Judaism for the Goyim: Part One

This is the first of a series of essays that contrast fundamental concepts of Judaism with the false understandings created by Christian Zionist leaders since World War II. This, in turn, has established in most Americans, and especially American evangelicals, a false understanding of the teachings of Judaism. Specifically American evangelicals have been taught to believe that Judaism is essentially Christianity with a difference of opinion regarding the identity of the Messiah. As a leading Christian Zionist of the early 1970s, Arnold T. Olson, proclaimed, 'There is just one point of disagreement and that is the identity of the Messiah.' These false theological beliefs lead directly to false social and political beliefs, which is exactly what they were intended to do. In the essay we will address: The expectations regarding the Messiah in the time of Jesus The belief that zealots were a minor political movement and that the Jews were helpless victims at the hands of Rome The false belief that the Jews were taken into exile after the fall of Jerusalem and remained clearly traceable across history The not so direct linkage between Rabbinic Judaism and Talmudic Judaism And the near perfect consistency between the expectations for a Jewish Messiah during the time of Jesus and the teaching regarding the Messiah that were encoded in the Mishneh Torah by Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) which acts as a de facto canon in all forms of Judaism Heaven on Earth is a Jewish idea that has had a constant attraction for Christians who were not satisfied with the concept of an eternal spiritual kingdom (1 p. 117). Millennialism in its various forms originated from biblical prophecies generally based around the book of Daniel and the interpretation of a vision to King Nebuchadnezzar by the Prophet Daniel of a colossal figure with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, legs of iron, and feet made partly of iron and partly of clay. The interpretation of Daniel in Chapter 2 correlates the vision to a succession of worldly kingdoms with the head being Babylon, the torso Greece, the legs Rome, and the feet commonly seen as a fragile fourth kingdom. Other prophetic verses dealing specifically with the coming messiah are found most predominantly in Isaiah and Psalms. Christians see these verses as prophesying the life of Jesus and the New Testament Testament—most notably in Matthew but also in many other books—points to the events and circumstances of Jesus' life as fulfillment of these prophecies. The Jews of the late 2ndTemple period, however, had a very different view from the modern Christian. Under the control of the Greeks and then the Romans, the Jews longed for a political deliverer and they increasingly longed not just for the liberation of their lands but regional domination. The time around Jesus' life and the Jewish wars in Palestine produced a variety of Messiah figures but Jesus stands out in that he didn't fit the Jewish image of a messiah but of someone who spoke spiritual truth to those who held political power and was martyred for it. In50 Jewish Messiahsauthor and Rabbi Jerry Rabow points this out stating that with all due respect to Christians, Jesus doesn't fit the pattern of the Jewish Messiahs using a centuries old standard from Moses Maimonides Finally, what about Jesus? He and his contemporary followers were Jewish. Both he and his followers believed that he was the Messiah. They told stories about the miracles he performed. His followers became members of another religion, and subsequent generations have awaited his return to begin the messianic era. But all of this could likewise be said about Shabbatai Zevi, the most powerful Jewish Messiah since Jesus. Shouldn't a book of stories of the Jewish Messiahs include Jesus? The question of Jesus, like so many other Messiah questions, was addressed by Maimonides. It was politically unfortunate, perhaps, that he made his comments in the context of explaining how to distinguish between failed Messiahs (who nevertheless may be 'wholehearted and worthy') and the true Messiah. In his Mishneh Torah, Maimonides proposed a very simple test: if a learned and observant Jew, descended from David, unifies the people of Israel and leads them in the battles for the Holy Land, then he can be treated provisionally as a possible Messiah. But if he dies without ushering in the messianic era by rebuilding the Temple and gathering all the Jews, then we know that he was not the true Messiah. Maimonides closed this analysis by noting that such a standard, if applied to Jesus, would require the conclusion that Jesus was not the true Messiah. (2 p. 184). Comparing Jesus to these criteria, He was a learned Jew but disrespectful of rabbinic authority, He didn't unify the people but ultimately created divisions, and He didn't lead the Jews in battle against the Romans for control of the land. With regard to the final test, He didn't gather all the Jews and, although Jesus lived before the destruction of the temple, He actually prophesied its destruction. Justin Pederson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.