The Scriptures had, however, been scattered by their conquerors when the Jews were taken into captivity. In an effort to preserve them, Ezra the prophet formed a group called the “Great Synagogue” to gather together the Torah (Book of Moses – Genesis – Deuteronomy) and the writings of the prophets up to that point of time. They then added the writings of the prophets of that day (all the way to Malachi) and formed what we know of, as Christians of today, the Old Testament. This effort took many years – but eventually the “Tanakh” was completed. Done in the original language of the Jews, the Tanakh became the Hebrew Bible of the Jews.

The “Tanakh” is an acronym from the initial Hebrew letters of the three traditional subdivisions that eventually formed the Hebrew Bible (Genesis – Malachi): The traditional subdivisions are the Torah, the Writings of the Prophets (Nevi-im), and the Hagiographa.

(1) The Torah [the Book of Moses – Genesis – Deuteronomy],
(2) Nevi’im, meaning “writings of the prophets,” consisting the chronological era from the entrance of the Israelites into their land until the Babylonia captivity of Judah (excluding Chronicles). It contains historical and prophetical writings.
(3) Ketuvim, meaning “Hagiographa.” These encompass all of the remaining scrolls (books), such as Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Psalms, Lamentations, Son of Solomon, Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles. [3]

While there are few exceptions, all writings of the Tanakh were written by prophets who heard directly from God. These writings, therefore, can be trusted to be the Word of God.

The Protestant Old Testament of today follows the Tanakh; however, they are listed in a different order.

While the Tanakh became the established Hebrew Bible of the Jews, most Jews, including many rabbinical teachers, continued to rely more upon the Oral Traditions that had been passed through word of mouth down through the generations.

The Targums

A Targum is an Aramaic translation (and interpretation) of the Hebrew Tanakh. It means to translate or interpret.

By the time the exiles were permitted to return to Israel (538 A.D.), most of them were ingrained in the land of their captor and spoke Aramaic, which, although a Semetic language very much like Hebrew, had its own flavor and sound. While few exiles returned back to Israel, most of them remained in Aramaic speaking counties, and the Hebrew language became forgotten to them.

Synagogues became a popular place for Jews to gather together for social functions as well as a place to worship their God during and after the exile. The people had learned to rely upon the Oral Traditions that had been passed down through the generations because they did not have access to the writings of the Hebrew Torah. After the Tanakh was formed, scripture passages were read aloud in the synagogues. They were, however, read in Hebrew, and the congregation, as Aramaic speaking people, had difficulty understanding its meaning. Therefore, as a means of facilitating the study of the Tanakh and making its public reading understood, the Targums, spoken in Aramaic, were added. These Targums, as well as the word of mouth Oral Traditions that had been passed down throughout the generations, formed the interpretation of the Scripture read. [4]

Originally, the oral Targums were verbally spoken following the reading of the Hebrew Tanakh in the synagogues, giving explanation of its meaning, as was interpreted by the famous scribes or rabbis of that day. Supported by their beliefs in the Oral Traditions (the passing down of the Oral Law), these commentaries often contradicted the scripture passage it was trying to explain; thus, the people understood the Scriptures according to the interpretation of the leading rabbi of that day. As time continued, and other “respected” rabbis added their interpretations, these man-made errors sent confusing messages to the Jews, resulting in the lack of the true meaning of the Word of God. Some time after the death of Christ, the many oral Targums turned into writings of commentaries that ranged from literal to liberal paraphrased elaborate explanatory details of the Scriptural text. Upon its completion, it included all of the explanations of the Tanakh except for the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel.

Man has never changed. He consistently wants to put his own ideas into what God says is Truth. The human mind is flawed and error is inescapable. Again, it must always be remembered that any source of information, other than the Truths of the Word of God, is traced back to the mind of man, and the mind of man is filled with flaws, errors, and imperfection. God’s Word contains Truth – the only Truth!

Other Writings

The Septuagint

The captivity of the Jews brought many to leave their original Hebrew language in a foreign land and adapt to the Aramaic language of the Assyrians and Babylonians. The Torah and the writings of the prophets at the time of the Judean exile were stolen. The Jews were forcibly taken to a foreign land without their God and temple of worship. In 538 B.C. the Persians conquered the Babylonians, and its conquering king allowed the Jews to return home; however, only a small portion returned to their homeland. Most stayed and meshed within the society of their captors, or traveled to other parts of the known world. When Alexander the Great later conquered the known world in around 350 B.C., that part of the world quickly left its Aramaic lifestyle and became hellenized, meaning adapting to the Greek culture, which included the worship of many gods and the change to the Greek language. The remnant Jews who still followed their God were now scattered all over the known world, and a large portions of them had learned to speak Greek. While the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) was available, only a few scholars still spoke in their mother tongue of Hebrew. The Aramaic Targums only benefited those who still spoke Aramaic. This challenge brought on a new translation of Scripture. In Alexander, Egypt, a group of 70 Hebrew scholars took on the task of translating the Tanakh into Greek, thus creating the version of the Septuagint, or sometimes referred to as the LXX.

The Apocrypha

In addition, there were other books (scrolls) added to the Septuagint. There had been numerous writings that had become popular by various writers which were historical in nature, or having various topics of interest of that day, and even others that were fables. While these books were added, none of them claimed to be divine or written by a prophet who heard from God.  As time increased, thee additional books became known as the Apocryphal writings, or the Apocrypha. As the Greek world increased, and time continued, the Septuagint became the Scriptures that most of the scattered Jews followed in much of the Roman Empire. It was, however, an assumed knowledge that the Apocryphal writings were not part of the old Hebrew Tanakh, thus they gave little precedence to its writings as divine. The Septuagint, which included the Apocrypha, was the Scriptures that were primarily used during the time of Jesus. It must be noted, however, that Jesus and His disciples never referred to any of the Apocryphal writings.  It was an understanding that they were additional books that were never part of the Hebrew Tanakh. and not to be followed. The Tanakh, however, written in Hebrew, had lost its appeal by this time to a Greek speaking world. It was reserved only for the linguistic scholars.

While Protestantism today denies any divinity in the Apocryphal writings, and have never included them in the Protestant Old Testament, Catholicism claims them as divine and are included in all Catholic Bibles of today. (For more information on the Catholic Canon, refer to the articles in Church History II or the course on Understanding the Scriptures.)

Again, as a repeat, man has never changed. He consistently wants to add or put his own ideas into what God says is Truth. The human mind is flawed and error is inescapable. Any source of information, other than what comes from God, can always be traced back to the mind of man, and the mind of man is filled with flaws, errors, and imperfections. God’s Word, and only God’s Word contains Truth – the only Truth!

Linguistic probabilities

Palestine in the 1st century was a multi-linguistic country.  Because of its geographic location, ethnic culture, and Roman rule, its citizens could speak up to three languages. While most of the Palestinian Jews spoke in Aramaic following the exiles, and even during the time of Christ, non Jews, meaning Gentiles, spoke Koine (meaning “common”) Greek of that day. It was only the learned Jewish scholars, such as the rabbis and scribes, who were either Pharisees, Sadducees, or Essenes spoke and wrote in Hebrew because it was required of them to advance in their studies of Judaism. The higher they went in their education, the more fluent they became in the Hebrew language. The rabbis were the most educated Jews of that day.

Jewish sects during the time of Jesus

To complicate things further, there were around 24 various sects (today, we refer to them as denominations) of Judaism by the time of Christ’s arrival to earth. The four major sects of Judaism were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the Zealots. All followed common Jewish practices, such as observing dietary restrictions, worshiping at the Jerusalem temple, sacrificing animals, observing weekly sabbaths, etc., but they all had a little different twist to their beliefs.  The average Palestian Jew, however, simply observed the Tanakh, sacrifices and feasts, the Oral Law, carrying no affiliation to any sect.

Pharisees (Hebrew - "P'rushim")

  • Its humble beginnings began as a branch of the Hasmoneans, a Jewish dynasty during the Maccabean wars around 165 B.C.  The Hasmoneans were known for waging war from foreign oppression to keep the peace of Israel.  A group of holy men pulled away from the Hasmoneans, refusing to be a part of the fighting to maintain Israel's peace.  They became known as the Pharisees.
  • Many Pharisees were scribes or (later) rabbis, which meant they were multi-lingual (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). They followed not only after the Torah, but all of the writings of the prophets, meaning they followed all of the Tanakh.
  • They, as opposed to the Sadducees, followed the Oral Law and Traditions, as well as the Targums. There were some who were the liberals of their day in their interpretations of the Tanakh, yet some were rigid in their understanding of the Laws of Moses. [5] According to Josephus, the 1st century writer, some Pharisees delivered to the people many observances by succession from their father, which are not written in the Law of Moses. This only added to a fuller and more rigid interpretation and reinterpretation of the Law and its traditions.
  • Those more liberal brought on new ideas of tradition and meanings of the Tanakh to where they debated among themselves, and eventually separated from within. By the time of Jesus in the 1st century A.D., the Pharisees had separated themselves into seven different sects, and kept themselves separate from the other sects of Pharisaism. Many referred to them as "Separatists."  It was some of these Pharisaic sects that Jesus saw as hypocritical, following heresies.  Jesus, however, was friend of other Pharisees, and met with them on a regular basis.
  • All Pharisees considered themselves scribes; however, not all scribes were Pharisees.
  • The Pharisees were not politically minded; in fact, they kept themselves separate from any political entity.
  • They considered themselves holier than most, including the Sadducees.
  • Most of the learned rabbis came out of the Pharisaic sect of Judaism.
  • The Pharisees held most of the governing power within the Sanhedrin during the time of Jesus.

Centuries of Christian preaching and teaching has made the English word "Pharisee" synonomous to that of hypocrite and stubborn legalists.  Jesus, however, never condemned anyone for being a Pharisee, but for being a hypocrite.  Not all Pharisees were critical of Jesus; in fact, many Pharisees supported Jesus - they became believers.  Some even warned Him when Herod tried to kill Him.  Many Pharisaic believers were Jesus' friends, and frequently invited Him to their homes.  It is an assumption by many biblical scholars that Jesus was trained as a Pharisee before He went out into His own ministry.   That, however, will be addressed more thoroughly later.

In Acts and Philippians, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as a Pharisee.  He did not say he "was" a Pharisee, but that he "is" a Pharisee.  In Acts 15, the Scriptures tell of the Jerusalem Council.  At that council were Pharisee believers who tried to put forth a ruling that all Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses.  That, however, was overrode by others of the council!

The sect of the Pharisees survived the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., but in the form of Rabbinic Judaism - today, known simply as "Judaism.”

Sadducees (Hebrew - "Tz'dukim)

  • The Sadducees included a small portion of wealthy aristocrats represented mainly by the nobility and the priests. They lived in luxury at the cost of others.
  • It is probable that the Sadducees, as learned scholars, were also multi-lingual.
  • The Sadducees only followed the Torah, holding strict adherence to the Law. According to Josephus, the Sadducees rejected the traditions of the Pharisees. Since the Torah mentions nothing about an afterlife, the Sadducees refused any spiritual acknowledgement; their lives consisted of only the physical. As such, they lived very selfish lives.
  • They rejected all of the writings of the prophets and refused to follow the Oral Traditions or the Targums.
  • They supported the Roman political power in Israel for the protection of their position.
  • They, along with the Pharisees, were the governing powers of the Sanhedrin Council, which governed over the Jews throughout Israel in religious matters.
  • Because of their wealth, power, connection to Roman power, and strictness to the Mosaic Law, the Sadducees aroused hated among the Jewish population.
  • The Sadducees and Pharisees were at constant odds with one another for power.

The sect of the Sadducees ended at the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.

The Essenes

  • The existence of the Essenes may have begun shortly after the Pharisees, but before the time of Christ.  They became a type of Pharisee, except their interpretation of Scripture developed a rigid understanding. They were even more rigid than the Pharisees in the obedience of the Law. They were known for their careful observance of the Law of Moses, as “they understood it.” They, however, did not support all of the traditions and interpretations of the Law.
  • Their belief system was more mystical, eschatological, and messianic in nature.  After Christ's resurrection, the Essenic community lived as if the messianic prophecies had been fulfilled and His second-coming was imminent.  Their lives became ascetic, living in the desert regions of Qumran near the Dead Sea. 
  • Like the Pharisees, they believed in the afterlife; however, they also believed in the doctrine of angels. Their interest in angels were, however, exaggerated, holding special interest in them. Many names of angels became sacred, and thus worshipped.
  • Taking vows of celibacy, only single males could enter the “order of the Essenes.” They were usually the poor and outcast of Jewish society. As Essenes, they lived in poverty and all wages went into the common pot.
  • They considered themselves as guardians of Scriptures, having in their possession many of the original ancient manuscripts.
  • Many were writers on the doctrines of the Essenes.
  • Some Essenes advanced to trained scribes, whose focus was on the preservation of Scripture. Their accuracy for copying the Scriptures was phenomenal. They also spent their time decoding the Scriptures, and translated them into several different languages.
  • While their copying of Scripture was accurate in every minute detail, their interpretation (done in writings) of Scripture was often distorted.
  • The Essenes were the most prevalent from the time of John the Baptist and Jesus until the Jewish war with Rome in 66-70 A.D.  They lessened in number and became extinct.  With the fall of the Jewish state in 70 A.D., they disappeared.
  • Their writings have always been rejected by all protestant denominations as false doctrine; however, they were accepted by Catholicism upon their discovery in 1948 A.D. and were added to the Apocryphal writings.  

The Zealots

The Zealots were members of a fanatical Jewish sect that militantly opposed the Roman domination of Palestine during the 1st century A. D.

  • Like the Pharisees, the Zealots were devoted to the Jewish law and religion; however, they believed that patriotism and religion were inseparable.
  • They thought it treason against God to pay tribute to the Roman emperor, since God alone was Israel's king. They were willing to fight to the death for their Jewish independence. They were fanatical defenders of the theocracy; and who, while taking vengeance on those who wronged it, were themselves guilty of great excesses.
  • The Zealots thought themselves as following in the footsteps of men like Simon and Levi from the Old Covenant, and were devoted supporters of the Lord and His laws and ready to fight for them. Jesus chose Simon the Zealot as one of His disciples .
  • The Zealots’ increasing fanaticism was one factor that provoked the Roman-Jewish war. The Zealots took brief control of Jerusalem in 66 A.D., a move that led to the siege of Jerusalem and its fall in 70 A.D. The last stronghold of the Zealots, the fortress of Masada, fell to the Romans in 73 A. D.

The Nazarites

  • The Nazarites were not a Jewish religion or sect. It was a vow that Jewish people could take for a certain period of time as a dedication to God, such as 30, 60, 90, and sometimes 100 days.
  • The term "Nazarite" comes from the Hebrew word nazir meaning “consecrated” or “separated.” Being a Nazarite, therefore, meant a “separated, consecrated person” who took a vow to separate from certain worldly things and to consecrate himself to God.
  • One generally took a Nazarite vow for a certain period of time. As recorded in Scripture, Samson, Samuel & John the Baptist were the only Nazarites for a lifetime. Before they were born, their vows were taken for them by their parents.
  • Nazarites generally did not withdraw from their society; they continued their everyday life while taking their vow. Many, however, lived as hermits.
  • A Nazarite was bound by three absolute restrictions: 1) Could eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, which included grapes, grape juice, and raisins. 2) No razor could come upon his head, until the days be fulfilled. (It was a visible sign of consecration to the Lord. 3) During the days of separation, he could not touch a dead body. That would make him ceremonially unclean. If a man accidentally broke a Nazarite vow, he had to undergo a ceremony of restoration for cleansing by shaving his head and bringing an offering to the priest. The priest then made atonement for him.
  • If the Nazarite trespassed in a sin, he had to present a lamb as a trespass offering to be removed from their vow. When offered, he then could begin his vow over again and the days already served under his former vow did not count. When the specified period of time for the vow was complete, the Nazarite had to appear before the priest for the ceremony of release, presenting a “he” lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, a ewe lamb of the first year for a sin-offering, and a ram for a peace-offering. After these sacrifices were offered to the priest, the Nazarite cut his hair and threw it into the fire as a peace-offering. He was then released from the vow.
  • The Scriptures speak of the Apostle Paul taking on a Nararite vow. “Tradition” has it that Jesus’ brother James was a Nazarite from birth. We know that Jesus’ cousin John, known as John the Baptist, was also a Nazarite from birth. This leads us to believe Jesus was raised under the strong influence of the Nazarites.

The presence of many Nazarites was considered a sign of God's blessings upon Israel. In the same token, spiritually speaking, God has always desired that His people live separated, dedicated, consecrated lives unto Him, not for 30, 60, or 100 days, but for a lifetime.

High priest, chief priests, priests, and Levites

  • Members of the tribe of Levi who were responsible for the temple and its sacrifices.
  • The High Priest was appointed annually (at the time of Christ) by the Roman government, who considered the high priesthood more of a political office. They regularly deposed those whom did not serve their purpose. Originally, the high priest had to belong to the lineage of Aaron; however, that changed during the time of the Inter-testamental period. During the time of Jesus, the chief priest belonged to the house of Annas and Caiaphas.
  • The Chief Priests offered the sacrifices and took care of other rituals concerns in the temple. Both the High Priest and Chief Priests were considered the most important religious leaders in ancient Israel. During the time of Christ, the high priest and chief priests were all Sadducees or Pharisees, and were considered the religious and social leaders of the Jewish people.
  • The priests assisted the Chief Priests in the offering of sacrifices and took care of other rituals concerns of the temple. Most of them lived away from Jerusalem and took in the tithes from the local Jews. Twice a year they came to the temple to offer the tithes and assist the other temple priests or the chief priest in the duties at the temple.
  • Those of the tribe of Levi who were not priests assisted in the practical operation of the temple as guards, musicians, etc.

By the time of the birth of Jesus (1st century A.D.) the faith of Judaism had become very complex. Many sects differed in their doctrine; however, they all had one thing in common – the love and preservation of the Torah (as they interpreted it). Jesus, however, came against much of the Judaism of that day because its interpretations had become so corrupt, straying away from what God originally intended as written in the Torah, by the hand of Moses.

Understanding Judaism of today

The faith of Judaism has been one of progressive understanding the Scriptures through various interpretations, re- interpretations, cultures, and times. As previous pointed out, God spoke to Moses, which brought about the oral Torah and later the written Torah. In time, God spoke to His prophets, and their writings were later (following the exile) gathered to form the Hebrew Tanakh.  Many of the Jews, however, did not speak Hebrew, so when the Tanakh was read in the synagogues, it was verbally interpreted, in what became the Targums. Eventually the Targums were put to print. As the Greek culture grew, a Greek version of the Tanakh was translated, which also included other writings, called the Apocrypha. While Jesus and His disciples quoted from the Scriptures, they never quoted from any of the Apocryphal writings.

After Jesus’ death and the fall of Israel in 70 A.D., many changes came about in Judaism. The Oral Law, or Oral Traditions, had always been verbally passed down through word of mouth throughout the generations. While the Targums (interpretations) were originally oral interpretations, they were, sometime after the time of Christ, written down.  Eventually, the Oral Law was written down as well.  The Mishnah became the first written recording of the Oral Traditions, as interpreted by the Pharisees, and the Targums, and was put together between the years of 70 – 200 A.D. Other writings that pertained to daily life were also added.  It consists of six orders dealing with 1) agricultural laws and prayers, 2) laws of the Sabbath and festivals, 3) women, marriage and divorce, 4) civil and criminal law, 5) sacrificial rites, the temple, and the dietary laws, 6) laws of ritual purity for the priests and the laws of family purity and others. [6] Between the 2nd and 5th centuries, as a progressive work, the Talmud was formed. The Talmud, consisting of the Mishnah, became a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. [7] The Talmud makes up what we know of today as modern Judaism.

The flaws of the human mind

As has been pointed out repeatedly in this article, the human mind is flawed, filled with errors and imperfections. While God spoke Truth to Moses and the other prophets, the interpretations and reinterpretations of Truth throughout the generations has changed Judaism to be one more of progressive interpretive traditional teachings which came out of the mind of man. Sadly, those traditional teachings missed the prophesied Messiah that they had long awaited upon for generations, and is still missing Him today.

Whether we are dealing with Judaism or Christianity, we need to keep our beliefs consistent with the Word of God and forsake traditional beliefs and teachings, considering them only from the mind of man. When we do, we can trust that what we read from the Word of God comes from the mouth of God, not the interpretation of man.

Continuing on…

As you continue on in the next article, bear in mind the purpose of writing this series on “Who Will You Follow.” It is not meant for you, as a Christian, to take on any Jewish traditions or customs personally for yourself, for that would bring you right back under the Law. These articles are meant to help you glean from the historical background and faith of Jesus so that you, as a Christian today, can deepen your understanding in the Truths of the Word of God and become a closer follower of Jesus Christ.

The next article will give explanation to the education of a Hebrew child during the 1st century A.D. This, in all probability, would have been the education of Jesus as He grew up in a devout Jewish home. We will then begin to see how Jesus’ education played a large part in His public ministry as He, being a Jew, taught from a Jewish prospective to Jews and was able to debate rhetorically with the master rabbis of His day. We will see how God used Jesus’ Jewish upbringing, education, and most of all the power of the Holy Spirit for Him, as the Son of God, to minister to others in a way that changed the course of this world.

To continue on with article II in this series, click here.

End Notes


[1] http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=1854
2   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh
[2] Biven, David. JerusalemPerspective.com. Newsletter. 10.11.07 edition
3 http:// www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/03-Torah-Halacha/section-16.html
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_Torah
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishnah
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud

 

Last modified: Thursday, 10 July 2008, 01:50 PM