The Mission of Jewish Disciples

Upon being appointed to go into "all the world and make disciples," the disciples of Christ did not revoke the fact that they were Jewish.  The distinction that made them different from other Jews in Israel was that, the others did not recognize Yeshua as Messiah.  Did they deny their Jewishness, no they did not?  Basically the difference between the two were on how things were being fulfilled in Jesus Christ? Abrogation of the Torah was far from their mind rather demonstrating how Christ fulfilled so many passages in the Scriptures was their priority. Simply, as those in Israel would be dispersed again by the middle of the second century, the landscaped changed and effected how matters of Scriptures would be interpreted.  The Body of the Messiah would primarily deal with the heresies that would spring up over the next two centuries and began to define the theology of the Body in defense of specific biblical truths.  When Constantine decriminalized Christianity, the faith centered on a declaration of those biblical truths and assemblies in began to formed upon these teachings but the Jewishness disappeared due to the diaspora and the fact the Jewish synagogues would ban those who did make a confession of faith.  As a result, the councils would move away from Jewish expression as well and consider such expression of days and festivals as heresy and anathema to the faith (Council of Laodicea).  And yet in this, the Roman days and months in name would still be dedicated to the gods of the empire.  As a result, assemblies that were dedicated to Hebraic expression, like the Nazarenes, still faced persecution.

What Paul meant by "All Scripture is inspired"

What is often missed is that when Paul wrote the second letter to Timothy is that since that no other letters of the apostles were published nor even the Gospels but that the OLD TESTAMENT Scriptures were still RELEVANT for Gentiles. Protestants sometimes miss this and assume that the Law was only to bring us to Christ as Paul states in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians, Paul uses the term "nomos" or law to make a point. The term Torah actually means "instruction" and is used differently in respect to his letter to Timothy. More comments on Galatians will be made on later posts but in general Paul was dealing with the conversion heresies in his letter to the Galatians rather than dealing with specific terms of Torah based actions that represent faith. He is even more descriptive in illustrating the attitude or "fruits" in obedience. The Torah is relevant for ALL believers in Christ and is not limited to the Ten Commandments. Also, the annual Torah readings that Jews read comprise of lessons in the wilderness BEFORE entering the promise land. Here is a picture of the Gentile believer completely as they wonder the wilderness of life anticipating the inheritance of the coming kingdom. The believer can identify himself in these wonderings upon of what is expected of him entering the kingdom of heaven. If you are lost in the thoughts of the puffy clouds and pearly gates of heavens focusing the rewards you might miss something in the hear and now about how the instructions of the Torah can apply to you and also to how the ability of the fullness of that obedience will be made complete in the coming age.

The Redemptive Calendar

Prior to the Constantinian changes to the Christian church, the early church respected the Jewish calendar while still accommodated to the Roman one. The calendar would be crucial as the seventh year and jubilee year often were years that emphasized forgiveness of debt. Do you think that conforming to the principles in the Torah would be legalism? Then think about the current tax laws and regulations that many churches face. I have a loan over eight years old but the bank did not drop the debt in the seventh year. Now, it would be easy to ask as to why did not teach Jesus forgiveness until the seventh year. Most likely, he was not dismissing that debt expectancy could not exist but rather that the issues of the heart was not be to held in regards to a debt over a fellow brethren Jew or burdensome to repay. A good example of this is when Jesus commends the shrewd servant when asking for half the debt to be paid and then cancelling it. The calendar had its purposes and balance on such matters so as to not negate personal responsibilities or in being burdensome.

The Turning Point of the Council of Laodicea

This blog was written with the intention of investigating the roots of the faith...... Curious after reading some the Anti-semitic readings of Martin Luther, I set off in investigating crucial points in church history in which led to this development. The following was found in reading a book by James Parkes. It would indeed be a crucial point in history. The council of Laodicea which met in 363 AD states in the developed cannon 29: Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found do so, let them be anathema from Christ.