Have the Jews Really Rejected Yeshua?
Have the Jews Really Rejected Yeshua?
By
James Scott Trimm
There is a false teaching that "the Jews rejected Yeshua," let me make it clear that this is totally false!
In the Second Temple Era
We read in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, that at the crucifixion:
36 Then said Yeshua, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
37 At this word many thousands of the Jews who were standing around the
gallows became believers.
(GH 27:36-37)
Haimo of Auxerre writes:
As it is said in the Gospel of the Nazarenes:
At this word of the Lord
many thousands (multa milla) of the Jews who were
standing round the cross became believers.
(Haimo of Auxerre; Com. on Is. 53:2)
A medieval commentator writes:
Note that in the Gospel of the Nazarenes we have to read that at this virtuous
discourse of Messiah eight thousand were later converted to the faith; namely three
thousand on the day of Pentecost as stated in the Acts of the Apostles 2 [2:41], and
subsequently five thousand about whom we are informed in the Acts of the Apostles 10
[this likely refers to Acts 4:4 rather than 10].”
(Historia passionis Domini; MS: Theolog. Sammelhandschrift 14th-15th Century, foll. 55r)
In fact the Book of Acts tells us that the movement was growing by leaps and bounds and Jews were clamoring to accept Yeshua as the Messiah:
In Acts 2:41, 47 3,000 were added to the Nazarenes, then in Acts 4:4 5,000 were added.
So by this time, there were already 8,000 Nazarenes not including those that were already followers of Yeshua before these events.
How does this compare with the other sects of Judaism at the time? Philo speaks of "more than four thousand" Essenes living in "in many cities of Judaea and in many villages and grouped in great societies of many members".
(Philo (c.?20–54). Quod Omnis Probus Liber. XII.75.)
So at this point there were already twice as many Nazarenes as there were Essenes.
But wait, there is more:
In Acts 5:14 "thousands" more became Nazarenes... we don't know how many thousands.
Then in Acts 6:1 they "multiplied" and in Acts 6:7 they "multiplied" again".
All of this was in just the first year!
Then in about five years we are told that they "multiplied" again (Acts 9:31).
Then about 10 years later (45 CE) (Acts 12:24) we are told that the Word of Elohim multiplied, which implies that the Nazarenes "multiplied".
Later that same year in Acts 13:43-45 we are again told there were "thousands" more added!
If we take a conservative approach and say that unspecified "thousands" means at least 5,000 and "multiplied" only means multiplied by a factor of two then:
+3,000 (Acts 2) + 5,000 (Acts 4:4) + 5,000 (Acts 5:14) x 2 (Acts 6:1) x 2 (Acts 6:7) x 2 (Acts 9:31) X 2 (Acts 12:24) + 5,000 (Acts 13:45) = 213,000
So assuming Acts documents all of the growth (which is unlikely) and using our conservative numbers, there were at least 213,000 Nazarenes by 45 CE.
Now is we estimate that number doubled only one time from 45 CE to 63 CE then by 63 CE there were at least 426,000 Nazarenes.
Now how many Jews were there in the Jerusalem area at the time?
During the first Jewish-Roman war (66–73 CE) the population of Jerusalem was estimated at 600,000 persons by Roman historian Tacitus, while Josephus, estimated that there were as many as 1,100,000, who were killed in the war.[Wars 6:9:3] Josephus also noted that 97,000 were sold as slaves. After the Roman victory over the Jews, as many as 115,880 dead bodies were carried out through one gate between the months of Nisan and Tammuz.
And in fact in 63 CE a meeting was held by the other sects of Judaism, their fear was that the Nazarenes were growing so fast that soon all Jews would be Nazarenes:
As there were many therefore of the rulers that believed, there arose a tumult among
the Jews, Scribes and Pharisees, saying that there was danger, that the people would
now accept Yeshua as the Messiah. They came therefore together, and said to James: "We
entreat you, restrain the people, who are led astray after Yeshua, as if he were the
Messiah.
(Hegesippus (180 CE) quoted by Eusebius Eccl. Hist. 2:23)
So let me make it clear, during the Second Temple Era the Jews did not reject Yeshua, the fact is that within the first year there were more Nazarenes than there were Essenes, by 45 CE the Nazarenes were well on their way to becoming the largest sect of Judaism (if they were not already). And by 63 CE the other sects of Judaism were concerned that Nazarene Judaism would soon displace them all.
The Jews of the Second Temple Era did not reject Yeshua, they were clamoring in droves to accept him as the Messiah!
Rabbi Jacom Emden's Non-Hostile Stance
Jacob Emden also known as Ya'avetz, (b. June 4, 1697, Altona - d. April 19, 1776, Altona), was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed Orthodox Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement. He was acclaimed in all circles for his extensive knowledge. Although Emden did not approve of the Hasidic movement which evolved during his lifetime, his books are highly regarded amongst the Hasidim.
Very interesting is the fact that Rabbi Jacob Emden took a decidedly non-hostile stance towards Yeshua, very different from that of the anti-missionaries. In fact Emden did not suggest believers in Yeshua reject that belief, but that they return to the Torah Observant teachings of Yeshua and his original followers.
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/rabbi-jacob-emden-on-yeshua...)
Many Orthodox Rabbis Have Accepted Yeshua
The truth is that many Orthodox Rabbis who have come to know Yeshua as the Messiah. The following are just a few of which we have record:
In 1665 Jewish Rabbi Shlomo Meir Ben Moshe accepted Yeshua as the Messiah when using Kabbalitic methods, he found a series of messages embedded in the first word of the Torah pointing to Yeshua as the Messiah.
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/the-story-of-rabbi-shlomo-m...)
In the 19th Century Rabbi Tzivi Nasi, an Orthodox Rabbi from Poland accepted Messiah and wrote a book called The Great Mystery: How Can Three Be One? Showing the Messiah as the incarnate Word, the Son of Yah and the Middle Pillar of the Godhead using the Zohar and other Kabbalistic texts.
(this book is available at http://nazarenespace.com/page/books-dvds )
Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein was an Orthodox Rabbi in the 19th century who came to the conclusion that Yeshua was the Jewish Messiah of Judaism. He he refused to become a "Christian," he never left Judaism, claiming instead that he had found "true Judaism" and continued for twenty years as Rabbi of an Orthodox Synagogue where he taught from the so-called "New Testament" and proclaimed Yeshua as the Messiah of Judaism.
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/the-amazing-story-of-rabbi-...)
Rebbe Yehiel Tzvi Lichtenstein-Herschensohn was a 19th Century a Hasidic Jewish Rabbi who came to the conclusion that Yeshua was the Jewish Messiah of Judaism. His attempt to restore a Torah Observant community of believers in Yeshua as Messiah failed, however he wrote many books elucidating the so-called New Testament from a Jewish perspective. His small group of students refereed to him as "Rebbe".
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/the-story-of-rabbe-yehiel-t...)
In the 1980’s my old mentor Rabbi Moyal, an Orthodox Rabbi from Israel accepted Yeshua as the Messiah based on material he found in the Talmud, Midrashim and Zohar.
(see http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/testimony-of-rabbi-moyal )
Beginning in the late 90's I began reporting that a great number of Orthodox Jews (even Rabbis) already know that Yeshua is the true and only Messiah and that some of them have even confided this fact to me. I stated then that they had no intention of disclosing this fact because they believed it would unite them with an anti-Torah Christianity which is overflowing with pagan customs and practices, and a disdain for the Torah which is seen as "bondage".I received a lot of skepticism at the time, and then Rabbi Yizachak Kaduri made arrangements to reveal his belief in Yeshua as the Messiah one year after his death.
Until his death in 2006 Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri was one of the most renowned Mizrahi Haredi rabbis and kabbalists in Israel. He was known as "The Elder Kabbalist." In January 2006, Rabbi Kaduri was hospitalized with pneumonia in the Bikur Holim hospital in Jerusalem, where there wasn't an authomatic artificial respirator, which was donated by a close person. He died at around 10 p.m. on January 28, 2006 (29 Tevet 5766). He was alert and lucid until his last day. An estimated 300,000 people took part in his funeral procession on January 29, which started from the Nachalat Yitzchak Yeshivah and wound its way through the streets of Jerusalem to the Givat Shaul cemetery near the entrance to the city of Jerusalem. In 1908 Kaduri received a blessing by Yosef Chaim (Yoseph Ḥayyim) (1 September 1832 – 30 August 1909) who was a leading hakham (Sephardic Rabbi), authority on Jewish law (Halakha) and Master Kabbalist, that before his death Kaduri would see the Messiah. In a 1990 meeting with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last Rebbe of the Lubavitch movement, Schneerson also spoke a blessing to Kaduri that Kaduri would not pass from this world until he met the Messiah. These blessings was fulfilled on 9 Cheshvan 5764 (4 November 2003) in a mystical vision when Kaduri spoke with the Messiah and the Messiah revealed His name to Kaduri. Kaduri later told his disciples that the revealed name of the Messiah would be found hidden among his writings. Shortly before his death Rabbi Kaduri wrote a short note with instructions not to open until one year after his death. The note was penned in Hebrew and signed in the rabbi's name. It read:
בעניין הר"ת [ראשי תיבות, ע.י.] של משיח. ירים העם ויוכיח שדברו ותורתו עומדים. באתי על החתום בחודש הרחמים [אלול, ע.י] התשס"ה,
יצחק כדורי
Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah’s name, He will lift the people and prove that His Word and His Torah are valid.
This I have signed in the month of mercy (Elul),
Yitzhak Kaduri
The first letter of each word in the phrase in Hebrew spells Yahushua or in modern pronunciation Yehoshua, the long form of the name Yeshua.
(see: http://nazarenespace.com/xn/detail/2182335:BlogPost:162423 )
An Idea whose Time is Here
In 2012 Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Shmuley Boteach published the book Kosher Jesus, which, while not accepting Yeshua as the Messiah, takes a non-hostile approach to Yeshua, seeking to reclaim Yeshua as a Jewish sage of the Second Temple Era.
Just this last year Orthodox Jewish scholar Daniel Boyarin wrote a book "The Jewish Gospels; The Story of the Jewish Christ". This book also takes a non-hostile approach to Yeshua and his original Jewish followers. Daniel Boyarin is not only a noted historian of religion, he has also been called "one of the two or three greatest rabbinic scholars in the world." He holds dual United States and Israeli citizenship. Trained as a Talmudic scholar, in 1990 he was appointed Professor of Talmudic Culture, Departments of Near Eastern Studies and Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley, a post which he still holds.
Boyarin opens his book with some very interesting words:
If there is one thing that Christians know about their religion, it is that it’s not Judaism. If there’s one thing Jews know about their faith, it is that it’s not Christianity. If there is one thing that both groups know about this “double not,” it’s that Christians believe in the Trinity and the incarnation of Christ (the Greek word for Messiah) and that Jews don’t, that Jews keep kosher and Christians don’t.
If only things were that simple. In this book, I’m going to tell a very different story, a story of a time when Jews and Christians were much more mixed up with each other than they are now, when there were many Jews who believed in something quite like the Father and the Son and even in something like the incarnation of the Son in the Messiah, and when followers of Jesus kept kosher as Jews, and accordingly a time in which the difference between Judaism and Christianity just didn’t exist as it does now....
While by now almost everyone, Christian and non-Christian, is happy enough to refer to Jesus, the human, as a Jew, I want to go a step beyond that. I wish us to see that Christ too–the divine Messiah–is a Jew. Christology, or the early ideas about Christ, is also a Jewish discourse and not–until much later–an anti-Jewish discourse at all. Many Israelites at the time of Jesus were expecting a Messiah who would be divine and come to earth in the form of a human. Thus the basic underlying thoughts from which both the Trinity and the incarnation grew are there in the very world into which Jesus was born and in which he was first written about in the Gospels of Mark and John (1-2)
(Daniel Boyarin, The Jewish Gospels; The Story of the Jewish Christ; 2012, p. 1, 5-6)
Of course I believe that Boyarin uses the term "Christian" too loosely here (the original followers of Yeshua identified themselves as Jews and not as "Christians,") however it is very interesting that such an important Orthodox Jewish scholar is now willing to admit that not only were Yeshua's original followers Kosher eating and Torah observant, but that the doctrine of the Deity of Messiah itself was of Jewish origin, was held by the original Jewish followers of Yeshua from the very beginning, and has been rejected by Rabbinic Judaism since the first century in a reactionary manner!
Now a group of Orthodox Rabbinic Jews are working toward a retrial of Yeshua before this Rabbinic Sanhedrin. Its being called The Official Jesus Anathema Removal Project. This attempt at a retrial of Yeshua is being undertaken by Orthodox Rabbinic Jews who believe that Yeshua was falsely accused.
The "Jesus" Judaism has Rejected
The only "Jesus" that most Jewish people have ever been exposed to is the "Jesus" that supposedly came to "free them from the bondage of the Law". Yes, they have rejected this Torahless Jesus, and rightly so. But most of them have never been exposed to the real Yeshua.
In coming years you will see many Jewish people embracing Yeshua as the Messiah. (In fact it has already begun). But the Yeshua that they accept will be the real Yeshua and not the Torahless "Jesus" that Christendom has adopted from pagan sources.
The Jewish people know that an anti-Torah Messiah is no Messiah at all, they know better than to accept the rank paganism attached to Gentile Christianity.
As I have been saying for years, I am personally aware of a great many Orthodox Jews (even Rabbis) who already know that Yeshua is the Messiah, but are not yet prepared to reveal this information to the world. One of these told me that he is waiting until "the right time".
The Jewish people will also come to realize that the books known as the "New Testament" (More correctly called the Ketuvim Netzarim, the "Writings of the Nazarenes") in their original Hebrew and Aramaic rather than their Greek translations, are as much a "Jewish Book" as the Tanak ("Old Testament").
Nazarene Judaism Restored and Growing
Yeshua did not come to create a new religion, he came to be Jewish Messiah of Judaism, The original followers of Yeshua as Messiah were a sect of Judaism known as "Nazarene Judaism" and through the Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim the Nazarene Sect of Judaism has been restored and is growing worldwide!
I am humbled by the fact that this ministry is on the cutting edge of this great last days restoration.
I am grateful to all of you who support our work financially. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Do not count on someone else to do your part, you do your part.
By
James Scott Trimm
There is a false teaching that "the Jews rejected Yeshua," let me make it clear that this is totally false!
In the Second Temple Era
We read in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, that at the crucifixion:
36 Then said Yeshua, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
37 At this word many thousands of the Jews who were standing around the
gallows became believers.
(GH 27:36-37)
Haimo of Auxerre writes:
As it is said in the Gospel of the Nazarenes:
At this word of the Lord
many thousands (multa milla) of the Jews who were
standing round the cross became believers.
(Haimo of Auxerre; Com. on Is. 53:2)
A medieval commentator writes:
Note that in the Gospel of the Nazarenes we have to read that at this virtuous
discourse of Messiah eight thousand were later converted to the faith; namely three
thousand on the day of Pentecost as stated in the Acts of the Apostles 2 [2:41], and
subsequently five thousand about whom we are informed in the Acts of the Apostles 10
[this likely refers to Acts 4:4 rather than 10].”
(Historia passionis Domini; MS: Theolog. Sammelhandschrift 14th-15th Century, foll. 55r)
In fact the Book of Acts tells us that the movement was growing by leaps and bounds and Jews were clamoring to accept Yeshua as the Messiah:
In Acts 2:41, 47 3,000 were added to the Nazarenes, then in Acts 4:4 5,000 were added.
So by this time, there were already 8,000 Nazarenes not including those that were already followers of Yeshua before these events.
How does this compare with the other sects of Judaism at the time? Philo speaks of "more than four thousand" Essenes living in "in many cities of Judaea and in many villages and grouped in great societies of many members".
(Philo (c.?20–54). Quod Omnis Probus Liber. XII.75.)
So at this point there were already twice as many Nazarenes as there were Essenes.
But wait, there is more:
In Acts 5:14 "thousands" more became Nazarenes... we don't know how many thousands.
Then in Acts 6:1 they "multiplied" and in Acts 6:7 they "multiplied" again".
All of this was in just the first year!
Then in about five years we are told that they "multiplied" again (Acts 9:31).
Then about 10 years later (45 CE) (Acts 12:24) we are told that the Word of Elohim multiplied, which implies that the Nazarenes "multiplied".
Later that same year in Acts 13:43-45 we are again told there were "thousands" more added!
If we take a conservative approach and say that unspecified "thousands" means at least 5,000 and "multiplied" only means multiplied by a factor of two then:
+3,000 (Acts 2) + 5,000 (Acts 4:4) + 5,000 (Acts 5:14) x 2 (Acts 6:1) x 2 (Acts 6:7) x 2 (Acts 9:31) X 2 (Acts 12:24) + 5,000 (Acts 13:45) = 213,000
So assuming Acts documents all of the growth (which is unlikely) and using our conservative numbers, there were at least 213,000 Nazarenes by 45 CE.
Now is we estimate that number doubled only one time from 45 CE to 63 CE then by 63 CE there were at least 426,000 Nazarenes.
Now how many Jews were there in the Jerusalem area at the time?
During the first Jewish-Roman war (66–73 CE) the population of Jerusalem was estimated at 600,000 persons by Roman historian Tacitus, while Josephus, estimated that there were as many as 1,100,000, who were killed in the war.[Wars 6:9:3] Josephus also noted that 97,000 were sold as slaves. After the Roman victory over the Jews, as many as 115,880 dead bodies were carried out through one gate between the months of Nisan and Tammuz.
And in fact in 63 CE a meeting was held by the other sects of Judaism, their fear was that the Nazarenes were growing so fast that soon all Jews would be Nazarenes:
As there were many therefore of the rulers that believed, there arose a tumult among
the Jews, Scribes and Pharisees, saying that there was danger, that the people would
now accept Yeshua as the Messiah. They came therefore together, and said to James: "We
entreat you, restrain the people, who are led astray after Yeshua, as if he were the
Messiah.
(Hegesippus (180 CE) quoted by Eusebius Eccl. Hist. 2:23)
So let me make it clear, during the Second Temple Era the Jews did not reject Yeshua, the fact is that within the first year there were more Nazarenes than there were Essenes, by 45 CE the Nazarenes were well on their way to becoming the largest sect of Judaism (if they were not already). And by 63 CE the other sects of Judaism were concerned that Nazarene Judaism would soon displace them all.
The Jews of the Second Temple Era did not reject Yeshua, they were clamoring in droves to accept him as the Messiah!
Rabbi Jacom Emden's Non-Hostile Stance
Jacob Emden also known as Ya'avetz, (b. June 4, 1697, Altona - d. April 19, 1776, Altona), was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed Orthodox Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement. He was acclaimed in all circles for his extensive knowledge. Although Emden did not approve of the Hasidic movement which evolved during his lifetime, his books are highly regarded amongst the Hasidim.
Very interesting is the fact that Rabbi Jacob Emden took a decidedly non-hostile stance towards Yeshua, very different from that of the anti-missionaries. In fact Emden did not suggest believers in Yeshua reject that belief, but that they return to the Torah Observant teachings of Yeshua and his original followers.
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/rabbi-jacob-emden-on-yeshua...)
Many Orthodox Rabbis Have Accepted Yeshua
The truth is that many Orthodox Rabbis who have come to know Yeshua as the Messiah. The following are just a few of which we have record:
In 1665 Jewish Rabbi Shlomo Meir Ben Moshe accepted Yeshua as the Messiah when using Kabbalitic methods, he found a series of messages embedded in the first word of the Torah pointing to Yeshua as the Messiah.
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/the-story-of-rabbi-shlomo-m...)
In the 19th Century Rabbi Tzivi Nasi, an Orthodox Rabbi from Poland accepted Messiah and wrote a book called The Great Mystery: How Can Three Be One? Showing the Messiah as the incarnate Word, the Son of Yah and the Middle Pillar of the Godhead using the Zohar and other Kabbalistic texts.
(this book is available at http://nazarenespace.com/page/books-dvds )
Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein was an Orthodox Rabbi in the 19th century who came to the conclusion that Yeshua was the Jewish Messiah of Judaism. He he refused to become a "Christian," he never left Judaism, claiming instead that he had found "true Judaism" and continued for twenty years as Rabbi of an Orthodox Synagogue where he taught from the so-called "New Testament" and proclaimed Yeshua as the Messiah of Judaism.
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/the-amazing-story-of-rabbi-...)
Rebbe Yehiel Tzvi Lichtenstein-Herschensohn was a 19th Century a Hasidic Jewish Rabbi who came to the conclusion that Yeshua was the Jewish Messiah of Judaism. His attempt to restore a Torah Observant community of believers in Yeshua as Messiah failed, however he wrote many books elucidating the so-called New Testament from a Jewish perspective. His small group of students refereed to him as "Rebbe".
(http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/the-story-of-rabbe-yehiel-t...)
In the 1980’s my old mentor Rabbi Moyal, an Orthodox Rabbi from Israel accepted Yeshua as the Messiah based on material he found in the Talmud, Midrashim and Zohar.
(see http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/testimony-of-rabbi-moyal )
Beginning in the late 90's I began reporting that a great number of Orthodox Jews (even Rabbis) already know that Yeshua is the true and only Messiah and that some of them have even confided this fact to me. I stated then that they had no intention of disclosing this fact because they believed it would unite them with an anti-Torah Christianity which is overflowing with pagan customs and practices, and a disdain for the Torah which is seen as "bondage".I received a lot of skepticism at the time, and then Rabbi Yizachak Kaduri made arrangements to reveal his belief in Yeshua as the Messiah one year after his death.
Until his death in 2006 Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri was one of the most renowned Mizrahi Haredi rabbis and kabbalists in Israel. He was known as "The Elder Kabbalist." In January 2006, Rabbi Kaduri was hospitalized with pneumonia in the Bikur Holim hospital in Jerusalem, where there wasn't an authomatic artificial respirator, which was donated by a close person. He died at around 10 p.m. on January 28, 2006 (29 Tevet 5766). He was alert and lucid until his last day. An estimated 300,000 people took part in his funeral procession on January 29, which started from the Nachalat Yitzchak Yeshivah and wound its way through the streets of Jerusalem to the Givat Shaul cemetery near the entrance to the city of Jerusalem. In 1908 Kaduri received a blessing by Yosef Chaim (Yoseph Ḥayyim) (1 September 1832 – 30 August 1909) who was a leading hakham (Sephardic Rabbi), authority on Jewish law (Halakha) and Master Kabbalist, that before his death Kaduri would see the Messiah. In a 1990 meeting with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last Rebbe of the Lubavitch movement, Schneerson also spoke a blessing to Kaduri that Kaduri would not pass from this world until he met the Messiah. These blessings was fulfilled on 9 Cheshvan 5764 (4 November 2003) in a mystical vision when Kaduri spoke with the Messiah and the Messiah revealed His name to Kaduri. Kaduri later told his disciples that the revealed name of the Messiah would be found hidden among his writings. Shortly before his death Rabbi Kaduri wrote a short note with instructions not to open until one year after his death. The note was penned in Hebrew and signed in the rabbi's name. It read:
בעניין הר"ת [ראשי תיבות, ע.י.] של משיח. ירים העם ויוכיח שדברו ותורתו עומדים. באתי על החתום בחודש הרחמים [אלול, ע.י] התשס"ה,
יצחק כדורי
Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah’s name, He will lift the people and prove that His Word and His Torah are valid.
This I have signed in the month of mercy (Elul),
Yitzhak Kaduri
The first letter of each word in the phrase in Hebrew spells Yahushua or in modern pronunciation Yehoshua, the long form of the name Yeshua.
(see: http://nazarenespace.com/xn/detail/2182335:BlogPost:162423 )
An Idea whose Time is Here
In 2012 Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Shmuley Boteach published the book Kosher Jesus, which, while not accepting Yeshua as the Messiah, takes a non-hostile approach to Yeshua, seeking to reclaim Yeshua as a Jewish sage of the Second Temple Era.
Just this last year Orthodox Jewish scholar Daniel Boyarin wrote a book "The Jewish Gospels; The Story of the Jewish Christ". This book also takes a non-hostile approach to Yeshua and his original Jewish followers. Daniel Boyarin is not only a noted historian of religion, he has also been called "one of the two or three greatest rabbinic scholars in the world." He holds dual United States and Israeli citizenship. Trained as a Talmudic scholar, in 1990 he was appointed Professor of Talmudic Culture, Departments of Near Eastern Studies and Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley, a post which he still holds.
Boyarin opens his book with some very interesting words:
If there is one thing that Christians know about their religion, it is that it’s not Judaism. If there’s one thing Jews know about their faith, it is that it’s not Christianity. If there is one thing that both groups know about this “double not,” it’s that Christians believe in the Trinity and the incarnation of Christ (the Greek word for Messiah) and that Jews don’t, that Jews keep kosher and Christians don’t.
If only things were that simple. In this book, I’m going to tell a very different story, a story of a time when Jews and Christians were much more mixed up with each other than they are now, when there were many Jews who believed in something quite like the Father and the Son and even in something like the incarnation of the Son in the Messiah, and when followers of Jesus kept kosher as Jews, and accordingly a time in which the difference between Judaism and Christianity just didn’t exist as it does now....
While by now almost everyone, Christian and non-Christian, is happy enough to refer to Jesus, the human, as a Jew, I want to go a step beyond that. I wish us to see that Christ too–the divine Messiah–is a Jew. Christology, or the early ideas about Christ, is also a Jewish discourse and not–until much later–an anti-Jewish discourse at all. Many Israelites at the time of Jesus were expecting a Messiah who would be divine and come to earth in the form of a human. Thus the basic underlying thoughts from which both the Trinity and the incarnation grew are there in the very world into which Jesus was born and in which he was first written about in the Gospels of Mark and John (1-2)
(Daniel Boyarin, The Jewish Gospels; The Story of the Jewish Christ; 2012, p. 1, 5-6)
Of course I believe that Boyarin uses the term "Christian" too loosely here (the original followers of Yeshua identified themselves as Jews and not as "Christians,") however it is very interesting that such an important Orthodox Jewish scholar is now willing to admit that not only were Yeshua's original followers Kosher eating and Torah observant, but that the doctrine of the Deity of Messiah itself was of Jewish origin, was held by the original Jewish followers of Yeshua from the very beginning, and has been rejected by Rabbinic Judaism since the first century in a reactionary manner!
Now a group of Orthodox Rabbinic Jews are working toward a retrial of Yeshua before this Rabbinic Sanhedrin. Its being called The Official Jesus Anathema Removal Project. This attempt at a retrial of Yeshua is being undertaken by Orthodox Rabbinic Jews who believe that Yeshua was falsely accused.
The "Jesus" Judaism has Rejected
The only "Jesus" that most Jewish people have ever been exposed to is the "Jesus" that supposedly came to "free them from the bondage of the Law". Yes, they have rejected this Torahless Jesus, and rightly so. But most of them have never been exposed to the real Yeshua.
In coming years you will see many Jewish people embracing Yeshua as the Messiah. (In fact it has already begun). But the Yeshua that they accept will be the real Yeshua and not the Torahless "Jesus" that Christendom has adopted from pagan sources.
The Jewish people know that an anti-Torah Messiah is no Messiah at all, they know better than to accept the rank paganism attached to Gentile Christianity.
As I have been saying for years, I am personally aware of a great many Orthodox Jews (even Rabbis) who already know that Yeshua is the Messiah, but are not yet prepared to reveal this information to the world. One of these told me that he is waiting until "the right time".
The Jewish people will also come to realize that the books known as the "New Testament" (More correctly called the Ketuvim Netzarim, the "Writings of the Nazarenes") in their original Hebrew and Aramaic rather than their Greek translations, are as much a "Jewish Book" as the Tanak ("Old Testament").
Yeshua did not come to create a new religion, he came to be Jewish Messiah of Judaism, The original followers of Yeshua as Messiah were a sect of Judaism known as "Nazarene Judaism" and through the Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim the Nazarene Sect of Judaism has been restored and is growing worldwide!
I am humbled by the fact that this ministry is on the cutting edge of this great last days restoration.
I am grateful to all of you who support our work financially. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Do not count on someone else to do your part, you do your part.
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