Readers,
Not everyone will have an interest in what I have to share in this journal entry. Its design is primarily for those who have a deeper interest in ancient Judaism and how Jesus Christ has been seen by the Jews since ancient time. For you who do have this interest, you will be greatly blessed with what I have to share. My forte of study and research for the past 45+ years has been on the Hebraics of the Christian faith. I believe in a short time there will be a great turning in the nation of Israel to Jesus Christ.
In the following study each item of interest is numbered. Take time to read through that which appeals to you.
With that in mind lets further title this study …
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Education on Jewish-Christian Things
Ancient Judaism – Targums, etc.
by Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin
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1) T. N. K. (pronounced Tanach) is an acronym for Tora “law,” Nevim “The prophets,” and Ketuvim “the writings.” These are the three divisions into which Jews divide the Old Testament.
2) Modern Judaism generally sets forth Christianity as a Gentile religion. They say it is alright for Gentiles to accept Jesus as Messiah, but for Jews it would be idolatry. Judaism does not necessarily condemn the doctrine of the trinity as idolatry as long as those holding the belief are not Jews. That Jesus and the apostles were all sabras, that is, native born Israelis, has been a well kept secret from the Jews. In spite of this the modern Israelis are rediscovering Jesus. [Yeshua is His Hebrew name.]
3) Ancient Judaism once taught that a suffering Messiah would appear, disappear for a time, and would then reappear. The disappearing Messiah was known as Messiah ben Joseph. He would suffer as Joseph did when sold as a slave in Egypt. Messiah ben Joseph would die and be resurrected. His return would then be as Messiah ben David. When Jesus was rejected by the rulers of Israel this ancient Judaic teaching became shrouded to the Jews. Few Jews realize that Judaism today is far removed from what ancient Judaism taught. What evangelical Christianity teaches concerning the Messiah fulfills the ancient sages.
4) The famed rabbi of the twelth century known as Rambam/Maimonides, once said: “…one should…not expatiate about the midrashim…” The midrashim are ancient Jewish commentaries on the Bible, which in many cases authenticate the Christian belief that Jesus is the Messiah.
5) Commentary Midrash Ruth Rabba clearly illustrates two comings of Messiah: “R. Berekhia in the name of R. Levi: ‘The Last Redeemer [Messiah] will be like the First Redeemer [Moses]. Just as the First Redeemer was revealed and then again was hidden from the children of Israel…so the Last Redeemer will be revealed to them and then will be hidden from them…’”
6) The Jewish Talmud speaks of Him [Messiah] coming on “a donkey” (Zech. 9:9) and “coming on the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13), in its Sanhedrin 98a section. “R. Alexandri said: ‘R. Y’hoshu’a ben Levi explained:…’If they will be righteous, [the Messiah will come] on the clouds on heaven (Daniel 7:13); if they will not be righteous, [he will come] as a poor man riding upon an ass (Zech 9:9).’”
7) Biblical Archaeology Review, December 1992 – Hebrew scholars Michael Wise and James Tabor state: “Our Qumran text, 4Q521, is astonishingly, quite close to this Christian concept of Messiah. Our text speaks not only of a single messianic figure…but it also describes him in extremely exalted terms, quite like the Christian view of Jesus as a cosmic agent.”
They further say, “…The Messiah of our text is thus much closer to the Christian Messiah, in this regard, than in any previously published text and requires us to reexamine the previously, rather restricted, views of messianic expectations at Qumran.”
Again they say, “…there was the belief among the Qumran community that the Messiah would suffer initial defeat, but that he would ultimately triumph at the end of days.” [The Qumran community reflects accepted messianic beliefs in ancient Judaism at the time of Jesus.]
8 ) Archaeological Discovery – The newly released Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4Q246, gives indisputable proof that the idea of the Son of God is an authentic ancient Jewish belief. In this ‘Son of God’ fragment it says, “he shall be called the Son of the God; they will call him the Son of the Most High…He will judge the earth in righteousness…and every nation will bow down to him…with (God’s) help he will make war, and…[God] will give all the peoples into his power.” (This is important since post 70 a. d. Judaism absolutely denies any room for a Messianic Son of God. It is also important because the Dead Sea discoveries are revealing a belief system very near Christian.)
9) “In the future God will seat the King Messiah at his right, for it is said: ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, ‘Sit thou at my right hand,’” Midrash on Psalm SVIII, 35 – Ancient Rabbinical Commentary.
10) “I have examined and searched all the Holy Scriptures, and have not found the time for the coming of MESSIAH, clearly fixed, except in the words of Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, which are written in the ninth chapter of the prophecy of Daniel.” Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi
11) “Behold, My Servant, the Messiah, whom I bring near, My chosen one, in whom My Memra [Word] takes delight; I will place my holy spirit upon him, and he shall reveal My law to the nations.” Targum Jonathan
12) “Behold, my servant, the Messiah shall prosper; he shall be exalted, etc. ‘Behold my servant shall deal prudently.’ This is King Messiah. ‘He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.’ He shall be exalted more than Abraham; for of Him it is written, ‘I have exalted my hand to the Lord’ (Gen. XIC.22). He shall be extolled more than Moses…(Num. XI 12) – Targum
13) “Come and see the mystery of the word YHVH: there are three steps, each existing by itself: nevertheless they are One, and so united that one cannot be separated from the other. The Ancient One is revealed with three heads, which are united into one, and that head is three exalted. The Ancient One is described as being three: because the other lights emanating from him are included in the three. But how can three names be one? Are they really one because we call them one? How three can be one can only be known through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.” Zohar
14) “In the week when the Son of David comes, they will bring beams of iron and put them like a yoke on his neck until His stature is bent down. He cries and weeps, and his voice ascends to heaven, and in God’s presence He will say: ‘Sovereign of the world, how long will my strength last, how long my breath, my soul, and my limbs? Am I not flesh and blood?’…Then the Holy One—blessed be He!—says to Him: ‘Ephraim, my righteous Messiah, you took all this upon yourself from the six days of creation…’” Pesiqta Rabbati, Friedmann’s edition, chapter 36
15) “The Patriarchs will one day rise again in the month of Nisan and will say to the Messiah…You have been a laughing-stock and a derision among the peoples of the world, and because of you they jeered at Israel, as it is written (Psalm 22:6). You have dwelt in darkness and in gloominess, and your eyes have not seen light, your skin was cleaving to your bones, and your body withered like wood. Your eyes became hollow from fasting, and your strength was dried up like a potsherd, as its is written (Psalm 22:15,16). All this happened because of the sins of our children, as it is written: ‘And Jehovah laid on him the iniquity of us all’ (Isaiah 53:6).” Pesiqta Rabbati
16) David Flusser an orthodox Jewish professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem writes concerning the New Testament: “Early Christian literature thus reflects the world of the Sages at an earlier stage than its reflection in the Jewish sources. It reflects Jewish life in the Hellenistic diaspora, details of which we otherwise know chiefly from the writings of Philo of Alexandria….
“Take an example: The Jewish custom of giving a boy his name during his circumcision ceremony is not known in our Talmudic literature, but in one of the Gospels (Luke 1:59-64) we are told that John the Baptist’s father gave him his name during this ceremony.
“Or another example: the custom of passing around the glass of wine during the Kiddush (the blessing on the wine ushering in Sabbath and Holy Day Meals) is unknown in Talmudic sources, but the New Testament tells us that during the Last Supper Jesus asked that his cup should be passed among his Apostles (Luke 22:17 and parallel passages).” — Jewish Sources in Early Christianity.
17) Learned Jews are startled by a Jewish Commentary that mentions a “cross on his shoulders” in Isaac’s ancient ordeal: “…and Abraham took the wood and he put it on his son as a person who carries a cross on his shoulders.” Midrash Shimoni’s commentary (Saloniki edition)
18) “When the time of the advent of Messiah will be near, then the blessed God will say to him: With him I will make a new covenant. And this is the time when he will acknowledge him as his son, saying ‘This day have I begotten three.’” Midrash Tehelim
19) “Our Rabbis taught, The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David (May he reveal himself speedily in our days!), ‘Ask of me anything, and I will give it to thee’, as it is said, I will tell of the decree etc. this day have I begotten thee, ask of me and I will give the nations for thy inheritance. (Ps. II, 7,8).
“But when he will see that the Messiah the Son of Joseph is slain, he will say to Him, ‘Lord of the Universe, I ask of Thee only the gift of life’. ‘As to life’, He would answer him, ‘Your father David has already prophesied this concerning you’, as it is said, He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him even length of days for ever and ever]. (Ps. XXI, 5.)”
20) Pinchas Lipide, a highly respected scholar in the Jewish religious community, wrote a book supporting the resurrection of Jesus, though he himself does not accept Jesus as Messiah and does not follow other Christian claims. In his book, The Resurrection of Jesus, A Jewish Perspective, he states: “…according to my opinion, the resurrection belongs to the category of the truly real and effective occurrences…a fact of history…’”
21) Dr. Kac notes of Professor Pinchas Lapide: “According to Lapide a ‘Jesus wave’ is now passing through Judaism. In proof of this he states that in the first twenty-seven years following the reconstitution of the present State of Israel 187 Hebrew books, research articles, poem, dissertations and essays have been written about Jesus. More has been written in Hebrew about Jesus in the last twenty-five years than in all the eighteen previous centuries.” Arthur W. Kac, The Messiahship of Jesus
22) “In the first century, the rabbis at Yavne changed Jesus’ Hebrew name from Yeshua to Yeshu. Nearly all rabbis today still use this despicable name, especially in Israel. (Yeshu means ‘may his name be blotted out.) It is worth noting, however, that not only does the Hebrew edition of the New Testament call Jesus Yeshua, Rabbi Abarbanel, a famous Jewish sage who did not believe in Jesus, also called him Yeshua.”. Philip Moore. [Yeshua means salvation.]
23) Note this condemnation of James the brother of John in the Talmud: “A man shall have no dealings with the heretics (Jewish Christians), nor be cured by them, even for the sake of an hour of life. There was the case of Ben Dama nephew of R. Ishmael, whom a serpent bit. There came Jacob [The Apostle James of the New Testament] the heretic of the village of Sechanya to cure him (in the name of Jeshu ben Pandera); but R. [Rabbi] Ishmael would not allow him. Ben Dama said to him, R. Ishmael, my brother, do allow him, that I may be cured, and I will produce a text from the Law to prove that this is permitted. But hardly had he finished his discourse when his soul departed, and he died.” The Talmud, Abodah Zarah [The fact that Jacob is James is documented by Dr. David Flusser, Professor Emeritus, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Jewish Sources in Early Christianity.]
24) “I don’t think there are many Jews—fanatics and ill-informed excepted—who are not fascinated by the Person and Teaching of Jesus. Perhaps much more so than many Gentiles and so-called ‘Christians.’ I might add that the approach of Jews to Christianity can only be made via the Message of Jesus…
“There is now a growing sense of inquiry here [in Israel], concerning the things of Jesus and Christianity. The reasons being that prejudices are dying down…there is a growing tendency within Christendom to make room for the rise of the Antichrist. He will be an imitator of Christ, of Jesus, whose teachings he will twist and pervert.” Israeli professor of Jewish studies, David Flusser.
25) “In the Diaspora Jesus looked alien to the Jew, an outside, an interloper. But in Israel he is seen as the Jew from Nazareth, a native of this country, a Sabra, with claims to the land as strong as any. He cannot be brushed aside as a foreign influence…When the Jews left their land two thousand years ago, the land was holy for them alone; when they returned, the land was holy also to more than half of the world.
“The land had become sanctified in the meantime to millions and millions of non-Jews. The same applies to the Bible which had been a book holy to the Jews alone and which has become a holy book for millions of non-Jews. Both the Book and the Land have become sanctified to the world and this was not the work of the Diaspora Jews who, in spite of the injunction, did not become ‘a light to the Gentiles,’ but was the work rather of a single Jew and his band of Jewish followers, all of them Sabras. They were all born and bred in the Land, which is in this sense the most fruitful land on earth.” English scholar and professor, Ferdynand Zweig
26) “If you’re a Jew who believes that Yeshua is the Messiah, you’ve returned to Judaism, to the kind of Judaism the Bible teaches. You haven’t converted to another religion. If you are a Gentile believer you have come to the faith of Abraham through the Messiah.” Second generation Messianic Jewiss, Ruth Fleischer, Ph.D.
27) In the 1880’s, Arno C. Gaebelian and Ernest Stoeter established ‘The Hope of Israel’, a Messianic missionary outreach. They published an article in their quarterly, Our Hope, entitled, “Christian Judaism,” proclaimed: “…Christian Judaism was ‘not a nineteenth century invention,’ but was ‘as old as the days of the apostles, yea as old as the Psalms of David and the prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah. Its roots lie in the Oath-bound covenants of God with Abraham…’”
28) “The word Judaism comes from Judah in the Old Testament, one of the twelve sons of Israel, and is connected with praising God. When Leah, Jacob’s wife, gave birth to her son, Judah, she said: “…Now will I praise the Lord…” Thus, the word Judaism, in reality, is a very broad generic term that does not necessarily describe only today’s Jewish culture, it describes a true biblical faith as well, which includes that of Christians who fundamentally believe the Old and New Testament in their praise to the God of Israel through His Messiah Jesus.” Philip Moore, Jewish believer. (Research for Hal Lindsey)
29) “My friend, Grant Livingston, told me of the testimony of Golda Mier’s radiologist, Dr. Larry Samuels. He was treating her just before her death from cancer. Grant said: ‘…he was her doctor administering radiology to her at Hadassah Hospital in 1977. Dr. Samuels said Golda had prayed with him to receive Christ [Messiah Jesus].’ We all think about what is really important and true when we know we are going to die. The Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, knew she was dying of cancer! Her doctor was a believer in Jesus and, according to his testimony, she died a true believer in Jesus as Messiah, although it was never shouted from the rooftops or made public in the world press.” Philip Moore
30)A 1989 article by Susan Birnbaum entitled, ‘The Numbers of Messianic Jews is said to be Growing,’ reports: “Some 350,000 Jews already believe in Jesus as their Savior, and the number may swell to half a million by the year 2000…The results were reported by the Jewish Community of Relations Council of New York…Barret writes that of the 350,000 Jews…about 140,000 have continued to identify as Jews and have chosen to affiliate with ‘Messianic synagogues…’”
Special note: According to more up-to-date research, most Jews who believe in Jesus today prefer to identify with Christian Churches rather than with Messianic synagogues. Stan Telchin, a dominate early Jewish leader and speaker, who was greatly involved in the forming Messianic movement explains in his book, ‘Messianic Judaism is Not Christianity,’ how the Messianic movement has for the most part become cultish in nature, and that the movement is made up mostly of Gentiles and not Jews.
31) Dahaf Polls [Israel] show “seventy-eight percent of the Israeli population welcomes Messianic (Christian) Jews as new immigrants to Israel.”
32) Ancient Rabbinical Commentary on Zechariah 12:8-11: “What is the cause of this mourning? In this Rabbi Dosa…said it was for Messiah, the son of Joseph, who is to be slain…If the cause will be the violent death of Messiah, the son of Joseph, one can understand that which is written, ‘And they shall look to him whom they have pierced.’”
33) Dead Sea Scroll text 4Q521 bears a closely resemble things written about Jesus: “Surely the Lord shall visit the pious and shall call the righteous by name. His spirit shall hover over the poor; by his strength he shall renew the faithful. He shall glorify the pious upon the throne of the eternal kingdom. He shall release the captives, restore sight to the blind, make straight those who are bend double…He shall heal the wounded, resurrect the dead, preach glad tidings to the poor.” Richard N. Ostling, contributor, “Is Jesus in the Dead Sea Scrolls?”
34) “Elijah said: ‘I see a beautiful and great city descend from heaven, built up, as it is written, Jerusalem that art builded as a city that is compact together (Ps. 122:3). Build up and embellished, and her people dwell in her midst…and every ris comprises twenty-five thousand cubits of smaragds and precious stones and pearls…I see the houses and gates of the pious. Their lintels and sideposts are of precious stones, and the treasuries of the Sanctuary open right unto their doors. And Tora and peace are among them…’” Sefer Eliahu (Compare to book of Revelations.)
[LEM1] Some information for this list is derived from The End of History MESSIAH CONSPIRCY by Philip N. Moore (Researcher for Hal Lindsey)
Blessings,
Buddy
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