Jesus the Jew

March issue, 1995 pages 1-6 [I typed it in.] | Arthur Zamboni----Catholic Digest--condensed from Catholic Update

[billbears]

Bump for later and excellent post. As a Southern Baptist, I can testify that there are several within our own church that would not know, some even shocked, that Jesus Christ was Jewish. His ministry was meant first to the Jews and then only later to the Gentiles as evidenced in his rebuke of the woman following them in Samaria (?, not sure of the country)

[vrwinger]

I know His mother was Jewish...

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6

[wimpycat]

Jesus was a Jew and there is no circumstantial evidence to prove otherwise. Everybody knew it at the time, nobody questioned it. Are there actually people who profess to be Christians who have a problem with Jesus being a Jew? That's just plain stupid! I've heard wacky theories put forward by members of the "Jesus Seminar" that try to discredit Jesus in every way, but I've never heard of anyone suggesting he wasn't a Jew.

[hopespringseternal]

I posted it because of a debate I've been having with another poster, and I wanted to show that Judaism is indeed a religion of love and that Christians do have an obligation toward Jews and Israel.

The article is garbage. The writer treats Jesus rather flippantly and seriously downplays His conflict with the Pharisees. This wasn't a debating society squabble. Calling Jesus a Pharisee is just downright goofy. While Jesus praised some individual Pharisees, He rejected their form of Judaism.

In addition, Christians owe nothing to Jews but the truth. In rejecting Christ, they are cut off. No real Christian can possibly maintain that someone who rejects Christ nevertheless retains the favor of God.

[malakhi]

Great article, thanks for posting it.

Bump!

[Lurking Libertarian]

I am a Jew, and was educated in the Orthodox Jewish tradition, and I agree that most of this is quite accurate.

Another parallel between Jesus and the Pharisees can be seen in the teachings of Hillel, a leading rabbi of the Pharisees, who flourished around 50 BCE. In a famous story reprted in the Talmud, a pagan Greek came to Hillel and said he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the entire Torah in the time he could remain standing on one foot. Hillel replied, "what is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: this is the essence of the Torah; all the rest is commentary. Now go and study it."

[Lurking Libertarian]

I'd be interested in your take on this.

[RightWhale]

I have printed out your text, which I will read later. I don't have the answers, but I am aware there are and have been other interpretations than the Roman Catholic and more than a few heresies starting with Simon. Get back to you later.

[FreeTally]

Of course Jesus was a Jew. That has always been understood.

Hey, I had a high-school teacher at a private Christian school who would argue with anyone until he was blue in the face that Jesus was not a Jew. Not sure that the fact that th eteacher was from Jordan had anything to do with it, but he was emphatic. I personally dont know the argument.

[JMJ333]

The Gospel portraits of Jesus disputing with the "Pharisees" were examples of "hot debates" that were common in the Pharisaic circles rather than examples of Jesus condemning the Pharisees

Hey..Jesus would have fit in well here at FR! lol

[RightWhale]

I've never heard of anyone suggesting he wasn't a Jew

Stick around. This might get interesting. I can't discuss this now, but will come back on this topic later.

[JMJ333]

Your screen name doesn't do your post justice.

In addition, Christians owe nothing to Jews but the truth. In rejecting Christ, they are cut off. No real Christian can possibly maintain that someone who rejects Christ nevertheless retains the favor of God.

Are you forgetting the second of the two great commandments? Love your neighbor as yourself. We owe them our friendship and to stand up for them when they are in danger of being eradicated from the planet by people who hate. I won't turn my back on them.

[backhoe]

It's built on Moorish lines, and is a beautiful old building... always find a profound sense of peace inside it. Our ( now former ) church, St. Mark's, is on the next block & has a long history of fellowship with the Temple, going back to their founding in the 1880's.

[JMJ333]

Hillel replied, "what is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: this is the essence of the Torah; all the rest is commentary. Now go and study it."

He pretty muched nailed it, didn't he? LOL

He was accurate though, as Jesus did the same thing when he condensed the 613 commandments into two with "Love G-d with all your heart, mind, and soul--and Love your neighbor as yourself."

[wimpycat]

If your teacher was Muslim, they also don't believe Jesus was crucified, but was assumed into heaven while some other poor sap was nailed up. Anybody who seriously tries to refute the fact that Jesus was a Jew has an anti-Jewish agenda, IMHO.

[Hila]

What a fool that "christian" teacher was to argue that Jesus was not a Jew. Countless scriptures in the Old Testament pointed to His coming from the lineage of David, the stake of His execution read "King of the Jews", etc. etc. What a fool of a "teacher", he/she should have studied the Word of God instead of pretending to know Him.

[JMJ333]

You know, to suggest that Jesus wasn't Jewish is to invalidate the New Testament. It clearly states Jesus was born to a Jewish woman and in Mattew 1:1 it chronicles Jesus' genealogical line starting with Abraham and progressing through David.

[JMJ333]

We're on the same wavelength..you beat me to the genealogical comment by moments! Thanks for posting. :)

[backhoe]

Just FYI, here's a little more about how we ended up at Beth Tefilloh:

Back in 1984, when we met & married, she was the Organist/Choir Director at St. Mark's Episcopal, which is a block away from the Temple. Both institutions have enjoyed a long history of fellowship; they were built in the 1880's, and the first organist at St. Mark's, Guy Hackett, was also the Temple's first organist.

Right before we married, the Temple's President, Phil Salkin, wanders into the office and mentions that "their organist just retired, how'd you like another job whose hours won't conflict with the ones here?"
( Phil was an old friend of her family's, and mine, from way back... )
She thought it sounded interesting, accepted, and indeed we cut our honeymoon short so she could return for her debut there.

The next year she convinced her choir ( I was a member, naturally ) that singing for the High Holy Days would be a challenging & interesting thing to do, and the St. Mark's Choir has done so every year since. This will be the first year she misses, I'm not sure what, if anything, the choir will do in her absence.

Her resignation last week was a source of considerable grief; we've enjoyed a long & very congenial relationship with the Temple, indeed last year the Sisterhood inducted her as a member, much to her delight.

[wimpycat]

Calling Jesus a Pharisee is just downright goofy.

Welllllll......I don't know if He was or not, but this article makes a good case for it. It doesn't really matter one way or the other, does it? It doesn't to me. But now that I think about it, I don't remember reading that He ever ate with the Sadducees and I don't think the Essenes are even mentioned. At least one of the disciples was a Zealot (Simon--not Simon Peter). It's been awhile since I've read the 4 Gospels, but Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were Pharisees if I remember correctly.