JUDAISM

The origin and development of Judaism is traced in the Old
Testament. Moses was not the founder of Judaism since YAHWEH
(normal rendition of the unpronounceable name for God) was
worshipped by the Hebrew nation long before Moses was born. God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are references for God's reverence
before Moses. The INFINITE and PERSONAL God of the Old Testament
revealed Himself to man from the very beginnings of Genesis and
progressively revealed more as time and dispensations (periods of
time where God acts toward mankind in specific patterns)
occurred.
One of the central figures around which Judaism is built is
the covenant relationship established with Abraham (est 2085
B.C.) The Lord singled out this man and covenanted that his
descendants would be a holy nation, set apart from the rest of
the world to God.
The chosen line ran from Abraham through Isaac to Jacob.
Then it continued through Jacob's 12 sons and their descendants,
the 12 tribes of Israel. During the time of bondage in Egypt, the
people of Israel grew from a small band to a full nation. At the
end of this time YAHWEH revealed Himself to Israel in action
through the EXODUS and in words (COMMANDMENTS given to Moses at
Mt. Sinai)
The PENTATUCH (or TORAH as Judaism refers to it), which was
written by Moses, remains THE primary document of Judaism.
The Old Testament outlines the early history of Israel in
detail; so we need not repeat it. The synopsis is thus. The
conquest of Canaan under Joshua, the period of the Judges, the
united monarchy under Saul, David and Solomon, and the divided
kingdoms of Israel (The Northern Kingdom of 10 tribes) and Judah
(the Southern Kingdom of 2 tribes). The Northern Kingdom was
overthrown by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.; the Southern Kingdom was
destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C. The Babylonian captivity (exile)
lasted 70 years in accordance with God's Sabbath for the Land,
and many Jews returned to Palistine afterwards. YAHWEH revealed
much to the Israelites before, during and after the exile through
the prophets (the 39 Books of the Old Testament are generally
accepted by Judaism as Scripture.)
Many modern writers have speculated that early Jewish
religion was polytheistic, idolatrous and primitive; However,
there is no evidence that can support these theories. These
theories are built on anti-supernatural evolutionary
presuppositions rather than solid factual data. Actually, the
earliest books of the Old Testament reveal an advanced ethical
monotheism without parallel in ancient literature. From the very
beginning the God of the Old Testament is seen as a God of
unlimited power, love, goodness, and justice. He is the infinite
and personal Creator of all creation.
In God's covenant relationship with Israel, He made high
moral demands, saying that blessing was dependent on social and
moral justice. YAHWEH constantly used the prophets to bring
reform in the political and personal lives of His people.
The sacrificial system was given to show that sin REQUIRED
atonement. Israel had to be a REDEEMED people in order to enjoy
fellowship with the HOLY God. In contrast, the gods of the other
nations were immoral and indifferent. The Old Testament teaching
is that ultimately God will bless all the Nations of the earth
through Israel. A MESSIAH, who is a descendant of King David,
will come to REDEEM mankind and to reign as King over all the
nations of the earth.
However; the Judaism of today is very different from Old
Testament Judaism. In the centuries following the Babylonian
exile, a number of important changes began to appear. Meeting
places known as Synagogues were instituted during the exile. Even
when the Temple was rebuilt in Ezra's time, the synagogues
continued to be the worship centers for most of the Jews. When
the Temple was destroyed by the Roman army in 70 A.D., the
synagogues became the official rallying points for Judaism.
With the end of the temple came the end of the sacrificial
system. The synagogues substituted ritual, prayer, and the study
of the Law for the sacrifices. The Levitical priesthood was
replaced by teachers of the Law, many of whom were Pharisees who
had developed an elaborate oral tradition based on the Mosaic
Law. The Law was applied in a complex way to every detail of
life. External things like Sabbath observance, food preparation,
dietary rules and holy days were stressed. These Pharisaic
teachers came to be known as rabbis (teachers).
About 200 A.D., the oral rabbinic traditions were finally
written down. The result is known as the MISHNAH (repetition).
The Mishnah is placed ALMOST on par with the Mosaic Law. It is so
important that lengthy commentaries on the Mishnah, known as the
Gemaras, were also written. The Babylonian Gemara (A.D. 500) is
longer and more popular than the Palestinian Gemara (A.D. 200).
The combination of the Mishna and the Babylonian Gemara is known
as the Palestinian Talmud. The Talmud fills many volumes and
contains Jewish folklore, traditions and scholarly teachings.
The Romans drove the Jews out of Palestine in A.D. 135.
Judaism was able to survive this dispersion only because JEWISH
communities had already been established in many countries. Each
such community had at least one synagogue, and each synagogue was
directed by a rabbi. Any Jew could become a rabbi if he acquired
a good knowledge of the Law and was accepted as such by the
congregation. The rabbis applied the Law and the talmudic
teachings to the changing conditions of daily life.
With the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrificial system
gone, synagogue teachers stressed the idea that every Jew had an
immediate access to God. As a Jew he needed no conversion or
redemption. Instead, a Jew could reach salvation by obedience to
the Torah (The Law AND the rabbinic interpretations of the Law).
The rabbis broke the Law down into 613 precepts - 365 negative
precepts and 248 positive precepts. each of these precepts has
been elaborated in rabbinic teachings down to the FINEST details.
The result is that Jewish life can become a carefully controlled
ritual from the cradle to the grave.
In the 12th century, a Jewish philosopher named Maimonides
produced a creed which is generally regarded as the basis of
Orthodoxy. This creed emphasized the omnipotence, omniscience,
eternality, and oneness of God. God is an invisible spirit Being.
As the only Creator and Source of Life, He alone should be
worshipped.
Maimonides held Moses to be the greatest of the prophets and
the Law to be the highest revelation. He also taught rewards and
punishments, the coming of the Messiah, and the resurrection of
the dead.
Judaism rejects the doctrine of original sin, saying that
sin is an act, not a state. Thus, man has the ability to live
according to the Law. If he fails, he only needs to come to God
in repentance. With this view of sin, Judaism has eliminated the
need for a Saviour. many Jews do not anticipate the coming of a
personal Messiah at all, but a messianic age. Those Jews who do
expect a Messiah usually think of Him as a political and social
deliverer, not a Saviour from sins.
One of the most important facets of Judaism is the series of
festivals and holy days in every year. Rosh Hashanah is the new
year marked by 10 days of penitence and solemnity. The 10th day
of penitence is the Day of Atonement, when Jews acknowledge their
sins and pray for forgiveness. Also important are the Feast of
Tabernacles (Succoth or Booths), Passover (Commemeration of the
Exodus from Egypt), the Feast of Weeks (Shabuoth or Pentecost),
Hanukkah (Festival of Light), and Purim. These special days
commemerate the joys and sorrows of Jewish history and serve as
the main link to the past. They illustrate Judaism's concept of
history as the meaningful product of God's activity.

Today Judaism is divided into three main branches. ORTHODOX,
REFORM (not reformED) and CONSERVATIVE. Within ORHODOXY, there is
also a movement known as the Hasidic Movement. Orthodox Judaism
has changed little in the last 20 centuries. It follows the
talmudic teachings and precepts about Sabbath observance, kosher
dietary rules and religious isolation.
One reason for the absence of change over the centuries is
the introspective tendency in Judaism. Atrocities and oppression
have dogged the Jews in many countries, and this has forced them
to maintain cultural and religious isolation.
In the last century; However, Jewish people have shown
increasing desire to adapt themselves to modern society. This is
especially true in America, where they have been given more
freedom and respect than in most countries. This has led to the
rise of REFORM Judaism, the talmudic practices and precepts have
been put aside. REFORM synagogues are usually called temples, and
the Sabbath observance in many cases has been changed to Sunday.
REFORM Judaism has rejected spiritual doctrines such as the
coming of the Messiah and the resurrection of the body. All that
remains is an ethical system based on a monotheistic philosophy.
The third branch of Judaism is CONSERVATIVE. This is an
intermediate position between the Orthodox and Reform extremes.
CONSERVATIVE Judaism retains the feasts and many of the Jewish
traditions in an attempt to hold to the essentials of Judaism. At
the same time it cautiously reinterprets the Law in order to make
it relevant for modern thought and culture. CONSERVATIVE Jews are
very progressive and active in the intellectual community.
Judaism also has its mystical and esoteric school of thought
known as the CABALA (other spellings: CABBALA, CABBALAH or
KABBALAH). Practitioners of this PANTHEISTIC system seek a
mystical experience of oneness with the cosmic whole.
Judaism, then, covers a wide range of beliefs and practices.
there is nothing one must believe in order to be a Jew. In fact,
there is a rapidly increasing secularization of Jews today. More
and more of the Jewish population is moving away from all forms
of Jewish religious practices. This has led to confusion in
defining what makes a person Jewish. The Biblical teaching is
that the Jews are a race of people, descendants of Abraham
through Jacob.

BIBLICAL EVALUATION

Judaism essentially denies the sin NATURE and minimizes
man's need for redemption. Repentance (Turning BACK to God) is
ALL that is needed when one fails to live according to the Law.
Most expressions of Judaism are built upon culture and
traditions. Practice is usually emphasized MORE THAN BELIEF. It
is an ETHICAL system and a WAY OF LIFE with a transcendent God in
the background.
The ONLY and KEY issue is THE PERSON and WORK of JESUS of
NAZERETH, who claimed to be the Messiah and whose life fulfilled
many messianic prophecies. Christians can use many Old Testament
messianic texts to support the New Testament claims about Jesus
BEING THE CHRIST. The Old Testament tells where the messiah would
be born, when he would be cut off, and how and WHY He would die.
Concentrate on Isiah 53.
Note that the first Christians were Jews. JESUS WAS A JEW.
Most of the New Testament was written by Jews. Christianity has
erroneously been pictured as a GENTILE religion. Jews often think
that to be "converted" to Christianity, they must give up their
Jewishness and become Gentiles. The New Testament; However,
teaches that the great divide is between non-Christian and
Christian - not Jew and Gentile. There are gentile Christians and
there are Hebrew Christians. A Jew does not have to abandon his
or her heritage to become Christian.
When we deal with Jews, FOCUS on the meaning of Jesus'
sacrificial death and the FACT of His RESURRECTION. The Old
Testament makes it clear that God has chosen blood to be the
means for the forgiveness of sins (Leviticus 16
SCRIPTURE INDEX: RESIGNATION (86 REFERENCES)

LEV 10:1 10:2 10:3
JDG 10:15
1SA 3:18
2SA 12:23 15:26 16:10 16:11 24:14
2KI 4:26 20:19
NEH 9:33
EST 4:16
JOB 1:13 1:14 1:15 1:16 1:17 1:18 1:19 1:20
JOB 1:21 2:9 2:10 5:17 34:31
PSA 4:4 39:9 46:10 103:10 119:75
PRO 3:11 18:14
JER 10:19 51:50
LAM 1:18 3:39
DAN 9:14
MIC 6:9 7:9
MAT 6:10 26:39
LUK 21:19 23:40 23:41
JOH 18:11
ACT 7:59 7:60 21:14
ROM 5:3 5:4 5:5 12:12
2CO 6:9 6:10 7:4
PHI 1:20 1:21 1:22 1:23 1:24 2:14 4:11 4:12
PHI 4:13
COL 1:11
1TH 3:3
2TH 1:4
2TI 2:3 4:5 4:6
HEB 10:34 12:3 12:4 12:5 12:9
JAM 1:9 1:10 4:7 5:11 5:13
1PE 1:6 4:12 4:13 4:19