Session One: A Brief History of Messianic Judaism and some of its’ implications… Page 1 FIRST THINGS FIRST 1) The explosion of Jewish people falling in love with Yeshua (Jesus) in the 1960’s and 70’s was a Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) led movement designed to restore the Jewish people, restore the unity of the Body of Messiah, and to fulfill ancient prophecies that have moved the world closer to the return of Messiah. 2) The prophecies about the restoration of Israel are LITERALLY about the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is not a metaphor for “The Church” - it is not an allegory for the “Spiritual Israel” - and it is NOT about the supposedly “Lost Tribes” being gathered in. (None of the tribes were ever “lost” by the way … we will get to that later in errant theology.) We know who the Jewish people are. There are 12 million of us. 6.6 million are in the land of Israel. The other 6 million WILL come to the Land - or they will perish. 3) The 1960’s and 70’s restoration of a worldwide movement of physically Jewish people who love Jesus - who maintain their Jewish identity and worship Yeshua AS Jews - wasn’t just about the restoration of Israel! The Ruach has also been doing a powerful work in The Church (The Body of Messiah) among gentiles since the 1960’s. This movement is awakening “Ruth Hearts” among the gentile church who have a deep love for Israel, worship Jesus and a Jewish King and Jewish Messiah, read the Brit Chadeshah (New Testament/Covenant) as a Jewish document, and eagerly anticipate the coming prophetic fulfillment of the restoration of Israel, Yeshua sitting on a throne in Jerusalem, and a return of The Temple in Jerusalem and the worship prescribed in the Torah - to its’ rightful central place in the worship and life of ALL of the Body of Messiah! Page 2 Complex Common Judaism Now … let’s begin with what Judaism looked like in 160 B.C.E. (post Maccabean Revolt) into the 1st century. Scholars have used the term “complex common Judaism” to describe the life of the Jewish people in Palestine under Roman rule. The Rabbis were NOT in control. What was “complex?” • Which Rabbi you followed. • Whether or not you went to synagogue or simply to the pilgrimage feasts of Shavuot, Pesach, and Sukkot. • Theology was crazy complex. Was the Sanhedrin from God? Was there a resurrection of the dead? Would Messiah conquer or suffer or both? Was the sacrifice of the High Priest on Yom Kippur accepted in God’s eyes? • Much more What was “common?” • Going to The Temple. • Most eating practices. • Abstaining from idol worship. • Circumcision on the 8th Day. When the Pharisees began to meet in councils around 90 A.D. they began a purposeful revision of Jewish life under their established beliefs. This is when Judaism began to homogenize - and much of how it defined itself was in antipathy toward Yeshua followers. Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 What happened between 130 and 1900 A.D.? We can’t go in-depth into all of this history but: 1) Jewish people and followers of Yeshua were mingling so much that BOTH communities began to place restrictions on their interactions - The Rabbis said - you can’t eat with followers of Yeshua, they can’t celebrate Pesach (Passover) with us, they can’t pray in our synagogues, etc. The increasingly gentile church leaders said - they can’t come into our assemblies (churches), they can’t remain Jewish in eating customs and daily practice (tzit-tzit) if they follow Yeshua. SOME OF THE CHRISTIAN RULINGS: “Christian” Synod of Elvira in 306 A.D. said no intermarriage or eating together. According to historian Shaye J.D. Cohen, early Christianity ceased to be a Jewish sect when it ceased to observe Jewish practices. Among the Jewish practices abandoned by Proto-orthodox Christianity, circumcision was rejected as a requirement at the Council of Jerusalem, c. 50. The establishment of a Jewish Tax known as the fiscus Judaicus helped widen the gap between Christians and Jews for anyone that appeared to be Jewish was taxed after AD 70. Sabbath observance was modified, perhaps as early as Ignatius of Antioch (c.110). Quartodecimanism (observation of a Paschal feast on Nisan 14, the day of preparation for Passover, linked to Polycarp and thus to John the Apostle) was disputed by Pope Victor I (189–199) and formally rejected at the First Council of Nicaea in 325.[26] Page 6 SOME OF THE JEWISH RULINGS: Many of the rulings out of Tiveriah Academy through the 6th century excluded Jews from associating with Christians. These rulings can be found in the Jerusalem Talmud. Blessing on the heretics") is a Jewish curse on heretics" ברכת המינים The Birkat ha-Minim (Hebrew (minim). Modern scholarship has generally evaluated that the Birkat haMinim probably did originally include Jewish Christians before Christianity became markedly a gentile religion. It is the 12th of the Eighteen Benedictions or Amidah. The writing of the benediction is attributed to Shmuel ha-Katan at the supposed Council of Jamnia which was inserted in the "Eighteen Benedictions" as the 19th blessing in the silent prayer to be said thrice daily, the Amidah. To Learn More About “The Great Split”: Book to read: Border Lines: The Partition of Judaeo-Christianity by Daniel Boyarin Lecture to listen to: http://bit.ly/TaShema There was always a faithful remnant of Yeshua following Jewish people. They often assimilated into Gentile Church within 1 generation… but then! A restoration! The 1960’s … crazy hippies … wow! Page 7 .