G-d.
(BF)
72. How can you be sure what your Christian scriptures say? There are MANY versions of the New Testament which have survived from ancient times, and they differ from one another; whereas, the Tenach has been handed down without error.
Yes, there ARE many versions of the New Testament
books, but then, there are many thousands of New Testament manuscripts
remaining from the first few centuries. And, when compared with one another,
it is not too difficult, in most cases, to arrive at what was more
or less the 'common' version. Only about one-half of
one percent of the NT has variant readings (and that out of thousands of
manuscripts); many of these are simply spelling/stylistic variants.
And in NO case is there a doctrinal issue at stake.
The Tenach, on the other hand, has come down
to us from a single copy, inscribed about 1008 C.E. But weren't there variants
before this time? The Massorites, who put together (or
maybe 'ratified' is a better word) our present version were, of course,
masters of the language, and they selected which manuscript versions
would be kept. However, it is never claimed that THEY were divinely inspired,
or infallible. Thus, here and there, when they compared manuscripts, they
might have made an erroneous selection of vowels with which to mark the
words, or, when faced with a difficult choice between words, have selected
the wrong one. And can it be that they, like all of us, might have been
influenced, even if subconsciously, by their own beliefs and theology as
to which rendering OUGHT to be correct?
For example, we know that in various places
the word 'adonai', and elsewhere perhaps 'elohim', was sometimes
substituted for the Divine Name. (See the work of Dr. C. D. Ginsburg on
the Massorah notes for this.) It is also noticeable that the present text
of Jeremiah is about one-seventh longer than the text of Jeremiah in the
Septuagint, and that the material is in a slightly different order. (Thus,
the early translators of the Septuagint may have been working from a different
text than that selected by the Massorites.) And the Dead Sea Scrolls have
demonstrated that, indeed, there were variants of the Tenach which
existed at that time. In the book of Isaiah, for instance, the 53rd
chapter, the tenth verse, the Great Isaiah scroll text reads
'But the L-rd wanted him crushed, and He pierced him (to death)'. The present
version has, 'Yet it pleased the L-rd to crush him', or 'to crush him by
disease'. In verse 11, a word appears to have been left out of our present
text. Two Hebrew future tense verbs occur back-to-back. This is unusual.
In the Great Isaiah scroll, the word 'light' is inserted between them.
Thus, the text of the Massorites reads 'He shall see and he shall be satisfied;
whereas the Dead Sea Scroll reads 'He shall see light and shall be satisfied'.
(See Catherine Geever, Margaret and Preston Heinle, 'Messianic Prophecies
From a Dead Sea Scroll'.)
There are hints in the Talmud that occasionally
'corrections' to the text might have been made. For example, Men. 35a (Shab.
13b, Hag. 13a), asserts that Hananiah ben Hezekiah spent some time (and
300 barrels of lamp oil!) working on "correcting" the book of Ezekiel.
Thus, while we can all believe that
the original text of the scriptures was given to us perfectly, and is inerrant,
we cannot always be certain that the text we currently have is the same
as that text.
(RP)
73. But how can you be sure you
really have any of Yeshua's own words? He didn't write anything himself--everything
you have was written down later, and could have been altered by his followers.
The same could be said of the Torah. G-d never 'wrote' it. It was written by His followers. In fact, there is more 'scientific evidence' for the New Testament stating Yeshua's words (cf. the historians of Yeshua's day) than for the Tanakh stating G-d's words. Does this make us believe it is less true? No way!
(JI)
Somewhere I read that everything that Yeshua
actually spoke (not words about his deeds, but only those he actually
said) can be read aloud (assuming there are no repetitions) in about 20
minutes. (I'm not entirely certain myself that this is correct.) But if
so, that's not very much to have to remember. The ancients used to memorize
much more than that (Homer, for example), and Moslems in many places still
memorize the Koran.
Who else could have changed the world in 20
minutes?
(RP)
74. Listen, missionaries prey on the weak and the uneducated, and those who feel unsatisfied with their lives.
Same as a doctor especially looks for those who are sick.
(JI)
75. Missionaries will always try and take a verse out of context; and if you call them on it, they'll switch to another verse. They'll try and drown you in information, but they won't answer your questions.
The Tanakh contains so much Messianic wealth
that it would be idiotic and downright deceitful for a believer to try
and get your mind off the verse in question. In fact, he wouldn't be a
true follower of the Truth, whose name is Yeshua.
Apply the same touchstone to the words and
actions of anybody you question, priest, pastor, or rabbi. Keep on your
guard so that you are not deceived, and pray that G-d will reveal Himself
to you. It's always warm and comfortable to believe what you are told.
It takes guts to stand up and say, 'Enough! I'm getting two opposing opinions!
One is wrong and I'm going to find out for myself which it is!' Ignorance
in life-affecting matters is not bliss. Admit it when you are ignorant
of a matter, and then go and check the Tanakh to see what G-d (not
some rabbi/pastor) says on the matter. Ultimately the decision is between
you and G-d. Make sure you consult Him in the process.
(JI)
76. Missionaries will usually hide their true intent at first to put you off your guard.
Take it from a Messianic Jew: We have NOTHING to hide. The reason I believe in is because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I'm not out to make a buck 'saving' Jews. In the first place, there is only One who can save anybody: the Savior of the world. Secondly, I get nothing for telling people that I'm in love with the G-d of this universe. (Wait, let me take that back. I do get a lot of things for spreading the Good News: a lot of insults and threats. Still, for the few who find the Life I discovered, it makes it worth all the trouble.)
(JI)
77. Christian Jews are apostates. Don't let them turn you away from your own people.
Yeshua and Saul/Paul were unequivocal in contradicting
you on that point. That's again your opinion. Have you ever asked a Messianic
Jew whether he's 'turned away' from his own people?
(JI)
As far as I'm concerned, there is a Jewish
ethnic people, who originate(d) in the Middle East, members of which belong
to various religions. There are Buddhist Jews, Zen Jews, Atheist Jews,
and even Hare Krishna Jews. None of these are called 'Jewish' by religion.
However, all of them still remain ethnically Jewish. (After all, they haven't
become Chinese.)
And all of them are quite welcome to return
home to their ethnic homeland, without any interference at all.
However, there is ONE group, and ONLY one
group, which is not welcomed home, and whose participation in things ethnically
Jewish is disputed. This doesn't seem to me to be logical. There are even
efforts made occasionally to deport members of this group if they have
managed to return home.
Now, I can understand deporting criminals,
who have immigrated with a bad criminal record, but what is the 'crime'
of these people? Is it really a 'crime' to belong to this group, if you
are in Israel?
Thus, at least by my definition, an ethnic 'Jew' is someone born of Jewish parents (or at least, a Jewish mother). If we are going to start sorting out the 'righteous' among them from the 'unrighteous', and accepting in our definition only those whom we label 'righteous', then we are going to be pre-supposing the conclusions which will be made only on the Day of Judgement; and also, I think, presuming a little bit too much ability on our part.
(RP)
If you are so anxious for these people to return
to Judaism, why don't you welcome them in the synagogues, instead of driving
them away?
(Afraid they'll proselytize? But wouldn't
there be a rabbi present? No potential missionary 'prey' would have to
be caught alone, or would be subjected to 'love-bombing', or 'cult-like
tactics'. This means there would only be an open discussion--now who could
be convinced by anything like that? So I guess you 'd have nothing to be
afraid of then, right?)
(RP)
78. If Hitler had repented at
the last minute in the bunker, do you think he would have been forgiven?
Judaism also makes a great deal out of repentance. What does Judaism have to say about this?
(BF)
What this question really deals with, is, can there ever be anyone who is SO bad that he can NEVER be forgiven. And, to turn it around, is there ever anyone who is SO good that he can MERIT paradise and the world to come ? Of course, believers in Yeshua would assert that the answer to the second question is NO, that no man is ever perfect enough, and can never become so. And since G-d is perfection, and holiness, there must always then be this separation between man and G-d. That is why the cleansing of the sacrifices, or what the sacrifices represent (Yeshua's death) were necessary.
(RP)
Of course, Hitler represents a kind of Amalek. Amalek tried to destroy Israel before they even arrived at Mt. Sinai. Haman, who was a descendant of Amalek, tried to wipe out the Jewish people and thus thwart G-d's plan. . So, too, Hitler tried destroy the Jewish people on their second journey to the promised land (and to what future spiritual blessings? We cannot yet know). But he was thwarted, and a remnant escaped. It may be suggested that by that point Hitler, like Pharaoh, may have had his heart hardened, so that he could not repent; and instead was destined only for judgement.
(RP)
79. Yeshu was a false god. We
shouldn't even pronounce his name!
Why do you call him 'Yeshu'= 'May his name
be blotted out'?
No Jew I know of tries to hide the insanity
of Hitler and the Nazis; they expose them for what they were. We are instructed
to 'never forget'. Never forget what? A piece of Nazi propaganda? No!!!
We are never to forget the historical TRUTH!
It seems strange to me therefore that you
refuse to call One by His historical name and that you want to hide Him
from our people.
(JI)
This seems odd to me. You can pronounce 'Haman'. You can say 'Amalek'. You can say 'Hitler'. You can even say, 'Satan'. But there is ONE name which you cannot say--you have to replace it with 'J', or 'that man', or 'Yeshu'. Do you really consider that Yeshua was worse than Satan? Worse than Amalek? Please tell me what is the source of this unreasonable taking of offense, this hatred without a cause directed at the person of Yeshua.
(RP)
80. In Judaism, we believe that repentence and good works are all that is required; not 'being born again', or 'sacrificed for' by anyone's death.
You see, that's the problem. You think
that some people are actually better than others. You think that there
are some people who actually merit heaven (yourself included, I assume).
You are forced to ignore, or explain away, clear scriptures to the contrary.
The Jewish position on this is no different
from the position of every other major world religion--except from Christianity.
Did G-d command Adam to
exercise dominion over this world? Yes. Did Adam fall and fall so
hard that man can no longer carry out that command? Yes. In fact, did Adam
make such a mess of things that it would require the direct intervention
of G-d to straighten it out? Yes.
Judaism is a religion, like every other religion
which postulates the existence of a Supreme Being, whereby man makes himself
presentable to G-d. Whether through obedience to Torah, adherence to 8-fold
way, or just by being a 'good person' (as opposed to the obviously 'really
bad' people)--they all have this theme in common. And this is a shame,
because the Tanakh is full of examples of the way things really work---G-d
reaching down to man.
You didn't have the Torah--He gave you the
Torah.
You didn't have food--He gave you manna.
You didn't have water--He gave you water from
the rock.
You didn't have a leader--He gave you Moses.
You were stuck in slavery--He brought you
out.
You were scattered because of your disobedience--He
will bring you back, not because of anything you do, but because of His
promise to Abraham.
Whether it's Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, or
anything else, it's all the 'hamster wheel that leads to heaven', the endless
circle of effort but never any progress.
G-d wants to lift you out of the hamster cage
and clasp you to Himself.
Except that there is still the small matter
of sin. You need righteousness. Given G-d's track record (as above), how
do you think He will accomplish this?
The question is not, 'What is the Jewish
view?', or 'What is the Christian view?', but rather, what does Tanakh
say? (See Isaiah 57:12, 'I will declare your righteousness and your
works; they will not help you.')
Repentance alone was not enough when:
Adam was
not permitted to remain in the garden;
Esau was
not permitted to repent and retain his birthright;
Moses
was not permitted to repent and enter the promised land;
Aachan
was not permitted to repent;
David
was not permitted to repent and build the Temple.
Something more is needed.
(BF)
Are Torah scholars 'better' than other men
because they study? 'Improvement-through-study' is a nice Platonic
concept--it originated among the Greeks, so maybe it is a Hellenistic transplant.
However, the prophets of Isreal didn't say, 'Go and study'. They said,
'Go and repent'.
But maybe if they study even more can they come
to 'merit' the good gifts of G-d (including Gan Eden)? Just remember that
not even Moses--who surely knew what Torah was--was permitted to enter
the promised land--he was tainted by disobedience (sin) despite a lifetime
of serving G-d. The 'good deeds' and 'years of obedience' weren't placed
in a scale and balanced against his one act of 'disobedience'; he had been
imperfect, that was all there was to it.
The theme that you can improve yourself enough
to 'merit' anything in G-d's eyes is not found in Tanach. Instead, all
of the good things of G-d are given freely, even to those who don't deserve
them (such as Jacob, who is chosen over his brother).
(RP)