Posted on 3/13/2006, 5:28:17 AM by ET(end tyranny)
First in a series:
TORAH ETHICS FOR THE NON-JEW AS FOUND IN GENESIS
Among all the nations of the world and all their religions, not one regularly offers anything to people who do not belong to that faith or nation. Each and every group says to others, "Come and join us, be one of us, and do as we do, and then you can benefit from what we have. If you do not, then you are no concern of ours." This is the usual approach for all religions...except one.
Answer for yourself: Do you know which religion of whom I am speaking? Biblical Judaism.
Because the Jews do not seek to convert others to their own religion, most people assume that they are just happy to be left alone and that, if they had something to contribute to an average person's life, they would be trying to win new recruits to their cause. But it has not always been that way with Biblical Judaism and due to the persistent persecution of the Jewish people and their faith over the centuries the outreach of the Jewish people for the world as waned and we should expect so.
Behind the Jews' reluctance to turn other people into Jews, there is a full understanding of non-Jewish spiritual needs and a complete framework within which to satisfy those spiritual needs. In fact these "spiritualities" predate Judaism per se. It is rather shocking to see, once you have begun such a study, that before Biblical Judaism began there was an Ethical Monotheism given to the Gentile races long before there were ever Jews and this Ethical Monotheism has a name: Noachism which consists of "the" Covenant made by God with Noah and all the Gentile races which comprise 7 Categories of Laws and Commandments. More on that later.
THE GENTILE'S PILGRIMAGE FOR TRUTH IN AN AGE OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
Before any of us can know who we are, or where we are to go, we must find out about our common origin and our "roots." Of course this must involve the discovery of long lost "truths" as well. Most are familiar with the fact that a long time ago in the past humanity became divided into two distinct forms, the Jewish and the Gentile. It may again be surprising but God's "teaching" [Torah] was made available to both Gentiles and Jews. It is beneficial for us to come to terms with the word "Torah" which means simply the "teaching" of God. Sadly we have coined a rather negative term for it today as most call God's teaching the "Law" and almost everyone has a dislike for "laws." Regardless of your feeling for these "Laws" the Torah is the living source of truth and holds the key to the lives of all humanity; both Jew and Gentile alike.
In order to come to an accurate understanding of this Ethical Monotheism questions have to be asked and accurate answers found. The answers begin with history, the true history of the origins of humankind. Sadly few know the truth about such ancient history; especially the Christian community and I hope to enlighten them if I may.
According to Jewish historical records the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) was given by God six moral precepts to uphold:
They were also subject to the seventh precept, the prohibition of eating meat taken from a living animal, but since they were not then allowed to eat meat at all they were not in possession of this moral precept in the same sense as the others. They married there in the garden, and they were assured that they would remain forever on this high spiritual level, producing children like themselves, if only they would earn the merit of fulfilling one divine commandment: to refrain from eating the fruit of a particular tree of the Garden (Gen 2:16-17...THEFT...one of the Laws given to Adam and later repeated to Noah). Because this fruit had been placed outside their ownership, they would transgress the prohibition against theft if they appropriated it for food. Even though they were very wise, they were led through the limitations of their reasoning to eat of that fruit, and thus the evil which had existed separately from them beforehand became mixed in with their own nature and became internalized within them (now two natures.....yetzer ha ra (evil) and yetzer ha tov (good)...[in constant conflict]. Their bodies assumed a more physical constitution, they lost many of the higher levels of their wisdom and beauty, and they were expelled from the Garden to work for their own maintenance, much as we do today. Nevertheless they retained the essential human attribute known as the "image of God": the human face and upright posture, the faculty of speech, and the intelligence to understand their Creator and to fulfill His wishes through moral conduct.
They were the ancestors of all humanity, both Jews and Gentiles, and they knew the wisdom of the Torah as the Jews have it today from the relatively high level that they still occupied. After entering into their new state, the man and the woman remained obligated to fulfill the six commandments they had been given in the Garden of Eden. If they departed from these precepts, they would be penalized, just as in a different sense they had been in the Garden. If, on the other hand, they kept them faithfully, they would receive reward. In particular, the observance of these commandments would have the benefit of bringing all of creation back toward the state of Eden so that it might be completely restored at a time when God would choose. Everything was left to the man and woman's free will so that they might earn merit by choosing the path of kindness and obedience. At this stage, they were still forbidden to eat meat as food, and thus the tooth structure of all humanity is clearly adapted for eating vegetables, being far different from that of meat-eating animals with long, sharp incisors. In the event they kept the commandments faithfully, they would depart this world with a clear conscience and a good name, cleansed of their first sin.
They produced many children, among whom were also wise men and women, but within a short time moral standards declined so sharply that the majority of people became wrongdoers, committing violent robbery, sexual misdemeanors, and acts of false worship, all breaches of the commandments given at the start. Although God had foreseen this, the actuality brought out His divine grief and regret over having created humankind, and He resolved to destroy His world and begin the creation over again. However, there was at this time, seven full generations after the first man and woman were created, still one man who had kept the charge of upright conduct given to his ancestors and who was worthy to be spared. This was Noah, whose name derives from the Hebrew word for the "comfort" that he brought into the world. When this name is reversed it spells out the Hebrew word "chen," meaning beauty or grace, as is written (Gen 6:8), "But Noah found grace in the eyes of God." This symmetry in the words is the key to the kind of beauty that he represented. Noah was a man of great wisdom. He studied the Torah (God's instruction and Laws and their nuances). He was a prophet and a married man, whose wife and sons also shared his level of conduct. He became prophetically aware of God's intention to destroy all the rest of humanity by a great flood if they would not cease from their evil. God told Noah to save himself by building a large wooden vessel before the people of his generation over a long period of time, in the hope that by watching his efforts they would realize the truth and also be saved. But it was not so, and amid threats to Noah's life from the watchers, God led him and all his immediate family into the ark that he had built. Along with Noah and his family came breeding pairs of every animal that had refrained from the sexual perversions being committed at the time. God Himself shut them safely inside the ark before the rains began.
The purpose of the flood was to cleanse the earth itself from the effects of the sins through the spiritual nature of water, which under certain conditions forms a part of Jewish practice today (the mikvah/immersion...something totally misunderstood by Christianity today). While the flood lasted, the planetary system and the rotation of the earth were held in abeyance so that there was no day and night-and no seasons. Noah and his three sons lived separated from their wives because of the prevailing distress and were occupied in prayer and study and in caring for the animals. Theirs was a miraculous environment in every sense, except that the ark itself and its provisions had been made by their own hands. They knew that they alone were to found the renewed state of life on earth, and they prepared themselves in righteousness for the responsibility. The ark was a complete "microcosm," a small entity that contained the elements of the whole creation within itself and, as such, it was a predecessor of the Temple at Jerusalem, a very high spiritual level where all of reality was gathered and dedicated to God.
When the waters of the flood retreated, the ark settled on the ground in the Caucasus mountains, and Noah and his sons emerged with their families. Noah built an altar at the Temple site in Jerusalem and offered sacrifice in thanksgiving for the deliverance and for the opportunity to start again. The Torah states that God "smelled the sweet odor of the sacrifice" (Gen 8:2 1), meaning that He was gratified that His will had indeed been carried out. At this point, God made a covenant with the whole creation that in the merit of Noah, He would never again destroy it because of the sins of humanity. The rabbis say that at this moment Noah looked out from the ark upon a "new world," completely fresh and ready for him to build and to make his own, free from the threat which had hung over it. This freshness has never disappeared, and it is revealed anew after all the lesser troubles which have come upon humanity in later generations. God also gave to the people the right to eat meat, only stipulating that food animals be rendered completely dead before any part of them was eaten along with the prohibition of eating blood (the soul/life that is in the blood).
This last commandment given to Noah, together with the previous six, completed the "Seven Commandments" that became the universal law of humankind to this day. All non-Jews in the world, of every land and color, are heirs to Noah's achievement. All of humanity, diverse as it is, descends from the three sons of this one man, whose great scope made the foundation for them all. This covenant of everlasting life was given through the sign of the rainbow (7 colors for 7 Laws), which God told Noah would be the reminder in the heavens of His eternal decision. Now everyone need only to look up after a rain, and they can see the beautiful display that assures them that evil will never be allowed to overcome them. And God gave the rainbow seven distinct colors-to remind men and women of the Seven Commandments that lay behind the covenant, the laws that will bring all of humanity to merit their ultimate redemption. (Rabbi Bindman, The Seven Colors Of The Rainbow, Resource Publications, Inc. San Jose, California, 1995, p. 1-7).
For your perusal. :)
However, I have noticed in my spiritual journey that the number of Rabbis willing to disciple non-Jews in the Noachide Laws are few and far between. IMHO, without the internet, few people would ever heard of the Noachide Laws.
That was my hope. So often when Noachidism is brought up, it gets ridiculed. I thought that maybe by posting articles about it, people would understand it better and be better informed.
However, I have noticed in my spiritual journey that the number of Rabbis willing to disciple non-Jews in the Noachide Laws are few and far between. IMHO, without the internet, few people would ever heard of the Noachide Laws.
I would have to agree with you on this point. I think one reason is that the Rabbi might be afraid of being perceived as trying to 'convert'.
A good book on this subject is 'Path of the Righteous Genitle' and last I knew it is available to be read online.
Thanks you for posting this thread. Has given me insight not given much attention by me before. Guess I focused mostly on New Testament. Had not read before that people were destroyed or had not sunk in my head before. So, people were destroyed once before for sin and Noah was important in this way. Filled very big empty spot in my understanding of roots of Christian Religion.
Was impressed by your list on FR re: Ressurrection, Rapture (especially) et al. Interesting to learn that Messiah returns with angels and that he takes the sinners first. (not clear to me yet what happens to those that are left and go to heaven). Had not before known that Catholic Church was so influenced by Roman's Sun God and I majored in history. Knew that we only hit the highlights and had not had time or been guided to chose this topic before.
Dismayed about portrayal of Catholic Church as Antichrist, or did I misunderstand the purple and crimson lady on the animal with seven heads and 10 horns. Discription of Antichrist will not leave my mind again nor description of "flesh".
Thank God for the internet and your desire to post this information. I have a lot of studying to do just reading and researching your posts. With posts like this and persons like you, maybe the Islams will be better understood before we are mass massacred. Armegeddon has been in my mind a lot the past few years and I couldn't quite get a grasp of it.
Thanks Again!
The book of John tells us that there were many antichrists around in his day.
What a very good article. I forgot all about Noah and the flood : (
You'll like this ping.
Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.
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I was raised Roman Catholic, and usually let the junk roll off my back.
I don't know where you got the Roman sun god thing from. I think you're confusing us with another belief system.
Thanks so much for posting. Lovely article.
Is there scripture to support this contention?
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
God initiated a series of Covenants.
The First Covenant was with Noah (the first time the actual word appears in the Hebrew Bible), but it is common to speak of a proto-Covenant (a kind of covenant before the covenant) with Adam and Eve. They are given several commands. "Increase and multiply," is the first of them. Fill the earth, and rule over the lesser creatures as stewards of the Creator. Be obedient--Don't eat the Forbidden Fruit, if for no other reason, because God says not to, or they will die.
The Noachide Covenant after the flood was a general covenant with all the peoples of the earth. Then the Covenant with Abraham began the series of God's special Covenants with the Chosen People, culminating on Mount Sinai with the Covenant with Moses and his people.
A Covenant is an agreement between two parties, not unlike a legal contract. Both sides swear to observe the contract. But it is also often compared to a marriage contract, an oath of faithfulness and love, because it is more than just a legal agreement. It includes love and requires faithfulness.
For this reason, throughout the Hebrew Bible, God is compared to a husband, and Israel to a wife, sometimes an errant wife who goes astray and then returns.
Although a Covenant includes two parties with duties toward each other, all of the biblical covenants are initiated by God. God speaks, calls someone by name, and that person answers.
"Abraham." "Here I am."
"Isaiah." "Here I am."
The Christian view is that the Old Covenant was fulfilled (not superseded) by the New Covenant. But the Hebrew Bible still stands as God's word, and it says (and St. Paul confirms) that God's covenants are forever. This refers, presumably, not only to the Mosaic covenant but also to the Noachide covenant with all the peoples of the world, who are neither Jewish nor Christian and live under more particular covenants.
As I have said many times, God or no God the Bible gives us wisdom. It teaches how to live a good life.
Don't confuse Noachidism with biblical nomism. Biblical nomism is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. It regards justification by law-keeping as works-righteousness and anathema to God's revelation (cf. Gal. 1:9).
Christians have traditionally viewed the Ten Commandments as the true summary of God's moral law towards all His creatures. As the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) puts it:
"19.1. God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it.
"19.2. This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables: the first four commandments containing our duty towards God; and the other six, our duty to man.
"19.5. The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; and that, not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator, who gave it. Neither doth Christ, in the gospel, any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation."
And in the Westminster Larger Catechism:
"Q. 98. Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?
"A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments, which were delivered by the voice of God upon mount Sinai, and written by him in two tables of stone; and are recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus; the four first commandments containing our duty to God, and the other six our duty to man."
If you read it carefully you will see that the Westminster Confession has a very high view of the law of God, as do the Reformed Christians who subscribe to it.
The error of the so-called Noachide law is that it denies that place of Jesus Christ as supreme lawgiver and initiator of the new covenant under which He writes His moral law (as summarized in the Ten Commandments) on the hearts of His people.
Christians view Christianity as the true inheritor of all the promises and testimonies given to the patriarchs, all having been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
"Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. ... What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. ... There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:16,19,28,29)
Any present system which makes a distinction between Jew and gentile with regard to the moral law of God is fundamentally flawed.
***It teaches how to live a good life.***
Romans teaches that the law is written on the hearts of all men. Living a moral life doesn't save anyone.
Ya don't cha know its not how you live, its what you
intellectually acknowledge? /sarcasm
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