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{{Short description|Religious sect that considers itself Jewish, but which is considered by Jews to be Christian}} | |||
{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}{{Messianic Judaism}} | |||
{{distinguish|Messiah in Judaism|Jewish Christian|Chabad messianism}} | |||
]]] | |||
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} | |||
{{otheruses4|a religious movement or sect|the Jewish religion|Judaism|the ] in Judaism|Jewish messianism|specific messianic claimants|Jewish Messiah claimants}} | |||
{{Messianic Judaism}} | |||
{{Jewish Christianity|Recent groups}} | |||
'''Messianic Judaism''' is a ]{{sfn|Kessler|2005|p=292|ps=: " syncretism confuses Christians and Jews…"}} ] ] that combines various ] and elements of ] with ] ]. It ] but is generally considered to be a ],<ref name="Melton2005" />{{sfn|Ariel|2013|pp=35{{ndash}}57}} including by ], since Jews consider belief in Jesus as the Messiah and divine in the form of ] (and the doctrine of the ] in general) to be among the most defining distinctions between ]. It is also generally considered a Christian sect by scholars and other Christian groups.{{sfn|Ariel|2000|p=}}{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|p=179}}<ref name="Ariel2006p191" /><ref name="Melton2005" /><ref name="e-Rea 2012">{{cite journal |author-last=Ben Barka |author-first=Mokhtar |date=December 2012 |title=The New Christian Right's relations with Israel and with the American Jews: the mid-1970s onward |journal=E-Rea |location=] and ] |publisher=] on behalf of ] |volume=10 |issue=1 |doi=10.4000/erea.2753 |doi-access=free |issn=1638-1718 |s2cid=191364375 |quote=The ] have cause to worry because ] are active on both fronts, ], and ] at the same time. While the ] eagerly accepts public support of Evangelicals and courts the leaders of the ], many Jews bitterly condemn Christian proselytism and try their best to restrict the activities of missionaries in Israel. “]” and other Christian Jewish groups in Israel have become especially effective in evangelizing, often with the support of foreign Evangelicals. It is not surprising that Jewish leaders, both in the ] and ], react strongly to “Jews for Jesus” and the whole “Messianic Jewish” movement, whose concern is to promote awareness among the Jews as to God’s real plans for humanity and ]. In this respect, ] lamented the fact that “people who see Israel through the lens of ] are questionable allies, whose support should be elicited only in the last resort. In the long run, their apocalyptic agenda has no room for Israel as a normal country.”}}</ref><ref name="Christians" /><ref name="MJSelfID"/><ref name="Denominations"/><ref name="OhrSomayach"/><ref name="Lotker"/>{{sfn|Foreman|2006|p=399}} | |||
'''Messianic Judaism''' is a ] movement whose adherents believe that ] of Nazareth, whom they call ], is both the ] Jewish ] and their ] ].<ref name=harris>{{cite book | |||
| last = Harris-Shapiro | |||
| first = Carol | |||
| authorlink = Carol Harris-Shapiro | |||
| title = Messianic Judaism: a rabbi’s journey through religious change in America | |||
| url = | |||
| format = ] | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-20 | |||
| year = 1999 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 0807010405 | |||
| oclc = 45729039 | |||
| id = {{LCCN|98|0|54864}} | |||
| pages = pg. 1 | |||
| chapter = Studying the Messianic Jews | |||
| chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0807010413&id=72QTLABTllwC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=_dePPPMziL&dq=Messianic+Judaism:+A+Rabbi%27s+Journey+Through+Religious+Change+in+America&sig=xg552A3Hu5R8vU-PJv5yw-_h71s#PPA1,M1 | |||
| quote = <small>"Messianic Judaism" is a Christian funded and organized movement whose origins can be traced to the United States through Christian missions to the Jews in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Jesus people of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the resurgence of American Jewish ethnicity during those same decades. "Messianic Jewish" congregations (churches) are comprised of those who may have been born Jewish, however, have become an apostate to Judaism by accepting Jesus as their savior. These churches however, are mostly run and comprised of Christians who have already accepted the belief of Jesus as their messiah. Worldwide the Messianic Jewish Movement can be traced to the London Society for the Promotion of Christianity among the Jews (now The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People), which was founded in 1809 and is the world's oldest extant Jewish Mission. In the United Kingdom there are a number of Messianic Congregations. They fall into 2 "camps". One, the British Messianic Jewish Alliance, is the world's oldest such Alliance, founded 1866. The other is the Union of British Messianic Jewish Congergations.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref><ref name = "RabbiYTorah">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/mcongregation2.html | |||
| title = So, What Exactly is a Messianic Congregation? | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-20 | |||
| year = 2001 | |||
| work = RabbiYeshua.com | |||
| publisher = Kehilat Sar Shalom | |||
| quote = <small>Messianic Judaism of the first century busied itself with telling everyone of the Good News, it boldly proclaimed Yeshua – the resurrected Messiah – to all men and women.…Sin is lawlessness, it is “Torahlessness”. If one is truly in Messiah, then one will be Torah observant.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
It emerged in the ] between the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier ],{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2010|p=100|ps=: "In the 1970s a number of ] ], known as Hebrew Christians, were committed to a church-based conception of Hebrew Christianity. Yet, at the same time, there emerged a growing segment of the Hebrew Christian community that sought a more ]. Eventually, a division emerged between those who wished to identify as Jews and those who sought to pursue Hebrew Christian goals. In time, the name of the movement was changed to Messianic Judaism."}}{{sfn|Lewis|2001|p=179|ps=: "The origins of Messianic Judaism date to the 1960s when it began among American Jews who converted to Christianity."}} and was most prominently propelled through the non-profit organization ] founded in 1973 by ], an American minister under the ].<ref name = "Brown2010" /><ref name = "Burton2018" /><ref name="e-Rea 2012" /><ref name="Feher1998p140" /><ref name="Ariel2006p194" /> | |||
As of 1993 there were 160,000 adherents of Messianic Judaism in the United States and 350,000 worldwide. As of 2003, there were at least 150 Messianic ]s in the U.S. and over 400 worldwide.<ref name=schoeman>{{cite book | |||
| last = Schoeman | |||
| first = Roy H. | |||
| title = Salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22): the role of Judaism in salvation history from Abraham to the Second Coming | |||
| year = 2003 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 089870975X | |||
| id = {{LCCN|2003||105176}} | |||
| quote = By the mid 1970s, ''Time'' magazine placed the number of Messianic Jews in the U.S. at over 50,000; by 1993 this number had grown to 160,000 in the U.S. and about 350,000 worldwide (1989 estimate). ... There are currently over 400 Messianic synagogues worldwide, with at least 150 in the U.S.}}</ref> By 2008, the number of Messianics in the United States was around a quarter million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Messianic Jews to protest 'discrimination'|url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1214132688698|last=Wagner|first=Matthew}}</ref> The number of Messianic Jews in Israel is reported to be anywhere between 6,000 and 15,000 members.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
Messianic Jews adhere to conventional ], including the concept of ] through faith in ] (referred to by the ] name {{transliteration|he|]}} among adherents) as the ] and ], and the spiritual authority of the ] (including the ] and ]s).{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|p=170}}<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/><ref name=Ariel2006p194/><ref name=Ariel2006p208/><ref name="JeC3"/> | |||
Although Messianic Jews consider themselves to be Jewish,<ref name = "MJSelfID"> | |||
*{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/conversion.html | |||
| title = The Jerusalem Council - Messianic Jewish Giyur (Conversion) | |||
| accessdate = 2008-05-07 | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = <small>We recognize the desire of people from the nations to convert into Messianic Judaism, also known as HaDerech (The Way), a sect of Judaism. By converting to the Jewish faith, converts are therefore...considered fully Jewish... are not to be reminded of their gentile (pagan) past by others</small> | |||
}} | |||
*{{cite web | |||
|url= http://www.religioustolerance.org/mess_jud1.htm | |||
|title= Messianic Judaism | |||
|accessdate= 2008-04-29 | |||
|last= Robinson | |||
|first= B. | |||
|year= 2006 | |||
|publisher= ] | |||
}} | |||
*{{cite web | |||
|url= http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/967870.html | |||
|title= Recent incidents suggest rise in violence between Haredi, messianic Jews | |||
|accessdate= 2008-04-29 | |||
|year= 2006 | |||
|publisher= Haaretz.com | |||
}} | |||
*{{cite web | |||
|url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE0DC163CF932A25751C0A965958260 | |||
|title= Jews Who Call Jesus Messiah: Get Out, Says Israel | |||
|accessdate= 2008-04-29 | |||
|last= Haberman | |||
|first= Clyde | |||
|year= 1993 | |||
|publisher= New York Times | |||
}} | |||
</ref> the various streams of Judaism are unanimous in their rejection of MJ as a form of Judaism.<ref name="Kaplan">{{cite book |last = Kaplan |first = Dana Evan |editor= Dana Evan Kaplan (ed.) |title= The Cambridge companion to American Judaism |series= Cambridge Companions to Religion |year= 2005 |month= August |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 0521822041 |id= {{LCCN|2004||024336}}|pages= pg. 9 |chapter= Introduction |quote=<small>For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness....Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews.</small>}}</ref><ref name = "Denominations"> | |||
;]:{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.aish.com/rabbi/ATR_browse.asp?s=messianic&f=tqak&offset=4 | |||
| title = Why Don't Jews Believe in Jesus? | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-14 | |||
| date = ], ] | |||
| work = Ask the Rabbi | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}} | |||
;]:{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.uscj.org/Messianic_Jews_Not_J5480.html | |||
| title = Messianic Jews Are Not Jews | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-14 | |||
| last = Waxman | |||
| first = Jonathan | |||
| year = 2006 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| quote = <small>Hebrew Christian, Jewish Christian, Jew for Jesus, Messianic Jew, Fulfilled Jew. The name may have changed over the course of time, but all of the names reflect the same phenomenon: one who asserts that s/he is straddling the theological fence between Christianity and Judaism, but in truth is firmly on the Christian side.…we must affirm as did the Israeli Supreme Court in the well-known Brother Daniel case that to adopt Christianity is to have crossed the line out of the Jewish community.</small> | |||
}} | |||
;]:{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.huc.edu/news/mi.html | |||
| title = Missionary Impossible | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-14 | |||
| date = ], ] | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| quote = <small>Missionary Impossible, an imaginative video and curriculum guide for teachers, educators, and rabbis to teach Jewish youth how to recognize and respond to "Jews-for-Jesus," "Messianic Jews," and other Christian proselytizers, has been produced by six rabbinic students at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Cincinnati School. The students created the video as a tool for teaching why Jewish college and high school youth and Jews in intermarried couples are primary targets of Christian missionaries.</small> | |||
}} | |||
;]/]:{{cite web | |||
| url = https://www.aleph.org/faq.htm | |||
| title = FAQ's About Jewish Renewal | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-20 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| publisher = | |||
| quote = <small>'''''What is ALEPH's position on so called messianic Judaism?''''' ALEPH has a policy of respect for other spiritual traditions, but objects to deceptive practices and will not collaborate with denominations which actively target Jews for recruitment. Our position on so-called "Messianic Judaism" is that it is Christianity and its proponents would be more honest to call it that.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> Christians and Jews consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Christianity.<ref name = "Christians"> | |||
*{{cite book | |||
| last = Harries | |||
| first = Richard | |||
| authorlink = Richard Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth | |||
| title = After the evil: Christianity and Judaism in the shadow of the Holocaust | |||
| year = 2003 | |||
| month = August | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 0199263132 | |||
| id = {{LCCN|2003||273342}} | |||
| pages = pg. 119 | |||
| chapter = Should Christians Try to Convert Jews? | |||
| quote = <small>Thirdly, there is Jews for Jesus or, more generally, Messianic Judaism. This is a movement of people often of Jewish background who have come to believe Jesus is the expected Jewish messiah.…They often have congregations independent of other churches and specifically target Jews for conversion to their form of Christianity.</small> | |||
}} | |||
*{{cite book | |||
| last = Kessler | |||
| first = Edward | |||
| editor = Edward Kessler and Neil Wenborn (eds.) | |||
| title = A dictionary of Jewish-Christian relations | |||
| format = ] | |||
| accessdate = 2007-11-02 | |||
| year = 2005 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ]; ] | |||
| isbn = 9780521826921 | |||
| oclc = 60340826 | |||
| id = {{LCCN|2005||012923}} | |||
| pages = 292–293 | |||
| chapter = Messianic Jews | |||
| chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=QkI_JNv3rIwC&dq=Christian+view+of+Messianic+Judaism&pg=PA292&ots=9ZztiEufQr&sig=EU4ZB9r4mLBUJ80WydjeNuq05X0&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3DChristian%2Bview%2Bof%2BMessianic%2BJudaism%26btnG%3DSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=3&cad=legacy#PPA292,M1 | |||
| quote = <small>From a mainstream Christian perspective Messianic Judaisms can also provoke hostility for misrepresenting Christianity.</small> | |||
}} | |||
*{{cite book | |||
| last = Harris-Shapiro | |||
| first = Carol | |||
| authorlink = Carol Harris-Shapiro | |||
| title = Messianic Judaism: a rabbi’s journey through religious change in America | |||
| url = | |||
| format = ] | |||
| accessdate = 2007-11-02 | |||
| year = 1999 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 0807010405 | |||
| oclc = 45729039 | |||
| id = {{LCCN|98|0|54864}} | |||
| pages = pg. 3 | |||
| chapter = Studying the Messianic Jews | |||
| chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=72QTLABTllwC&dq=Christian+relationship+to+Messianic+Judaism&pg=PA118&ots=_dgSGLSsiN&sig=TvJd9lZ2017PPZG5TkYy1xrJAfg&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3DChristian%2Brelationship%2Bto%2BMessianic%2BJudaism%26btnG%3DSearch%26hl%3Den&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1&cad=legacy#PPA3,M1 | |||
| quote = <small>And while many evangelical Churches are openly supportive of Messianic Judaism, they treat it as an ethnic church squarely within evangelical Christianity, rather than as a separate entity.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
In the Hebrew language, they tend to identify themselves with the terms {{transliteration|he|maaminim}} ({{lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|מאמינים}}|rtl=yes}}, {{Literal translation|believers}}) and {{transliteration|he|yehudim}} ({{lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|יְהוּדִים}}|rtl=yes}}, {{Literal translation|Jews}}) in opposition to being identified as {{transliteration|he|]}} ({{lang|he|נוצרים}}, {{Literal translation|]}}).{{efn|Followers are called either {{lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|יְהוּדִים מְשִׁיחִיִּים}}}} {{transliteration|he|ISO|y'hudím mešiḥiyim; Yehudim Meshikiyim}} or simply {{lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|נוֹצְרִים}}}} {{transliteration|he|ISO|nocirim}} (Christians).}}<ref name="Spector2008"/> Jewish organizations inside and outside of ] reject this framing. The ] declared Messianic Judaism a Christian sect for purposes of the ].<ref name="Denominations"/><ref name="Berman"/> | |||
==Identity== | |||
Although words used to identify aspects of Messianic Judaism are frequently disputed and sometimes may seem contradictory, the term itself generally describes a belief that ] is the Jewish ] and that obedience of the ] is the proper expression of faith. Adherents are described as ''Messianic Believers'' or ''Messianics'' for short.<ref name = "MessLife">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.messianiclife.com/ | |||
| title = Messianic''Life''.com | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-15 | |||
| year = 2004 | |||
| publisher = Perfect Word Ministries | |||
| quote = <small>As believers in the Messiah Yeshua, we are called to live a life of practical application as ordered by the Spirit. MessianicLife.com is designed to help Messianic believers have a closer walk with Yeshua, to aid Messianic families in living out the fullness of the abundant life promised in Messiah, and to exhort ''all'' of us to pass that fulfilled life on to the next generation.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> ''Messianic Judaism'' is a relatively new term, coined as recently as 1895 to help separate the practices of its followers from those of common ] as a whole, and in order to more closely align its faith with that of biblical and historical ].<ref>{{cite news | |||
| first = David A. | |||
| last = Rausch | |||
| authorlink = | |||
| title = The Messianic Jewish Congregational Movement | |||
| url = http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1339 | |||
| format = | |||
| work = | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| id = | |||
| page = 926 | |||
| date = September 15-22 | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-19 | |||
| language = | |||
| quote = <small>As I interviewed their leaders across the United States, I found a prevalent belief that they had coined the term “Messianic Judaism.” Others thought that the term had originated within the past ten or 20 years. Most of their opponents also agreed that this was so. In fact, both the term “Messianic Judaism” and the frustration with the movement go back to the 19th century. During 1895 Our Hope magazine, which became a bulwark in the fundamentalist-evangelical movement under the editorship of Arno C. Gaebelein, carried the subtitle “A Monthly Devoted to the Study of Prophecy and to Messianic Judaism.”</small> | |||
}}</ref> | |||
From 2003 to 2007, the movement grew from 150 Messianic houses of worship in the ] to as many as 438, with over 100 in Israel and more worldwide; congregations are often affiliated with larger Messianic organizations or alliances.{{sfn|Schoeman|2003|p=351|ps=: "By the mid 1970s, ''Time'' magazine placed the number of Messianic Jews in the US at over 50,000; by 1993 this number had grown to 160,000 in the US and about 350,000 worldwide (1989 estimate). There are currently over 400 Messianic synagogues worldwide, with at least 150 in the US."}}<ref name="Yeoman" /> {{As of|2012}}, Messianic population estimates were between 175,000 and 250,000 members in the United States, between 10,000 and 20,000 members in Israel, and an estimated total worldwide membership of 350,000.<ref name="Posner2012" />{{update inline|date=February 2020}} | |||
The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations defines Messianic Judaism as "a movement of Jewish congregations and groups committed to Yeshua the Messiah that embrace the covenantal responsibility of Jewish life and identity rooted in Torah, expressed in tradition, and renewed and applied in the context of the New Covenant." | |||
==History== | |||
<blockquote>"Jewish life is life in a concrete, historical community. Thus, Messianic Jewish groups must be fully part of the Jewish people, sharing its history and its covenantal responsibility as a people chosen by God. At the same time, faith in Yeshua also has a crucial communal dimension. This faith unites the Messianic Jewish community and the Christian Church..."<ref>] - Defining Messianic Judaism<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref></blockquote> | |||
===Pre-19th century=== | |||
Messianics believe that the first followers of Jesus of Nazareth were called ] (in ], Notzrim; '''"{{lang|he|נוצרים}}"''') or simply "Followers of the Way." | |||
Efforts by ] to ] began in the ], when ] preached at the ]s in each city that he visited.{{sfn|Barnett|2002|p=367}} However, by the 4th century CE, non-biblical accounts of missions to the Jews{{efn|Such as ]' record of the conversion of ] and ]'s accounts of other Jewish conversions.}} do not mention converted Jews playing any leading role in proselytization.<ref name="Stemberger"/> Notable converts from Judaism who attempted to convert other Jews are more visible in historical sources beginning around the 13th century, when Jewish convert ] attempted to convert other Jews. This activity, however, typically lacked any independent Jewish-Christian congregations, and was often imposed through force by organized Christian churches.{{sfn|Flannery|1985|p=129}} | |||
===19th and early 20th centuries=== | |||
Messianic Jews practice their faith in a way they consider to be authentically ]-observant and ]. | |||
{{Main|Hebrew Christian Movement}} | |||
In the 19th century, some groups attempted to create congregations and societies of Jewish converts to Christianity, though most of these early organizations were short-lived.{{sfn|Ariel|2006|p=192}} Early formal organizations run by converted Jews include: the Anglican ] of ] (1809),<ref name=Moscrop/> which published the first ] in 1821;{{sfn|Greenspoon|1998|ps=: The first Yiddish New Testament distributed by the BFBS was published by the London Jews Society in 1821; the translator was Benjamin Nehemiah Solomon, "a convert from Judaism, who over to England from Poland."}}{{Verify source|date=December 2022}} the "Beni Abraham" association, established by Frey in 1813 with a group of 41 ]s who started meeting at Jews' Chapel, London for prayers Friday night and Sunday morning;{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|p=16|ps=: "On 9 September 1813 a group of 41 Jewish Christians established the Beni Abraham association at Jews' Chapel. These Jewish Christians met for prayer every Sunday morning and Friday evening."}} and the London ] founded by Dr. ] in 1866.<ref name=Schwartz1870/> | |||
The September 1813 meeting of Frey's "Beni Abraham" congregation at the rented "Jews' Chapel" in ] is sometimes pointed to as the birth of the semi-autonomous ] within Anglican and other established churches in Britain.{{sfn|Sobel|1968|pp=241–250|ps=: "Hebrew Christianity was born in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century through the efforts of a group of converts calling themselves the ''Beni Abraham'', or Sons of Abraham. It was on 9 September 1813 that a group of forty-one Jewish converts to Christianity met in London setting forth their purposes as being 'to attend divine worship at the chapel and to visit daily two by two in rotation any sick member, to pray with him and read the Bible to him; and on Sunday all who could were to visit the sick one'."}} However, the minister of the chapel at Spitalfields evicted Frey and his congregation three years later, and Frey severed his connections with the society.{{sfn|Gidney|1908|p=|ps=: "The Jews' Chapel, Spitalfields, had to be given up in 1816, as the minister refused his consent to its being licensed as a place of worship of the Church of England. Frey's connexion with the Society ceased in the same year, and he left for America."}} A new location was found and the Episcopal Jew's Chapel Abrahamic Society registered in 1835.{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2003}} | |||
==History== | |||
In ], ] established a Hebrew Christian mission and congregation called "Israelites of the New Covenant" in ], in 1884.{{sfn|Kessler|2005|p=180}}{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|pp=18, 19, 24}}{{sfn|Ariel|2000|p=}} In 1865, Rabinowitz created a sample order of worship for Sabbath morning service based on a mixture of Jewish and Christian elements. Mark John Levy pressed the Church of England to allow members to embrace Jewish customs.{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|pp=18, 19, 24}} | |||
{{See also|Messianic Movement}} | |||
The Messianic Judaism movement of today grew out of the Hebrew-Christian movement of the 19th century. Hebrew-Christian congregations began to emerge in England; the first of these was Beni Abraham, in London, which was founded by forty-one Hebrew-Christians.<ref>Maoz, Baruch. ''Judaism is Not Jewish: A Friendly Critique of the Messianic Movement''. Christian Focus Publications. 2003. ISBN 1857927877</ref> | |||
This led to a more general awareness of their Jewish identity for Christians with a Jewish background.<ref name = "Sedaca">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.imja.com/rebirth.html | |||
| title = The Rebirth of Messianic Judaism | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-15 | |||
| last = Sedaca | |||
| first = David | |||
| publisher = International Messianic Jewish Alliance | |||
| quote = <small>Messianic Judaism of today is the latest expression of a process that is over one hundred years old. The resurgence of this movement can be traced to Great Britain before 1850. At that time, there were thousands of Jewish people who converted to Christianity, but the end result of most of these conversions was the losing of their Jewish identity. By the middle of the 19th century, there were many outstanding Jewish believers in Jesus who began questioning the then prevailing principle that the corollary of accepting Jesus was the forfeiture of one's Jewish heritage. Contacts in England between these Jewish believers ultimately led to the formation in 1813 of the first body of believers who recognized both their Jewish ancestry and their faith in Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. The name of this association was "Beni Abraham" Children of Abraham.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> In 1866, the Hebrew-Christian Alliance of Great Britain was organized, with branches also existing in several European countries and the United States. A similar group, The Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA), was organized in the U. S. in 1915. The International Hebrew-Christian Alliance (IHCA) was organized in 1925 (later becoming the International Messianic Jewish Alliance). Additional groups were formed during subsequent decades.<ref name = "Winer"> {{cite book | |||
| last = Winer | |||
| first = Robert I. | |||
| title = The calling: the history of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, 1915-1990 | |||
| year = 1990 | |||
| month = June | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 0962824305 | |||
| id = {{LCCN|90|0|63000}} | |||
|pages = ?? | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
In the United States, a congregation of Jewish converts to Christianity was established in New York City in 1885.<ref name=NYT18851012/> In the 1890s, immigrant Jewish converts to Christianity worshipped at the ] "Hope of Israel" mission on New York's ] while retaining some Jewish rites and customs.{{sfn|Ariel|2000|p=}} In 1895, the 9th edition of Hope of Israel's ''Our Hope'' magazine carried the subtitle "A Monthly Devoted to the Study of Prophecy and to Messianic Judaism", the first use of the term "Messianic Judaism".{{sfn|Rausch|1982b}}{{sfn|Harris-Shapiro|1999|p=27}} <!-- Balmer supports the following TWO sentences -->In 1894, Christian missionary ], a convert from Judaism, founded the Brownsville Mission to the Jews in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York as a Christian mission to Jews. After several changes in name, structure, and focus, the organization is now called ].{{sfn|Balmer|2004|pp=}} | |||
Modern Messianic Judaism was reborn in the 1960s.<ref name = "RabbiYeshMod">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/mcongregations1.html | |||
| title = Messianic Judaism - The Best Recipe | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-28 | |||
| year = 2001 | |||
| work = RabbiYeshua.com | |||
| publisher = Kehilat Sar Shalom | |||
| quote = <small>Modern Messianic Judaism was re-born in the 1960’s during a time when many Jewish people were coming to faith in the Messiah.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> A major shift in the movement occurred when Martin Chernoff became the President of the HCAA (1971-1975). In June 1973, a motion was made to change the name of the HCAA to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) and the name was officially changed in June 1975. The name change was significant as more than just a "semantical expression;" as Rausch states, "It represented an evolution in the thought processes and religious and philosophical outlook toward a more fervent expression of Jewish identity." <ref>David A. Rausch, ''Messianic Judaism: Its History, Theology, and Polity'' pages?</ref> | |||
In the early 1900s there was a community of Messianic Jews in ] representing themselves as "Christian Jews" whose goal was to create a "true and genuine Christ-loving Jewish Christian Synogogue".<ref name = "TMJ" /> | |||
When the movement began to become larger, new organizations such as the ] and the Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations arose. These organizations disagreed with UMJC's stance over the issue of Gentile observance of the Torah, and whether it is obligatory, or not. | |||
Missions to the Jews saw a period of growth between the 1920s and the 1960s.<ref name=Ariel2006p191/>{{sfn|Ariel|2000|p=}} In the 1940s and 1950s, missionaries in Israel, including the ], adopted the term {{transliteration|he|meshichyim}} ({{lang|he|משיחיים|rtl=yes}}, "messianics") to counter negative connotations of the word {{transliteration|he|notsrim}} ({{lang|he|נוצרים|rtl=yes}}, "Christians"). The term was used to designate all Jews who had converted to Protestant Evangelical Christianity.<ref name=Ariel2006p194/> | |||
==Theology== | |||
Messianic Jewish theology is the study of ] and ] from a Messianic Jewish perspective. | |||
===Modern-day Messianic Judaism movement, 1960s onwards=== | |||
===Canon=== | |||
The Messianic Jewish movement emerged in the United States in the 1960s.<ref name="Feher1998p140"/>{{sfn|Juster|Hocken|2004|p=15}} Prior to this time, Jewish converts assimilated into ] Christianity, as the church required abandoning their Jewishness and assuming gentile ways to receive baptism. ] postulates that the Jesus movement which swept the nation in the 1960s triggered a change from Hebrew Christians to Messianic Jews, and was a distinctly ]. These Jews wanted to "stay Jewish while believing in Jesus". This impulse was amplified by the results of the ] and the restoration of Jerusalem to Jewish control.{{sfn|Hocken|2009|pp=}}<ref name = "Kinzer2005" />{{sfn|Harris-Shapiro|1999|p=286}} | |||
Messianic believers commonly hold the ] to be divinely inspired. Theologian ] in his "Jewish New Testament Commentary" argues that ] is fully congruent with Messianic Judaism, and that the ] is to be taken by Messianic Jews as the inspired Word of God. This is the mainstream view within the movement although, as with many religions, there are several schools of thought. A very few Messianic believers are troubled by the writings of Paul and may reject his writings, holding them in less esteem than those of the ] writers, or even reject him. Often, the emphasis is on the idea that the Old Testament is the only scripture the early believers had (most scripture scholars agree that there was not an established New Testament canon until the 4th century)<ref>See, for example, Raymond Brown, ''An Introduction to the New Testament'' (Doubleday, 1997), 10-15, esp. 15</ref> and that, except for the recorded words of Jesus, the New Testament was meant to be an inspired commentary on the Old Testament. | |||
====Foundational organizations==== | |||
''Canon:''<br /> | |||
In 2004, there were 300 Messianic congregations in the United States, with roughly half of all attendants being gentiles, and roughly one third of all congregations consisting of 30 or fewer members.{{sfn|Juster|Hocken|2004|p=10}} Many of these congregations belong to the International Association of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS), the Union of Messianic Congregations (UMJC), or Tikkun International.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} | |||
#] meaning one or all of: "The Law"; "Teaching"; "Instruction". Also called the ''Chumash'' meaning: "The five"; "The five books of Moses". It is the "]". | |||
#] meaning: "Prophets" | |||
#] meaning "Writings" or "Hagiographa". | |||
#] of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John | |||
#] | |||
#] | |||
#] of James, Peter, John, and Jude | |||
#] | |||
The ] (MJAA) began in 1915 as the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA).<ref>Ariel, Y. (2016). THEOLOGICAL AND LITURGICAL COMING OF AGE: NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MESSIANIC JUDAISM AND EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY. Hebrew Studies, 57, 381–391. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44072313</ref> As the idea of maintaining Jewish identity spread in the late 1960s, the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA) changed its name to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA).{{sfn|Juster|1995|pp=152–153|ps=: "In 1975, the Alliance changed its name to the Messianic Jewish Alliance, reflecting the growing Jewish identity of Jewish followers of Yeshua. Hebrew-Christianity, at times, saw Jewishness as merely an ethnic identity, whereas Messianic Judaism saw its Jewish life and identity as a continued call of God."}} ] writes that the change "signified far more than a semantical expression—it represented an evolution in the thought processes and religious and philosophical outlook toward a more fervent expression of Jewish identity."{{sfn|Rausch|1982a|p=77}} {{As of|2005}}, the MJAA was an organization of Jewish members who welcome non-Jews as "honored associates".{{sfn|Robinson|2005|p=42}} In 1986, the MJAA formed a congregational branch called the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS).<ref name="IAMCS_home"/> | |||
Stern has produced a Messianic Jewish version of the Bible called the ]. | |||
In June 1979, 19 congregations in North America met at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and formed the ] (UMJC).{{sfn|Juster|1995|p=155}} In 2022, it would have 75 congregations in 8 countries.<ref>Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, , umjc.org, USA, retrieved October 22, 2022</ref><!-- This paragraph quote was previously just abandoned at the bottom of this section; if it can be placed in some context, i.e. some text around it that isn't just a quote, then it can stay, but otherwise, just seems out of place and near-promotional. "Tikkun International is a Messianic Jewish umbrella organization for an apostolic network of leaders, congregations and ministries in covenantal relationship for mutual accountability, support and equipping to extend the Kingdom of God in America, Israel, and throughout the world."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tikkunministries.org/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016180209/http://www.tikkunministries.org/ |archive-date=2019-10-16 |url-status=dead}}</ref> --> | |||
===Torah=== | |||
In 2016, Douglas Hamp founded The Way Congregation near Denver, CO. with the concept of recognizing fundamentalist Christian beliefs<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Way Congregation - What We Believe |url=https://thewaycongregation.com/what-we-believe |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=thewaycongregation.com}}</ref> and yet embracing One Law Theology, Two House Theology (see sections below), and ]. Their website states the fellowship was founded "to serve as a bridge between the Jews and the gentile Church."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Way Congregation - Our Story |url=https://thewaycongregation.com/our-story |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=thewaycongregation.com}}</ref> Non-Jewish congregants are not encouraged to convert to Judaism and Jewish attendants are encouraged to celebrate their Jewish heritage. Hamp blames the heretic ] for mainstream Christianity's juxtaposition of Law and Grace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Haunted Theology |url=https://thewaycongregation.com/media/gb3mg9q/haunted-theology |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=The Way Congregation}}</ref> On the other hand, the Congregation meets on the Sabbath, celebrates the Feasts, and teaches conformance to the Dietary Laws given through Moses. | |||
"Torah" refers to the first five books of the Bible, also called the Pentateuch, Books of Moses, or Books of Law. The word translated most commonly as laws is probably more rightly translated as teachings. The Torah contains the 613 laws of the Covenant between God and Israel. For Jews, whether they are Messianic or not, observance is covenantal. For Messianic believers, the Torah is held as the foundation for "teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17. | |||
==Messianic Seal of Jerusalem== | |||
] are kept.]] | |||
] | |||
The Messianic Seal of Jerusalem is a symbol used by Messianic Judaism. It is a depiction of the ], an ancient symbol used by Jews, together with the "]," a depictive representation of ], with a ] at the intersection.<ref name = "ENS" /> The Messianic Seal is not the only symbol of Messianic Judaism; other symbols, such as a ] inside a Star of David and the dolphin.<ref name="Nerel"/> | |||
There is an ongoing dispute as to whether or not the seal dates from the 1st century CE.<ref name = "Schmalz">{{cite book | |||
===Scriptural commentary=== | |||
|last1= Schmalz | |||
Most orthodox Messianic Jews recognize and maintain continuity with Jewish expression and understanding as expounded within Jewish texts and tradition such as the ] and the ].<ref name = "JCHalakha">{{cite web | |||
|first1= Reuven Efraim | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/35-10-halakha/44-11-about-halakha-shel-haderech.html | |||
|last2= Fischer | |||
| title = About Halakha Shel HaDerech | |||
|first2= Raymond Robert | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-18 | |||
|title= The Messianic seal of the Jerusalem church | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
|year= 1999 | |||
| quote = <small>"Accepted halakha follows the centrality of the written Torah as the final arbiter and standard for behavior and right living. Primary consideration is given to the teachings of the Messiah, Yeshua, and those of his immediate disciples. Other sources include traditional rabbinic Judaism, with emphasis on understandings and traditions accepted during the period of the Taanitic Sages (Jewish teachers that existed during the time of the 2nd Temple period), as well as accepted halakha practiced by the majority of the Israelite community today."</small> | |||
|publisher= Olim Publications | |||
|location= ], ] | |||
|isbn= 978-965-222-962-5 | |||
|oclc= 48454022 | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref><ref name |
</ref> or if it is a 20th-century invention.<ref name="Nerel"/> | ||
| url = http://ffoz.org/torahclub/whatstorah.html?zoom_highlight=talmud | |||
| title = What is Torah? | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-18 | |||
| publisher = FFOZ | |||
| quote = <small>"...there is undeniable value in reading and studying the Talmud and other rabbinic writings..."</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref><ref name = "Derek4Messiah">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://ffoz.org/torahclub/whatstorah.html?zoom_highlight=talmud | |||
| title = Why MJ Needs Talmud Study | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-18 | |||
| last = Leman | |||
| first = Derek | |||
| publisher = Messianic Jewish Musings | |||
| quote = <small>"If we seriously believe that Messianic Judaism is a Judaism, and if Torah living is important to us, then there are a number of reasons why we must take on the difficult task of learning Talmud. In the first place, Talmud is a historical document without compare. In Talmud we find historical details about the life of Israel, the origins of customs, procedures from the Second Temple*, and so on. More than that, Talmud is a Jewish way of thought about subjects important from a Jewish frame of reference. It is a guide for Messianic Judaism in forming halakhah*, not as a book of halakhic decisions, but a guide to the kinds of questions that must be asked and the areas of life that require halakhic rulings. "</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref><ref name = "MJOnline">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.messianicjewishonline.com/article1008.html | |||
| title = To Convert, or Not? | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-18 | |||
| last = Kravitz | |||
| first = Chaia | |||
| publisher = Messianic Jewish Online | |||
| quote = <small>"As long as what one is following in the Talmud does not contradict the Torah or other Biblical books, God's inspired Word, then there is nothing wrong with following (it)..."</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref><ref name = "BeitShalom">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.messianicjewishonline.com/article1008.html | |||
| title = Vayechi | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-18 | |||
| publisher = Beit Shalom Messianic Synagogue | |||
| quote = <small>"...the Mishnah as a part of the Talmud, and the Talmuds, both Jerusalem and Babylonian, have much value for us. We see in many cases that what is said there is paralleled by Yeshua's words. And while we can learn from the Talmuds, we must be careful to not give their words the weight of the Scriptures. HaShem's Word from Genesis to Revelation is our ultimate authority. While there are many things in the Talmuds that we view as wonderful traditions, and even descriptions of the way to do certain things, we cannot give them the same level of authority as Scripture. So, with this in mind, realize that as I bring you certain portions from the Talmuds that they are here to help us understand what we already believe as shown in Scripture, and their words are not authoritative unless they are in full agreement with the written Torah."</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
==Theology and core doctrines== | |||
Other Messianic believers call rabbinic commentaries such as the ] and the ] "dangerous".<ref name = "RabbiYeshuaRab">{{cite web | |||
{{See also|Oral gospel traditions}} | |||
| url = http://rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/mcongregation2.html | |||
===The Trinity=== | |||
| title = So, What Exactly is a Messianic Congregation? | |||
Many Messianic Jews affirm the doctrine of the Trinity: ], ], and ] as three representations of the same divinity.<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/><ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/><ref name="GraftedInSoF"/> | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-20 | |||
| year = 2001 | |||
| work = RabbiYeshua.com | |||
| publisher = Kehilat Sar Shalom | |||
| quote = <small> When we begin to study and observe Torah to become like Messiah, there are pitfalls we must avoid. One such pitfall is the study of Mishnah and Talmud (Rabbinic traditional Law). There are many people and congregations that place a great emphasis on rabbinic legal works, such as the Mishnah and the Talmud in search of their Hebrew roots. People are looking to the rabbis for answers on how to keep God’s commands, but if one looks into the Mishnah and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah. Or, if one looks into the Talmud and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah – he or she is a follower of the rabbis because Rabbi Yeshua, the Messiah, is not quoted there.…Rabbinic Judaism is not Messianic Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism is not founded in Messiah. Rabbinic Judaism, for the most part, is founded in the yeast – the teachings of the Pharisees. Yeshua’s teachings and the discipleship that He brought His students through was not Rabbinic Judaism. There is a real danger in Rabbinics. There is a real danger in Mishnah and Talmud. No one involved in Rabbinics has ever come out on the other side more righteous than when he or she entered. He or she may look “holier than thou” – but they do not have the life changing experience clearly represented in the lives of the believers of the Messianic communities of the first century.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> These people believe that followers of rabbinic and halakhic explanations and commentaries are not believers in Jesus as the Messiah.<ref name = "RabbiYeshuaRab" /><ref name = "BT">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://beit-tefillah.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=40 | |||
| title = Who we are | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-20 | |||
| last = Bernay | |||
| first = Adam J. | |||
| date = ], ] | |||
| publisher = | |||
| quote = <small>"Orthodox Messianic" groups (they go by many names) teach that you must keep the commandments in order to be saved, and not just the commandments in the Scripture, but the traditional rules as coined by Judaism since the Temple was destroyed... essentially, they teach that we must keep Orthodox Judaism, but with the addition of Yeshua. We do NOT teach this in any way, shape, or form. Some of the traditions are right and good, and in keeping with the commandments. Others are not. Only by studying to show ourselves approved of God can we rightly divide the word of truth and discover how God calls us to live.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> Furthermore, Messianic believers deny the authority of the Pharisees, believing that they were superseded, and contradicted, by Messianism.<ref name = "RabbiYeshuaRab" /> | |||
# God the Father: Messianic Jews believe in God, and that he is all-powerful, omnipresent, eternally existent outside of creation, and infinitely significant and benevolent. Some Messianic Jews affirm both the ] and the Trinity, understanding the phrase "the {{LORD}} is One" to be referring to "a differentiated but singular deity",<ref name="Kinzer2010"/> and "eternally existent in plural oneness".<ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/> | |||
There are a number of Messianic commentaries on various books of the Bible, both Tanakh and New Testament texts, such as ], ], ], ], and ]. David H. Stern has released a one-volume Jewish New Testament Commentary, but it overlooks many of the issues of composition, history, date and setting, and only provides select explanatory notes from a Messianic Jewish point of view. Other noted New Testament commentary authors include: Joseph Shulam, who has written commentaries on Acts, Romans, and Galatians; Tim Hegg of , who has written commentaries on Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and is presently examining Matthew; Daniel Thomas Lancaster, who has written extensively for the Torah Club series; Stuart Sacks, author of ''Hebrews Through a Hebrews' Eyes''; and J.K. McKee of who has written several volumes under the byline "for the Practical Messianic" (James, Hebrews, Philippians, Galatians, and both a Tanach and Apostolic Scriptures Survey). | |||
# God the Son: Most Messianic Jews consider Jesus to be the Messiah and divine as God the Son, in line with mainstream Christianity,<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/><ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/> and will even pray directly to him.{{sfn|Berkley|1997|p=129|ps=: "A more rapidly growing organization is the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America which seeks to incorporate many of the trappings of Judaism with the tenets of Christianity. Its congregants assemble on Friday evening and Saturday morning, recite Hebrew prayers, and sometimes even wear ''talliot'' (prayer shawls). But they worship not just God but Jesus, whom they call Yeshua."}} Many also consider Jesus to be their "chief teacher and rabbi" whose life should be copied.<ref name="FFOZ"/> | |||
# God the Holy Spirit: According to some Messianic Jews, the Spirit is introduced in the Old Testament, is the inspirer of prophets, and is the spirit of truth described in the New Testament.<ref name="IAMCS_Belief"/> | |||
===God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit=== | |||
===Halakha=== | |||
# God the Father: Some Messianic Jews profess only a strict view of monotheism, rejecting ] doctrine<ref name="Kerstetter"/> and ] doctrine. | |||
{{seealso|Messianic religious practice}} | |||
# Jesus the ]: Some Messianic Jews, who reject Trinitarian doctrine and Arian doctrine, believe that the Jewish Messiah is the son of God in the general sense (Jewish people are children of God) and that the Jewish Messiah is a mere human, the promised Prophet. Some Messianic Jews believe Jewish Messiah is the pre-existent Word of God, the mighty God, and the only begotten God. Some congregations do not directly ascribe divinity to Jesus, considering him a man, yet not just a man, fathered by the Holy Spirit, who became the Messiah.<ref name="JC_IYG"/> Even others consider him "Word made flesh" and the "human expression of Divinity".<ref name="LevH"/> | |||
# The Holy Spirit ({{langx|he|רוח הקודש}}, {{transliteration|he|ruach ha-kodesh}}) refers to the divine force, or to the word or spirit of God.<ref name = "JC_T" /> | |||
===Scriptures and writings=== | |||
Messianic observance of the ] is called ]. Many Messianic organizations exist that address issues concerning Messianic Torah observance. | |||
====The Bible==== | |||
The vision of the Jerusalem Council, a new organization, "includes the hope of re-appointing a ] for Messianic believers worldwide, to be called the Jerusalem Council, or Beit HaDin HaYerushalmi, modeled after the original, and submitted to the new Jewish Sanhedrin in issues that do not contradict obedient faith to Messiah Yeshua or his teachings."<ref name = "JC1">{{cite web | |||
Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament{{efn|The name of the New Testament is often translated back into Hebrew as {{transliteration|he|"Brit Chadasha"}}. This directly means "New Covenant", however "Testament" is traditionally taken from the Latin translation of {{transliteration|he|Chadasha}} ({{lang|la|"testamentum"}}), and therefore can mean both English words.}} are usually considered to be the established and divinely inspired biblical scriptures by Messianic Jews.<ref name="Beit Simcha"/> <!-- Next | |||
| url = http://www.jerusalemcouncil.org/midrash/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=61 | |||
two sentences both rely on GraftedInSof for now -->With a few exceptions, Messianic believers generally consider the written Torah, the five books of ], to remain in force as a continuing covenant, revised by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament, that is to be observed both morally and ritually. Jesus did not annul the Torah, but its interpretation is revised through the Apostolic scriptures.<ref name="GraftedInSoF"/> | |||
| title = Mission, Vision, & Purpose of the Jerusalem Council | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-23 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = <small>Our vision also includes the hope of re-appointing a beit din for Messianic believers worldwide, to be called the Jerusalem Council, or Beit HaDin HaYerushalmi, modeled after the original, and submitted to the new Jewish Sanhedrin in issues that do not contradict obedient faith to Messiah Yeshua or his teachings; to provide guidance in issues that may conflict with the Sanhedrin, or in issues that contradict the primacy of the written Word of God, or in issues which may divide the Body of Messiah; to promote the unity of the Body of Messiah worldwide by Spirit-led direction through means of accountability, open dialogue, reasoned doctrine, and sound leadership; and to provide corporate and individual edification by providing apologetic, midrashic, and halakhic guidance for the Body of Messiah.</small> | |||
}}</ref> It is in the process of publishing a set of Messianic halakha that the "majority of orthodox Messianic Jews accept."<ref name = "JC2">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.jerusalemcouncil.org/halakha/about.php | |||
| title = The Jerusalem Council - Messianic Halakha - About | |||
| accessdate = 2008-01-07 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = <small>This section will detail common halakha accepted by the known orthodox Messianic Jewish community. References will be provided, and links back to the discussion forum will be available for continued discussion. Accepted halakha follows the centrality of the written Torah as the final arbiter and standard for behavior and right living. Primary consideration is given to the teachings of the Messiah, Yeshua, and those of his immediate disciples. Other sources include traditional rabbinic Judaism, with emphasis on understandings and traditions accepted during the period of the Taanitic Sages (Jewish teachers that existed during the time of the 2nd Temple period), as well as accepted halakha practiced by the majority of the Israelite community today. It is hoped that by organizing a code of law that is at a glance a reflection of who the Messiah is and what he does, that the community of the Body of Messiah at large can better imitate Him, and thus mature in their love of HaShem and of people in the way HaShem has intended since the foundation of the world. In short, what follows is a short behavioral description of what it means to be a member of the Jewish sect of HaDerech - the Way (Gen 18:19, Ex 18:20, Deut 5:33, Deut 11:28, Psalm 32:8, Psalm 85:13, Psalm 119:30, Prov 2:8, Prov 4:11, Prov 6:23, Prov 8:20, Prov 9:6, Prov 10:17, Prov 12:28, Isa 26:7, Isa 26:8, Isa 30:21, Isa 40:3, Isa 48:17, Isa 62:10, Jer 5:4, Jer 21:8, Eze 18:25, Micah 2:13, Mal 3:1, Matt 3:3, Matt 21:32, Matt 22:16, John 14:4, John 14:6, Acts 9:2, Acts 18:25, Acts 18:26, Acts 24:14, Rom 3:17, 1 Cor 14:1, 2 Pet 2:2, 2 Pet 2:21).</small> | |||
}}</ref> | |||
====Jewish oral tradition==== | |||
Another organization, the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council (many of whose members are affiliated with the longstanding Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) has published its standards of Messianic Torah observance at its website, ourrabbis.org.<ref name = "MJRC">{{cite web | |||
There is no unanimity among Messianic congregations on the issue of the Talmud and the Oral Torah. There are congregations which believe that adherence to the Oral Law, as encompassed by the Talmud, is against Messianic beliefs.<ref name="Brown-CPM-Talmud"/> Similarly, there are congregations which deny the authority of the ], believing that they were superseded, and their teachings contradicted, by Messianism.<ref name="RabbiYeshuaRab"/> There are adherents which call rabbinic commentaries such as the ] and the ] "dangerous",<ref name="RabbiYeshuaRab"/> and state that followers of rabbinic and ] explanations and commentaries are not believers in Jesus as the Messiah.<ref name="RabbiYeshuaRab"/><ref name="BT"/> Other congregations are selective in their applications of Talmudic law, and may believe that the rabbinic commentaries such as the Mishnah and the Talmud, while historically informative and useful in understanding tradition, are not normative and may not be followed where they differ from the New Testament.{{sfn|Burgess|2006|p=308}}<ref name="CTOMC-SoF-4"/><ref name="MJRC2"/> Still others encourage a serious observance of Jewish ].<ref name="Fischer"/> | |||
| url = http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/13/27/ | |||
| title = Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council Standards of Observance | |||
| accessdate = 2007-08-23 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = ourrabbis.og | |||
| publisher = Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council | |||
| quote = <small>At that time a set of Messianic Jewish leaders from New England invited some of their colleagues from outside the region to join them in working on a common set of halakhic standards for themselves and their congregations. While other areas of Messianic Jewish life are of profound importance, such as worship, ethics, education, and social concern, we believed that halakhic standards had received far less attention than their place in Messianic Jewish life warranted.</small>. | |||
}}</ref> | |||
====Messianic Bible translations==== | |||
===Core doctrines=== | |||
{{Main|Messianic Bible translations}} | |||
''This section lists some of the main beliefs and doctrines present in Messianic Judaism'' | |||
====Messianic publications==== | |||
#''']''' - Messianic Jews believe in ] (Adonai of the Bible), and that he is all-powerful, omni-present, eternal, exists outside of creation, and is infinitely significant and benevolent. Messianic Jews believe in the Shema ("Shema Means 'hear' and is the quintessential Jewish text from Dvarim/Deuteronomy 6:4.: 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD' showing the uniqueness of the God of Israel. Israel didn't require many gods (like harvest gods, fertility gods, fire gods) The God of Israel is unique and infinite -- He alone is sovereign. The Shema is a confirmation in Torah that Adonai/God is a compound unity ('echad') not as is commonly misunderstood.")<ref>http://mosaicministries.homestead.com/glossary.html "Shema Means 'hear' and is the quintessential Jewish text from Dvarim/Deuteronomy 6:4.: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" showing the uniqueness of the G-d of Israel. Israel didn't require many gods (like harvest gods, fertility gods, fire gods) The God of Israel is unique and infinite -- He alone is sovereign. The Shema is a confirmation in Torah that Yahveh is a compound unity ("echad") not as is commonly misunderstood."</ref>The large majority of Messianic Jews are open to trinitarian views of God;<ref name = "UMJC-3">{{cite web | |||
{{unsourced section|date=December 2024}} | |||
| url = http://www.umjc.net/content/view/19/58/ | |||
] has released a one-volume Jewish New Testament Commentary, providing explanatory notes from a Messianic Jewish point of view. Other New Testament commentary authors include ] of Ariel Ministries, who has written commentaries on the Epistles, Judges and Ruth, Genesis, and 7 systematic doctrinal studies. | |||
| title = What are the Standards of the UMJC? | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-24 | |||
| year = 2004 | |||
| month = June | |||
| work = FAQ | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}} | |||
</ref> some demand strict monotheism.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.mikvehyisrael.com/trinityone.html | |||
|title=Article denouncing trinitarian views | |||
}} </ref> | |||
#'''Yeshua the Messiah''' - ] (]) of Nazareth, is believed to be the ] in Messianic Judaism. The mainstream movement accepts Yeshua (Jesus) as "the Torah (Word) made flesh" (John, 1:14), and believe he is HaShem.<ref name = "JC-Trinity">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/faq/41-our-viewpoints/124-do-you-believe-in-a-trinity.html | |||
| title = Do you believe in a trinity? | |||
| accessdate = 2008-08-25 | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| work = FAQ | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = <small>Do I believe Messiah is divine? Yes. The Torah is absolutely clear on this. We have no Redeemer than HaShem. Is Messiah called HaShem? Yes, as redemption is his mission. The Torah is clear on this absolutely in many many places. The Torah is also clear that the Word of the Lord, is the Messiah, and that the Word of the Lord receives our worship of the Father.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> Some small offshoots exist outside the fringe of the movement which deny Jesus's divinity entirely.<ref name = "bnaielchai">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.bnai-el-chai.com/jesus.htm | |||
| title = Was Jesus "God" or "the son of God"? | |||
| accessdate = 2008-01-07 | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| work = B'nai El Chai | |||
| publisher = Bnai-El-Chai.com | |||
| quote = <small>Why were the Jewish followers of Rabbi Yeshua ben Joseph labeled as heretics by the Roman church? One reason for this is because they did not believe that Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) was God.</small> | |||
}}</ref> These however, are rejected by mainstream Messianic Jews in the same way that some Christian groups reject groups with differing Christologies, such as the ].<ref name = "FFOZdivine">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://ffoz.org/events/unscheduled/towhom.html?zoom_highlight=divine | |||
| title = To Whom Shall We Go? Examining Objections to Yeshua | |||
| accessdate = 2008-01-07 | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| work = FFOZ.org | |||
| publisher = First Fruits of Zion | |||
| quote = <small>Messianic believers are often nagged by thoughts like, “If I was taught errors about the Torah, then I also may have been taught errors about other things, such as the divine nature of Messiah.” When we face questions like this—in our own spiritual lives and in our faith communities—are we truly prepared to answer them? This issue is compounded by erroneous information that is readily available on the Internet and that makes its way into our small and vulnerable communities. We must be prepared to fight back—it is a matter of great importance.</small> | |||
}}</ref> | |||
#'''Written Torah''' - Messianics, with few exceptions, consider the written ] (Pentateuch), the five books of ], to remain fully in force and they therefore believe that it is a holy covenant, which is to be observed both morally and ritually, by those who profess faith in God.<ref name = "JCTorah">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/36-20-conversion/58-21-identity.html | |||
| title = Halakha Shel HaDerech - Messianic Halakha - 2.1 Identity - 2.1.5 Torah | |||
| accessdate = 2008-03-28 | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| work = The Jerusalem Council | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = <small>The Torah is the foundational and complete description of the obligations of covenant members (Deut 32:46-47). Covenant members are obligated to obey the Torah (teaching and instruction of HaShem) out of love for HaShem (Deut 6:5) and his ways (Deut 7:12, Deut 10:12-13), and out of love for others (Lev 19:18). The Messiah stands as the living role model in how to observe these obligations fully (Deut 18:15-19) as he is the Living Torah made flesh (Gen 1:1, Gen 1:27, Gen 15:1, Gen 17:13, Ex 33:11, Num 15:31, Deut 5:5, Deut 8:3).</small> | |||
}}</ref> They believe that Jesus taught and re-affirmed the Torah, rather than did away with it.<ref name = "KehilatTNuvahSOF1">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.graftedin.com/statementFaith.html | |||
| title = Statement of Faith | |||
| accessdate = 2008-01-07 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = Kehilat T'Nuvah | |||
| publisher = graftedin.com | |||
| quote = <small>We believe that the Torah (five books of Moses) is a comprehensive summary of HaShem's foundational laws and ways, as found in both the new and older covenant (Ex. 19&20; Deut. 5; Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:10; Matt. 5:17-19). Therefore we encourage all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, to affirm, embrace, and practice these foundational laws and ways as clarified through the teachings of Messiah Yeshua (Matt. 5:17-19; I Cor. 7:19; Rev. 14:12).</small> | |||
}}</ref> | |||
#'''Israel''' - It is believed that the ] were, remain, and will continue to be the chosen people of the God of Jacob, and are central to his plans for existence. Virtually all Messianics (whether Jewish or non-Jewish) can be said to oppose ] (popularly referred to as ]), the view that the ] has replaced ] in the mind and plans of God.<ref name = "KehilatTNuvahSOF2">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.graftedin.com/statementFaith.html | |||
| title = Statement of Faith | |||
| accessdate = 2008-01-07 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = Kehilat T'Nuvah | |||
| publisher = graftedin.com | |||
| quote = <small>Just as the prophet Isaiah foretold (Isa. 56), Yahweh is gathering many from the nations to those whom He already gathered (Israel). Together these individuals comprise the universal church (covenant community of Yahweh). These Jews and Gentiles in Messiah collectively are called Israel throughout the Scriptures. There is no other "church" or covenant community; just one new man, one torah, one Messiah, one Spirit, one God.</small> | |||
}}</ref> | |||
#'''The Bible''' - The ] and ] (sometimes called the "B’rit Chadasha") are usually considered to be the established and divinely inspired Biblical scriptures by Messianic Jews. | |||
#'''Biblical Eschatology''' - Most Messianics hold all of the following ] beliefs: the ], the ] of Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the re-gathering of Israel, a rebuilt ], a Resurrection of the Dead (and that Jesus was resurrected after his death), and the ]. | |||
#'''Oral Law''' - Messianic Jewish opinions concerning the “Oral Torah”, encoded in the ], are varied and sometimes conflicting between individual congregations. Some congregations believe that adherence to the Oral Law, as encompassed by the Talmud, is against Messianic beliefs and outright dangerous.<ref name = "RabbiYeshuaRab">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/mcongregation2.html | |||
| title = So, What Exactly is a Messianic Congregation? | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-20 | |||
| year = 2001 | |||
| work = RabbiYeshua.com | |||
| publisher = Kehilat Sar Shalom | |||
| quote = <small> When we begin to study and observe Torah to become like Messiah, there are pitfalls we must avoid. One such pitfall is the study of Mishnah and Talmud (Rabbinic traditional Law). There are many people and congregations that place a great emphasis on rabbinic legal works, such as the Mishnah and the Talmud in search of their Hebrew roots. People are looking to the rabbis for answers on how to keep God’s commands, but if one looks into the Mishnah and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah. Or, if one looks into the Talmud and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah – he or she is a follower of the rabbis because Rabbi Yeshua, the Messiah, is not quoted there.…Rabbinic Judaism is not Messianic Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism is not founded in Messiah. Rabbinic Judaism, for the most part, is founded in the yeast – the teachings of the Pharisees. Yeshua’s teachings and the discipleship that He brought His students through was not Rabbinic Judaism. There is a real danger in Rabbinics. There is a real danger in Mishnah and Talmud. No one involved in Rabbinics has ever come out on the other side more righteous than when he or she entered. He or she may look “holier than thou” – but they do not have the life changing experience clearly represented in the lives of the believers of the Messianic communities of the first century.</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> Other congregations are selective in their applications of Talmudic law.<ref name = "JC2">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.jerusalemcouncil.org/midrash/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=61 | |||
| title = Mission, Vision, & Purpose of the Jerusalem Council | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-23 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = <small></small> | |||
}}</ref><ref name = "MJRC2">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/14/26/ | |||
| title = Authoritative Sources in Halakhic Decision Making | |||
| accessdate = 2008-01-07 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council | |||
| publisher = ourrabbis.org | |||
| quote = <small>In Jewish tradition as a whole, Scripture is of paramount importance and authority in the development of Halakhah. In principle, issues become "Halakhic" because they are connected to some area of life in which Scripture reveals certain authoritative norms. In addressing those issues, Scripture is not the only resource consulted. However, it is always the source of greatest sanctity. Thus, when Rabbinic literature distinguishes between laws that are ] (biblically mandated) and those that are ] (rabbinically mandated), precedence is always given to those that are d'oraita.</small> | |||
}}</ref> Still others encourage a serious observance of the Jewish ].<ref name = "Fischer">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:b5grFDTHKjMJ:www.freewebs.com/messianic_judaism/torahmessianicjudaism.htm+Jewish+halacha+orthodox+messianic&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us | |||
| title = In Search of Messianic Jewish Thought | |||
| accessdate = 2008-01-07 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = GoogleCache | |||
| publisher = GoogleCache | |||
| quote = <small>John Fischer affirms that Yeshua himself supported the traditions of the Pharisees which were very close to what later became rabbinic halacha. Messianic Jews today should not only take note of rabbinic tradition but incorporate it into Messianic Jewish halachah. The biblical pattern for Fischer is that "Yeshua, the Apostles, and the early Messianic Jews all deeply respected the traditions and devoutly observed them, and in so doing, set a useful pattern for us to follow." Citing Fischer, John, ‘Would Yeshua Support Halacha?’ in Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism, Albuquerque, NM: UMJC, 1997, pp. 51-81.</small> | |||
}}</ref> Virtually all Messianic congregations and synagogues can be said to believe that the oral traditions are subservient to the written ]. It is important to note that Jesus followed some oral traditions (such as the observance of Hannukah), but opposed others. | |||
=== |
===Sin and atonement=== | ||
Some Messianic believers define ] as transgression of the Law of God and include the concept of ]. Some adherents atone for their sins through prayer and ] – the acknowledgment of the wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness for their sins (especially on ], the Day of Atonement). Disagreeing with these rites and practices, other Messianics hold to a belief that all sin (whether committed yet or not) is already atoned for because of Jesus's death and resurrection.{{sfn|Goble|1974|pp=4–6}} | |||
#'''Faith and works''' - Messianics draw on Jewish rather than Protestant tradition. In Hebrew there is one word for both faith and faithfulness: Emunah. Most adherents to Messianic Judaism believe in a showing of their faith through righteous works (Jacob 2: 17-26; James 2: 1-26), defined by the ]. Few Messianics believe that faith and works are mutually exclusive or polarized; most believe that faith in God and righteous works are entirely complementary to each other, and that the one (faith) naturally leads to the other (works) - much like some Christian thinking. Some say that righteousness with God is solely by grace through faith and then acknowledge that works are still very important. | |||
===Evangelism and attitudes toward Jews and Israel=== | |||
===People of God=== | |||
<!-- Using GraftedIn as source for entire paragraph for now. Could use another -->Messianic Jews believe God's people have a responsibility to spread his name and fame to all nations. It is believed that the Children of Israel were, remain, and will continue to be the chosen people of the God, and are central to his plans for existence. Most Messianic believers, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, can be said to oppose ] (popularly referred to as ]), the view that the Church has replaced Israel in the mind and plans of God.<ref name="GraftedInSoF"/> | |||
According to the Jerusalem Council, "the people of Israel are members of the covenant HaShem made with Avraham, Yitzhak, and Ya'akov. Covenant membership is extended to converts to Judaism from the nations, as well as to the descendants of covenant members. Israel is a nation of nations and their descendants, or more specifically a people group called out from other people groups to be a people separated unto HaShem for his purposes. HaShem's promise of covenantal blessings and curses as described in the Torah are unique to Am Yisrael (People of Israel), and to no other nation or people group. The bible describes an Israelite as one descended from Ya'akov ben Yitzhak ben Avraham, or one who has been converted or adopted into that group by either human or spiritual means." | |||
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/36-20-conversion/58-21-identity.html|title=2.1 Identity|publisher= JerusalemCouncil.org|accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref> | |||
According to certain branches of Messianic Judaism, Jews are individuals who have one or more Jewish parents, or who have undergone halakhic conversion to Judaism.<ref name=MJRC_Status/><ref name="MJO"/>{{primary source inline|date=February 2022}} | |||
Jews are those who are born of a Jewish mother or have undergone halakhic conversion to Judaism. An exception is also made for those born of Jewish fathers only if the individual claims Jewish identity, similar to the Reform position. The statement of the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council on Jewish identity<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/15/29/|title=Jewish Status|publisher= Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council|accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> is often disputed among Messianic believers who either don't find it necessary or discourage halakhic conversion by believing the Romans 2:29 teaching (that a "Jew" is not one who is one "outwardly" but is one who is a Jew in his heart). They also believe that by accepting Jesus into their hearts and confessing that he is Lord, salvation is received.<ref>See John 3:16 and Romans 10:9</ref> | |||
====One Law theology==== | |||
Messianic believers from the nations are also considered a part of the People of God. Depending on their status within various Messianic Jewish groups, such as the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, an allowance for formal conversion is made based on their understanding that Messianic converts are not automatically considered Jewish. The reasoning for this variance is as follows: While Titus may have been the norm in the epistles, a Gentile not converted to Judaism, Paul nevertheless made an exception for Timothy, whom he circumcised and brought under the Covenant, probably because though Timothy's father was Greek, his mother was Jewish. According to the statement of the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council regarding Conversion,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/18/32/|title=The Case for Conversion: Welcoming Non-Jews into Messianic Jewish Space|publisher=Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council|accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> converts to Judaism do not in any way have a higher status within Messianic Judaism than the Messianic believers who are considered by the UMJC to still be "Gentiles" who are attached to their communities. | |||
One Law theology (also known as "One Torah for All") teaches that anyone who is a part of Israel is obligated to observe the Covenant and its provisions as outlined in the Torah. Dan Juster of Tikkun, and Russ Resnik of the UMJC, have argued against the One Law movement's insistence on gentiles being required to observe the entirety of Torah in the same way as Jews.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928060523/http://www.umjc.net/umjc/dmdocuments/onelaw_movements_abridged.pdf |date=2007-09-28 }} January 28, 2005</ref> Tim Hegg{{who|date=February 2021}} responded to their article defending what he believes to be the biblical teaching of "One Law" theology and its implications concerning the obligations of Torah obedience by new Messianic believers from the nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/OLMResponse.pdf|title=One Law Movements A Response to Russ Resnik & Daniel Juster|access-date=2007-09-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407072746/http://www.torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/OLMResponse.pdf|archive-date=2008-04-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations (CTOMC) likewise rejects bi-lateral Ecclesiology in favor of the One Torah for All (One Law) position.<ref name=CTOMC_SoF/> | |||
==== |
====Two House theology==== | ||
Proponents of ] espouse their belief that the phrase "]" in scripture refers to Jews, while "the ]" refers to the ] of Israel, or ]. Where scripture states the House of Israel and Judah will again be "one stick" ({{bibleverse||Ezekiel|37:15–23|KJV}}), it is believed to be referring to the End Times, immediately prior to the ], when many of those descended from Israel will come back to Israel. Advocates of this theology postulate that the reason so many gentiles convert to Messianic Judaism is that the vast majority of them are truly Israelites. Like One Law groups, the Two House movement has many superficial similarities to Messianic Judaism, such as their belief in the ongoing validity of the Mosaic Covenant. While much of the Two House teaching is based on interpretations of Biblical prophecy, the biggest disagreements are due to inability to identify the genealogy of the Lost Tribes. Organizations such as the ] and ] have explicitly opposed the Two House teaching.<ref>MJAA position paper: {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070722041050/http://www.mjaa.org/files/EphraimiteError.pdf |date=July 22, 2007}}</ref> | |||
One Law theology teaches that anyone who is a part of Israel is obligated to observe the Covenant and its provisions as outlined in the Torah. Dan Juster of Tikkun, and Russ Resnik of the UMJC, have argued against One Law theology's insistence on Gentiles being required to observe the entirety of Torah in the same way Jews are.<ref> ], ]</ref> Tim Hegg from FFOZ responded to their article defending what he believes to be the biblical teaching of "One Law" theology and its implications concerning the obligations of Torah obedience by new Messianic believers from the nations.<ref></ref> | |||
==== |
====Supersessionism==== | ||
Historically, Christianity has taught ] (replacement theology), which implies or outright states that Christianity has superseded Judaism,{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} and that the ] of the Hebrew Bible has been superseded by the ] of Jesus, wherein salvation is brought about by the grace of God, and not by obedience to the Torah.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nabion.org/html/supersessionism.html |title=Supersessionism |publisher=nabion.org |access-date=8 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722181903/http://www.nabion.org/html/supersessionism.html |archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> This is generally complemented with the concept of God having transferred the status of "God's people" from the Jews to the Christian Church. Messianic Jews, in varying degrees, challenge both thoughts,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine05-replacement.htm |title=Winds of Doctrine: Replacement Theology |first=Pete |last=Koziar |publisher=messianicassociation.org |access-date=8 December 2010}}</ref> and instead believing that although Israel has rejected Jesus, it has not forfeited its status as God's chosen people. Often cited is {{bibleverse|Romans|11:29}}: "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable". The core of supersessionism, in which the Mosaic Covenant is canceled, is less agreed upon. Though the ] may or may not be seen as necessary, most are still followed, especially the keeping of Shabbat and other holy days. | |||
Two House theology comes from the idea that the "House of Judah" in scripture refers to Jews, and the "House of Israel" refers to the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel or Ephraim. Where scripture says the House of Israel and Judah will again be "one branch", they believe it is referring to the idea that in the last days of the world, right before Jesus returns, that all those descended from Israel will come back to Israel. This theology postulates that the reason why so many so called "Gentiles" are coming into Messianic Judaism is that the vast majority of them are really Hebrew and just don't know it yet. They believe that the vast majority of people who consider themselves to be "Gentiles" coming into Messianic Judaism are really the descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Messianic Jewish organizations such as the IMJA, MJAA and UMJC, have strongly denounced Two House teaching.<ref></ref> | |||
===Eschatology=== | ===Eschatology=== | ||
All Messianic Jews hold to certain ] beliefs such as the End of Days, the Second Coming of Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the re-gathering of Israel, a rebuilt ], a ], and many believe in the ], although some are Amillenialist. Some Messianic Jews believe that all of the ], and indeed the entire Torah, intrinsically hint at the Messiah, and thus no study of the ] is complete without understanding the major ] in their larger prophetic context. To certain believers, the feasts of ] and ] were fulfilled in Jesus's first coming, and ], ], and ] will be at his second. Some also believe in a literal 7000-year period for the human history of the world, with a Millennial Messianic kingdom prior to a final judgment.<ref name = "Kinzer2018" /> | |||
Issues of Creation and Eschatology are not central to Messianic Judaism with the following exception: the idea that one age is ending, as the fullness of the Gentiles has been reached, and the next age beginning, where we shall see the fullness of Israel. The wording is a reference to Romans 11, <blockquote> | |||
"Again I ask: Did stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! ... For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ... I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved." | |||
</blockquote> The "fullness of the Gentiles" might be said to refer to the Great Commission, which is complete. The rebirth of the nation of Israel, the re-establishment of Jerusalem as its capital, the return of Jews from Russia, "the nation to the north," and the return of Jews worldwide to greater observance are all seen as signs of the beginning of the age of Israel. Messianics believe that when the fullness of Israel is reached, the Messiah will return and the world will see the resurrection of the dead.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rabbenu.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html|title= A New Paradigm For Messianic Jewish Outreach: Catching Up With the Future|publisher=Rabbenu|date=] ]|accessdate=2007-12-31}}</ref> | |||
==Religious practices== | |||
The majority of Messianics believe, as does traditional Judaism, in a literal 7,000 year period for the human history of the world, from Adam to the Judgment, and many Messianics believe that we are the final generation that will experience the Biblical apocalypse. | |||
] | |||
===Torah observance=== | |||
Most Messianics believe that the Messianic Kingdom, or ''Millennial Sabbath'', will literally be for a period of a thousand years, after the collective resurrection of the dead, with Jesus the Messiah ruling from Jerusalem. Many believe that we are living in the final days, or “End Times”, before the physical return of Jesus to Jerusalem. | |||
{{See also|Christian views on the Old Covenant#Torah observance}} | |||
There is a variety of practice within Messianic Judaism regarding the strictness of ]. Generally, Torah observant congregations observe Jewish prayers, biblical feasts, and the Sabbath.<ref name=CTOMC_SoF/> While most traditional Christians deny that the ritual laws and specific civil laws of the Torah apply to gentiles, some Messianic believers say certain passages regarding Torah observance in the ] are cited by as proof that the Torah was not abolished for Jews. They say that in {{bibleverse|Acts|21:17-36}}, Jewish believers in Jerusalem are described as "zealous for the Law". | |||
===Sabbath and holiday observances=== | |||
Messianics also contend that no serious study of the ] should ever leave out the significance of God's appointed times--the major ] in the Torah--and their fulfillment as prophetic events as it relates to the person of Jesus and to ]. Many Messianics believe that just as the Spring Festivals (], ], ]) were literally fulfilled to the day at Jesus's first coming, the Fall Festivals (], ], ]) will be literally fulfilled to the day at Jesus's second coming, and that all of the ], indeed the entire ], intrinsically hints at the Messiah. | |||
Some Messianic Jews observe ] on Saturdays.<ref name="Spector2008"/> Worship services are generally held on Friday evenings ({{transliteration|he|Erev Shabbat}}) or Saturday mornings.{{sfn|Burgess|2006|p=308}} According to the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship (SBMF), services are held on Saturday to "open the doors to Jewish people who also wish to keep the Sabbath".<ref name="Worshill2008"/> The liturgy used is similar to that of a Jewish {{transliteration|he|]}} with some important differences including the omission of "salvation by works" as the Messianic belief is salvation through Jesus.<ref name="Worshill2008"/> Other branches of the movement have attempted to "eliminate the elements of Christian worship ]{{efn|Communion in Messianic Judaism is often celebrated as a fully ] ] meal, in accordance with its description in the Synoptic Gospels, making it slightly more difficult to setup and more lengthy.}}] that cannot be directly linked to their Jewish roots".{{sfn|Feher|1998|p=20|ps=: "The Messianic movement has eliminated the elements of Christian worship that cannot be directly linked to their Jewish roots. Communion is therefore associated with Passover, since the Eucharist originated during Ushua's Last Supper, held at Passover. In this way, Passover is given a new, Yshua-centered meaning."}} Almost all such congregations in Israel observe Jewish holidays, which they understand to have their fulfillment in Jesus."<ref name="Spector2008"/> | |||
The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council recommends the observance of Jewish holidays.<ref name = MJRC_Holidays /> Most larger Messianic Jewish congregations follow Jewish custom in celebrating the three biblical feasts (], ], and ]), as well as ] and ].{{sfn|Burgess|2006|p=308}} | |||
===Overview of issues=== | |||
Traditional Christianity affirms that the Torah is the word of God, though some Christians deny that all of the laws of the ] apply directly to them as Christians. The New Testament suggests that Jesus established a ] relationship between God and his people (Heb 8; Jer 31:31–34) and this new covenant speaks of the Torah being written upon the heart. Various passages such as Matthew 5:17-19, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 John 3:4 and Romans 3:3, as well as various examples of Torah observance in the New Testament, are cited by Messianics in suggesting that the Torah was not and could not have been abolished. | |||
===Dietary laws=== | |||
Many Messianics believe that it is absurd to assume that any of the ] would be abolished simply because certain commandments are or are not repeated or reaffirmed individually in the New Testament, proclaiming the belief that such was never the job of the Apostles in the first place, and that the Torah has always been immutable. Messianics sometimes challenge Christians by arguing that if they believe Jesus is the Messiah, then according to the Torah itself Jesus could not have changed the Torah. | |||
The observance of the {{transliteration|he|]}} dietary laws is a subject of continued debate among Messianic Jews.<ref name="Rein"/><ref name = "MJRC_Kashrut" /> Some Messianic believers keep kosher purely for the purposes of evangelism to Jewish people.<ref name="Rein"/> Most avoid pork and shellfish, but there is disagreement on more strict adherence to kosher dietary laws. | |||
===Conversion to Messianic Judaism=== | |||
As with ], capital punishment and animal sacrifice are not practiced because there are strict Biblical conditions on how these are to be practiced, requiring a functioning Temple in ] with its ] priesthood. When the power of capital punishment is available, it is often exercised only after exhausting loopholes in the Torah are used to set a suspect free. According to the Talmud, capital punishment in Jewish law always had to lean on merciful alternatives to execution and make every effort not to give the strictest punishment within the confines of the Torah: "A Sanhedrin which kills once in seven years is considered murderous. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: once in seventy years. Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon said: if we had been in the Sanhedrin, no one would have ever been killed." (Mishnah Makot 1:10). | |||
Large numbers of those calling themselves Messianic Jews are not of Jewish descent,{{sfn|Harris-Shapiro|1999|p=15|ps=: "However, not all Messianic believers ''are'' Jews. Nothing is as problematic as the large numbers of Messianic Gentiles in the movement. To claim Jewish identity when one is not Jewish oneself adds another layer of struggle: "We are ''Jews''!" "We are ''Messianic'' Jews!" "We are Messianic ''Gentiles/spiritual'' Jews!"}} but join the movement as they "enjoy the Messianic Jewish style of worship".{{sfn|Brown|2000|p=12}} Messianic perspectives on "]" vary. The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council says a Jew is one born to a Jewish mother or who has converted to Judaism. Copying from the Reform stream of Judaism, the council also says a Jew is one who was born to a Jewish father but not a Jewish mother on the condition that the family of the child, or the individual as an adult, has undertaken public and formal acts of identification of the individual with the Jewish faith and people.<ref name="MJRC_Status"/> The MJAA accepts gentiles into their congregations, but views gentiles and Jews as spiritually distinct and conversion as an "unbiblical practice".{{sfn|Reason|2005|ps=: "The official stance is that Gentiles and Jews are spiritually equal but distinct, and that Jews should be proud of being Jews, and Gentiles proud of being Gentiles. Nevertheless, the Jewish identity is clearly valorized, causing many Gentiles to strive for greater Jewishness through Jewish observance and search for Jewish roots. Since conversion for Gentiles is deemed unbiblical within the MJAA, these are the main options for Gentiles seeking a more Jewish identity."}} | |||
====Baptism==== | |||
Most Messianics believe that observance of the ] brings about sanctification, not salvation, which was to be produced only by the Messiah.<ref>Lancaster and Berkowitz (see below)</ref> | |||
Messianic Jews practice ], calling it a {{transliteration|he|]}} ("cistern", from {{bibleverse|Leviticus|11:36}}) rather than the term {{transliteration|he|tvila}} ("baptism" ({{lang|he|טבילה}}) in the ]).{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|p=161|ps=: "For Gentile Christians, baptism is perceived as a means of entering into the body of Christ. Within Messianic Judaism, however, immersion is understood as a religious act symbolizing the believer's commitment to Yeshua: the faithful are to immerse in a ''mikveh'' as a sign of their acceptance of Messiah Yeshuah and the coming of the Kingdom."}}<ref name="JeC1"/> | |||
====Circumcision==== | |||
Like so many other elements of Messianic Judaism, the issue of Torah observance varies widely across the movement. The following subsections attempt to explain the differing opinions regarding Torah observance within Messianic Judaism as a whole. | |||
{{Main|Religious male circumcision}} | |||
{{See also|Brit milah|Circumcision controversy in early Christianity|Christian views on the Old Covenant}} | |||
Some within the ] movement seek to convert themselves for identification with Israel, but most Messianic governing bodies acknowledge the presence of gentiles in the congregations, and do not see a need for them to convert to worship in the Messianic style and understanding. When conversion is sincerely desired by a gentile Messianic believer, Messianic Jewish halachic standards (including ]) are imposed to maintain integrity among the world Messianic Jewish community.<ref name="JeC1"/><ref name="JeC3"/> | |||
=== |
===Use of Hebrew names and vocabulary in English=== | ||
The movement generally avoids common Christian terms, such as Jesus, Christ, or cross and prefers to use Hebrew or Aramaic terms.{{sfn|Ariel|2006|p=}} | |||
Some believe that the Torah is separated into moral, ceremonial, and civil commandments, and that only the moral laws are necessary to be observed by believers today. Others consider such a partitioning of the Torah to be a man-made and deliberate attempt to avoid serious observance of the whole Torah. | |||
==Culture== | |||
Others among the Messianics hold that both Jesus and Paul taught and commanded Jews to remain obedient to all the laws found in the Torah. (See ]) | |||
===Music=== | |||
Most Messianics believe Jesus himself said that he came not to destroy the Law or Prophets but that he came to fulfill . Matthew 5:17-19 17 " Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. | |||
Messianic Jewish hymns differ from evangelical Christian ones in their focus on Israel's role in history and messianic hope. Other differences include reference to Jesus—usually using the name {{transliteration|he|]}}—as the "Savior of Israel". Messianic hymnals often incorporate Israeli songs.<ref name=Ariel2006p208/> The movement has several recording artists who consider their music to be Messianic in message, such as Joel Chernoff of the duo Lamb,<ref name="Lamb2014"/> Ted Pearce,<ref name="Pearce2015"/> and Chuck King.<ref name="King2009"/> | |||
== |
==Reception== | ||
Messianics understand (as supported by modern scholarship<ref name = "PTJT">{{cite book | |||
| title = Paul the Jewish Theologian: A Pharisee among Christians, Jews, and Gentiles | |||
| year = 1997 | |||
| page = 1 | |||
| author = Brad H. Young | |||
| publisher = Hendrickson Publishers | |||
| ISBN = 1565632486 | |||
| quote = Paul calls himself a Pharisee. We should listen to what Paul tells us about himself. In fact, there is no evidence anywhere in the New Testament, that he departed from his firm convictions as a Pharisee. | |||
}} | |||
</ref>) that Paul (who is often referred to as Sha’ul, his Hebrew name) remained a Jewish Pharisee even as a believer until his death. This is based on Acts 23:6, detailing events after Paul's acceptance of Jesus as Messiah. "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." | |||
===Among mainstream Christianity=== | |||
Messianics cite the cutting off of Paul’s hair at ] because of a vow he had taken (Acts 18:18), references in passing to him observing the ], the frequent mistranslations of his writings in many Bibles, and his consistent good standing with his Rabbinic master ], to show that he was wholly in continued observance of the laws and traditions of Judaism | |||
In the United States, the emergence of the Messianic Jewish movement created some stresses with other Jewish-Christian and missionary organization. In 1975, the ] condemned several aspects{{which|date=March 2020}} of the Messianic Jewish movement.<ref>Peter J. Tomson, Doris Lambers-Petry ''The image of the Judaeo-Christians in ancient Jewish and Christian ...'' 2003 p. 292 "From outside the movement hostile criticism of Messianic Judaism was voiced by such bodies as the Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews. At their annual conference from 16 to 19 October 1975 a resolution was passed condemning"</ref> | |||
In Israel, the linguistic distinction between Messianic Jews and mainstream Christians is less clear, and the name {{transliteration|he|meshihiy}} ({{lang|he|משיחי|rtl=yes}}, 'messianic') is commonly used by churches in lieu of {{transliteration|he|notsri}} ({{lang|he|נוצרי|rtl=yes}}, 'Christian'). The Israel Trust of the Anglican Church, based at ], an organization that is ] in outlook and operates an interfaith school in Jerusalem, gives some social support to Messianic Jews in Israel.{{sfn|Kessler|2005|p=97|ps=: "Messianic Jews in Israel who accept Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) as the Messiah are supported, when they meet with hostility, by CMJ/ITAC. In the 1980s CMJ gave some support to evangelistic campaigns by Jews for Jesus…"}} | |||
They maintain that Paul never set out to polarize the gospel between faith and righteous works, but that one is necessary to maintain the other. The ] is important in Messianic Judaism. | |||
=== |
===Among Jews=== | ||
{{See also|Judaism's view of Jesus}} | |||
As in traditional Jewish objections to Christian theology, opponents of Messianic Judaism hold that Christian proof texts, such as prophecies in the Hebrew Bible purported to refer the Messiah's suffering and death, have been taken out of context and misinterpreted.{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|p=183}} Jewish theology rejects the idea that the Messiah, or any human being, is a ]. Belief in the ] is considered idolatrous by most rabbinic authorities. Even if considered {{transliteration|he|]}} (literally, "partnership")—an association of other individuals with the God of Israel—this is only permitted for gentiles, and that only according to some rabbinic opinions. It is universally considered idolatrous for Jews.<ref name="OhrSomayach"/><ref name = "Shochet1999" />{{sfn|Berger|2003|ps=: "Some asserted that the association (shittuf) of Jesus with this God is permissible for non-Jews. Virtually none regarded such association as anything other than avodah zarah if the worshipper was a Jew."}} Further, Judaism does not view the role of the Messiah to be the salvation of the world from its sins, an integral teaching of Christianity{{sfn|Grudem|1994|pp=568–570}} and Messianic Judaism.<ref name="UMJC_StatementOfFaith"/> | |||
Jewish opponents of Messianic Judaism often focus their criticism on the movement's radical ideological separation from traditional Jewish beliefs, stating that the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah creates an insuperable divide between the traditional messianic expectations of Judaism, and Christianity's theological claims.{{sfn|Cohn-Sherbok|2000|p=182}} They state that while Judaism is a messianic religion, its messiah is not Jesus,{{sfn|Simmons|2004}} and thus the term is misleading.<ref name="Lotker"/> All denominations of Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations, reject Messianic Judaism as a form of Judaism.<ref name="Denominations"/><ref name="JList1"/> The ] states that ""Jewish Christians" or "Messianic Jews" have never been considered believers in Judaism."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ccarnet.org/rabbinic-voice/platforms/article-commentary-principles-reform-judaism/ |title=Commentary on the Principles for Reform Judaism |publisher=] |access-date=2023-09-16}}</ref> Regarding this divide, ] Rabbi ] said: "To embrace the radioactive core of goyishness—Jesus—violates the final taboo of Jewishness. Belief in Jesus as Messiah is not simply a heretical belief, as it may have been in the first century; it has become the equivalent to an act of ethno-cultural suicide."{{sfn|Harris-Shapiro|1999|p=177}} | |||
Messianic perspectives on "Who is a Jew" vary. The Jerusalem Council, a global Messianic body, defines a Jew as one who is born of a Jewish mother or father, or who is a convert to Judaism.<ref name = "JeC1">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/36-20-conversion/58-21-identity.html | |||
] considers Messianic activities as antisemitic incidents.<ref name="BB_C_1998"/> Rabbi ], founder of the anti-missionary organization ], noted of a Messianic religious leader in Toledo: "He's not running a Jewish synagogue. It's a church designed to appear as if it were a synagogue and I'm there to expose him. What these irresponsible extremist Christians do is a form of consumer fraud. They blur the distinctions between Judaism and Christianity in order to lure Jewish people who would otherwise resist a straightforward message."<ref name="Singer_Blade"/> | |||
| title = Halakha Shel HaDerech - Messianic Halakha - 2.0 Conversion - 2.1 Identity - 2.1.2 Yehudim - Jews | |||
| accessdate = 2008-04-02 | |||
Association by a Jewish politician with a Messianic religious leader, inviting him to pray at a public meeting, even though made in error, resulted in nearly universal condemnation by Jewish congregations in Detroit in 2018,<ref name="Forward103118"/><ref name="NBC103018"/> as the majority opinion in both Israeli and American Jewish circles is to consider Messianic Judaism as Christianity and its followers as Christians.<ref name="WP103018"/> | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
===Response of Israeli government=== | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
{{See also|Religion in Israel#Christianity}} | |||
| quote = Following the consensus of Jewish tradition, we recognize as a Jew anyone who is born of a Jewish mother or father, or who is a convert to Judaism. | |||
Messianic Jews are considered eligible for the ]'s ] only if they can also claim Jewish descent.<ref name="Berman"/> An assistant to one of the two lawyers involved with an April 2008 ] case explained to the '']'' that Messianic Jews who are not Jewish according to Jewish rabbinic law, but who had sufficient Jewish descent to qualify under the Law of Return, could claim automatic new immigrant status and citizenship despite being Messianic.<ref name="JIJ"/> The state of Israel grants {{transliteration|he|]}} (right of return) and citizenship to Jews, and to those with Jewish parents or grandparents who are not considered Jews according to halakha, such as people who have a Jewish father but a non-Jewish mother. The old law had excluded any "person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion", and an ] decision in 1989 had ruled that Messianic Judaism constituted another religion.<ref name="New York Times - 1989"/> However, on April 16, 2008, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled in a case brought by a number of Messianic Jews with Jewish fathers and grandfathers. Their applications for {{transliteration|he|Aliyah}} had been rejected on the grounds that they were Messianic Jews. The argument was made by the applicants that they had never been Jews according to {{transliteration|he|halakha}}, and were not therefore excluded by the conversion clause. This argument was upheld in the ruling.<ref name="JIJ"/><ref name="Wagner2008"/><ref name="CBN2008"/> | |||
The International Religious Freedom Report 2008, released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the US, stated that discrimination against Messianic Jews in Israel was increasing.<ref name="IRF2008"/> Some acts of violence have also occurred; in one incident on March 20, 2008, a bomb concealed as a Purim gift basket was delivered to the house of a prominent Messianic Jewish family in ], in the ], which severely wounded the son.<ref name="JPost2008"/> Eventually, ] was arrested for the attempted murder.<ref name="Mitchell2009"/> | |||
This antagonism has led to harassment and some violence, especially in Israel, where there is a large and militant Orthodox community. Several Orthodox organizations, including ] and ], are dedicated to rooting out missionary activity in Israel, including the Messianic Jewish congregations. One tactic is to plaster posters asking Israelis to boycott shops where Messianic Jews are owners or employees; another is to report Messianic Jews to the Interior ministry, which is charged with enforcing an Israeli law forbidding proselytizing.<ref name="Azulai2009"/> In another incident, the mayor of Or Yehuda, a suburb of Tel Aviv, held a public book-burning of literature passed out to Ethiopian immigrants. He later apologized for the action.<ref name="Time-IMJUA"/> On other occasions, Lehava activists attempted to interrupt Messianic Jewish and violently harass the participants.<ref>{{Cite news |title='Messianic Jews' Say Police in Jerusalem Didn't Protect Them From Right-wing Mob |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2019-06-14/ty-article/.premium/messianic-jews-say-police-in-jerusalem-didnt-protect-them-from-right-wing-mob/0000017f-e60a-dea7-adff-f7fbffd30000 |access-date=2023-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Horovitz |first=Michael |date=2023-06-23 |title=Jewish extremists try to interrupt Messianic Jewish event in Jerusalem |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremists-try-to-interrupt-messianic-jewish-event-in-jerusalem/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
===Response of US governments=== | |||
The ] made a decision that Messianic Jewish chaplains must wear as their insignia the Christian cross, and not the tablets of the law, the insignia of Jewish chaplains. According to ], the Navy Uniform Board commanded that Michael Hiles, a candidate for chaplaincy, wear the Christian insignia. Hiles resigned from the program, rather than wear the cross.<ref name="TYW"/> Eric Tokajer, a spokesman for the Messianic Jewish movement, responded that "This decision essentially bars Messianic Jews from serving as chaplains within the U.S. Navy because it would require them to wear an insignia inconsistent with their faith and belief system."<ref name="Tokajer"/> | |||
A ], police employee's religious discrimination case was settled in her favor after she filed suit over having to work on the Jewish Sabbath.<ref name="Harmon2013"/> | |||
==Messianic organizations== | |||
{{Main|List of Messianic Jewish organizations}} | |||
{{div col|colwidth=25em}} | |||
* ] (CPM).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/ | title=Chosen People Ministries | access-date=15 January 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227235125/http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/ | archive-date=27 December 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
* HaYesod (First Fruits of Zion).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hayesod.ffoz.org/info/about.html|title=About HaYesod|website=HaYesod}}</ref> | |||
* International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS).<ref name = "IAMCS_home" /> | |||
* Jewish University of Colorado<ref name = "JUC" /> | |||
* ]<ref name="JFJ-WWA" /><ref name = "JFJ-MJ" /> (contested).{{sfn|Rausch|1982b}} | |||
* ] (MJAA).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.messianicassociation.org |title=The Association of Messianic Congregations (AMC) homepage |access-date=8 December 2010 }}</ref> | |||
* Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council<ref name="MJRC" /> | |||
* ] (UMJC).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.umjc.org/ | title=UMJC homepage | access-date=15 January 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101125914/http://www.umjc.org/ | archive-date=1 January 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
{{div col end}} | |||
==See also== | |||
{{div col|colwidth=25em}} | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
{{div col end}} | |||
==Notes== | |||
{{notelist}} | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist|30em|refs= | |||
<!-- A --> | |||
<ref name=Ariel2006p191> | |||
{{harvnb|Ariel|2006|p=|ps=: "In the late 1960s and 1970s, both Jews and Christians in the United States were surprised to see the rise of a vigorous movement of Jewish Christians or Christian Jews. For many observers, such a combination seemed like an oxymoron, because they saw the two faiths as completely separate from each other. While Christianity started in the first century of the Common Era as a Jewish group, it quickly separated from Judaism and claimed to replace it; ever since the relationship between the two traditions has often been strained. But in the twentieth century, groups of young Jews claimed that they had overcome the historical differences between the two religions and amalgamated Jewish traditions and customs with the Christian faith. Attempting to overcome the historical difference between the two religious traditions, these Jewish converts to Christianity define themselves as Messianic Jews, thus pointing to the movements ideology of returning to the roots of the Christian faith."}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name=Ariel2006p194> | |||
{{harvnb|Ariel|2006|p= |ps=: "But the generation that came of age in the 1960s and 1970s thought differently about these matters. They wanted to make their own choices and did not feel constrained by old boundaries and taboos. Judaism and Christianity could go hand in hand.…In the first phase of the movement, during the early and mid-1970s, Jewish converts to Christianity established several congregations at their own initiative.…The term Messianic Judaism came into public use in America in the early 1970s.…The term, however was not entirely new. It was used in the internal debates in the community of converts as early as the beginning of the century.…Missionaries, such as the Southern Baptist Robert Lindsey noted that for Israeli Jews, the term ''notzrim'', "Christians" in Hebrew, meant, almost automatically, an alien hostile religion. Because such a term made it nearly impossible to convince Jews that Christianity was their religion, missionaries sought a more neutral term.…They chose ''Meshychim'', Messianic, to overcome the suspicion and antagonism of the term ''notzrim''.…It conveyed the sense of a new, innovative religion rather that '''' an old, unfavorable one. The term was used in reference to those Jews who accepted Jesus as their personal savior, and did not apply to Jews accepting Roman Catholicism who in Israel have called themselves Hebrew Christians.}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name=Ariel2006p208> | |||
{{harvnb|Ariel|2006|p=}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="Azulai2009"> | |||
{{Cite news | |||
|url = https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2009-10-03/ty-article/0000017f-f5f4-d47e-a37f-fdfc8a040000 | |||
|title = Aich Nilcham Irgun "Yad L'Achim" B'Yehudim HaMeshichim? Remez: Kol HaEmtzaim K'shayrim | |||
|script-title = he:איך נלחם ארגון "יד לאחים" ביהודים המשיחיים? רמז: כל האמצעים כשרים | |||
|first = Yuval | |||
|last = Azulai | |||
|date = October 3, 2009 | |||
|work = ] | |||
|language = He | |||
|trans-title = How does the Yad L'Achim organization battle Messianic Jews? Hint: Anything goes | |||
|access-date = January 2, 2023 | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
</ref> It should be noted that the Jerusalem Council recognizes as a convert to Judaism, in addition to Orthodox halakha, anyone who is a follower of Jesus who has gone through a mikvah of conversion to Messianic Judaism.<ref name = "JeC2">{{cite web | |||
<!-- B --> | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/36-20-conversion/64-23-mikvah-immersion.html | |||
<ref name = "BB_C_1998"> | |||
| title = Halakha Shel HaDerech - Messianic Halakha - 2.0 Conversion - 2.3 Mikvah - Immersion | |||
{{cite web | |||
| accessdate = 2008-04-02 | |||
|url=http://www.bnaibrith.ca/publications/audit1998/audit1998-07.html | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
|title=1998 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
|date=1998 | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
|website=] | |||
| quote = The mikvah of a convert to HaDerech (a Jewish sect, known as the Way, which this site represents) is a response of a good conscience towards God. The mikvah is a halakhic requirement for all converts to HaDerech. In addition to it being a response of a good conscience toward God, the mikvah serves to publicly proclaim one's identity as a member of HaDerech via witnesses which must be present. | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719205927/http://www.bnaibrith.ca/publications/audit1998/audit1998-07.html | |||
|archive-date=2006-07-19 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
|quote=One of the more alarming trends in ] activity in Canada in 1998 was the growing number of incidents involving messianic organizations posing as "synagogues". These missionizing organizations are in fact evangelical Christian proselytizing groups, whose purpose is specifically to target members of the Jewish community for conversion. They fraudulently represent themselves as Jews, and these so-called synagogues are elaborately disguised Christian churches. | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
</ref> Circumcision is seen by the Jerusalem Council not as a means by which one is recognized as a Jew, but rather as a measure of continued obedience to the Torah ''after'' conversion.<ref name = "JeC3">{{cite web | |||
<ref name="Beit Simcha"> | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/36-20-conversion/63-22-milah-circumcision.html | |||
{{cite web | |||
| title = Halakha Shel HaDerech - Messianic Halakha - 2.0 Conversion - 2.2 Milah - 2.2.1 Definition of Necessity for Positional Righteousness | |||
| url=https://beitsimcha.com/our-beliefs/ | |||
| accessdate = 2008-04-02 | |||
| title=Our Beliefs | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| author=<!--Not stated--> | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| date= n.d. | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| access-date=March 28, 2023 | |||
| quote = As commonly understood and accepted within the body of Messiah worldwide, and agreed to by this site, the scriptural commandment of circumcision is not necessary for one to obtain positional right standing with HaShem and thus receive eternal life. It never was, and never will be. Abraham was circumcised ''after'' HaShem declared him righteous by his faith on the Word of HaShem. (Gen 15:6, Gen 17:10) | |||
|quote=To study the whole and authoritative Word of God, including the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) and the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant) under the leading of the Holy Spirit | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref><ref name |
</ref> | ||
<ref name="Berman"> | |||
{{cite news | |||
| last = Berman | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/36-20-conversion/63-22-milah-circumcision.html | |||
| first = Daphna | |||
| title = Halakha Shel HaDerech - Messianic Halakha - 2.0 Conversion - 2.2 Milah - 2.2.2 Definition of Necessity for Behavioral Righteousness | |||
| date = June 10, 2006 | |||
| accessdate = 2008-04-02 | |||
| title = Aliyah with a cat, a dog and Jesus | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| url = https://www.haaretz.com/1.4913795 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| access-date = January 3, 2023 | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| work = ] | |||
| quote = Not addressed by the first Jerusalem Council, is the necessity of believers from the nations to fulfill the scriptural commandment of circumcision from a behavioral righteousness standpoint. The commandment is clear: "This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised." (Gen 17:10). Believers are reckoned as Abraham's seed: "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Gal 3:29). So then, although circumcision is not a requirement for positional right standing with HaShem, it is a requirement for those who are Abraham's seed, and who desire to "walk blameless." (Gen 17:1). | |||
| quote=In rejecting their petition, Supreme Court Justice ] cited their belief in Jesus. 'In the last two thousand years of history…the Jewish people have decided that messianic Jews do not belong to the Jewish nation…and have no right to force themselves on it,' he wrote, concluding that 'those who believe in Jesus, are, in fact Christians.' | |||
| url-access = subscription | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180730202757/https://www.haaretz.com/1.4913795 | |||
| archive-date = July 30, 2018 | |||
|url-status = live | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> |
</ref> | ||
<ref name = "Brown-CPM-Talmud"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
The belief that a mikvah of conversion for gentiles who believe Jesus is the Messiah, makes them Jews, without requiring circumcision first, is not only deeply offensive to the Jewish community{{Fact|date=May 2008}}, but is also deeply offensive to some Messianic Jews in the two larger Messianic Denominations, the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America and the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} It should be noted, however, that the Jerusalem Council expects converts to get circumcised as well as keep the rest of the Torah as a result of their conversion, making note that Abraham wasn't circumcised until ''after'' he was first reckoned as righteous by God.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|url = https://www.chosenpeople.com/rabbinic-objections/ | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/component/content/article/36-20-conversion/63-22-milah-circumcision.html | |||
| |
|title = Rabbinic Objections | ||
|last = Brown | |||
| accessdate = 2008-05-12 | |||
|first = Michael | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
|author-link = Michael L. Brown | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| |
|publisher = ] | ||
|access-date = December 29, 2022 | |||
| quote = The commandment is clear: "This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised." (Gen 17:10). Believers are reckoned as Abraham's seed: "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Gal 3:29). So then, although circumcision is not a requirement for positional right standing with HaShem, it is a requirement for those who are Abraham's seed, and who desire to "walk blameless." (Gen 17:1). | |||
|quote = ...{{nbsp}}I will present some foundational truths from the Scriptures, and as you continue to research the matter for yourself, these truths will lead to one inescapable conclusion: It is the Tanakh rather than the Talmud and the rabbinic traditions that must be followed if we are to be totally faithful to the Lord....Which, then, will you follow? The written Word or the traditions of men? When you stand before God, what will you say? | |||
|date = October 29, 2009 | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<ref name = "Brown2010"> | |||
{{Cite news | |||
The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council, a Messianic halakhic body submitted to the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, instead promotes developing a process of conversion by which "non-Jews" may be circumcised and then only afterwards be recognized as Jewish.<ref name = "OR1">{{cite web | |||
|last=Brown | |||
| url = http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/18/32/ | |||
|first=Emma | |||
| title = The Case for Conversion: Welcoming Non-Jews into Messianic Jewish Space | |||
|date=May 21, 2010 | |||
| accessdate = 2008-04-02 | |||
|title=Moishe Rosen, 78; founded evangelistic group Jews for Jesus | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
|newspaper=] | |||
| work = OurRabbis.org | |||
|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052005115.html | |||
| publisher = OurRabbis.org | |||
|access-date=January 3, 2023 | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<ref name = "Burton2018"> | |||
{{Cite web | |||
|last=Burton | |||
|first=Tara Isabella | |||
|date=October 31, 2018 | |||
|title=Messianic Jews and Jews for Jesus, explained | |||
|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/10/31/18042506/jew-for-jesus-messianic-jews-loren-jacobs-mike-pence | |||
|access-date=January 3, 2023 | |||
|publisher=] | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="BT"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url=http://beit-tefillah.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=40 | |||
|title=Who we are | |||
|access-date=2007-12-20 | |||
|last=Bernay | |||
|first=Adam J. | |||
|date=December 3, 2007 | |||
|website=<!--should this be giving Chinese(?): http://beit-tefillah.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1--> beit-tefillah.com] | |||
|quote="Orthodox Messianic" groups (they go by many names) teach that you must keep the commandments in order to be saved, and not just the commandments in the Scripture, but the traditional rules as coined by Judaism since the Temple was destroyed... essentially, they teach that we must keep Orthodox Judaism, but with the addition of Yeshua. We do NOT teach this in any way, shape, or form. Some of the traditions are right and good, and in keeping with the commandments. Others are not. Only by studying to show ourselves approved of God can we rightly divide the word of truth and discover how God calls us to live. | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409073515/http://beit-tefillah.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=40 | |||
|archive-date=April 9, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<!-- C --> | |||
<ref name = "CBN2008"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/shows/cwn/2008/April/Messianic-Jews-Claim-Victory-in-Israeli-Court-/ | |||
| title = Messianic Jews Claim Victory in Israeli Court | |||
| access-date = March 12, 2012 | |||
| date = April 18, 2008 | |||
| publisher = CBNnews.com | |||
| quote = The Supreme Court of Israel ruled Wednesday that being a Messianic Jew cannot prevent Israeli citizenship if the Jewish descent is from the person's father's side. | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="Christians"> | |||
*{{harvnb|Harries|2003|p=119|ps=: "Thirdly, there is Jews for Jesus or, more generally, Messianic Judaism. This is a movement of people often of Jewish background who have come to believe Jesus is the expected Jewish messiah.…They often have congregations independent of other churches and specifically target Jews for conversion to their form of Christianity."}} | |||
*{{harvnb|Harris-Shapiro|1999|p=|ps=: "And while many evangelical Churches are openly supportive of Messianic Judaism, they treat it as an ethnic church squarely within evangelical Christianity, rather than as a separate entity.}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Shochet1999"> | |||
{{cite news | |||
| title = Judaism has no place for those who betray their roots | |||
| first = Jacob Immanuel | |||
| last = Schochet | |||
| author-link = Jacob Immanuel Schochet | |||
| newspaper = ] | |||
| date = July 29, 1999 | |||
| quote = For a Jew, however, any form of shituf is tantamount to idolatry in the fullest sense of the word. There is then no way that a Jew can ever accept Jesus as a deity, mediator or savior (messiah), or even as a prophet, without betraying Judaism. | |||
| url = http://www.cjnews.com/pastissues/99/july29-99/feature/feature2.htm | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041124055959/http://www.cjnews.com/pastissues/99/july29-99/feature/feature2.htm | |||
| archive-date = November 24, 2004 | |||
| access-date = January 3, 2023 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = CTOMC_SoF>{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.ctomc.ca/sof.php | |||
|title=Statement of Faith Of Coalition of Torah Observant Congregations | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|website=CTOMC | |||
|archive-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403165407/https://www.ctomc.ca/sof.php | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name = "CTOMC-SoF-4">{{cite web | |||
|url = http://www.ctomc.ca/sof.php | |||
|title = Points of Order (#4) | |||
|access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
|year = 2015 | |||
|quote = The Torah in our usage never refers to the Talmud but, while we do not consider the Talmud or any other commentary on the Scriptures as the Word of G-d, we believe that the writings of Oral Tradition, such as the Talmud, the Mishnah, and the Midrash Rabbah, also contain further insight into the character of G-d and His dealings with His people. | |||
|archive-date = 2017-09-12 | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170912011617/http://www.ctomc.ca/sof.php | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<!-- D --> | |||
<ref name="Denominations"> | |||
;] | |||
:{{harvnb|Simmons|2004|ps=: Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because: 1. Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies. 2. Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah. 3. Biblical verses "referring" to Jesus are mistranslations. 4. Jewish belief is based on national revelation}} | |||
;]:{{cite web | |||
|url = http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/SocialAction/SocialJustice/CurrentIssues/ReligiousIssues/JewishValues/MessianicJewsAreNotJews.aspx | |||
|title = Messianic Jews Are Not Jews | |||
|access-date = December 13, 2016 | |||
|last = Waxman | |||
|first = Jonathan | |||
|year = 2006 | |||
|publisher = ] | |||
|quote = Hebrew Christian, Jewish Christian, Jew for Jesus, Messianic Jew, Fulfilled Jew. The name may have changed over the course of time, but all of the names reflect the same phenomenon: one who asserts that s/he is straddling the theological fence between Judaism and Christianity, but in truth is firmly on the Christian side ... we must affirm as did the Israeli Supreme Court in the well-known Brother Daniel case that to adopt Christianity is to have crossed the line out of the Jewish community. | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220131151/http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/SocialAction/SocialJustice/CurrentIssues/ReligiousIssues/JewishValues/MessianicJewsAreNotJews.aspx | |||
|archive-date = December 20, 2016 | |||
|ref = none | |||
}} | |||
;]:{{cite web | |||
|url = http://huc.edu/news/1999/08/02/missionary-impossible | |||
|title = Missionary Impossible | |||
|access-date = December 13, 2016 | |||
|date = August 2, 1999 | |||
|publisher = ] | |||
|quote = Missionary Impossible, an imaginative video and curriculum guide for teachers, educators, and rabbis to teach Jewish youth how to recognize and respond to "Jews-for-Jesus", "Messianic Jews", and other Christian proselytizers, has been produced by six rabbinic students at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Cincinnati School. The students created the video as a tool for teaching why Jewish college and high school youth and Jews in intermarried couples are primary targets of Christian missionaries. | |||
}} | |||
:{{cite web | |||
|url=https://reformjudaism.org/what-are-main-differences-between-jew-and-christian | |||
|title=What are the main differences between a Jew and a Christian? | |||
|last=Glazier | |||
|first=James Scott | |||
|date=2012-09-06 | |||
|website=ReformJudaism.org | |||
|access-date=2019-04-02 | |||
|quote=The essential difference between Jews and Christians is that Christians accept Jesus as messiah and personal savior. Jesus is not part of Jewish theology. Amongst Jews, Jesus is not considered a divine being. | |||
|ref = none | |||
}} | |||
;]:{{cite web | |||
|url = https://www.aleph.org/faq.htm | |||
|title = FAQ's About Jewish Renewal | |||
|access-date = December 20, 2007 | |||
|year = 2007 | |||
|website = aleph.org | |||
|quote = '''''What is ALEPH's position on so called messianic Judaism?''''' ALEPH has a policy of respect for other spiritual traditions, but objects to deceptive practices and will not collaborate with denominations which actively target Jews for recruitment. Our position on so-called "Messianic Judaism" is that it is Christianity and its proponents would be more honest to call it that. | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141023183108/https://www.aleph.org/faq.htm | |||
|archive-date = October 23, 2014 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- E --> | |||
<ref name = "ENS"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.tsiyon.org/seal/messianic_seal_news.htm | |||
|title= The Discovery of the Messianic Seal | |||
|author=<!--Not stated--> | |||
|date=July 6, 1999 | |||
|series= | |||
|publisher= | |||
|agency=] | |||
|access-date=January 2, 2023 | |||
|via=tsiyon.org | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- F --> | |||
<ref name="Feher1998p140"> | |||
{{harvnb|Feher|1998|p=140|ps=: "This interest in developing a Jewish ethnic identity may not be surprising when we consider the 1960s, when Messianic Judaism arose."}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="FFOZ"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url = http://ffoz.org/messiahonline/_flipbook/templates/mj100/index.html | |||
|title = Our Mission and Message | |||
|year = 2010 | |||
|publisher = First Fruits of Zion | |||
|access-date = September 9, 2010 | |||
|page = 14 | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100923104657/http://ffoz.org/messiahonline/_flipbook/templates/mj100/index.html | |||
|archive-date = September 23, 2010 | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
|df = mdy-all | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Fischer"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.freewebs.com/messianic_judaism/torahmessianicjudaism.htm | |||
|title=In Search of Messianic Jewish Thought | |||
|access-date=2008-01-07 | |||
|year=2007 | |||
|work=GoogleCache | |||
|quote=John Fischer affirms that Yeshua himself supported the traditions of the Pharisees which were very close to what later became rabbinic halacha. Messianic Jews today should not only take note of rabbinic tradition but incorporate it into Messianic Jewish halachah. The biblical pattern for Fischer is that "Yeshua, the Apostles, and the early Messianic Jews all deeply respected the traditions and devoutly observed them, and in so doing, set a useful pattern for us to follow." Citing Fischer, John, "Would Yeshua Support Halacha?" in ''Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism'', Albuquerque, New Mexico: UMJC, 1997, pp. 51–81. | |||
|url-status=bot: unknown | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311144203/http://www.freewebs.com/messianic_judaism/torahmessianicjudaism.htm | |||
|archive-date=2007-03-11 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Forward103118"> | |||
{{cite news | |||
|last1=Nathan-Kazis | |||
|first1=Josh | |||
|title=A GOP Rising Star Asks Jews For Jesus 'Rabbi' To Pray For Pittsburgh. What Could Go Wrong? | |||
|url=https://forward.com/news/413320/a-jewish-republican-asks-jews-for-jesus-rabbi-to-pray-for-pittsburgh-what/ | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|work=] | |||
|date=October 31, 2018 | |||
|quote=I could see nothing more offensive or more poorly calculated than to make this decision," said David Kurzmann, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC, a local Jewish advocacy group in Detroit. "The reaction and the rage in the community right now is very significant. | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- G --> | |||
<ref name="GraftedInSoF"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url = https://www.graftedin.com/mission-values | |||
|website = The Harvest | |||
|title = Our Beliefs | |||
|access-date = 2019-04-02 | |||
|quote = We aim to influence every realm of society, in this generation and for generations to come, for the glory of Messiah and His Kingdom until He returns to judge the living and the dead.... We believe that the Torah (five books of Moses) is a comprehensive summary of God's foundational laws and ways, as found in both the Tanakh and Apostolic Scriptures. Additionally, the Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see God. We believe in the Doctrine of Sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation. Therefore we encourage all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, to affirm, embrace, and practice these foundational laws and ways as clarified through the teachings of Messiah Yeshua.... We believe Gentiles who place their faith and trust in Yeshua the Messiah as Lord and Savior, are grafted into Israel through a born again experience. This new birth results in a new identity. This new identity is a child of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As a result, this new child is adopted into the family and ethnos of Israel and becomes a full member and fellow heir of the covenants of promise and blessings made to Israel. The Gentiles who are grafted into Israel do not replace her. Rather, they participate with her as the chosen ones from among the nations who are also called to be a part of His treasured people Israel. In terms of their adoption into the household of God, these newly adopted Gentile children are to be treated as if they were native-born descendants of Jacob. As adopted Gentiles, they shall be accorded all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of being full members of the commonwealth of Israel and fellow heirs of the covenants of promise made to her. They do not replace Israel but neither are they excluded. Like the mystery of the unity of God, the two groups are one in Messiah and yet distinct. | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<!-- H --> | |||
==Comparisons== | |||
<ref name="Harmon2013"> | |||
===Judaism=== | |||
{{cite news | |||
Jewish theology rejects the idea that the messiah (or any other person) is a ]; such an idea has often been regarded as idolatrous. Nor does Judaism view the role of the messiah to be the salvation of the world from its sins (an idea widely accepted by Christians and messianic Jews). Judaism does not accept Jesus as the biblical messiah, nor does it assign him any religious role at all. | |||
|last=Harmon | |||
|first=Rick | |||
===Christianity=== | |||
|date=September 26, 2013 | |||
Historically, Christianity has featured ] in which the ] of the First Testament is superseded by the ] of Jesus{{Fact|date=June 2008}}, wherein the merciful grace of God and not obedience to the ] is required for salvation. This is sometimes complemented with God moving the status of "God's people" from Israel, as the First Testament announces, to the Christian Church. Messianic Judaism, in varying degrees, challenges both thoughts. Israel, though it has rejected Jesus (by majority) has not forfeited its place as God's chosen people. They quote Romans 11:29 which says "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." The core of supersessionism, in which the First Testament covenant is canceled, is less agreed upon. Though the mitzvoh may or may not be necessary, most are still good to follow, especially keeping the Sabbath and other holy days. Some believe that Jews can still find favor with God through the Torah without accepting Jesus, as did Moses, David, and the Prophets. | |||
|title=Birmingham police employee's religious discrimination case settled | |||
|url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20130926/NEWS02/309250071/Birmingham-police-employee-s-religious-discrimination-case-settled | |||
===Ethnic Jews who are Christians=== | |||
|newspaper=Montgomery Adviser | |||
Being Jewish can refer to a religious identity or an ethnic designation, or usually both. Christians who were born Jewish do not necessarily identify as Messianic Jews; Christians with a Jewish heritage may follow Christianity in exactly the same way that any other Christian does. More confusing, some Messianic believers are actually of non-Jewish ethnicity, but attend Shul and follow the teachings of Messianic Judaism. | |||
|location=Montgomery, Alabama | |||
|access-date=September 10, 2015 | |||
====Jews for Jesus==== | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
Some Messianic believers do not consider ] to be a Messianic Jewish organization.<ref name = "J4J"> | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151217052926/http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20130926/NEWS02/309250071/Birmingham-police-employee-s-religious-discrimination-case-settled | |||
*{{cite web | |||
|archive-date=December 17, 2015 | |||
| url = http://www.5twenty8.com/statement.php | |||
| title = statement of belief… <!-- fist letter is lowercased in original --> | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-20 | |||
| publisher = | |||
| quote = <small>We are not "Jews for Jesus". We strongly agree with their work of bringing non-Messianic Jews to acceptance of Yeshua(Jesus), as the Jewish Messiah. However, we just as strongly disagree with the belief/policy of "Jews for Jesus"; upon acceptance of Messiah Yeshua(Christ Jesus), Jews(and Gentiles), are not to obey and follow the Torah(Law)! This contradicts and violates the Tanakh and Messianic Scriptures that speak of Yeshua(Jesus). We believe the Torah speaks of Yeshua (Jesus) and those that love Him keep His commandments.</small> | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
*{{cite web | |||
<!-- I --> | |||
| url = http://www.lightofmashiach.org/notjewsforjesus.html | |||
<ref name="IAMCS_Belief"> | |||
| title = Actually, we are NOT Jews for Jesus (Messianic Judaism) | |||
{{cite web | |||
| accessdate = 2007-12-20 | |||
|url=https://iamcs.org/about-us/belief | |||
| last = Kavanaugh | |||
|title=Belief | |||
| first = Ellen | |||
|publisher=International Alliance of Messianic Congregations & Synagogues | |||
| publisher = | |||
|location=] | |||
| quote = <small>I consider Jews For Jesus a Christian organization. Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews For Jesus, is a Christian missionary, schooled in a standard bible college and not trained as a rabbi. The Jews For Jesus organization has worked diligently teaching Jesus to the non-believing Jewish people, but it is Christianity being taught and not Messianic Judaism (in spite of JFJ efforts to make the two terms synonymous). I would like to see evangelism to the Jewish people which includes teaching Torah observance.</small> | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|website=IAMCS | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403050133/https://iamcs.org/about-us/belief | |||
|archive-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name = "IAMCS_home"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url=https://iamcs.org/home | |||
|title=Home | |||
|author=<!--Not stated--> | |||
|date=<!--Not stated--> | |||
|website=IAMCS | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|quote=As more and more congregations were formed, many within the MJAA had a desire to form a fellowship of Messianic congregations or synagogues under the auspices of the MJAA.…As a result, in the spring of 1986, The International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS) was formed. | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403050127/https://iamcs.org/home | |||
|archive-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name = "IRF2008"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| url = https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108484.htm | |||
| title = 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom – Israel and the occupied territories | |||
| date = 19 September 2008 | |||
| access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
| publisher = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US government | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<!-- J --> | |||
<ref name = "JC_IYG"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| author = Israel b. Betzalel | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/articles/faqs/is-yeshua-god/ | |||
| title = Is Yeshua G-d? | |||
| date = March 9, 2009 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = This then is who Yeshua is: He is not just a man, and as a man, he is not from Adam, but from G-d. He is the Word of HaShem, the Memra, the Davar, the Righteous One, he didn't become righteous, he is righteous. He is called G-d's Son, he is the agent of HaShem called HaShem, and he is "HaShem" who we interact with and not die. | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090427102439/http://jerusalemcouncil.org/articles/faqs/is-yeshua-god/ | |||
| archive-date = April 27, 2009 | |||
| url-status=usurped | |||
| access-date = December 29, 2022 | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "JC_T"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| author = Israel b. Betzalel | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/articles/apologetics/trinitarianism/ | |||
| title = Trinitarianism | |||
| date = March 9, 2009 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = Yes I believe in the Spirit of God, the Ruach HaKodesh. Yet, to trinitarians wishing to stop there, I could ask, "Who filled the temple at its dedication? What is the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit?" As we read on, we clearly read that it was the Glory that filled the tabernacle, the temple, etc. So what is the Glory? Where does the Glory fit into the trinitarian model? So then, as a chasid, I simply just agree with scripture and with what scripture says concerning the matter and leave it at that and thank HaShem. | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090427102320/http://jerusalemcouncil.org/articles/apologetics/trinitarianism/ | |||
| archive-date = April 27, 2009 | |||
| url-status=usurped | |||
| access-date = December 29, 2022 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "JeC1"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| url=http://jerusalemcouncil.org/halacha/giyur/convert-to-judaism/ | |||
| title=Jewish Conversion Process | |||
| access-date=January 4, 2023 | |||
| date=February 10, 2009 | |||
| publisher=JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211012503/http://www.jerusalemcouncil.org/halacha/giyur/convert-to-judaism/ | |||
| archive-date=February 11, 2009 | |||
| url-status=usurped | |||
| quote=The process of Jewish Conversion is: 1. Repent by keeping the Covenant (Return to the Torah, get circumcised if male, and commit to the Torah). 2. Believe Yeshua is the Messiah, and that he is coming as the King (Obey everything He commands, which is the Torah). 3. Be immersed in the name of Yeshua, witnessed by others (Go through a mikveh in his name). | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "JeC3"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/articles/faqs/do-i-need-to-be-circumcised/ | |||
| author = Israel b. Betzalel | |||
| title = Do I need to be Circumcised? | |||
| access-date = January 3, 2023 | |||
| date = February 10, 2009 | |||
| publisher = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = To convert to the Jewish sect of HaDerech, accepting Yeshua as your King is the first act after one's heart turns toward HaShem and His Torah – as one can not obey a commandment of God if they first do not love God, and we love God by following his Messiah. Without first accepting Yeshua as the King and thus obeying Him, then getting circumcised for the purpose of Jewish conversion only gains you access to the Jewish community. It means nothing when it comes to inheriting a place in the World to Come.... Getting circumcised apart from desiring to be obedient to HaShem, and apart from accepting Yeshua as your King, is nothing but a surgical procedure, or worse, could lead to you believe that Jewish identity grants you a portion in the World to Come – at which point, what good is Messiah Yeshua, the Word of HaShem to you? He would have died for nothing!... As a convert from the nations, part of your obligation in keeping the Covenant, if you are a male, is to get circumcised in fulfillment of the commandment regarding circumcision. Circumcision is not an absolute requirement of being a Covenant member (that is, being made righteous before HaShem, and thus obtaining eternal life), but it is a requirement of obedience to God's commandments, because circumcision is commanded for those who are of the seed of Abraham, whether born into the family, adopted, or converted.... If after reading all of this you understand what circumcision is, and that is an act of obedience, rather than an act of gaining favor before HaShem for the purpose of receiving eternal life, then if you are male believer in Yeshua the Messiah for the redemption from death, the consequence of your sin of rebellion against Him, then pursue circumcision, and thus conversion into Judaism, as an act of obedience to the Messiah. | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100806194736/http://jerusalemcouncil.org/articles/faqs/do-i-need-to-be-circumcised/ | |||
| archive-date = August 6, 2010 | |||
| url-status = usurped | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="JFJ-WWA"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url = https://jewsforjesus.org/about/who-we-are | |||
|title = Who We Are | |||
|access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
|work = ] | |||
}}</ref><ref name = "JFJ-MJ">{{cite web | |||
| url = https://jewsforjesus.org/jewish-resources/community/messianic-jews-a-brief-history/ | |||
| title = Messianic Jews: A Brief History | |||
| access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
| work = ] | |||
| date = 21 July 2014 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "JIJ">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusaleminstituteofjustice.createsend.com/t/1/e/xtlly/jdlkuuit/ | |||
| title = Justice in Israel | |||
| access-date = 2008-04-24 | |||
| last = Myers | |||
| first = Calev | |||
| date = April 16, 2008 | |||
| publisher = ], and organization supporting the rights of "Israeli Evangelical believers, Messianic Jews and families of mixed (Jewish-Christian) marriages" | |||
| quote = In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court of Israel ratified a settlement between twelve Messianic Jewish believers and the State of Israel, which states that being a Messianic Jew does not prevent one from receiving citizenship in Israel under the Law of Return or the Law of Citizenship, if one is a descendent of Jews on one's father's side (and thus not Jewish according to halacha). This Supreme Court decision brought an end to a legal battle that has carried on for two and a half years. The applicants were represented by Yuval Grayevsky and ] from the offices of Yehuda Raveh & Co., and their legal costs were subsidized by the ]. There is a growing trend, today, to use the term Messianic Believers, which solves the objections of Jews and makes the movement more 'accessible' to Gentiles as well, who make up a significant proportion of those who attend Messianic fellowships. This is important because some fellowships under the heading Messianic Judaism, do not actually have any Jews as members and the title does not, therefore, reflect the reality on the ground. | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="JList1"> | |||
* {{harvnb|Ariel|1996|p=212}} | |||
* {{harvnb|Ariel|2005|p=343}} | |||
* {{harvnb|Neusner|2000|pp=3{{ndash}}4}} | |||
* {{harvnb|Schoen|2004|p=11|ps=: Jews do not believe, therefore, that the Messiah has come, and they do not recognize Jesus as their savior or as the Son of God.}} | |||
* {{cite web |url=https://www.learnreligions.com/jewish-view-of-jesus-2076763 |title=Man or Messiah: The Role of Jesus in Judaism |last=Pelaia |first=Ariela |date=February 15, 2019 |website=Learn Religions |publisher=] |access-date=January 2, 2023 |quote=Jews do not believe that Jesus was divine or the "son of God," or the Messiah prophesied in Jewish scripture. He is seen as a "false messiah," meaning someone who claimed (or whose followers claimed for him) the mantle of the Messiah but who ultimately did not meet the requirements laid out in Jewish belief.|ref=none}} | |||
*{{cite web|url=http://www.messiahtruth.com/response.html |title=Messianic Judaism: A Christian Missionary Movement |access-date=2007-02-14 |publisher=Messiah Truth Project |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212032237/http://www.messiahtruth.com/response.html |archive-date=2007-02-12 }} | |||
*{{cite web | *{{cite web | ||
|url=http://www.jcrcny.org/pdf/sdpp/MEETINGTHECHALLENG2.pdf | |||
| url = http://beit-tefillah.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=40 | |||
|title=Meeting the Challenge: Hebrew Christians and the Jewish Community | |||
| title = Who we are | |||
| |
|access-date=2007-02-14 | ||
| |
|last=Schiffman | ||
| |
|first=Lawrence H. | ||
|author-link=Lawrence Schiffman | |||
| date = ], ] | |||
|year=1993 | |||
| publisher = | |||
|publisher=Jewish Community Relations Council of New York | |||
| quote = <small>We are NOT "Jews for Jesus"! "Jews for Jesus" is a primarily Baptist missionary group whose sole focus is converting Jews to Christianity. They are not a part of the Messianic movement and have never been in favor of Messianic congregations! We do not approve of their theology, their ideology, or their methods.</small> | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107233420/http://www.jcrcny.org/pdf/sdpp/MEETINGTHECHALLENG2.pdf | |||
|archive-date=November 7, 2006 | |||
|quote=Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not. It is nothing more than a disguised effort to missionize Jews and convert them to Christianity. It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance ... as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism.... Hebrew Christianity is not a form of Judaism and its members, even if they are of Jewish birth, cannot be considered members of the Jewish community. Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people. They have crossed an unbreachable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former coreligionists. | |||
|ref=none | |||
}} | }} | ||
*{{harvnb|Balmer|2004|pp=|ps=: "Messianic Jewish organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, often refer to their faith as fulfilled Judaism, in that they believe Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. Although Messianic Judaism claims to be Jewish, and many adherents observe Jewish holidays, most Jews regard Messianic Judaism as deceptive at best, fraudulent at worst. They charge that Messianic Judaism is actually Christianity presenting itself as Judaism. Jewish groups are particularly distressed at the aggressive evangelistic attempts on the part of Messianic Jews."}} | |||
</ref> However, this rejection reveals a great deal of ambiguity in how the term is popularly used, since many followers of Jews for Jesus call themselves "Messianic Jews". {{Fact|date=March 2008}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="JPost2008">{{cite news | |||
===Jesus=== | |||
| last = Wagner | |||
{{Jesus}} | |||
| first = Matthew | |||
The place of Jesus in Messianic Judaism is usually clearly defined. Contrary to Judaism, Messianic Judaism asserts that Jesus is the word of God become manifest (John 1:1;14), a belief that is identical with normative Christian doctrine regarding the nature and identity of the son of God. Furthermore, Messianic Judaism generally asserts that the Messiah has a dual aspect as revealed in Scripture <ref> See ] for further elaboration</ref>. Instead of merely a physical Messiah who would save Israel from occupation and restore the Davidic Kingdom, Jesus first rescued the world from spiritual bondage – paving the way for true understanding and application of the Torah. The Messiah will return again – only this time he will indeed rescue the world from physical oppression and establish his unending Kingdom - again, a belief that is identical to the normative Christian view of the Messiah. George Berkley writes that Messianics "worship not just God but Jesus" who they call ''Yeshua''.<ref name= "Berkley"> {{cite book | |||
| date = September 23, 2008 | |||
| last = Berkley | |||
| title = US report: Rise in violence against Messianic Jews and Christians | |||
| first = George E. | |||
| url = https://www.jpost.com/International/US-report-Rise-in-violence-against-Messianic-Jews-and-Christians | |||
| title = Jews | |||
| work = ] | |||
| year = 1997 | |||
| access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
| month = February | |||
}}</ref> | |||
| publisher = Branden Books | |||
<ref name = "JUC"> | |||
| location = ] | |||
{{cite web | |||
| isbn = 0828320276 | |||
|url=https://www.jewish-university.org/ | |||
| id = {{LCCN|96|0|47021}} | |||
|title=Jewish University of Colorado | |||
| pages = pg. 129 | |||
|author=<!--Not stated--> | |||
| chapter = And Collapse…and Collapse | |||
|date=2022 | |||
| chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0828320276&id=BeFC9bAG2B0C&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&ots=5F9Tx5TPUR&dq=Jews+Berkley+messianic&sig=9Uqp5tBBJ8KTt7CFP8Pvh8uXt8s | |||
|access-date=January 2, 2023 | |||
| quote =<small>A more rapidly growing organization is the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America which seeks to incorporate many of the trappings of Judaism with the tenets of Christianity. Its congregants assemble on Friday evening and Saturday morning, recite Hebrew prayers, and sometimes even wear ''talliot'' (prayer shawls). But they worship not just God but Jesus, whom they call Yeshua.</small> | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<!-- K --> | |||
===Doctrines=== | |||
<ref name = "Kerstetter">{{cite web | |||
As with many religious faiths, the exact tenets held vary from congregation to congregation. In general, essential doctrines of Messianic Judaism include views on ''God'' (omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, outside creation, infinitely significant and benevolent - viewpoints on the ] vary), ''Jesus'' is believed to be the ] though views on his divinity vary), ''written ]'' (with a few exceptions, Messianics believe that Jesus taught and reaffirmed the Torah and that it remains fully in force), ''Israel'' (the ] are central to God's plan, ] is opposed), the ''Bible'' (] and the ] are usually considered the divinely inspired Scripture, though Messianics are more open to criticism of the ] canon than is Christianity), ''eschatology'' (similar to many evangelical Christian views), and ''oral law'' (observance varies, but virtually all deem these traditions subservient to the written Torah). Certain additional doctrines, including ''sin and atonement'' and ''faith and works'', are more open to differences in interpretation.<ref name = "Statement of Faith">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www. |
| url = http://www.mikvehyisrael.com/trinityone.html | ||
| title = Who Do You Say That I Am? An introduction to the true Messiah from a non-Trinitarian view. | |||
| title = Typical Messianic Statement of Faith | |||
| first = Adam Yisroel | |||
| accessdate = 2007-08-23 | |||
| last = Kerstetter | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| work = Messianic Jewish Alliance of America | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080330233053/http://www.mikvehyisrael.com/trinityone.html | |||
| archive-date=March 30, 2008| access-date = August 11, 2010 | |||
| quote = The material presented below has been researched to great lengths and is based totally on the Scriptures. I have examined both sides of the subject and can assure you that I have no ax to grind, but have found that the information on the Trinity is without any foundation, nor is it supported by the language of the Scripture. Let me state that I believe in our Heavenly Father and in his Son Y'shua (Jesus) and that the Father sent Y'shua to be a way back to Him and a means for our salvation, but I do not believe the Scripture supports the idea of the Moshiach (Messiah) being G-d of very G-d. When wrong ideas of the Mashiach are espoused they put us on the course of misinterpretations and a misconception of who our Mashiach and his Heavenly Father are. These misconceptions and misinterpretations lead us further away from the truth and ultimately further away from the Father who is the only true G-d. | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<ref name = "King2009">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.christianbook.com/chuck-king/the-feast-of-tabernacles/pd/CD40257 | |||
===People of God=== | |||
| title = The Feast of Tabernacles CD | |||
There exist among Messianics a number of perspectives regarding who exactly makes up God's ]. These are '''covenant membership'', and ''halakhic definitions''. Most commonly, Israel is seen as distinct from Ekklesia; Messianic Jews, being a part of both Israel and Ekklesia, are seen as the necessary link of the 'Gentile' People of God to the commonwealth of God's people of Israel. The ] view, and the ''one law/grafted-in'' view are held by many identifying as Messianic, although some Messianic groups do not espouse these theologies.<ref name = "MJO">{{cite web | |||
| year = 2009 | |||
| website = Christianbook.com | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| access-date = September 11, 2015 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Kinzer2005"> | |||
{{harvnb|Kinzer|2005|p=286|ps=: "The cultural ferment of the 1960s threw Hebrew Christians in America and their institutions into the same turmoil that characterized the rest of American society. Three factors played an especially important part in turning their world upside down: a social movement (i.e., the youth counterculture), a cultural trend (i.e., ethnic self-assertion and pride), and a political-military event (i.e., the Six-Day War)."}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Kinzer2010"> | |||
{{harvnb|Kinzer|2010|ps=: Paul likely uses the term ''Kyrios'' here as a Greek substitute for both the tetragram- maton and the Hebrew word ''Adonai'' ("My lord"), which in Jewish practice acts as its surrogate. In this way he builds upon the most fundamental biblical confession of faith, the ''Shema'', highlighting the two primary divine names (''Theos/Elohim'' and ''Kyrios/Adonai'') and the word 'one'. Paul thus expands the ''Shema'' to include Yeshua within a differentiated but singular deity. The nicene Creed adopts Paul's language ('one God, the Father…one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah…'), and thereby affirms its own continuity with the ''Shema''. Paul's short confession is a Yeshua-faith interpretation of the ''Shema'', and the nicene Creed is an expanded interpretation of Paul's confession. | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Kinzer2018"> | |||
{{harvnb|Kinzer|2018|ps=: At the end, God will make Yeshua known to his brethren and to all of creation, not only as temple, priest, and sacrifice, but as Messianic King, the eschatological ruler of Israel and the nations. At that point the New Covenant will be realized in its final and definitive form.}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- L --> | |||
<ref name="Lamb2014">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.lambmessianicmusic.com/lamb_03_history_mn.html | |||
| title = History of Lamb | |||
| year = 2014 | |||
| website = Lamb Messianic Music | |||
| publisher = Messianic Records, Inc. | |||
| access-date = September 11, 2015 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160212060335/http://lambmessianicmusic.com/lamb_03_history_mn.html | |||
| archive-date = February 12, 2016 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="LevH">{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.levhashem.org/we-believe/ | |||
|title=Doctrinal Statement | |||
|work=Lev HaShem Messianic Jewish Synagogue | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|archive-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403185329/https://www.levhashem.org/we-believe/ | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Lotker"> | |||
{{harvnb|Lotker|2004|p=35|ps=: "It should now be clear to you why Jews have such a problem with 'Jews for Jesus' or other presentations of Messianic Judaism. I have no difficulty with Christianity. I even accept those Christians who would want me to convert to Christianity so long as they don't use coercion or duplicity and are willing to listen in good faith to my reasons for being Jewish. I do have a major problem with those Christians who would try to mislead me and other Jews into believing that one can be both Jewish and Christian.}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- M --> | |||
<ref name = "Melton2005">{{harvnb|Melton|2005|p=373|ps=: "Messianic Judaism is a Protestant movement that emerged in the last half of the 20th century among believers who were ethnically Jewish but had adopted an Evangelical Christian faith.…By the 1960s, a new effort to create a culturally Jewish Protestant Christianity emerged among individuals who began to call themselves Messianic Jews.}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Mitchell2009">{{cite news | |||
| last = Mitchell | |||
| first = Chris | |||
| date = December 24, 2009 | |||
| title = Ortiz Case Cornerstone for Israeli Messianic Jews | |||
| url = https://www1.cbn.com/jerusalemdateline/archive/2009/12/24/ortiz-case-cornerstone-for-israeli-messianic-jews | |||
| work = ] | |||
| access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="MJRC">{{cite web | |||
|url=https://ourrabbis.org/main/faqs-mainmenu-25 | |||
|title=FAQs | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|quote=The MJRC is a growing community of ordained Messianic Jewish rabbis committed to the exciting concept of a Messianic Judaism which is both faithful to the teachings, example and person of Messiah Yeshua and to deep connection with the larger Jewish community. This connection demands our giving serious attention to Torah as practiced through the march of Jewish history. MJRC Rabbis endeavor to develop standards of Messianic Jewish practice so that our congregations worldwide can grow together as life-giving communities, filled with the Ruach and the joy of Jewish life renewed in Yeshua. | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name = "MJRC2">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://ourrabbis.org/main/halakhah-mainmenu-26/halakhic-introduction/halakhic-apprach | |||
| title = Halakhic Approach | |||
| author = <!--Not stated--> | |||
| date = n.d. | |||
| website = Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council | |||
| access-date = March 28, 2023 | |||
| quote = Our approach to halakhic decision-making is based on a recognition of the paramount importance and authority of Scripture (i.e., the Tanakh and the Apostolic Writings) in the development of Halakhah....As Messianic Jews, we affirm the special precedence given to scriptural law in traditional Halakhah, while likewise affirming the scriptural character of the Apostolic Writings (i.e., the New Testament) and the unique ways in which they contribute to halakhic development....In addressing matters of Halakhah, Scripture always has the highest halakhic authority and sanctity. Thus, when traditional Judaism distinguishes between laws that are ] (i.e., ordained by the Tanakh) and those that are ] (i.e., established by rabbinic authority), precedence is always given to those that are d'oraita. | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = MJRC_Holidays>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/halakhah-mainmenu-26/community-practices/holidays-mainmenu-33 | |||
| title = Holidays | |||
| author = <!--Not stated--> | |||
| date = n.d. | |||
| website = Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council | |||
| access-date = March 28, 2023 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = MJRC_Kashrut>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/halakhah-mainmenu-26/kashrut-mainmenu-34 | |||
| title = Kashrut | |||
| author = <!--Not stated--> | |||
| date = n.d. | |||
| website = Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council | |||
| access-date = March 28, 2023 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = MJRC_Status>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://ourrabbis.org/main/halakhah-mainmenu-26/issues-of-status | |||
| title = Issues of Status | |||
| author = <!--Not stated--> | |||
| date = n.d. | |||
| website = Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council | |||
| access-date = March 28, 2023 | |||
| quote = Following the consensus of Jewish tradition, we recognize as a Jew anyone who is born of a Jewish mother or who is a convert to Judaism. We also recognize as a Jew anyone who is born of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother if that person has undertaken public and formal acts of identification with the Jewish faith and people. In 1947 the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) of the Reform movement... | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "MJO">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.messianicjewishonline.com/article1022.html | | url = http://www.messianicjewishonline.com/article1022.html | ||
| title = Who Is A Jew? Messianic Style | | title = Who Is A Jew? Messianic Style | ||
| |
| access-date = 2007-08-23 | ||
| year = 2007 | | year = 2007 | ||
| work = Chaia Kravitz | | work = Chaia Kravitz | ||
| publisher = MessianicJewishOnline.com | | publisher = MessianicJewishOnline.com | ||
| quote = |
| quote = In Messianic Judaism, children are generally regarded as being Jewish with one Jewish parent. Since we are one in Messiah, both Jew and Gentile, there is not sharp division between the two groups. Therefore, if a Gentile has a heart for Israel and God's Torah, as well as being a Believer in Yeshua, and this person marries a Jewish Believer, it is not considered an "intermarriage" in the same way Rabbinic Judaism sees it, since both partners are on the same spiritual plane. Children born from this union are part of God's Chosen, just like the Gentile parent who has been grafted into the vine of Israel through His grace. | ||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070811053053/http://www.messianicjewishonline.com/article1022.html |archive-date = August 11, 2007}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "MJSelfID">*{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusalemcouncil.org/halacha/giyur/jewish-conversion/ | |||
| title = Jewish Conversion | |||
| access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
| year = 2009 | |||
| work = JerusalemCouncil.org | |||
| quote = Many people ask how to convert to Judaism through the Jewish sect of HaDerech, also known as The Way, or Messianic Judaism. | |||
}} | }} | ||
*{{cite web | |||
|url=https://mjaa.org/our-history-2/ | |||
|title=Our History | |||
|date=2017 | |||
|website=] | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|quote=These factors lead many Jewish people to assume that to follow Yeshua is to leave the faith of their fathers and become non-Jewish. The MJAA has worked to combat this misperception for almost a century. | |||
|archive-date=2020-09-24 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924044012/https://mjaa.org/our-history-2/ | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}} | |||
*{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.umjc.org/defining-messianic-judaism | |||
|title=Defining Messianic Judaism | |||
|access-date=December 30, 2022 | |||
|date=July 20, 2005 | |||
|work=Union | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|quote=The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC) envisions Messianic Judaism as a movement of Jewish congregations and groups committed to Yeshua the Messiah that embrace the covenantal responsibility of Jewish life and identity rooted in Torah, expressed in tradition, and renewed and applied in the context of the New Covenant. Messianic Jewish groups may also include those from non-Jewish backgrounds who have a confirmed call to participate fully in the life and destiny of the Jewish people. We are committed to embodying this definition in our constituent congregations and in our shared institutions. | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name = Moscrop> | |||
{{harvnb|Moscrop|2000|p=15|ps=: ...the perspective of the Holy Land the most important of these societies was the London Jews' Society. Founded in 1809 during the high point of evangelical endeavour, the London Jews' Society was the work of Joseph Samuel Frederick Frey...}} | |||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<!-- N--> | |||
<ref name="NBC103018">{{cite news | |||
===Eschatology=== | |||
|last1=Siemaszko | |||
Many Messianics believe that all of the ], indeed the entire ], intrinsically hint at the Messiah, and thus no study of the ] is complete without understanding the major ] in the larger prophetic context. To these believers, ], ], and ] were fulfilled in Jesus's first coming, and ], ], and ] will be at his second. Many Messianics believe in a literal 7000 year period for the human history of the world, with a Messianic ''Millennial Sabbath'' Kingdom before a final judgment.<ref name = "BiblicalHolidays">{{cite web | |||
|first1=Corky | |||
| url = http://biblicalholidays.com/Excerpts/holiday_chart.htm | |||
|title=Jews assail 'Christian rabbi' who appeared with Pence, and so does his own movement | |||
| title = Holiday Chart | |||
|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jews-assail-so-called-christian-rabbi-who-appeared-pence-so-n926406 | |||
| accessdate = 2007-08-23 | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
| year = 2007 | |||
| |
|work=] | ||
|date=October 30, 2018 | |||
| publisher = biblicalholidays.com | |||
|quote=The "Messianic rabbi" who outraged many Jews by invoking the name of Jesus while delivering a prayer in memory of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre victims was also spurned Tuesday by the organization that ordained him. Loren Jacobs, who was invited onstage by Vice President Mike Pence to speak at a rally in Michigan for a GOP congressional candidate, was defrocked 15 years ago, according to a spokeswoman for the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations. 'Loren Jacobs was stripped of his rabbinic ordination by the UMJC in 2003, after our judicial board found him guilty of libel,' Monique Brumbach said in an email. Brumbach did not say who Jacobs allegedly libeled, but it appears from his synagogue website he was involved in a theological battle with other leaders of the group, which believes that Jesus is the son of God — a belief that is anathema to the vast majority of the world's Jews. Jacobs seemed to be concerned that the group was insufficiently conservative on doctrinal matters. Meanwhile, mainstream Jewish leaders and experts on the faith said they could not fathom why GOP congressional candidate Lena Epstein, herself a longtime member of a Detroit–area synagogue, invited Jacobs at all to her rally Tuesday because in their eyes he's not even a real Jew, let alone a rabbi. 'We don't even recognize him as a rabbi,' Rabbi Marla Hornsten, past president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, told NBC News. 'Even to call him a rabbi is offensive.' | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<ref name = "Nerel"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
===Torah=== | |||
|url=http://www.imja.com/Gershon2.html | |||
The issue of Torah observance is a contentious one within Messianic Judaism. Generally, "Torah observant" congregations observe Jewish Law, biblical feasts, and the Sabbath, although they do not teach that Gentiles need observe Torah. While most traditional Christians deny that the ritual laws and specific civil laws of the ] (though still affirming that ] is the word of God) apply directly to themselves, passages<ref>Matthew 5:17-19, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 John 3:4, Romans 3:3</ref> regarding Torah observance in the ] are cited by Messianics that Torah was not abolished for Jews. They point out that in Acts 21 we find that the Jewish believers in Jerusalem are "zealous for Torah" and that Paul himself, never stopped being observant. Most Messianics believe that observance of the ] brings about ], not ], which was to be produced only by the Messiah<ref>Lancaster and Berkowitz</ref>. | |||
|title=Symbols used by Messianic Judaism in Israel Today | |||
|last=Nerel | |||
==Religious practices== | |||
|first=Gershon | |||
{{main|Messianic religious practice}} | |||
|year=2001 | |||
=== Messianic music === | |||
|publisher=International Messianic Jewish Alliance | |||
There are dozens of recording artists who consider their music to be Messianic in message. Some of the more famous artists who are known throughout the Messianic Jewish community include ] and ]. Joel Chernoff is one of the original members of a group called ]. Paul Wilbur is a solo artist. Another artist that is a household name in the Messianic movement is ]. All of these artists have been influenced by ] and often incorporate Hebrew as well as ] phrases into their lyrics. | |||
|access-date=January 2, 2023 | |||
|url-status=usurped | |||
=== Holiday observance === | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607022921/http://www.imja.com/Gershon2.html | |||
|archive-date=June 7, 2008 | |||
The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council recommends the observance of Jewish holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/19/33/|title=Holidays|accessdate=2008-02-09}}</ref> | |||
==== Shabbat ==== | |||
Worship services are generally held on Friday evenings (''Erev Shabbat'') or Saturday mornings.<ref name = "Rein">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.Godonthe.net/messianicjews/general/faq.html | |||
| title = Frequently Asked Questions | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-15 | |||
| last = Reinckens | |||
| first = Rick | |||
| year = 2002 | |||
| publisher = MessianicJews. Info | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/16/30/|title=Shabbat|accessdate=2008-02-09}}</ref> | |||
===Dietary laws=== | |||
The dietary laws of Judaism are a subject of continued debate among Messianic Jews. <ref name = "Rein" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourrabbis.org/main/content/view/20/34/|title=Kashrut|accessdate=2008-02-09}}</ref> | |||
Particularly important in this debate is the interpretation of Peter's vision in Acts 10. However, most Messianic Jews and Gentiles, as well as many Biblical Scholars, prefer Peter's own explanation, which shows that the purpose of the vision was not about the abolition of the food laws; they remain intact. It is recounted in Acts 10:27-34, by Peter, that he understood this to be about how he related to Gentiles - the people whom Peter had previously thought to be 'unclean'. God, through this vision, removed the barrier that allowed Peter to relate directly to the Gentiles. This issue was the source of Paul's row with Peter in Galatians 2:14ff, where Peter was accused of trying to make the Gentiles to be like Jews, even though he lived like a Gentile. Paul also makes the same point as God made to Peter in the vision - we have come to realise that that a person is not declared righteous by God through legalism, but by faith in Messiah. | |||
James made it clear that the gentile’s minimum requirements were "that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood." Acts 15:20. While pointing out that the Gentiles were hearing the Torah read every Sabbath in the synagogues. | |||
Some have referred to these minimum requirements as Noachide laws. Not Judaism but a form of righteous living for gentiles who honor the one true God of Israel. For some Messianic followers this is all they believe they need to follow. Some followers however believe that over time more understanding and more hearing of the Torah will bring more conformity to the Dietary Laws. | |||
==Jewish objections== | |||
Jewish objections to Messianic Judaism are numerous and often begin with objections to the term "Messianic Judaism" itself: It is objected that Judaism is a messianic religion, but that its messiah is not Jesus<ref name = "Aish2">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/jewishsociety/Why_Jews_Dont_Believe_In_Jesus.asp | |||
| title = Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-23 | |||
| last = Simmons | |||
| first = Shraga | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
</ref> and the term is therefore misleading.<ref name="Lotker"> | |||
<ref name = "New York Times - 1989">{{Cite news | |||
{{cite book | |||
| title = Israeli Court Rules Jews for Jesus Cannot Automatically Be Citizens | |||
| last = Lotker | |||
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/27/world/israeli-court-rules-jews-for-jesus-cannot-automatically-be-citizens.html | |||
| first = Michael | |||
| agency = ] | |||
| title = A Christian’s guide to Judaism | |||
| newspaper = ] | |||
| year = 2004 | |||
| |
| date = December 27, 1989 | ||
| |
| access-date = August 13, 2010 | ||
| quote = Messianic Jews are not entitled to automatic Israeli citizenship, Israel's Supreme Court has ruled, concluding that their belief that Jesus was the Messiah makes them Christians instead of Jews. The ruling, published in Israeli newspapers today, supported Orthodox religious interpretations of the state's 1950 Law of Return. The law forms the basis of Jewish immigration to Israel. The law and its subsequent amendments define a Jew as a person born to a Jewish mother or who converts to Judaism and professes no other faith. Orthodox politicians have long sought a more precise definition, and the court's Christmas Day ruling has resolved one issue. The 100-page decision said that belief in Jesus made one a member of another faith and ineligible for automatic Israeli citizenship, The Jerusalem Post, Hadashot and Yediot Ahronot reported.... "Messianic Jews attempt to reverse the wheels of history by 2,000 years," Justice Elon wrote in a passage quoted by the Israeli newspapers. "But the Jewish people has decided during the 2,000 years of its history" that Messianic Jews "do not belong to the Jewish nation and have no right to force themselves on it. Those who believe in Jesus are, in fact, Christians." | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 0809142325 | |||
| id = {{LCCN|2003||024813}} | |||
| pages = pg. 35 | |||
| chapter = It’s More About ''What'' is the Messiah than ''Who'' is the Messiah | |||
| chapterurl = | |||
| quote = <small>It should now be clear to you why Jews have such a problem with ‘Jews for Jesus’ or other presentations of Messianic Judaism. I have no difficulty with Christianity. I even accept those Christians who would want me to convert to Christianity so long as they don't use coercion or duplicity and are willing to listen in good faith to my reasons for being Jewish. I do have a major problem with those Christians who would try to mislead me and other Jews into believing that one can be both Jewish and Christian.</small> | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<ref name=NYT18851012>{{cite news | |||
|author=<!--not stated--> | |||
Use of "Judaism" in the term is also considered misleading and as a subversive tactic used for missionary purposes. Messianic Jews are only considered eligible for the ]'s ] if they can also claim Jewish descent<ref name = "Berman">{{cite web | |||
|date=October 12, 1885 | |||
| url = http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=21820&sec=59&con=35 | |||
|title=The Only One In America; A Hebrew-Christian Church Dedicated Yesterday. | |||
| title = Aliyah with a cat, a dog and Jesus | |||
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1885/10/12/archives/the-only-one-in-america-a-hebrewchristian-church-dedicated.html | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-20 | |||
|url-status=bot: unknown | |||
| last = Berman | |||
|work=] | |||
| first = Daphna | |||
|page=2 | |||
| date = ], ] | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102135834/https://www.nytimes.com/1885/10/12/archives/the-only-one-in-america-a-hebrewchristian-church-dedicated.html | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
|archive-date=January 2, 2023 | |||
| pages = | |||
|access-date=January 2, 2023 | |||
| language = | |||
|url-access=subscription | |||
| archiveurl = | |||
}}</ref> | |||
| archivedate = | |||
<!-- O --> | |||
| quote = <small>In rejecting their petition, Supreme Court Justice Menachem Elon cited their belief in Jesus. ‘In the last two thousand years of history…the Jewish people have decided that messianic Jews do not belong to the Jewish nation…and have no right to force themselves on it,’ he wrote, concluding that ‘those who believe in Jesus, are, in fact Christians.’ However an April 2008 ruling reversed that decision, ruling that those of Jewish descent must be considered Jewish despite their beliefs.</small> | |||
<ref name="OhrSomayach"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| url = http://ohr.edu/ask/ask00j.htm | |||
| title = Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus | |||
| year = 2000 | |||
| work = Ask the Rabbi | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| access-date = January 2, 2023 | |||
| quote = The Christian idea of a trinity contradicts the most basic tenet of Judaism – that G-d is One. Jews have declared their belief in a single unified G-d twice daily ever since the giving of the Torah at Sinai – almost two thousand years before Christianity. The trinity suggests a three part deity: The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). In Jewish law, worship of a three-part god is considered idolatry; one of the three cardinal sins for which a person should rather give up his life than transgress. The idea of the trinity is absolutely incompatible with Judaism. | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
</ref>. An assistant to one of the two lawyers involved with an April 2008 ] case explained to the ] that Messianics were "entitled to automatic new immigrant status and citizenship precisely because they were not Jews as defined by the Law of Return, but rather because they were the offspring of Jewish fathers" | |||
<!-- P --> | |||
<ref name = "JIJ">{{cite web | |||
<ref name="Pearce2015">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://jerusaleminstituteofjustice.createsend.com/t/1/e/xtlly/jdlkuuit/ | |||
| url = http://www.tedpearce.com/bio | |||
| title = Justice in Israel | |||
| title = Bio | |||
| accessdate = 2008-04-24 | |||
| |
| year = 2014 | ||
| website = Ted Pearce | |||
| first = Calev | |||
| date = |
| access-date = September 11, 2015 | ||
| url-status = dead | |||
| publisher = ], and organization supporting the rights of "Israeli Evangelical believers, Messianic Jews and families of mixed (Jewish-Christian) marriages" | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150507083411/http://tedpearce.com/bio | |||
| pages = | |||
| archive-date = May 7, 2015 | |||
| language = | |||
}} | |||
| archiveurl = | |||
</ref> | |||
| archivedate = | |||
<ref name = "Posner2012">{{cite journal | |||
| quote = <small>In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court of Israel ratified a settlement between twelve Messianic Jewish believers and the State of Israel, which states that being a Messianic Jew does not prevent one from receiving citizenship in Israel under the Law of Return or the Law of Citizenship, if one is a descendent of Jews on one's father's side (and thus not Jewish according to halacha). | |||
| last = Posner | |||
| first = Sarah | |||
| date = November 29, 2012 | |||
| title = Kosher Jesus: Messianic Jews in the Holy Land | |||
| url = https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/11/kosher-jesus-messianic-jews-in-the-holy-land/265670/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201125656/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/11/kosher-jesus-messianic-jews-in-the-holy-land/265670/ |archive-date=December 1, 2012 | |||
| journal = ] | |||
| access-date= September 10, 2015 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- R --> | |||
<ref name = "RabbiYeshuaRab">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/mcongregation2.html | |||
| title = So, What Exactly is a Messianic Congregation? | |||
| access-date = 2007-02-20 | |||
| year = 2001 | |||
| work = RabbiYeshua.com | |||
| publisher = Kehilat Sar Shalom | |||
| quote = When we begin to study and observe Torah to become like Messiah, there are pitfalls we must avoid. One such pitfall is the study of Mishnah and Talmud (Rabbinic traditional Law). There are many people and congregations that place a great emphasis on rabbinic legal works, such as the Mishnah and the Talmud in search of their Hebrew roots. People are looking to the rabbis for answers on how to keep God's commands, but if one looks into the Mishnah and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah. Or, if one looks into the Talmud and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah – he or she is a follower of the rabbis because Rabbi Yeshua, the Messiah, is not quoted there.... Rabbinic Judaism is not Messianic Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism is not founded in Messiah. Rabbinic Judaism, for the most part, is founded in the yeast – the teachings of the Pharisees. Yeshua's teachings and the discipleship that He brought His students through was not Rabbinic Judaism. There is a real danger in Rabbinics. There is a real danger in Mishnah and Talmud. No one involved in Rabbinics has ever come out on the other side more righteous than when he or she entered. He or she may look "holier than thou" – but they do not have the life changing experience clearly represented in the lives of the believers of the Messianic communities of the first century. | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927080119/http://rabbiyeshua.com/articles/2001/mcongregation2.html | |||
| archive-date = 2007-09-27 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Rein">{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.messianicjews.info/general/faq.html | |||
|title=Frequently Asked Questions | |||
|access-date=2019-04-03 | |||
|last=Reinckens | |||
|first=Rick | |||
|year=2002 | |||
|website=MessianicJews.info | |||
|archive-date=2019-02-17 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217110445/http://www.messianicjews.info/general/faq.html | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<!-- S --> | |||
<ref name = Schwartz1870> | |||
This Supreme Court decision brought an end to a legal battle that has carried on for two and a half years. The applicants were represented by Yuval Grayevsky and Calev Myers from the offices of Yehuda Raveh & Co., and their legal costs were subsidized by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.</small> | |||
{{cite magazine | |||
| last1 = Schwartz | |||
There is a growing trend, today, to use the term Messianic Believers, which solves the objections of Jews and makes the movement more 'accessible' to Gentiles as well, who make up a significant proportion of those who attend Messianic fellowships. This is important because some fellowships under the heading Messianic Judaism, do not actually have any Jews as members and the title does not, therefore, reflect the reality on the ground. | |||
| first1 = Carl | |||
| author-link1 = Carl Schwartz | |||
| year = 1870 | |||
| title = An Answer to Friends and Foes | |||
| url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044098907983;view=1up;seq=24 | |||
| magazine = The Scattered Nation | |||
| location = ] | |||
| issue = V | |||
| page = 16 | |||
| access-date = January 3, 2023 | |||
| quote = What does the Hebrew-Christian Alliance signify? is asked by well-wishers and opponents. True, its objects have been clearly stated.... Let me try briefly to state the nature and objects of the Hebrew-Christian Alliance. | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> |
</ref> | ||
<ref name="Singer_Blade">{{Cite news | |||
| title = Rabbi says Messianic Jews are Christians in disguise | |||
| first = David | |||
| last = Yonke | |||
| url = https://www.toledoblade.com/Religion/2006/02/11/Rabbi-says-Messianic-Jews-are-Christians-in-disguise.html | |||
| newspaper = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| date = February 11, 2006 | |||
| access-date =2019-04-03 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name="Spector2008"> | |||
{{harvnb|Spector|2008|p=116}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Stemberger">{{Cite book | |||
|last=Stemberger | |||
|first=Günter | |||
|title=Jews and Christians in the Holy Land: Palestine in the Fourth Century | |||
|year=2000 | |||
|publisher=Continuum | |||
|isbn=978-0-567-08699-0 | |||
|page=81 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- T --> | |||
<ref name = "Time-IMJUA">{{Cite magazine | |||
| last = McGirk | |||
| first = Tim | |||
| date = June 6, 2008 | |||
| title = Israel's Messianic Jews Under Attack | |||
| magazine = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| url = https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1812430,00.html | |||
| access-date = January 2, 2023 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "TMJ"> | |||
{{harvnb|TMJ|1910|p=2}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "Tokajer">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://messianicdailynews.com/showarticle.shtml?&file=12122008-1408.html | |||
| title = Messianic Jew Barred from Serving as Jewish Chaplain by US Navy. | |||
| first = Eric | |||
| last = Tokajer | |||
| date = December 29, 2008 | |||
| publisher = Messianic Daily News | |||
| location = ], Florida | |||
| access-date = August 10, 2010 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090526164831/http://messianicdailynews.com/showarticle.shtml?&file=12122008-1408.html | |||
| archive-date = May 26, 2009 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "TYW">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=27582 | |||
| title = US Navy Tells Messianic Jewish Chaplain He Must Wear Cross | |||
| date = December 23, 2008 | |||
| publisher = The Yeshiva World News | |||
| access-date = August 10, 2010 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- U --> | |||
--> | |||
<ref name = "UMJC_StatementOfFaith">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.umjc.org/statement-of-faith/ | |||
| title = Statement of Faith | |||
| access-date = September 10, 2015 | |||
| date=July 19, 2012 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| quote = There is one God, who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Every divine action in the world is accomplished by the Father working through the Son and in the power of the Spirit. This God has revealed Himself in creation and in the history of Israel as transmitted in Scripture.…In the fullness of time, the Divine Son became a human being—Yeshua the Messiah, born of a Jewish virgin, a true and perfect Israelite, a fitting representative and one-man embodiment of the entire nation. He lived as a holy tzaddik, fulfilling without blemish the mitzvot of the Torah. He brings to perfection the human expression of the divine image.…Yeshua died as an atonement for the sins of Israel and of the entire world. He was raised bodily from the dead, as the firstfruits of the resurrection promised to Israel as its glorification. He ascended to heaven and was there enthroned at God's right hand as Israel's Messiah, with authority extending to the ends of creation.…Forgiveness of sins, spiritual renewal, union with Messiah, the empowering and sanctifying presence of the indwelling Ruach Ha Kodesh, and the confident hope of eternal life and a glorious resurrection are now available to all, Jews and Gentiles, who put their faith in Yeshua, the Risen Lord, and in obedience to His word are joined to Him and His Body through immersion and sustained in that union through Messiah's remembrance meal. Yeshua is the Mediator between God and all creation, and no one can come to the Father except through Him.…Messiah Yeshua will return to Jerusalem in glory at the end of this age, to rule forever on David's throne. He will effect the restoration of Israel in fullness, raise the dead, save all who belong to Him, judge the wicked not written in the Book of Life who are separated from His presence, and accomplish the final Tikkun Olam in which Israel and the nations will be united under Messiah's rule forever.…The writings of Tanakh and Brit Hadasha are divinely inspired and fully trustworthy (true), a gift given by God to His people, provided to impart life and to form, nurture, and guide them in the ways of truth. They are of supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- W --> | |||
<ref name="Wagner2008"> | |||
{{cite news | |||
|url = https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Messianic-Jews-to-protest-discrimination | |||
|title = Messianic Jews to protest 'discrimination' | |||
|access-date = March 22, 2023 | |||
|last = Wagner | |||
|first = Matthew | |||
|date = June 26, 2008 | |||
|newspaper = ] | |||
|quote = Since then the Supreme Court has ruled that Messianic Jews whose mothers are Jewish can be denied Israeli citizenship. In contrast, those who are Jewish solely through their fathers cannot be denied citizenship. This is based on an interpretation of a 1970 amendment to the Law of Return. | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<ref name = "WP103018" >{{cite news | |||
Several anti-missionary organizations, such as ] and ] oppose Messianic Judaism on theological grounds, usually from an ] perspective. In recent years these organizations have noticeably shifted their focus from countering the missionizing of Jews in the name of Christianity to countering the spread of Messianic Judaism. The Jewish anti-missionary organizations view the latter (Messianic Judaism) as a more threatening and subversive form of apostacy than the former (openly missionizing in the name of Christianity). | |||
| last = Stanley-Becker | |||
| first = Isaac | |||
===Denominations and organizations=== | |||
| date = October 30, 2018 | |||
All denominations of Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations reject Messianic Judaism as a form of Judaism.<ref name="Kaplan">{{cite book |last = Kaplan |first = Dana Evan |editor= Dana Evan Kaplan (ed.) |title= The Cambridge companion to American Judaism |series= Cambridge Companions to Religion |year= 2005 |month= August |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 0521822041 |id= {{LCCN|2004||024336}}|pages= pg. 9 |chapter= Introduction |quote=<small>For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness....Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews.</small>}}</ref><ref name = "Denominations" /><ref name = "JList1"> | |||
| title = Honoring Pittsburgh synagogue victims, Pence appears with 'rabbi' who preaches 'Jesus is the Messiah' | |||
*{{cite book |last= Ariel |first= Yaakov |editor= ] (ed.) |title= Terms of survival: the Jewish world since 1945 |origyear= 1995 |edition= Digital Printing edition |year= 2005 |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 0415100569 |id= {{LCCN|94|0|22069}} |pages= pg. 343 |chapter= Protestant Attitudes to Jews and Judaism During the Last Fifty Years |quote=<small>Evangelical Christians are engaged in aggressive and extensive missionary activity among Jews. Among other results, this has given rise to groups of 'Messianic Jews', of which 'Jews for Jesus' is the most outstanding example. These are actually Jews who have adopted the evangelical Protestant faith and its precepts.</small>}} | |||
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/30/honoring-pittsburgh-synagogue-victims-mike-pence-appears-with-rabbi-who-preaches-jesus-is-messiah/ | |||
*{{cite web |url= http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_messianicjews.htm |title= Messianic Jews, Buddhist Jews |accessdate= 2007-02-14 |last= Simmons |first= Shraga |work= Ask Rabbi Simmons |publisher= ] |quote= <small>Yet there are limits to pluralism, beyond which a group is schismatic to the point where it is no longer considered Jewish. For example, everyone considers Messianic Judaism and belief in Buddha as outside of the Jewish sphere.</small>}} | |||
| newspaper = ] | |||
*{{cite book |last= Schoen |first= Robert |title= What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew about Judaism |accessdate= 2007-02-14 |year= 2004 |month= April |publisher= Loyola Press |location= ] |isbn= 082941777X |id= {{LCCN|2003|0|24404}} |pages= pg. 11 |chapter= Jews, Jesus, and Christianity |chapterurl= http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN082941777X&id=L86LbrUP8LoC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=GCsP5mHs5_&dq=What+I+Wish+My+Christian+Friends+Knew+about+Judaism&sig=b-mpgZlQXWm6T1Lu5FwMwU4ndik#PPA11,M1 |quote=<small>The Jewish people believe that when the Messiah comes there will be an end to world suffering.…Jews do not believe, therefore, that the Messiah has come, and they do not recognize Jesus as their savior or as the Son of God.</small>}} | |||
| access-date = 2019-04-03 | |||
*{{cite web |url= http://www.messiahtruth.com/response.html |title= Messianic Judaism: A Christian Missionary Movement |accessdate= 2007-02-14 |publisher= Messiah Truth Project |quote= <small>Messianic Judaism is a Christian movement that began in the 1970s combining a mixture of Jewish ritual and Christianity. There are a vast and growing numbers of these groups, and they differ in how much Jewish ritual is mixed with conventional Christian belief. One end of the spectrum is represented by Jews For Jesus, who simply target Jews for conversion to Christianity using imitations of Jewish ritual solely as a ruse for attracting potential Jewish converts. On the other end are those who don't stress the divinity of Jesus, but present him as the "Messiah." They incorporate distorted Jewish ritual on an ongoing basis.</small>}} | |||
| quote = But the man who shared a stage with Pence, Loren Jacobs, preaches Messianic Judaism, a tradition central to Jews for Jesus, a group condemned by Jewish leaders as faux Judaism that seeks to promote Christian evangelism. The major Jewish denominations join the state of Israel in viewing followers of Messianic Judaism as Christian, not Jewish. | |||
*{{cite book |last= Ariel |first= David S. |title= What do Jews believe?: The Spiritual Foundations of Judaism |year= 1995 |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 0805241191 |id= {{LCCN|94|00|3550}} |pages= pg. 212 |chapter= The Messiah |quote= <small>The Jews of the first centuries of the Common Era believed the Messiah had not yet come, while the followers of Jesus—strongly influenced by contemporary Jewish messianism—asserted that he was the Messiah. The belief that the Messiah has arrived and that he is Jesus is the teaching that most acutely divides Judaism from Christianity.</small>}} | |||
*{{cite book |last= Nuesner |first= Jacob |authorlink= Jacob Neusner |others= Donald H. Akerson (forward) |title= A Rabbi Talks With Jesus |origyear= 1994 |url= |accessdate= 2007-02-14 |edition= Revised ed. |year= 2000 |month= February |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 0773520465 |id= {{LCCN|2001||339789}} |pages= pp. 3–4 |chapter= Come, Let us Reason Together |chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0773520465&id=eI7lR3rleYYC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=JE6mNzgIZF&dq=A+Rabbi+Talks+With+Jesus&sig=vO4zKvlOQdmCAEidwqWag5dqhLI#PPA3,M1 |quote= <small>I write this book to shed some light why, while Christians believe in Jesus Christ and the good news of his rule in the kingdom of Heaven, Jews believe in the Torah of Moses and form on earth and in their own flesh God’s kingdom of priests and the holy people. And that belief requires faithful Jews to enter a dissent at the teachings of Jesus, on the grounds that those teachings at important points contradict the Torah. Where Jesus diverges from the revelation by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, he is wrong, and Moses is right.</small>}} | |||
*{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.jcrcny.org/pdf/sdpp/MEETINGTHECHALLENG2.pdf | |||
| title = Meeting the Challenge: Hebrew Christians and the Jewish Community | |||
| accessdate = 2007-02-14 | |||
| last = Schiffman | |||
| first = Lawrence H. | |||
| authorlink = Lawrence Schiffman | |||
| year = 1993 | |||
| format = PDF | |||
| publisher = Jewish Community Relations Council of New York | |||
| archiveurl = | |||
| archivedate = | |||
| quote = <small>Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not. It is nothing more than a disguised effort to missionize Jews and convert them to Christianity. It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance…as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism.…Hebrew Christianity is not a form of Judaism and its members, even if they are of Jewish birth, cannot be considered members of the Jewish community. Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people. They have crossed an unbreachable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former coreligionists.</small> | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
*{{cite encyclopedia | |||
<ref name = "Worshill2008"> | |||
| last = Balmer | |||
{{cite web | |||
| first = Randall Herbert | |||
| url = http://www.sbmessianic.net/liturgy1.shtml | |||
| authorlink = Randall Balmer | |||
| title = Why Messianic Jews Use Liturgy During Their Worship Services | |||
| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of evangelicalism | |||
| first = Ric | |||
| title = Messianic Judaism | |||
| last = Worshill | |||
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Vjwly0QyeU4C&dq=Encyclopedia+of+evangelicalism&pg=PP1&ots=lJE21xhVeu&sig=297wvbsi3xPri38WiYMElF3Wgm8&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3DEncyclopedia%2Bof%2Bevangelicalism%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1#PRA1-PA448,M1 | |||
| |
| year = 2008 | ||
| publisher = Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship | |||
| edition = Rev. and expanded ed. | |||
| |
| access-date = 2019-04-03 | ||
| month = November | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| id = ISBN 193279204X {{LCCN|2004|0|10023}} | |||
| pages = pp. 448–449 | |||
| quote = <small>Messianic Jewish organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, often refer to their faith as fulfilled Judaism, in that they believe Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. Although Messianic Judaism claims to be Jewish, and many adherents observe Jewish holidays, most Jews regard Messianic Judaism as deceptive at best, fraudulent at worst. They charge that Messianic Judaism is actually Christianity presenting itself as Judaism. Jewish groups are particularly distressed at the aggressive evangelistic attempts on the part of Messianic Jews.</small> | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
<!-- X --> | |||
According to the ] (Reform): | |||
<!-- Y --> | |||
<blockquote> | |||
<ref name="Yeoman">{{cite web | |||
"For us in the Jewish community, anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate. Through that belief she has placed herself outside the Jewish community. Whether she cares to define herself as a Christian or as a 'fulfilled Jew,' 'Messianic Jew,' or any other designation is irrelevant; to us, she is clearly a Christian."<ref name=RELTOL> by Robinson, B. (])</ref></blockquote> | |||
|url=https://www.jta.org/2007/11/15/united-states/evangelical-movement-on-the-rise | |||
|title=Evangelical movement on the rise | |||
|first=Barry | |||
|last=Yeoman | |||
|date=November 15, 2007 | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|access-date=January 2, 2023 | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
<!-- Closing tag for Ref list--> | |||
}} | |||
== Works cited == | |||
Concerning ] and Christian missions to the Jews, ] wrote: | |||
{{refbegin}} | |||
<blockquote> | |||
<!-- A --> | |||
"…Except in relations with Christians, the Christ of Christianity is not a Jewish issue. There simply can be no dialogue worthy of the name unless Christians accept — nay, treasure — the fact that Jews through the two millennia of Christianity have had an agenda of their own. There can be no Jewish-Christian dialogue worthy of the name unless one Christian activity is abandoned, missions to the Jews. It must be abandoned, moreover, not as a temporary strategy but in principle, as a bimillennial theological mistake. The cost of that mistake in Christian love and Jewish blood one hesitates to contemplate. | |||
* {{cite book |last=Ariel |first=David S. |title=What Do Jews Believe? The Spiritual Foundations of Judaism |year=1996 |publisher=] |isbn=9780805210590}} | |||
<!--Yaakov S. Ariel is not NOT the Yaakov Ariel with a Misplaced Pages entry--> | |||
…A post-] Jew can still view Christian attempts to convert Jews as sincere and well intended. But even as such they are no longer acceptable: They have become attempts to do in one way what ] did in another."<ref>{{cite book | |||
* {{Cite book |last= Ariel |first= Yaakov S. |title= Evangelizing the chosen people: missions to the Jews in America, 1880–2000 |year= 2000 |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 978-0-8078-4880-7 |oclc= 43708450 }} | |||
|title = What is Judaism? An Interpretation for the Present Age | |||
* {{Cite book|last= Ariel |first= Yaakov |editor= ]|title= Terms of survival: the Jewish world since 1945 |orig-year= 1995 |edition= Digital Printing |year= 2005 |publisher= ] |location=London; New York |isbn= 978-0-415-10056-4 |chapter= Protestant Attitudes to Jews and Judaism During the Last Fifty Years |lccn= 94022069}} | |||
|last = Fackenheim | |||
* {{Cite book |last = Ariel |first = Yaakov S. |editor1-last=Gallagher |editor1-first=Eugene V. |editor2-last=Ashcraft |editor2-first=W. Michael |title= Jewish and Christian Traditions |series= Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America |volume= 2 |year= 2006 |publisher= ] |location= ] |isbn= 978-0-275-98714-5 |oclc= 315689134 |lccn = 2006022954 }} | |||
|first = Emil | |||
* {{cite book |last= Ariel |first= Yaakov S. |year= 2013 |title=An Unusual Relationship: Evangelical Christians and Jews |publisher= ] |isbn=9780814770689|chapter= 2 The Evangelical Messianic Faith and the Jews|pages= 35–57 |doi=10.18574/nyu/9780814770689.003.0002}} | |||
|year = 1987 | |||
|publisher = Summit Books | |||
|id = ISBN 0-671-46243-1 | |||
|pages = p.249 | |||
}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
<!-- B --> | |||
According to a ''1998 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents'' issued by Canadian ], | |||
* {{Cite encyclopedia|last=Balmer |first=Randall Herbert |author-link=Randall Balmer |title=Encyclopedia of evangelicalism |entry=Messianic Judaism |entry-url= |url={{Google books|id=Vjwly0QyeU4C|plainurl=y}} |edition=Rev. and expanded |date=November 2004 |publisher=] |location=] |isbn=9781932792041 |lccn=2004010023 |orig-year=2002}} | |||
<blockquote>"One of the more alarming trends in ] activity in Canada in 1998 was the growing number of incidents involving messianic organizations posing as "synagogues". These missionizing organizations are in fact evangelical Christian proselytizing groups, whose purpose is specifically to target members of the Jewish community for conversion. They fraudulently represent themselves as Jews, and these so-called synagogues are elaborately disguised Christian churches."<ref></ref> </blockquote> | |||
* {{cite book | |||
| last = Barnett | |||
| first = Paul | |||
| author-link = Paul Barnett (bishop) | |||
| title = Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times | |||
| url = {{Google books|id=NlFYY_iVt9cC|plainurl=y|page=|keywords=|text=}} | |||
| year = 2002 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| location = ] | |||
| isbn = 978-0-8308-2699-5 | |||
| lccn = 99036943 | |||
| chapter = 17.4 The Churches of Paul | |||
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NlFYY_iVt9cC&q=%22The+Churches+of+Paul%22 | |||
| quote = Nonetheless, Paul appears always to have preached first in the synagogues to offer his fellow Israelites the first opportunity to hear about their Messiah (cf. Rom 1:16). | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite conference |url=http://www.jcrelations.net/Dabru_Emet__Some_Reservations_about_a_Jewish_Statement_on_Christians_and_Christi.2719.0.html? |title=Dabru Emet: Some Reservations about a Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity |first=David |last=Berger |author-link=David Berger (historian) |date=February 28, 2003 |conference=Inaugural meeting of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR) in Baltimore, October 28, 2002. |access-date= 2019-04-03}} | |||
===Suggestions of Jewish legitimacy=== | |||
* {{Cite book | last = Berkley | first = George E. | title = Jews | date=February 1997 | publisher = Branden Books | location = ] | isbn = 978-0-8283-2027-6 | lccn = 96047021}} | |||
Jews believe that Messianic Judaism is not a form of Judaism, and that the very name of the movement itself is deceptive.<ref name="Denominations" /><ref name = "JList1" /> However, two non-Messianic Jewish scholars have suggested re-approaching the subject: | |||
* {{cite book |last=Brown |first=Michael L. |author-link=Michael L. Brown |year=2000 |title=General and Historical Objections |series=Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus |volume=1 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0801060632}} | |||
*], Theology and Religious Studies Professor ]<ref></ref>, also an ] ] rabbi, has suggested in his book ''Messianic Judaism'' that there should be a consideration of the place of Messianic Judaism within the contemporary Jewish community and outlines three alternative models for understanding the relationship between Messianic Judaism and the modern Jewish world.<ref name = "DCS-MJ">{{cite book | |||
* {{cite encyclopedia | |||
|last= Cohn-Sherbok | |||
| author= <!-- Cannot find author --> | |||
|first= Dan | |||
| editor-last = Burgess | |||
|authorlink= Dan Cohn-Sherbok | |||
| editor-first = Stanley M. | |||
|title= Messianic Judaism | |||
| editor-link = Stanley M. Burgess | |||
|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=5aOOlWdLpNwC&dq=inauthor:Dan+inauthor:Cohn+inauthor:Sherbok+models+of+messianic&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 | |||
| title = Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity | |||
|format=] | |||
| entry = Messianic Jews | |||
|accessdate=2008-04-24 | |||
|year= |
| year = 2006 | ||
| location = London; New York | |||
|publisher= ] | |||
| publisher = Routledge | |||
|location= ], ] | |||
| series = Religion & Society | |||
|isbn= 0304707309 | |||
| volume = 7 | |||
|oclc= 42719687 | |||
| isbn = 978-0415969666 | |||
|id= {{LCCN|99||050300}} | |||
|pages= pp.203–215 | |||
|chapter=Models of Messianic Judaism | |||
|chapterurl=http://books.google.ca/books?id=5aOOlWdLpNwC&pg=PT1&dq=inauthor:Dan+inauthor:Cohn+inauthor:Sherbok+models+of+messianic&sig=1fmAqKEncJG7vpaU5-SydtiEl0w#PPA203,M1 | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | |||
*] rabbi ] has posited that Messianic Judaism is a form of ], while simultaneously a form of ]. She also asserts why and how both Christianity and Judaism reject Messianic Judaism<ref></ref><ref name = harris /> | |||
<!-- C --> | |||
==Israeli Citizenship== | |||
* {{cite book |last=Cohn-Sherbok |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Cohn-Sherbok |title=Messianic Judaism |year=2000 |publisher=] |location=London; New York |url={{Google books|id=7f3DCgAAQBAJ|plainurl=y|page=|keywords=|text=}} |isbn=978-0-8264-5458-4 |lccn=99050300}} | |||
* {{cite conference |url=http://www.mohr.de/en/nc/theology/series/detail/buch/the-image-of-the-judaeo-christians-in-ancient-jewish-and-christian-literature.html | |||
|access-date=May 22, 2012 |title=Modern Hebrew Christianity and Messianic Judaism |last=Cohn-Sherbok |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Cohn-Sherbok |year=2003 |conference=Colloquium of the Institutum Iudaicum, Brussels 18–19 November 2001 |editor1-last=Tomson |editor1-first=Peter J. |editor2-last=Lambers-Petry |editor2-first=Doris |book-title=The Image of the Judaeo-Christians in Ancient Jewish and Christian Literature |publisher=] |location=] |series=Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament |volume=158 |page=287 |isbn=978-3-16-148094-2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110104747/http://www.mohr.de/en/nc/theology/series/detail/buch/the-image-of-the-judaeo-christians-in-ancient-jewish-and-christian-literature.html |archive-date=2013-11-10}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Cohn-Sherbok |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Cohn-Sherbok |title=Judaism Today |year=2010 |publisher=] |location=London; New York |url={{Google books|id=kw8SBwAAQBAJ|plainurl=y|page=|keywords=|text=}} |isbn=978-0-8264-3829-4 |lccn=2009045430}} | |||
The state of Israel grants ] and citizenship to Jews, and to those with Jewish parents or grandparents who are not considered Jews according to ], e.g. people who have a Jewish father but a non-Jewish mother. Specifically excluded were any “person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion.” An ] decision in 1989 ruled that Messianic Judaism constituted another religion.<ref name = "NYT-1989">{{cite web | |||
|url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFDB1439F934A15751C1A96F948260 | |||
|title= Israeli Court Rules Jews for Jesus Cannot Automatically Be Citizens | |||
|accessdate= 2008-04-24 | |||
|date= ], ] | |||
|work = World | |||
|publisher= ] | |||
|quote= <small>‘Messianic Jews attempt to reverse the wheels of history by 2,000 years,’ Justice Elon wrote in a passage quoted by the Israeli newspapers. ‘But the Jewish people has decided during the 2,000 years of its history’ that Messianic Jews ‘do not belong to the Jewish nation and have no right to force themselves on it. Those who believe in Jesus are, in fact, Christians.’</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> The Israeli government therefore rejected as a matter of course applications from Messianic Jews under the Law of Return. | |||
<!-- D --> | |||
On April 16, 2008, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled in a case brought by a number of Messianic Jews with Jewish fathers and grandfathers. Their applications for Aliyah had been rejected on the grounds that they were Messianic Jews. The argument was made by the applicants that they had never been Jews according to halacha, and were not therefore excluded by the conversion clause. This argument was upheld in the ruling.<ref name = "JIJ" /><ref name = "JPost">{{cite web | |||
<!-- E --> | |||
|url= http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208870469395&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull | |||
<!-- F --> | |||
|title= Court applies Law of Return to Messianic Jews because of fathers | |||
* {{cite book|last1= Feher|first1= Shoshana|year=1998|title= Passing over Easter: Constructing the Boundaries of Messianic JudaismWalnut Creek, Ca|publisher=]|isbn=978-0761989523}} | |||
|accessdate= 2008-04-24 | |||
* {{cite book | |||
|last= Izenberg | |||
|last=Flannery | |||
|first= Dan | |||
|first=Edward H. | |||
|date= ], ] | |||
|author-link= Edward Flannery | |||
|publisher= ] | |||
|title= The Anguish of the Jews: Twenty-Three Centuries of Antisemitism | |||
|quote= <small>An article published in the ''Baptist Press'' after the High Court ruling was handed down maintained that the court had ruled that ‘the Messianics should receive equal treatment under the Israeli Law of Return, which says that anyone who is born Jewish can immigrate from anywhere in the world to Israel and be granted citizenship automatically.’ But, as was explained to ''The Jerusalem Post'' by a legal assistant to Myers, this is apparently a misunderstanding of the ruling, which determined that the petitioners were entitled to automatic new immigrant status and citizenship precisely because they were not Jews as defined by the Law of Return, but rather because they were the offspring of Jewish fathers.</small> | |||
|url={{Google books|id=J40gNC7cxfYC|plainurl=y|page=|keywords=|text=}} | |||
|edition=3rd revised | |||
|orig-year=1965 | |||
|year=1985 | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|isbn=978-0-8091-4324-5 | |||
|lccn=85060298 | |||
|chapter=An Oasis and an Ordeal | |||
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J40gNC7cxfYC&q=Pablo+Cristiani | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref><ref name = "CBN">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/359362.aspx | |||
| title = Messianic Ruling | |||
| accessdate = 2008-04-17 | |||
| year = 2008 | |||
| work = cbn.com | |||
| publisher = CBNnews.com | |||
| quote = <small>Myers told CBN News, "The bottom line is that if your father is Jewish or if any of your grandparents are Jewish from your father's side - even if you're a Messianic Jew - you can immigrate to Israel under the law of return or under the law of citizenship if you marry an Israeli citizen."</small> | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
* {{cite encyclopedia |entry=Messianic Judaism |surname=Foreman |given=Esther |title=Encyclopedia of new religious movements |pages=397–399 |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |editor-surname=Clarke |editor-given=Peter B. |editor-link=Peter B. Clarke |place=London; New York |url-access=limited |entry-url= |url={{Google books|id=heeCAgAAQBAJ|plainurl=y|page=|keywords=|text=}} |isbn=9-78-0-415-26707-6}} | |||
==Harassment and hate crimes against Messianic Jews in Israel== | |||
<!-- G --> | |||
The International Religious Freedom Report 2008, released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the US states that harassment of Messianic Jews by Orthodox Jews is increasing. <ref>{{cite web | |||
* {{cite book |last=Gidney |first=William Thomas |date=1908 |title=The History of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews: From 1809 to 1908 |url=https://archive.org/details/historylondonso00gidngoog |publisher=London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews}} | |||
| url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108484.htm | |||
* {{cite book |last=Goble |first=Phillip E. |date=1974 |title=Everything You Need to Grow a Messianic Synagogue |url=https://www.afii.org/digitalibrary/0878084215.pdf |publisher=] |isbn=0878084215 |lccn=74-028017}} | |||
| title = 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom - Israel and the occupied territories | |||
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Greenspoon |editor-first1=Leonard Jay |year=1998 |title=Yiddish Language and Culture: Then and Now |series=Studies in Jewish Civilization |volume=9 |publisher=] |isbn=9781881871255 |oclc=59308743}} | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-29 | |||
* {{cite book|last= Grudem|first= Wayne A.|author-link= Wayne Grudem|title= Systematic Theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine|year= 1994|publisher= ]|location= ]|isbn= 978-0-310-28670-7|oclc= 29952151|url= https://archive.org/details/systematictheolo00grud_0}} | |||
| publisher = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US Government | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Orthodox Jewish groups published announcements in religious newspapers calling Messianic Jews "dangerous" and calling for their expulsion from Israeli areas.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} | |||
In early May 2008 a group of rabbis called for a boycott of an International Bible Quiz in Jerusalem after discovering that one of the four finalists from Israel was a Messianic Jew.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} | |||
On March 20, 2008, a bomb concealed as a Purim gift basket was delivered to the house of a prominent Messianic Jewish family in ], Israel, which severely wounded the son. The boy's father is a Messianic Jew and was previously the victim of a smear campaign by Orthodox Jews, who hung posters of his face and called him a "dangerous missionary."<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017370992&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull | |||
| title = US report: Rise in violence against Messianic Jews and Christians | |||
| accessdate = 2008-09-26 | |||
| last = Wagner | |||
| first = Matthew | |||
| publisher = The Jerusalem Post | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On October 23, 2007, suspected arsonists set fire to the Narkis Street Baptist Church in West Jerusalem in which a Russian Messianic Jewish congregation meets.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} | |||
<!-- H --> | |||
==See also== | |||
* {{Cite book | last = Harries | first = Richard | author-link = Richard Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth | title = After the evil: Christianity and Judaism in the shadow of the Holocaust |date=August 2003 | publisher = ] | location = New York, New York | isbn = 978-0-19-926313-4 | lccn = 2003273342}} | |||
{{portal}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Harris-Shapiro |first=Carol |author-link=Carol Harris-Shapiro |title=Messianic Judaism: A Rabbi's Journey through Religious Change in America |year=1999 |publisher=]| location=] |isbn=0807010405| lccn=98054864 }} | |||
*] | |||
* {{cite book |last=Hocken |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Hocken |date=2009 |title=The Challenges of the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Messianic Jewish Movements: The Tensions of the Spirit |publisher=] |isbn=978-0754667469}} | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
<!--I --> | |||
==References== | |||
<!-- J --> | |||
{{reflist|2}} | |||
* {{cite book|last=Juster|first=Dan|author-link=Daniel Juster|title=Jewish Roots: A Foundation of Biblical Theology|year=1995|publisher=Destiny Image|location=]|orig-year=1985|isbn=1560431423|lccn=94074707}} | |||
* {{cite book |last1=Juster |first1=Dan |last2=Hocken |first2=Peter |author1-link=Daniel Juster |author2-link=Peter Hocken |year=2004 |title=The Messianic Jewish Movement: An Introduction |url=https://www.stucom.nl/document/0122uk.pdf |type=booklet |series=TJCII Booklet Series |volume=1 |publisher=Toward Jerusalem Council II |access-date=December 29, 2022}} | |||
<!-- K --> | |||
==Further reading== | |||
* {{cite encyclopedia |last = Kessler |first = Edward |author-link = Edward Kessler |editor1-last = Kessler |editor1-first = Edward |editor1-link = Edward Kessler |editor2-last = Wenborn |editor2-first = Neil |encyclopedia = A Dictionary Of Jewish-Christian Relations |title = Messianic Jews |year = 2005 |publisher = ] |location = ], ] |isbn = 978-0-521-82692-1 |lccn = 2005012923 }} | |||
<div class = "small"> | |||
* {{cite book |last= Kinzer |first= Mark S. |date=2005 |title=Postmissionary Messianic Judaism: Redefining Christian Engagement with the Jewish People |publisher=] |isbn=9781587431524}} | |||
* ]. ''Messianic Judaism'', Continuum International Publishing Group (1 February 2001), ISBN 0-8264-5458-5 | |||
* {{cite journal |last1 = Kinzer |first1 = Mark S. |date=2010 |title=Finding Our Way Through Nicaea: The Deity of Yeshua, Bilateral Ecclesiology, and Redemptive Encounter with the Living God |journal=Kesher |location=] |publisher=] |issue=24 |access-date = January 3, 2023 |url=https://www.kesherjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=135&Itemid=430 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929134948/https://www.kesherjournal.com/article/finding-our-way-through-nicaea-the-deity-of-yeshua-bilateral-ecclesiology-and-redemptive-encounter-with-the-living-god/ |archive-date=September 29, 2020}} | |||
* ], ed. ''Voices of Messianic Judaism: Confronting Critical Issues Facing a Maturing Movement'', Messianic Jewish Resources International (June, 2001), ISBN 1-880226-93-6 | |||
* {{cite journal |last1=Kinzer |first1=Mark S. |year=2018 |title=Beginning with the End: the Place of Eschatology in the Messianic Jewish Canonical Narrative |url=https://www.kesherjournal.com/article/beginning-with-the-end-the-place-of-eschatology-in-the-messianic-jewish-canonical-narrative/ |journal=Kesher |location=] |publisher=] |volume=32 |access-date=January 3, 2023}} | |||
* Feher, Shoshanah. ''Passing Over Easter: Constructing the Boundaries of Messianic Judaism'', AltaMira Press (1998), ISBN 0-7619-8953-6; 0761989528 | |||
* Fieldsend, John. ''Messianic Jews - Challenging Church And Synagogue'', Monarch Publications/MARC/Olive Press, (1993), ISBN 1-85424-228-8 | |||
* Fischer, John, ed.; ''The Enduring Paradox: Exploratory Essays in Messianic Judaism'', Messianic Jewish Resources International (July, 2000), ISBN 1-880226-90-1 | |||
* Goldberg, Louis, ed. ''How Jewish Is Christianity? Two Views On The Messianic Movement'', Zondervan, (2003), ISBN 0-310-24490-0 | |||
*Gruber, Daniel, ''The Church and the Jews: The Biblical Relationship'' (Springfield, MO: General Council of the Assemblies of God, Intercultural Ministries, 1991) | |||
*Gruber, Daniel, ''Torah and the New Covenant--An Introduction'' (Elijah Publishing 1998) ISBN 0-9669253-0-0 | |||
* ]. ''Messianic Judaism: A Rabbi's Journey through Religious Change in America'', Beacon Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8070-1040-5 | |||
* Hefley, James C. ''The New Jews'', Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (1974), ISBN 0-8423-4680-5 | |||
* Hegg, Tim. ''The Letter Writer: Paul's Background and Torah Perspective'', First Fruits of Zion, (2002), ISBN 1-892124-16-5 | |||
* ]. ''Growing to Maturity: A Messianic Jewish Guide'', Union of Messianic Congregations; 3rd ed. (1987), ISBN 0-9614555-0-0 | |||
* ]. ''Jewish Roots - A Foundation Of Biblical Theology'', Destiny Image; 3rd ed. (1995), ISBN 1-56043-142-3 | |||
* Kinzer, Mark. ''Postmissionary Messianic Judaism'', Brazos, (November 2005), ISBN 1-58743-152-1 | |||
* Maoz, Baruch. ''Judaism Is Not Jewish - A Friendly Critique Of The Messianic Movement'', Mentor, (2003), ISBN 1-85792-787-7 | |||
* Pearce, Tony. ''The Messiah Factor'', New Wine Press, (Spring 2004), ISBN 1-903725-32-1 | |||
* Rausch, David A. ''Messianic Judaism: Its History Theology and Polity'', Mellen Press, (December 1982), ISBN 0-88946-802-8 | |||
* Robinson, Rich, ed. ''The Messianic Movement: A Field Guide For Evangelical Christians From Jews For Jesus'', Purple Pomegranate Publications, (2005), ISBN 1-881022-62-5 | |||
* Schiffman, Dr Michael. ''Return Of The Remnant - The Rebirth Of Messianic Judaism'', Lederer Books, (1996), ISBN 1-880226-53-7 | |||
* Scholem, Gershom. ''The Messianic Idea in Judaism and other Essays on Jewish Spirituality'', (1971), ISBN 978-0805210439 | |||
* ] ''Messianic Jewish Manifesto'', Messianic Jewish Resources International, (May, 1988), ISBN 965-359-002-2 | |||
* Telchin, Stan. ''Messianic Judaism is Not Christianity'', Chosen Books (September, 2004), ISBN 0-8007-9372-2 | |||
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==External links== | |||
* {{Cite book |last = Lewis |first = James R. |author-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |title = Odd Gods: New Religions & the Cult Controversy |year = 2001 |publisher = Prometheus Books |isbn = 978-1-57392-842-7 |url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781573928427}} | |||
===General=== | |||
* {{Cite book | last = Lotker | first = Michael | title = A Christian's guide to Judaism |date=May 2004 | publisher = Paulist Press | location = New York, New York | isbn = 978-0-8091-4232-3 | chapter = It's More About ''What'' is the Messiah than ''Who'' is the Messiah| lccn = 2003024813}} | |||
* Global Forum for Messianic Judaism, Messianic Halakha, and Torah Study | |||
* UMJC's Messianic Halakha development organization | |||
* ReligiousTolerance.org | |||
* Messianic Jewish on-line ministry | |||
* | |||
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* by Bruce L. Cohen | |||
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===Denominations=== | |||
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor-surname=Melton |editor-given=J. Gordon |editor-link=J. Gordon Melton |year=2005 |entry=Messianic Judaism |title=Encyclopedia of Protestantism |place=New York |publisher=Facts On File |series=Encyclopedia of World Religions |page=373 |entry-url={{Google books|id=bW3sXBjnokkC|plainurl=y|page=373|keywords=|text=}} |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bW3sXBjnokkC |isbn=0-8160-5456-8 |archive-date=2024-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630153122/https://books.google.com/books?id=bW3sXBjnokkC |url-status=live }} | |||
* A major Messianic denomination | |||
* {{cite book |last1= Moscrop |first1= John James |year=2000 |title= Measuring Jerusalem: The Palestine Exploration Fund and British Interests in the Holy Land |chapter=Remembering Jerusalem: 1799–1839 |publisher= ] |isbn= 9780718502201}} | |||
* The International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues | |||
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===Criticism=== | |||
*{{Cite book|last=Nuesner |first=Jacob |author-link=Jacob Neusner |others=Donald H. Akerson (forward) |title=A Rabbi Talks With Jesus |orig-year=1994 |edition=Revised |date=February 2000 |publisher=] |location=] |isbn=978-0-7735-2046-2 |chapter=Come, Let us Reason Together |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eI7lR3rleYYC&q=A+Rabbi+Talks+With+Jesus&pg=PP1|lccn= 2001339789|ref={{harvid|Neusner|2000}}}} | |||
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* {{cite book|last=Rausch|first=David|author-link=David A. Rausch|title=Messianic Judaism: Its History, Theology, and Polity|year=1982a|publisher=]|isbn=9780889468030|series=Texts and studies in religion|volume=14}} | |||
* {{cite journal|last = Rausch|first = David A.|author-link = David A. Rausch|date = September 1982b|title = The Messianic Jewish Congregational Movement|journal = ]|volume = 99|issue = 28|page = 926|url = https://www.religion-online.org/article/the-messianic-jewish-congregational-movement/|access-date = December 29, 2022}} | |||
* {{cite journal |last1=Reason |first1=Gabriela |date=2005 |title=Competing Trends In Messianic Judaism: The Debate Over Evangelicalism |url=https://www.kesherjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=441 |journal=Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism |volume= 18|issue= Winter|access-date=2019-04-03}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Rich |title=The Messianic Movement: A Field Guide for Evangelical Christians |year=2005 |publisher=] |location=] |isbn=978-1881022626 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hw3GPaR-m1IC |access-date=December 29, 2022}} | |||
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===Response to Jewish Objections=== | |||
* {{cite book|last=Schoeman|first = Roy H. |title = Salvation is from the Jews: the role of Judaism in salvation history from Abraham to the Second Coming |year=2003 |publisher = ] |location = ]| isbn = 9780898709759| lccn = 2003105176}} | |||
* | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Schoen |first=Robert |title= What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew about Judaism |date=April 2004 |publisher=] |location= ] |isbn=978-0-8294-1777-7 |chapter=Jews, Jesus, and Christianity |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L86LbrUP8LoC&q=What+I+Wish+My+Christian+Friends+Knew+about+Judaism&pg=PP1 |lccn= 2003024404}} | |||
* {{cite web | |||
|url=https://aish.com/why-jews-dont-believe-in-jesus/ | |||
|title=Why Jews Don't Believe In Jesus | |||
|last=Simmons | |||
|first=Shraga | |||
|author-link=Shraga Simmons | |||
|date=March 6, 2004 | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|access-date=January 2, 2023 | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite journal| last=Sobel| first=B.Z.| date = December 1968| title = The Tools of Legitimation—Zionism and the Hebrew Christian Movement| url = https://archive.jpr.org.uk/download?id=2375| format = PDF| journal = The Jewish Journal of Sociology| volume = 10| issue = 2| access-date = 2019-04-02}} | |||
===Torah-focused=== | |||
*{{cite book|last=Spector|first=Stephen|title=Evangelicals and Israel|year=2008|publisher=]|isbn=978-0195368024|lccn=2008026681}} | |||
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* {{cite magazine |date=December 1910 |title=Editorial |url=https://vineofdavid.ffoz.org/remnant-repository/_files/The_Messianic_Jew_Volume_1_Lucky.pdf |magazine=The Messianic Jew |location=] |publisher=The Jewish Messianic Movement |volume=1 |issue=1|ref={{harvid|TMJ|1910}}}} | |||
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==Further reading== | |||
* {{cite book |last=Prill |first=Patrick |title=Expectations About God and Messiah |publisher=Yeshua Publishing LLC |year=2004 |isbn=978-0974208602 |ref=none}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Resnik |first=Russ |year=2010 |title=Introducing Messianic Judaism and the UMJC |url=https://www.messianicstudies.com/uploads/1/3/3/3/13335212/introducing_messianic_judaism_and_the_umjc.pdf |location=] |publisher=] |type = booklet |ref=none}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Schonfield|first=Hugh |publisher=Duckworth |location=London |year=1936 |url= https://archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfJewishChristianity |title=History of Jewish Christianity|ref=none}} | |||
*{{cite book |last=Stern |first=David H. |author-link=David H. Stern |title=Messianic Judaism: A Modern Movement With an Ancient Past |year=2007 |location=] |edition=2 |publisher=Messianic Jewish Publishers |isbn=978-1880226339 |ref=none}} | |||
==External links== | |||
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Latest revision as of 12:39, 17 January 2025
Religious sect that considers itself Jewish, but which is considered by Jews to be Christian Not to be confused with Messiah in Judaism, Jewish Christian, or Chabad messianism.
This article is part of a series on |
Messianic Judaism |
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Theology and practice |
Religious texts |
Related movements |
Opposition |
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Figures |
Ancient groups |
Recent groups |
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Messianic Judaism is a syncretic Abrahamic new religious movement that combines various Jewish traditions and elements of Jewish prayer with Evangelical Protestant theology. It considers itself to be a form of Judaism but is generally considered to be a form of Christianity, including by all major groups within mainstream Judaism, since Jews consider belief in Jesus as the Messiah and divine in the form of God the Son (and the doctrine of the Trinity in general) to be among the most defining distinctions between Judaism and Christianity. It is also generally considered a Christian sect by scholars and other Christian groups.
It emerged in the United States between the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier Hebrew Christian movement, and was most prominently propelled through the non-profit organization Jews for Jesus founded in 1973 by Martin "Moishe" Rosen, an American minister under the Conservative Baptist Association.
Messianic Jews adhere to conventional Christian beliefs, including the concept of salvation through faith in Jesus (referred to by the Hebrew-language name Yeshua among adherents) as the Jewish Messiah and Savior from sin, and the spiritual authority of the Bible (including the Old and New Testaments).
In the Hebrew language, they tend to identify themselves with the terms maaminim (מאמינים, lit. 'believers') and yehudim (יְהוּדִים, lit. 'Jews') in opposition to being identified as notzrim (נוצרים, lit. 'Christians'). Jewish organizations inside and outside of Israel reject this framing. The Supreme Court of Israel declared Messianic Judaism a Christian sect for purposes of the Law of Return.
From 2003 to 2007, the movement grew from 150 Messianic houses of worship in the United States to as many as 438, with over 100 in Israel and more worldwide; congregations are often affiliated with larger Messianic organizations or alliances. As of 2012, Messianic population estimates were between 175,000 and 250,000 members in the United States, between 10,000 and 20,000 members in Israel, and an estimated total worldwide membership of 350,000.
History
Pre-19th century
Efforts by Jewish Christians to proselytize to Jews began in the 1st century, when Paul the Apostle preached at the synagogues in each city that he visited. However, by the 4th century CE, non-biblical accounts of missions to the Jews do not mention converted Jews playing any leading role in proselytization. Notable converts from Judaism who attempted to convert other Jews are more visible in historical sources beginning around the 13th century, when Jewish convert Pablo Christiani attempted to convert other Jews. This activity, however, typically lacked any independent Jewish-Christian congregations, and was often imposed through force by organized Christian churches.
19th and early 20th centuries
Main article: Hebrew Christian MovementIn the 19th century, some groups attempted to create congregations and societies of Jewish converts to Christianity, though most of these early organizations were short-lived. Early formal organizations run by converted Jews include: the Anglican London Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews of Joseph Frey (1809), which published the first Yiddish New Testament in 1821; the "Beni Abraham" association, established by Frey in 1813 with a group of 41 Jewish Christians who started meeting at Jews' Chapel, London for prayers Friday night and Sunday morning; and the London Hebrew Christian Alliance of Great Britain founded by Dr. Carl Schwartz in 1866.
The September 1813 meeting of Frey's "Beni Abraham" congregation at the rented "Jews' Chapel" in Spitalfields is sometimes pointed to as the birth of the semi-autonomous Hebrew Christian movement within Anglican and other established churches in Britain. However, the minister of the chapel at Spitalfields evicted Frey and his congregation three years later, and Frey severed his connections with the society. A new location was found and the Episcopal Jew's Chapel Abrahamic Society registered in 1835.
In Eastern Europe, Joseph Rabinowitz established a Hebrew Christian mission and congregation called "Israelites of the New Covenant" in Kishinev, Bessarabia, in 1884. In 1865, Rabinowitz created a sample order of worship for Sabbath morning service based on a mixture of Jewish and Christian elements. Mark John Levy pressed the Church of England to allow members to embrace Jewish customs.
In the United States, a congregation of Jewish converts to Christianity was established in New York City in 1885. In the 1890s, immigrant Jewish converts to Christianity worshipped at the Methodist "Hope of Israel" mission on New York's Lower East Side while retaining some Jewish rites and customs. In 1895, the 9th edition of Hope of Israel's Our Hope magazine carried the subtitle "A Monthly Devoted to the Study of Prophecy and to Messianic Judaism", the first use of the term "Messianic Judaism". In 1894, Christian missionary Leopold Cohn, a convert from Judaism, founded the Brownsville Mission to the Jews in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York as a Christian mission to Jews. After several changes in name, structure, and focus, the organization is now called Chosen People Ministries.
In the early 1900s there was a community of Messianic Jews in South Africa representing themselves as "Christian Jews" whose goal was to create a "true and genuine Christ-loving Jewish Christian Synogogue".
Missions to the Jews saw a period of growth between the 1920s and the 1960s. In the 1940s and 1950s, missionaries in Israel, including the Southern Baptists, adopted the term meshichyim (משיחיים, "messianics") to counter negative connotations of the word notsrim (נוצרים, "Christians"). The term was used to designate all Jews who had converted to Protestant Evangelical Christianity.
Modern-day Messianic Judaism movement, 1960s onwards
The Messianic Jewish movement emerged in the United States in the 1960s. Prior to this time, Jewish converts assimilated into gentile Christianity, as the church required abandoning their Jewishness and assuming gentile ways to receive baptism. Peter Hocken postulates that the Jesus movement which swept the nation in the 1960s triggered a change from Hebrew Christians to Messianic Jews, and was a distinctly charismatic movement. These Jews wanted to "stay Jewish while believing in Jesus". This impulse was amplified by the results of the Six-Day War and the restoration of Jerusalem to Jewish control.
Foundational organizations
In 2004, there were 300 Messianic congregations in the United States, with roughly half of all attendants being gentiles, and roughly one third of all congregations consisting of 30 or fewer members. Many of these congregations belong to the International Association of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS), the Union of Messianic Congregations (UMJC), or Tikkun International.
The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) began in 1915 as the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA). As the idea of maintaining Jewish identity spread in the late 1960s, the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA) changed its name to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA). David Rausch writes that the change "signified far more than a semantical expression—it represented an evolution in the thought processes and religious and philosophical outlook toward a more fervent expression of Jewish identity." As of 2005, the MJAA was an organization of Jewish members who welcome non-Jews as "honored associates". In 1986, the MJAA formed a congregational branch called the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS).
In June 1979, 19 congregations in North America met at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and formed the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC). In 2022, it would have 75 congregations in 8 countries. In 2016, Douglas Hamp founded The Way Congregation near Denver, CO. with the concept of recognizing fundamentalist Christian beliefs and yet embracing One Law Theology, Two House Theology (see sections below), and Commonwealth Theology. Their website states the fellowship was founded "to serve as a bridge between the Jews and the gentile Church." Non-Jewish congregants are not encouraged to convert to Judaism and Jewish attendants are encouraged to celebrate their Jewish heritage. Hamp blames the heretic Marcion for mainstream Christianity's juxtaposition of Law and Grace. On the other hand, the Congregation meets on the Sabbath, celebrates the Feasts, and teaches conformance to the Dietary Laws given through Moses.
Messianic Seal of Jerusalem
The Messianic Seal of Jerusalem is a symbol used by Messianic Judaism. It is a depiction of the temple menorah, an ancient symbol used by Jews, together with the "ichthys," a depictive representation of Christianity, with a Star of David at the intersection. The Messianic Seal is not the only symbol of Messianic Judaism; other symbols, such as a cross inside a Star of David and the dolphin.
There is an ongoing dispute as to whether or not the seal dates from the 1st century CE. or if it is a 20th-century invention.
Theology and core doctrines
See also: Oral gospel traditionsThe Trinity
Many Messianic Jews affirm the doctrine of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as three representations of the same divinity.
- God the Father: Messianic Jews believe in God, and that he is all-powerful, omnipresent, eternally existent outside of creation, and infinitely significant and benevolent. Some Messianic Jews affirm both the Shema and the Trinity, understanding the phrase "the LORD is One" to be referring to "a differentiated but singular deity", and "eternally existent in plural oneness".
- God the Son: Most Messianic Jews consider Jesus to be the Messiah and divine as God the Son, in line with mainstream Christianity, and will even pray directly to him. Many also consider Jesus to be their "chief teacher and rabbi" whose life should be copied.
- God the Holy Spirit: According to some Messianic Jews, the Spirit is introduced in the Old Testament, is the inspirer of prophets, and is the spirit of truth described in the New Testament.
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
- God the Father: Some Messianic Jews profess only a strict view of monotheism, rejecting Trinitarian doctrine and Arian doctrine.
- Jesus the Son of God: Some Messianic Jews, who reject Trinitarian doctrine and Arian doctrine, believe that the Jewish Messiah is the son of God in the general sense (Jewish people are children of God) and that the Jewish Messiah is a mere human, the promised Prophet. Some Messianic Jews believe Jewish Messiah is the pre-existent Word of God, the mighty God, and the only begotten God. Some congregations do not directly ascribe divinity to Jesus, considering him a man, yet not just a man, fathered by the Holy Spirit, who became the Messiah. Even others consider him "Word made flesh" and the "human expression of Divinity".
- The Holy Spirit (Hebrew: רוח הקודש, ruach ha-kodesh) refers to the divine force, or to the word or spirit of God.
Scriptures and writings
The Bible
Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament are usually considered to be the established and divinely inspired biblical scriptures by Messianic Jews. With a few exceptions, Messianic believers generally consider the written Torah, the five books of Moses, to remain in force as a continuing covenant, revised by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament, that is to be observed both morally and ritually. Jesus did not annul the Torah, but its interpretation is revised through the Apostolic scriptures.
Jewish oral tradition
There is no unanimity among Messianic congregations on the issue of the Talmud and the Oral Torah. There are congregations which believe that adherence to the Oral Law, as encompassed by the Talmud, is against Messianic beliefs. Similarly, there are congregations which deny the authority of the Pharisees, believing that they were superseded, and their teachings contradicted, by Messianism. There are adherents which call rabbinic commentaries such as the Mishnah and the Talmud "dangerous", and state that followers of rabbinic and halakhic explanations and commentaries are not believers in Jesus as the Messiah. Other congregations are selective in their applications of Talmudic law, and may believe that the rabbinic commentaries such as the Mishnah and the Talmud, while historically informative and useful in understanding tradition, are not normative and may not be followed where they differ from the New Testament. Still others encourage a serious observance of Jewish halakha.
Messianic Bible translations
Main article: Messianic Bible translationsMessianic publications
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David H. Stern has released a one-volume Jewish New Testament Commentary, providing explanatory notes from a Messianic Jewish point of view. Other New Testament commentary authors include Arnold Fruchtenbaum of Ariel Ministries, who has written commentaries on the Epistles, Judges and Ruth, Genesis, and 7 systematic doctrinal studies.
Sin and atonement
Some Messianic believers define sin as transgression of the Law of God and include the concept of original sin. Some adherents atone for their sins through prayer and repentance – the acknowledgment of the wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness for their sins (especially on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement). Disagreeing with these rites and practices, other Messianics hold to a belief that all sin (whether committed yet or not) is already atoned for because of Jesus's death and resurrection.
Evangelism and attitudes toward Jews and Israel
Messianic Jews believe God's people have a responsibility to spread his name and fame to all nations. It is believed that the Children of Israel were, remain, and will continue to be the chosen people of the God, and are central to his plans for existence. Most Messianic believers, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, can be said to oppose supersessionism (popularly referred to as replacement theology), the view that the Church has replaced Israel in the mind and plans of God.
According to certain branches of Messianic Judaism, Jews are individuals who have one or more Jewish parents, or who have undergone halakhic conversion to Judaism.
One Law theology
One Law theology (also known as "One Torah for All") teaches that anyone who is a part of Israel is obligated to observe the Covenant and its provisions as outlined in the Torah. Dan Juster of Tikkun, and Russ Resnik of the UMJC, have argued against the One Law movement's insistence on gentiles being required to observe the entirety of Torah in the same way as Jews. Tim Hegg responded to their article defending what he believes to be the biblical teaching of "One Law" theology and its implications concerning the obligations of Torah obedience by new Messianic believers from the nations. The Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations (CTOMC) likewise rejects bi-lateral Ecclesiology in favor of the One Torah for All (One Law) position.
Two House theology
Proponents of Two House theology espouse their belief that the phrase "House of Judah" in scripture refers to Jews, while "the House of Israel" refers to the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, or Ephraim. Where scripture states the House of Israel and Judah will again be "one stick" (Ezekiel 37:15–23), it is believed to be referring to the End Times, immediately prior to the Second Coming, when many of those descended from Israel will come back to Israel. Advocates of this theology postulate that the reason so many gentiles convert to Messianic Judaism is that the vast majority of them are truly Israelites. Like One Law groups, the Two House movement has many superficial similarities to Messianic Judaism, such as their belief in the ongoing validity of the Mosaic Covenant. While much of the Two House teaching is based on interpretations of Biblical prophecy, the biggest disagreements are due to inability to identify the genealogy of the Lost Tribes. Organizations such as the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America and Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations have explicitly opposed the Two House teaching.
Supersessionism
Historically, Christianity has taught supersessionism (replacement theology), which implies or outright states that Christianity has superseded Judaism, and that the Mosaic Covenant of the Hebrew Bible has been superseded by the New Covenant of Jesus, wherein salvation is brought about by the grace of God, and not by obedience to the Torah. This is generally complemented with the concept of God having transferred the status of "God's people" from the Jews to the Christian Church. Messianic Jews, in varying degrees, challenge both thoughts, and instead believing that although Israel has rejected Jesus, it has not forfeited its status as God's chosen people. Often cited is Romans 11:29: "for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable". The core of supersessionism, in which the Mosaic Covenant is canceled, is less agreed upon. Though the mitzvot may or may not be seen as necessary, most are still followed, especially the keeping of Shabbat and other holy days.
Eschatology
All Messianic Jews hold to certain eschatological beliefs such as the End of Days, the Second Coming of Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the re-gathering of Israel, a rebuilt Third Temple, a resurrection of the dead, and many believe in the Millennial Sabbath, although some are Amillenialist. Some Messianic Jews believe that all of the Jewish holidays, and indeed the entire Torah, intrinsically hint at the Messiah, and thus no study of the End Times is complete without understanding the major Jewish Festivals in their larger prophetic context. To certain believers, the feasts of Pesach and Shavuot were fulfilled in Jesus's first coming, and Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot will be at his second. Some also believe in a literal 7000-year period for the human history of the world, with a Millennial Messianic kingdom prior to a final judgment.
Religious practices
Torah observance
See also: Christian views on the Old Covenant § Torah observanceThere is a variety of practice within Messianic Judaism regarding the strictness of Torah observance. Generally, Torah observant congregations observe Jewish prayers, biblical feasts, and the Sabbath. While most traditional Christians deny that the ritual laws and specific civil laws of the Torah apply to gentiles, some Messianic believers say certain passages regarding Torah observance in the New Testament are cited by as proof that the Torah was not abolished for Jews. They say that in Acts 21:17–36, Jewish believers in Jerusalem are described as "zealous for the Law".
Sabbath and holiday observances
Some Messianic Jews observe Shabbat on Saturdays. Worship services are generally held on Friday evenings (Erev Shabbat) or Saturday mornings. According to the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship (SBMF), services are held on Saturday to "open the doors to Jewish people who also wish to keep the Sabbath". The liturgy used is similar to that of a Jewish siddur with some important differences including the omission of "salvation by works" as the Messianic belief is salvation through Jesus. Other branches of the movement have attempted to "eliminate the elements of Christian worship that cannot be directly linked to their Jewish roots". Almost all such congregations in Israel observe Jewish holidays, which they understand to have their fulfillment in Jesus."
The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council recommends the observance of Jewish holidays. Most larger Messianic Jewish congregations follow Jewish custom in celebrating the three biblical feasts (Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot), as well as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.
Dietary laws
The observance of the kashrut dietary laws is a subject of continued debate among Messianic Jews. Some Messianic believers keep kosher purely for the purposes of evangelism to Jewish people. Most avoid pork and shellfish, but there is disagreement on more strict adherence to kosher dietary laws.
Conversion to Messianic Judaism
Large numbers of those calling themselves Messianic Jews are not of Jewish descent, but join the movement as they "enjoy the Messianic Jewish style of worship". Messianic perspectives on "Who is a Jew?" vary. The Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council says a Jew is one born to a Jewish mother or who has converted to Judaism. Copying from the Reform stream of Judaism, the council also says a Jew is one who was born to a Jewish father but not a Jewish mother on the condition that the family of the child, or the individual as an adult, has undertaken public and formal acts of identification of the individual with the Jewish faith and people. The MJAA accepts gentiles into their congregations, but views gentiles and Jews as spiritually distinct and conversion as an "unbiblical practice".
Baptism
Messianic Jews practice baptism, calling it a mikveh ("cistern", from Leviticus 11:36) rather than the term tvila ("baptism" (טבילה) in the Hebrew New Testament).
Circumcision
Main article: Religious male circumcision See also: Brit milah, Circumcision controversy in early Christianity, and Christian views on the Old CovenantSome within the Ephraimite movement seek to convert themselves for identification with Israel, but most Messianic governing bodies acknowledge the presence of gentiles in the congregations, and do not see a need for them to convert to worship in the Messianic style and understanding. When conversion is sincerely desired by a gentile Messianic believer, Messianic Jewish halachic standards (including circumcision) are imposed to maintain integrity among the world Messianic Jewish community.
Use of Hebrew names and vocabulary in English
The movement generally avoids common Christian terms, such as Jesus, Christ, or cross and prefers to use Hebrew or Aramaic terms.
Culture
Music
Messianic Jewish hymns differ from evangelical Christian ones in their focus on Israel's role in history and messianic hope. Other differences include reference to Jesus—usually using the name Yeshua—as the "Savior of Israel". Messianic hymnals often incorporate Israeli songs. The movement has several recording artists who consider their music to be Messianic in message, such as Joel Chernoff of the duo Lamb, Ted Pearce, and Chuck King.
Reception
Among mainstream Christianity
In the United States, the emergence of the Messianic Jewish movement created some stresses with other Jewish-Christian and missionary organization. In 1975, the Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews condemned several aspects of the Messianic Jewish movement.
In Israel, the linguistic distinction between Messianic Jews and mainstream Christians is less clear, and the name meshihiy (משיחי, 'messianic') is commonly used by churches in lieu of notsri (נוצרי, 'Christian'). The Israel Trust of the Anglican Church, based at Christ Church, Jerusalem, an organization that is ecumenical in outlook and operates an interfaith school in Jerusalem, gives some social support to Messianic Jews in Israel.
Among Jews
See also: Judaism's view of JesusAs in traditional Jewish objections to Christian theology, opponents of Messianic Judaism hold that Christian proof texts, such as prophecies in the Hebrew Bible purported to refer the Messiah's suffering and death, have been taken out of context and misinterpreted. Jewish theology rejects the idea that the Messiah, or any human being, is a divinity. Belief in the Trinity is considered idolatrous by most rabbinic authorities. Even if considered shituf (literally, "partnership")—an association of other individuals with the God of Israel—this is only permitted for gentiles, and that only according to some rabbinic opinions. It is universally considered idolatrous for Jews. Further, Judaism does not view the role of the Messiah to be the salvation of the world from its sins, an integral teaching of Christianity and Messianic Judaism.
Jewish opponents of Messianic Judaism often focus their criticism on the movement's radical ideological separation from traditional Jewish beliefs, stating that the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah creates an insuperable divide between the traditional messianic expectations of Judaism, and Christianity's theological claims. They state that while Judaism is a messianic religion, its messiah is not Jesus, and thus the term is misleading. All denominations of Judaism, as well as national Jewish organizations, reject Messianic Judaism as a form of Judaism. The Central Conference of American Rabbis states that ""Jewish Christians" or "Messianic Jews" have never been considered believers in Judaism." Regarding this divide, Reconstructionist Rabbi Carol Harris-Shapiro said: "To embrace the radioactive core of goyishness—Jesus—violates the final taboo of Jewishness. Belief in Jesus as Messiah is not simply a heretical belief, as it may have been in the first century; it has become the equivalent to an act of ethno-cultural suicide."
B'nai Brith Canada considers Messianic activities as antisemitic incidents. Rabbi Tovia Singer, founder of the anti-missionary organization Outreach Judaism, noted of a Messianic religious leader in Toledo: "He's not running a Jewish synagogue. It's a church designed to appear as if it were a synagogue and I'm there to expose him. What these irresponsible extremist Christians do is a form of consumer fraud. They blur the distinctions between Judaism and Christianity in order to lure Jewish people who would otherwise resist a straightforward message."
Association by a Jewish politician with a Messianic religious leader, inviting him to pray at a public meeting, even though made in error, resulted in nearly universal condemnation by Jewish congregations in Detroit in 2018, as the majority opinion in both Israeli and American Jewish circles is to consider Messianic Judaism as Christianity and its followers as Christians.
Response of Israeli government
See also: Religion in Israel § ChristianityMessianic Jews are considered eligible for the State of Israel's Law of Return only if they can also claim Jewish descent. An assistant to one of the two lawyers involved with an April 2008 Supreme Court of Israel case explained to the Jerusalem Post that Messianic Jews who are not Jewish according to Jewish rabbinic law, but who had sufficient Jewish descent to qualify under the Law of Return, could claim automatic new immigrant status and citizenship despite being Messianic. The state of Israel grants Aliyah (right of return) and citizenship to Jews, and to those with Jewish parents or grandparents who are not considered Jews according to halakha, such as people who have a Jewish father but a non-Jewish mother. The old law had excluded any "person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion", and an Israeli Supreme Court decision in 1989 had ruled that Messianic Judaism constituted another religion. However, on April 16, 2008, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled in a case brought by a number of Messianic Jews with Jewish fathers and grandfathers. Their applications for Aliyah had been rejected on the grounds that they were Messianic Jews. The argument was made by the applicants that they had never been Jews according to halakha, and were not therefore excluded by the conversion clause. This argument was upheld in the ruling.
The International Religious Freedom Report 2008, released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the US, stated that discrimination against Messianic Jews in Israel was increasing. Some acts of violence have also occurred; in one incident on March 20, 2008, a bomb concealed as a Purim gift basket was delivered to the house of a prominent Messianic Jewish family in Ariel, in the West Bank, which severely wounded the son. Eventually, Yaakov Teitel was arrested for the attempted murder.
This antagonism has led to harassment and some violence, especially in Israel, where there is a large and militant Orthodox community. Several Orthodox organizations, including Yad L'Achim and Lehava, are dedicated to rooting out missionary activity in Israel, including the Messianic Jewish congregations. One tactic is to plaster posters asking Israelis to boycott shops where Messianic Jews are owners or employees; another is to report Messianic Jews to the Interior ministry, which is charged with enforcing an Israeli law forbidding proselytizing. In another incident, the mayor of Or Yehuda, a suburb of Tel Aviv, held a public book-burning of literature passed out to Ethiopian immigrants. He later apologized for the action. On other occasions, Lehava activists attempted to interrupt Messianic Jewish and violently harass the participants.
Response of US governments
The US Navy made a decision that Messianic Jewish chaplains must wear as their insignia the Christian cross, and not the tablets of the law, the insignia of Jewish chaplains. According to Yeshiva World News, the Navy Uniform Board commanded that Michael Hiles, a candidate for chaplaincy, wear the Christian insignia. Hiles resigned from the program, rather than wear the cross. Eric Tokajer, a spokesman for the Messianic Jewish movement, responded that "This decision essentially bars Messianic Jews from serving as chaplains within the U.S. Navy because it would require them to wear an insignia inconsistent with their faith and belief system."
A Birmingham, Alabama, police employee's religious discrimination case was settled in her favor after she filed suit over having to work on the Jewish Sabbath.
Messianic organizations
Main article: List of Messianic Jewish organizations- Chosen People Ministries (CPM).
- HaYesod (First Fruits of Zion).
- International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS).
- Jewish University of Colorado
- Jews for Jesus (contested).
- Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA).
- Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council
- Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC).
See also
- Black Hebrew Israelites
- Ebionites
- Hebrew Catholics
- Hebrew Roots
- Jews for Jesus
- Judeo-Christian
- Makuya
- Twelve Tribes of Israel (Rastafari)
- Xueta Christianity
Notes
- Followers are called either יְהוּדִים מְשִׁיחִיִּים y'hudím mešiḥiyim; Yehudim Meshikiyim or simply נוֹצְרִים nocirim (Christians).
- Such as Epiphanius of Salamis' record of the conversion of Count Joseph of Tiberias and Sozomen's accounts of other Jewish conversions.
- The name of the New Testament is often translated back into Hebrew as "Brit Chadasha". This directly means "New Covenant", however "Testament" is traditionally taken from the Latin translation of Chadasha ("testamentum"), and therefore can mean both English words.
- Communion in Messianic Judaism is often celebrated as a fully reenacted Passover Seder meal, in accordance with its description in the Synoptic Gospels, making it slightly more difficult to setup and more lengthy.
References
- Kessler 2005, p. 292: " syncretism confuses Christians and Jews…"
- ^ Melton 2005, p. 373: "Messianic Judaism is a Protestant movement that emerged in the last half of the 20th century among believers who were ethnically Jewish but had adopted an Evangelical Christian faith.…By the 1960s, a new effort to create a culturally Jewish Protestant Christianity emerged among individuals who began to call themselves Messianic Jews.
- Ariel 2013, pp. 35–57.
- Ariel 2000, p. 223.
- Cohn-Sherbok 2000, p. 179.
- ^ Ariel 2006, p. 191: "In the late 1960s and 1970s, both Jews and Christians in the United States were surprised to see the rise of a vigorous movement of Jewish Christians or Christian Jews. For many observers, such a combination seemed like an oxymoron, because they saw the two faiths as completely separate from each other. While Christianity started in the first century of the Common Era as a Jewish group, it quickly separated from Judaism and claimed to replace it; ever since the relationship between the two traditions has often been strained. But in the twentieth century, groups of young Jews claimed that they had overcome the historical differences between the two religions and amalgamated Jewish traditions and customs with the Christian faith. Attempting to overcome the historical difference between the two religious traditions, these Jewish converts to Christianity define themselves as Messianic Jews, thus pointing to the movements ideology of returning to the roots of the Christian faith."
- ^ Ben Barka, Mokhtar (December 2012). "The New Christian Right's relations with Israel and with the American Jews: the mid-1970s onward". E-Rea. 10 (1). Aix-en-Provence and Marseille: Centre pour l'Édition Électronique Ouverte on behalf of Aix-Marseille University. doi:10.4000/erea.2753. ISSN 1638-1718. S2CID 191364375.
The Jews have cause to worry because Evangelicals are active on both fronts, promoting support for the State of Israel, and evangelizing the Jews at the same time. While the Israeli government eagerly accepts public support of Evangelicals and courts the leaders of the New Christian Right, many Jews bitterly condemn Christian proselytism and try their best to restrict the activities of missionaries in Israel. "Jews for Jesus" and other Christian Jewish groups in Israel have become especially effective in evangelizing, often with the support of foreign Evangelicals. It is not surprising that Jewish leaders, both in the United States and Israel, react strongly to "Jews for Jesus" and the whole "Messianic Jewish" movement, whose concern is to promote awareness among the Jews as to God's real plans for humanity and the need to accept Jesus as a Savior. In this respect, Gershom Gorenberg lamented the fact that "people who see Israel through the lens of Endtimes prophecy are questionable allies, whose support should be elicited only in the last resort. In the long run, their apocalyptic agenda has no room for Israel as a normal country."
-
- Harries 2003, p. 119: "Thirdly, there is Jews for Jesus or, more generally, Messianic Judaism. This is a movement of people often of Jewish background who have come to believe Jesus is the expected Jewish messiah.…They often have congregations independent of other churches and specifically target Jews for conversion to their form of Christianity."
- Harris-Shapiro 1999, p. 3: "And while many evangelical Churches are openly supportive of Messianic Judaism, they treat it as an ethnic church squarely within evangelical Christianity, rather than as a separate entity.
- *"Jewish Conversion". JerusalemCouncil.org. 2009. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
Many people ask how to convert to Judaism through the Jewish sect of HaDerech, also known as The Way, or Messianic Judaism.
- "Our History". Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
These factors lead many Jewish people to assume that to follow Yeshua is to leave the faith of their fathers and become non-Jewish. The MJAA has worked to combat this misperception for almost a century.
- "Defining Messianic Judaism". Union. Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations. July 20, 2005. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC) envisions Messianic Judaism as a movement of Jewish congregations and groups committed to Yeshua the Messiah that embrace the covenantal responsibility of Jewish life and identity rooted in Torah, expressed in tradition, and renewed and applied in the context of the New Covenant. Messianic Jewish groups may also include those from non-Jewish backgrounds who have a confirmed call to participate fully in the life and destiny of the Jewish people. We are committed to embodying this definition in our constituent congregations and in our shared institutions.
- "Our History". Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^
- Orthodox
- Simmons 2004: Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because: 1. Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies. 2. Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah. 3. Biblical verses "referring" to Jesus are mistranslations. 4. Jewish belief is based on national revelation
- Conservative
- Waxman, Jonathan (2006). "Messianic Jews Are Not Jews". United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
Hebrew Christian, Jewish Christian, Jew for Jesus, Messianic Jew, Fulfilled Jew. The name may have changed over the course of time, but all of the names reflect the same phenomenon: one who asserts that s/he is straddling the theological fence between Judaism and Christianity, but in truth is firmly on the Christian side ... we must affirm as did the Israeli Supreme Court in the well-known Brother Daniel case that to adopt Christianity is to have crossed the line out of the Jewish community.
- Reform
- "Missionary Impossible". Hebrew Union College. August 2, 1999. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
Missionary Impossible, an imaginative video and curriculum guide for teachers, educators, and rabbis to teach Jewish youth how to recognize and respond to "Jews-for-Jesus", "Messianic Jews", and other Christian proselytizers, has been produced by six rabbinic students at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Cincinnati School. The students created the video as a tool for teaching why Jewish college and high school youth and Jews in intermarried couples are primary targets of Christian missionaries.
- Glazier, James Scott (2012-09-06). "What are the main differences between a Jew and a Christian?". ReformJudaism.org. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
The essential difference between Jews and Christians is that Christians accept Jesus as messiah and personal savior. Jesus is not part of Jewish theology. Amongst Jews, Jesus is not considered a divine being.
- Renewal
- "FAQ's About Jewish Renewal". aleph.org. 2007. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
What is ALEPH's position on so called messianic Judaism? ALEPH has a policy of respect for other spiritual traditions, but objects to deceptive practices and will not collaborate with denominations which actively target Jews for recruitment. Our position on so-called "Messianic Judaism" is that it is Christianity and its proponents would be more honest to call it that.
- ^
"Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus". Ask the Rabbi. Jerusalem: Ohr Somayach. 2000. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
The Christian idea of a trinity contradicts the most basic tenet of Judaism – that G-d is One. Jews have declared their belief in a single unified G-d twice daily ever since the giving of the Torah at Sinai – almost two thousand years before Christianity. The trinity suggests a three part deity: The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). In Jewish law, worship of a three-part god is considered idolatry; one of the three cardinal sins for which a person should rather give up his life than transgress. The idea of the trinity is absolutely incompatible with Judaism.
- ^ Lotker 2004, p. 35: "It should now be clear to you why Jews have such a problem with 'Jews for Jesus' or other presentations of Messianic Judaism. I have no difficulty with Christianity. I even accept those Christians who would want me to convert to Christianity so long as they don't use coercion or duplicity and are willing to listen in good faith to my reasons for being Jewish. I do have a major problem with those Christians who would try to mislead me and other Jews into believing that one can be both Jewish and Christian.
- Foreman 2006, p. 399.
- Cohn-Sherbok 2010, p. 100: "In the 1970s a number of American Jewish converts to Christianity, known as Hebrew Christians, were committed to a church-based conception of Hebrew Christianity. Yet, at the same time, there emerged a growing segment of the Hebrew Christian community that sought a more Jewish lifestyle. Eventually, a division emerged between those who wished to identify as Jews and those who sought to pursue Hebrew Christian goals. In time, the name of the movement was changed to Messianic Judaism."
- Lewis 2001, p. 179: "The origins of Messianic Judaism date to the 1960s when it began among American Jews who converted to Christianity."
- Brown, Emma (May 21, 2010). "Moishe Rosen, 78; founded evangelistic group Jews for Jesus". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- Burton, Tara Isabella (October 31, 2018). "Messianic Jews and Jews for Jesus, explained". Vox. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ Feher 1998, p. 140: "This interest in developing a Jewish ethnic identity may not be surprising when we consider the 1960s, when Messianic Judaism arose."
- ^ Ariel 2006, p. 194: "But the generation that came of age in the 1960s and 1970s thought differently about these matters. They wanted to make their own choices and did not feel constrained by old boundaries and taboos. Judaism and Christianity could go hand in hand.…In the first phase of the movement, during the early and mid-1970s, Jewish converts to Christianity established several congregations at their own initiative.…The term Messianic Judaism came into public use in America in the early 1970s.…The term, however was not entirely new. It was used in the internal debates in the community of converts as early as the beginning of the century.…Missionaries, such as the Southern Baptist Robert Lindsey noted that for Israeli Jews, the term notzrim, "Christians" in Hebrew, meant, almost automatically, an alien hostile religion. Because such a term made it nearly impossible to convince Jews that Christianity was their religion, missionaries sought a more neutral term.…They chose Meshychim, Messianic, to overcome the suspicion and antagonism of the term notzrim.…It conveyed the sense of a new, innovative religion rather that an old, unfavorable one. The term was used in reference to those Jews who accepted Jesus as their personal savior, and did not apply to Jews accepting Roman Catholicism who in Israel have called themselves Hebrew Christians.
- Cohn-Sherbok 2000, p. 170.
- ^ "Statement of Faith". Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations. July 19, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
There is one God, who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Every divine action in the world is accomplished by the Father working through the Son and in the power of the Spirit. This God has revealed Himself in creation and in the history of Israel as transmitted in Scripture.…In the fullness of time, the Divine Son became a human being—Yeshua the Messiah, born of a Jewish virgin, a true and perfect Israelite, a fitting representative and one-man embodiment of the entire nation. He lived as a holy tzaddik, fulfilling without blemish the mitzvot of the Torah. He brings to perfection the human expression of the divine image.…Yeshua died as an atonement for the sins of Israel and of the entire world. He was raised bodily from the dead, as the firstfruits of the resurrection promised to Israel as its glorification. He ascended to heaven and was there enthroned at God's right hand as Israel's Messiah, with authority extending to the ends of creation.…Forgiveness of sins, spiritual renewal, union with Messiah, the empowering and sanctifying presence of the indwelling Ruach Ha Kodesh, and the confident hope of eternal life and a glorious resurrection are now available to all, Jews and Gentiles, who put their faith in Yeshua, the Risen Lord, and in obedience to His word are joined to Him and His Body through immersion and sustained in that union through Messiah's remembrance meal. Yeshua is the Mediator between God and all creation, and no one can come to the Father except through Him.…Messiah Yeshua will return to Jerusalem in glory at the end of this age, to rule forever on David's throne. He will effect the restoration of Israel in fullness, raise the dead, save all who belong to Him, judge the wicked not written in the Book of Life who are separated from His presence, and accomplish the final Tikkun Olam in which Israel and the nations will be united under Messiah's rule forever.…The writings of Tanakh and Brit Hadasha are divinely inspired and fully trustworthy (true), a gift given by God to His people, provided to impart life and to form, nurture, and guide them in the ways of truth. They are of supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
- ^ Ariel 2006, p. 208
- ^
Israel b. Betzalel (February 10, 2009). "Do I need to be Circumcised?". JerusalemCouncil.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
To convert to the Jewish sect of HaDerech, accepting Yeshua as your King is the first act after one's heart turns toward HaShem and His Torah – as one can not obey a commandment of God if they first do not love God, and we love God by following his Messiah. Without first accepting Yeshua as the King and thus obeying Him, then getting circumcised for the purpose of Jewish conversion only gains you access to the Jewish community. It means nothing when it comes to inheriting a place in the World to Come.... Getting circumcised apart from desiring to be obedient to HaShem, and apart from accepting Yeshua as your King, is nothing but a surgical procedure, or worse, could lead to you believe that Jewish identity grants you a portion in the World to Come – at which point, what good is Messiah Yeshua, the Word of HaShem to you? He would have died for nothing!... As a convert from the nations, part of your obligation in keeping the Covenant, if you are a male, is to get circumcised in fulfillment of the commandment regarding circumcision. Circumcision is not an absolute requirement of being a Covenant member (that is, being made righteous before HaShem, and thus obtaining eternal life), but it is a requirement of obedience to God's commandments, because circumcision is commanded for those who are of the seed of Abraham, whether born into the family, adopted, or converted.... If after reading all of this you understand what circumcision is, and that is an act of obedience, rather than an act of gaining favor before HaShem for the purpose of receiving eternal life, then if you are male believer in Yeshua the Messiah for the redemption from death, the consequence of your sin of rebellion against Him, then pursue circumcision, and thus conversion into Judaism, as an act of obedience to the Messiah.
- ^ Spector 2008, p. 116
- ^
Berman, Daphna (June 10, 2006). "Aliyah with a cat, a dog and Jesus". Haaretz. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
In rejecting their petition, Supreme Court Justice Menachem Elon cited their belief in Jesus. 'In the last two thousand years of history…the Jewish people have decided that messianic Jews do not belong to the Jewish nation…and have no right to force themselves on it,' he wrote, concluding that 'those who believe in Jesus, are, in fact Christians.'
- Schoeman 2003, p. 351: "By the mid 1970s, Time magazine placed the number of Messianic Jews in the US at over 50,000; by 1993 this number had grown to 160,000 in the US and about 350,000 worldwide (1989 estimate). There are currently over 400 Messianic synagogues worldwide, with at least 150 in the US."
- Yeoman, Barry (November 15, 2007). "Evangelical movement on the rise". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Posner, Sarah (November 29, 2012). "Kosher Jesus: Messianic Jews in the Holy Land". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- Barnett 2002, p. 367.
- Stemberger, Günter (2000). Jews and Christians in the Holy Land: Palestine in the Fourth Century. Continuum. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-567-08699-0.
- Flannery 1985, p. 129.
- Ariel 2006, p. 192.
- Moscrop 2000, p. 15: ...the perspective of the Holy Land the most important of these societies was the London Jews' Society. Founded in 1809 during the high point of evangelical endeavour, the London Jews' Society was the work of Joseph Samuel Frederick Frey...
- Greenspoon 1998: The first Yiddish New Testament distributed by the BFBS was published by the London Jews Society in 1821; the translator was Benjamin Nehemiah Solomon, "a convert from Judaism, who over to England from Poland."
- Cohn-Sherbok 2000, p. 16: "On 9 September 1813 a group of 41 Jewish Christians established the Beni Abraham association at Jews' Chapel. These Jewish Christians met for prayer every Sunday morning and Friday evening."
-
Schwartz, Carl (1870). "An Answer to Friends and Foes". The Scattered Nation. No. V. London. p. 16. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
What does the Hebrew-Christian Alliance signify? is asked by well-wishers and opponents. True, its objects have been clearly stated.... Let me try briefly to state the nature and objects of the Hebrew-Christian Alliance.
- Sobel 1968, pp. 241–250: "Hebrew Christianity was born in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century through the efforts of a group of converts calling themselves the Beni Abraham, or Sons of Abraham. It was on 9 September 1813 that a group of forty-one Jewish converts to Christianity met in London setting forth their purposes as being 'to attend divine worship at the chapel and to visit daily two by two in rotation any sick member, to pray with him and read the Bible to him; and on Sunday all who could were to visit the sick one'."
- Gidney 1908, p. 57: "The Jews' Chapel, Spitalfields, had to be given up in 1816, as the minister refused his consent to its being licensed as a place of worship of the Church of England. Frey's connexion with the Society ceased in the same year, and he left for America."
- Cohn-Sherbok 2003.
- Kessler 2005, p. 180.
- ^ Cohn-Sherbok 2000, pp. 18, 19, 24.
- Ariel 2000, p. 19.
- "The Only One In America; A Hebrew-Christian Church Dedicated Yesterday". The New York Times. October 12, 1885. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Ariel 2000, p. 9.
- ^ Rausch 1982b.
- Harris-Shapiro 1999, p. 27.
- Balmer 2004, pp. 154–155.
- TMJ 1910, p. 2
- Ariel 2000, p. 191.
- Juster & Hocken 2004, p. 15.
- Hocken 2009, pp. 97-100.
- Kinzer 2005, p. 286: "The cultural ferment of the 1960s threw Hebrew Christians in America and their institutions into the same turmoil that characterized the rest of American society. Three factors played an especially important part in turning their world upside down: a social movement (i.e., the youth counterculture), a cultural trend (i.e., ethnic self-assertion and pride), and a political-military event (i.e., the Six-Day War)."
- Harris-Shapiro 1999, p. 286.
- Juster & Hocken 2004, p. 10.
- Ariel, Y. (2016). THEOLOGICAL AND LITURGICAL COMING OF AGE: NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MESSIANIC JUDAISM AND EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY. Hebrew Studies, 57, 381–391. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44072313
- Juster 1995, pp. 152–153: "In 1975, the Alliance changed its name to the Messianic Jewish Alliance, reflecting the growing Jewish identity of Jewish followers of Yeshua. Hebrew-Christianity, at times, saw Jewishness as merely an ethnic identity, whereas Messianic Judaism saw its Jewish life and identity as a continued call of God."
- Rausch 1982a, p. 77.
- Robinson 2005, p. 42.
- ^
"Home". IAMCS. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
As more and more congregations were formed, many within the MJAA had a desire to form a fellowship of Messianic congregations or synagogues under the auspices of the MJAA.…As a result, in the spring of 1986, The International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS) was formed.
- Juster 1995, p. 155.
- Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, OUR HISTORY, umjc.org, USA, retrieved October 22, 2022
- "The Way Congregation - What We Believe". thewaycongregation.com. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- "The Way Congregation - Our Story". thewaycongregation.com. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- "Haunted Theology". The Way Congregation. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- "The Discovery of the Messianic Seal". Evangelical Press News Service. July 6, 1999. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via tsiyon.org.
- ^ Nerel, Gershon (2001). "Symbols used by Messianic Judaism in Israel Today". International Messianic Jewish Alliance. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Schmalz, Reuven Efraim; Fischer, Raymond Robert (1999). The Messianic seal of the Jerusalem church. Tiberias, Israel: Olim Publications. ISBN 978-965-222-962-5. OCLC 48454022.
- ^ "Belief". IAMCS. Havertown, Pennsylvania: International Alliance of Messianic Congregations & Synagogues. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- ^
"Our Beliefs". The Harvest. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
We aim to influence every realm of society, in this generation and for generations to come, for the glory of Messiah and His Kingdom until He returns to judge the living and the dead.... We believe that the Torah (five books of Moses) is a comprehensive summary of God's foundational laws and ways, as found in both the Tanakh and Apostolic Scriptures. Additionally, the Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see God. We believe in the Doctrine of Sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation. Therefore we encourage all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, to affirm, embrace, and practice these foundational laws and ways as clarified through the teachings of Messiah Yeshua.... We believe Gentiles who place their faith and trust in Yeshua the Messiah as Lord and Savior, are grafted into Israel through a born again experience. This new birth results in a new identity. This new identity is a child of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As a result, this new child is adopted into the family and ethnos of Israel and becomes a full member and fellow heir of the covenants of promise and blessings made to Israel. The Gentiles who are grafted into Israel do not replace her. Rather, they participate with her as the chosen ones from among the nations who are also called to be a part of His treasured people Israel. In terms of their adoption into the household of God, these newly adopted Gentile children are to be treated as if they were native-born descendants of Jacob. As adopted Gentiles, they shall be accorded all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of being full members of the commonwealth of Israel and fellow heirs of the covenants of promise made to her. They do not replace Israel but neither are they excluded. Like the mystery of the unity of God, the two groups are one in Messiah and yet distinct.
- Kinzer 2010: Paul likely uses the term Kyrios here as a Greek substitute for both the tetragram- maton and the Hebrew word Adonai ("My lord"), which in Jewish practice acts as its surrogate. In this way he builds upon the most fundamental biblical confession of faith, the Shema, highlighting the two primary divine names (Theos/Elohim and Kyrios/Adonai) and the word 'one'. Paul thus expands the Shema to include Yeshua within a differentiated but singular deity. The nicene Creed adopts Paul's language ('one God, the Father…one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah…'), and thereby affirms its own continuity with the Shema. Paul's short confession is a Yeshua-faith interpretation of the Shema, and the nicene Creed is an expanded interpretation of Paul's confession.
- Berkley 1997, p. 129: "A more rapidly growing organization is the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America which seeks to incorporate many of the trappings of Judaism with the tenets of Christianity. Its congregants assemble on Friday evening and Saturday morning, recite Hebrew prayers, and sometimes even wear talliot (prayer shawls). But they worship not just God but Jesus, whom they call Yeshua."
- "Our Mission and Message". First Fruits of Zion. 2010. p. 14. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
- Kerstetter, Adam Yisroel (2007). "Who Do You Say That I Am? An introduction to the true Messiah from a non-Trinitarian view". Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
The material presented below has been researched to great lengths and is based totally on the Scriptures. I have examined both sides of the subject and can assure you that I have no ax to grind, but have found that the information on the Trinity is without any foundation, nor is it supported by the language of the Scripture. Let me state that I believe in our Heavenly Father and in his Son Y'shua (Jesus) and that the Father sent Y'shua to be a way back to Him and a means for our salvation, but I do not believe the Scripture supports the idea of the Moshiach (Messiah) being G-d of very G-d. When wrong ideas of the Mashiach are espoused they put us on the course of misinterpretations and a misconception of who our Mashiach and his Heavenly Father are. These misconceptions and misinterpretations lead us further away from the truth and ultimately further away from the Father who is the only true G-d.
-
Israel b. Betzalel (March 9, 2009). "Is Yeshua G-d?". JerusalemCouncil.org. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
This then is who Yeshua is: He is not just a man, and as a man, he is not from Adam, but from G-d. He is the Word of HaShem, the Memra, the Davar, the Righteous One, he didn't become righteous, he is righteous. He is called G-d's Son, he is the agent of HaShem called HaShem, and he is "HaShem" who we interact with and not die.
- "Doctrinal Statement". Lev HaShem Messianic Jewish Synagogue. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
-
Israel b. Betzalel (March 9, 2009). "Trinitarianism". JerusalemCouncil.org. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
Yes I believe in the Spirit of God, the Ruach HaKodesh. Yet, to trinitarians wishing to stop there, I could ask, "Who filled the temple at its dedication? What is the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit?" As we read on, we clearly read that it was the Glory that filled the tabernacle, the temple, etc. So what is the Glory? Where does the Glory fit into the trinitarian model? So then, as a chasid, I simply just agree with scripture and with what scripture says concerning the matter and leave it at that and thank HaShem.
-
"Our Beliefs". n.d. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
To study the whole and authoritative Word of God, including the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) and the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant) under the leading of the Holy Spirit
-
Brown, Michael (October 29, 2009). "Rabbinic Objections". Chosen People Ministries. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
... I will present some foundational truths from the Scriptures, and as you continue to research the matter for yourself, these truths will lead to one inescapable conclusion: It is the Tanakh rather than the Talmud and the rabbinic traditions that must be followed if we are to be totally faithful to the Lord....Which, then, will you follow? The written Word or the traditions of men? When you stand before God, what will you say?
- ^ "So, What Exactly is a Messianic Congregation?". RabbiYeshua.com. Kehilat Sar Shalom. 2001. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
When we begin to study and observe Torah to become like Messiah, there are pitfalls we must avoid. One such pitfall is the study of Mishnah and Talmud (Rabbinic traditional Law). There are many people and congregations that place a great emphasis on rabbinic legal works, such as the Mishnah and the Talmud in search of their Hebrew roots. People are looking to the rabbis for answers on how to keep God's commands, but if one looks into the Mishnah and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah. Or, if one looks into the Talmud and does what it says, he or she is not a follower of the Messiah – he or she is a follower of the rabbis because Rabbi Yeshua, the Messiah, is not quoted there.... Rabbinic Judaism is not Messianic Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism is not founded in Messiah. Rabbinic Judaism, for the most part, is founded in the yeast – the teachings of the Pharisees. Yeshua's teachings and the discipleship that He brought His students through was not Rabbinic Judaism. There is a real danger in Rabbinics. There is a real danger in Mishnah and Talmud. No one involved in Rabbinics has ever come out on the other side more righteous than when he or she entered. He or she may look "holier than thou" – but they do not have the life changing experience clearly represented in the lives of the believers of the Messianic communities of the first century.
-
Bernay, Adam J. (December 3, 2007). "Who we are". beit-tefillah.com]. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
"Orthodox Messianic" groups (they go by many names) teach that you must keep the commandments in order to be saved, and not just the commandments in the Scripture, but the traditional rules as coined by Judaism since the Temple was destroyed... essentially, they teach that we must keep Orthodox Judaism, but with the addition of Yeshua. We do NOT teach this in any way, shape, or form. Some of the traditions are right and good, and in keeping with the commandments. Others are not. Only by studying to show ourselves approved of God can we rightly divide the word of truth and discover how God calls us to live.
- ^ Burgess 2006, p. 308.
- "Points of Order (#4)". 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
The Torah in our usage never refers to the Talmud but, while we do not consider the Talmud or any other commentary on the Scriptures as the Word of G-d, we believe that the writings of Oral Tradition, such as the Talmud, the Mishnah, and the Midrash Rabbah, also contain further insight into the character of G-d and His dealings with His people.
- "Halakhic Approach". Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council. n.d. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
Our approach to halakhic decision-making is based on a recognition of the paramount importance and authority of Scripture (i.e., the Tanakh and the Apostolic Writings) in the development of Halakhah....As Messianic Jews, we affirm the special precedence given to scriptural law in traditional Halakhah, while likewise affirming the scriptural character of the Apostolic Writings (i.e., the New Testament) and the unique ways in which they contribute to halakhic development....In addressing matters of Halakhah, Scripture always has the highest halakhic authority and sanctity. Thus, when traditional Judaism distinguishes between laws that are d'oraita (i.e., ordained by the Tanakh) and those that are d'rabbanan (i.e., established by rabbinic authority), precedence is always given to those that are d'oraita.
-
"In Search of Messianic Jewish Thought". GoogleCache. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
John Fischer affirms that Yeshua himself supported the traditions of the Pharisees which were very close to what later became rabbinic halacha. Messianic Jews today should not only take note of rabbinic tradition but incorporate it into Messianic Jewish halachah. The biblical pattern for Fischer is that "Yeshua, the Apostles, and the early Messianic Jews all deeply respected the traditions and devoutly observed them, and in so doing, set a useful pattern for us to follow." Citing Fischer, John, "Would Yeshua Support Halacha?" in Kesher: A Journal of Messianic Judaism, Albuquerque, New Mexico: UMJC, 1997, pp. 51–81.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Goble 1974, pp. 4–6.
- ^ "Issues of Status". Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council. n.d. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
Following the consensus of Jewish tradition, we recognize as a Jew anyone who is born of a Jewish mother or who is a convert to Judaism. We also recognize as a Jew anyone who is born of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother if that person has undertaken public and formal acts of identification with the Jewish faith and people. In 1947 the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) of the Reform movement...
- "Who Is A Jew? Messianic Style". Chaia Kravitz. MessianicJewishOnline.com. 2007. Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
In Messianic Judaism, children are generally regarded as being Jewish with one Jewish parent. Since we are one in Messiah, both Jew and Gentile, there is not sharp division between the two groups. Therefore, if a Gentile has a heart for Israel and God's Torah, as well as being a Believer in Yeshua, and this person marries a Jewish Believer, it is not considered an "intermarriage" in the same way Rabbinic Judaism sees it, since both partners are on the same spiritual plane. Children born from this union are part of God's Chosen, just like the Gentile parent who has been grafted into the vine of Israel through His grace.
- One Law Movements; a Challenge to the Messianic Jewish Community Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine January 28, 2005
- "One Law Movements A Response to Russ Resnik & Daniel Juster" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ "Statement of Faith Of Coalition of Torah Observant Congregations". CTOMC. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- MJAA position paper:The Ephraimite Error Archived July 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- "Supersessionism". nabion.org. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- Koziar, Pete. "Winds of Doctrine: Replacement Theology". messianicassociation.org. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- Kinzer 2018: At the end, God will make Yeshua known to his brethren and to all of creation, not only as temple, priest, and sacrifice, but as Messianic King, the eschatological ruler of Israel and the nations. At that point the New Covenant will be realized in its final and definitive form.
- ^ Worshill, Ric (2008). "Why Messianic Jews Use Liturgy During Their Worship Services". Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- Feher 1998, p. 20: "The Messianic movement has eliminated the elements of Christian worship that cannot be directly linked to their Jewish roots. Communion is therefore associated with Passover, since the Eucharist originated during Ushua's Last Supper, held at Passover. In this way, Passover is given a new, Yshua-centered meaning."
- "Holidays". Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council. n.d. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ Reinckens, Rick (2002). "Frequently Asked Questions". MessianicJews.info. Archived from the original on 2019-02-17. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- "Kashrut". Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council. n.d. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- Harris-Shapiro 1999, p. 15: "However, not all Messianic believers are Jews. Nothing is as problematic as the large numbers of Messianic Gentiles in the movement. To claim Jewish identity when one is not Jewish oneself adds another layer of struggle: "We are Jews!" "We are Messianic Jews!" "We are Messianic Gentiles/spiritual Jews!"
- Brown 2000, p. 12.
- Reason 2005: "The official stance is that Gentiles and Jews are spiritually equal but distinct, and that Jews should be proud of being Jews, and Gentiles proud of being Gentiles. Nevertheless, the Jewish identity is clearly valorized, causing many Gentiles to strive for greater Jewishness through Jewish observance and search for Jewish roots. Since conversion for Gentiles is deemed unbiblical within the MJAA, these are the main options for Gentiles seeking a more Jewish identity."
- Cohn-Sherbok 2000, p. 161: "For Gentile Christians, baptism is perceived as a means of entering into the body of Christ. Within Messianic Judaism, however, immersion is understood as a religious act symbolizing the believer's commitment to Yeshua: the faithful are to immerse in a mikveh as a sign of their acceptance of Messiah Yeshuah and the coming of the Kingdom."
- ^
"Jewish Conversion Process". JerusalemCouncil.org. February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
The process of Jewish Conversion is: 1. Repent by keeping the Covenant (Return to the Torah, get circumcised if male, and commit to the Torah). 2. Believe Yeshua is the Messiah, and that he is coming as the King (Obey everything He commands, which is the Torah). 3. Be immersed in the name of Yeshua, witnessed by others (Go through a mikveh in his name).
- Ariel 2006, p. 200.
- "History of Lamb". Lamb Messianic Music. Messianic Records, Inc. 2014. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- "Bio". Ted Pearce. 2014. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- "The Feast of Tabernacles CD". Christianbook.com. Christian Book Distributors. 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- Peter J. Tomson, Doris Lambers-Petry The image of the Judaeo-Christians in ancient Jewish and Christian ... 2003 p. 292 "From outside the movement hostile criticism of Messianic Judaism was voiced by such bodies as the Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews. At their annual conference from 16 to 19 October 1975 a resolution was passed condemning"
- Kessler 2005, p. 97: "Messianic Jews in Israel who accept Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) as the Messiah are supported, when they meet with hostility, by CMJ/ITAC. In the 1980s CMJ gave some support to evangelistic campaigns by Jews for Jesus…"
- Cohn-Sherbok 2000, p. 183.
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Schochet, Jacob Immanuel (July 29, 1999). "Judaism has no place for those who betray their roots". Canadian Jewish News. Archived from the original on November 24, 2004. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
For a Jew, however, any form of shituf is tantamount to idolatry in the fullest sense of the word. There is then no way that a Jew can ever accept Jesus as a deity, mediator or savior (messiah), or even as a prophet, without betraying Judaism.
- Berger 2003: "Some asserted that the association (shittuf) of Jesus with this God is permissible for non-Jews. Virtually none regarded such association as anything other than avodah zarah if the worshipper was a Jew."
- Grudem 1994, pp. 568–570.
- Cohn-Sherbok 2000, p. 182.
- Simmons 2004.
-
- Ariel 1996, p. 212
- Ariel 2005, p. 343
- Neusner 2000, pp. 3–4
- Schoen 2004, p. 11: Jews do not believe, therefore, that the Messiah has come, and they do not recognize Jesus as their savior or as the Son of God.
- Pelaia, Ariela (February 15, 2019). "Man or Messiah: The Role of Jesus in Judaism". Learn Religions. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
Jews do not believe that Jesus was divine or the "son of God," or the Messiah prophesied in Jewish scripture. He is seen as a "false messiah," meaning someone who claimed (or whose followers claimed for him) the mantle of the Messiah but who ultimately did not meet the requirements laid out in Jewish belief.
- "Messianic Judaism: A Christian Missionary Movement". Messiah Truth Project. Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
- Schiffman, Lawrence H. (1993). "Meeting the Challenge: Hebrew Christians and the Jewish Community" (PDF). Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
Though Hebrew Christianity claims to be a form of Judaism, it is not. It is nothing more than a disguised effort to missionize Jews and convert them to Christianity. It deceptively uses the sacred symbols of Jewish observance ... as a cover to convert Jews to Christianity, a belief system antithetical to Judaism.... Hebrew Christianity is not a form of Judaism and its members, even if they are of Jewish birth, cannot be considered members of the Jewish community. Hebrew Christians are in radical conflict with the communal interests and the destiny of the Jewish people. They have crossed an unbreachable chasm by accepting another religion. Despite this separation, they continue to attempt to convert their former coreligionists.
- Balmer 2004, pp. 448–449: "Messianic Jewish organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, often refer to their faith as fulfilled Judaism, in that they believe Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. Although Messianic Judaism claims to be Jewish, and many adherents observe Jewish holidays, most Jews regard Messianic Judaism as deceptive at best, fraudulent at worst. They charge that Messianic Judaism is actually Christianity presenting itself as Judaism. Jewish groups are particularly distressed at the aggressive evangelistic attempts on the part of Messianic Jews."
- "Commentary on the Principles for Reform Judaism". Central Conference of American Rabbis. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- Harris-Shapiro 1999, p. 177.
-
"1998 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents". B'nai Brith Canada. 1998. Archived from the original on 2006-07-19.
One of the more alarming trends in antisemitic activity in Canada in 1998 was the growing number of incidents involving messianic organizations posing as "synagogues". These missionizing organizations are in fact evangelical Christian proselytizing groups, whose purpose is specifically to target members of the Jewish community for conversion. They fraudulently represent themselves as Jews, and these so-called synagogues are elaborately disguised Christian churches.
- Yonke, David (February 11, 2006). "Rabbi says Messianic Jews are Christians in disguise". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
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Nathan-Kazis, Josh (October 31, 2018). "A GOP Rising Star Asks Jews For Jesus 'Rabbi' To Pray For Pittsburgh. What Could Go Wrong?". The Forward. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
I could see nothing more offensive or more poorly calculated than to make this decision," said David Kurzmann, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC, a local Jewish advocacy group in Detroit. "The reaction and the rage in the community right now is very significant.
- Siemaszko, Corky (October 30, 2018). "Jews assail 'Christian rabbi' who appeared with Pence, and so does his own movement". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
The "Messianic rabbi" who outraged many Jews by invoking the name of Jesus while delivering a prayer in memory of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre victims was also spurned Tuesday by the organization that ordained him. Loren Jacobs, who was invited onstage by Vice President Mike Pence to speak at a rally in Michigan for a GOP congressional candidate, was defrocked 15 years ago, according to a spokeswoman for the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations. 'Loren Jacobs was stripped of his rabbinic ordination by the UMJC in 2003, after our judicial board found him guilty of libel,' Monique Brumbach said in an email. Brumbach did not say who Jacobs allegedly libeled, but it appears from his synagogue website he was involved in a theological battle with other leaders of the group, which believes that Jesus is the son of God — a belief that is anathema to the vast majority of the world's Jews. Jacobs seemed to be concerned that the group was insufficiently conservative on doctrinal matters. Meanwhile, mainstream Jewish leaders and experts on the faith said they could not fathom why GOP congressional candidate Lena Epstein, herself a longtime member of a Detroit–area synagogue, invited Jacobs at all to her rally Tuesday because in their eyes he's not even a real Jew, let alone a rabbi. 'We don't even recognize him as a rabbi,' Rabbi Marla Hornsten, past president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, told NBC News. 'Even to call him a rabbi is offensive.'
- Stanley-Becker, Isaac (October 30, 2018). "Honoring Pittsburgh synagogue victims, Pence appears with 'rabbi' who preaches 'Jesus is the Messiah'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
But the man who shared a stage with Pence, Loren Jacobs, preaches Messianic Judaism, a tradition central to Jews for Jesus, a group condemned by Jewish leaders as faux Judaism that seeks to promote Christian evangelism. The major Jewish denominations join the state of Israel in viewing followers of Messianic Judaism as Christian, not Jewish.
- ^ Myers, Calev (April 16, 2008). "Justice in Israel". Jerusalem Institute of Justice, and organization supporting the rights of "Israeli Evangelical believers, Messianic Jews and families of mixed (Jewish-Christian) marriages". Retrieved 2008-04-24.
In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court of Israel ratified a settlement between twelve Messianic Jewish believers and the State of Israel, which states that being a Messianic Jew does not prevent one from receiving citizenship in Israel under the Law of Return or the Law of Citizenship, if one is a descendent of Jews on one's father's side (and thus not Jewish according to halacha). This Supreme Court decision brought an end to a legal battle that has carried on for two and a half years. The applicants were represented by Yuval Grayevsky and Calev Myers from the offices of Yehuda Raveh & Co., and their legal costs were subsidized by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice. There is a growing trend, today, to use the term Messianic Believers, which solves the objections of Jews and makes the movement more 'accessible' to Gentiles as well, who make up a significant proportion of those who attend Messianic fellowships. This is important because some fellowships under the heading Messianic Judaism, do not actually have any Jews as members and the title does not, therefore, reflect the reality on the ground.
- "Israeli Court Rules Jews for Jesus Cannot Automatically Be Citizens". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 27, 1989. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
Messianic Jews are not entitled to automatic Israeli citizenship, Israel's Supreme Court has ruled, concluding that their belief that Jesus was the Messiah makes them Christians instead of Jews. The ruling, published in Israeli newspapers today, supported Orthodox religious interpretations of the state's 1950 Law of Return. The law forms the basis of Jewish immigration to Israel. The law and its subsequent amendments define a Jew as a person born to a Jewish mother or who converts to Judaism and professes no other faith. Orthodox politicians have long sought a more precise definition, and the court's Christmas Day ruling has resolved one issue. The 100-page decision said that belief in Jesus made one a member of another faith and ineligible for automatic Israeli citizenship, The Jerusalem Post, Hadashot and Yediot Ahronot reported.... "Messianic Jews attempt to reverse the wheels of history by 2,000 years," Justice Elon wrote in a passage quoted by the Israeli newspapers. "But the Jewish people has decided during the 2,000 years of its history" that Messianic Jews "do not belong to the Jewish nation and have no right to force themselves on it. Those who believe in Jesus are, in fact, Christians."
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Wagner, Matthew (June 26, 2008). "Messianic Jews to protest 'discrimination'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
Since then the Supreme Court has ruled that Messianic Jews whose mothers are Jewish can be denied Israeli citizenship. In contrast, those who are Jewish solely through their fathers cannot be denied citizenship. This is based on an interpretation of a 1970 amendment to the Law of Return.
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"Messianic Jews Claim Victory in Israeli Court". CBNnews.com. April 18, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
The Supreme Court of Israel ruled Wednesday that being a Messianic Jew cannot prevent Israeli citizenship if the Jewish descent is from the person's father's side.
- "2008 Report on International Religious Freedom – Israel and the occupied territories". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US government. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- Wagner, Matthew (September 23, 2008). "US report: Rise in violence against Messianic Jews and Christians". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- Mitchell, Chris (December 24, 2009). "Ortiz Case Cornerstone for Israeli Messianic Jews". CBN News. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
- Azulai, Yuval (October 3, 2009). "Aich Nilcham Irgun "Yad L'Achim" B'Yehudim HaMeshichim? Remez: Kol HaEmtzaim K'shayrim" איך נלחם ארגון "יד לאחים" ביהודים המשיחיים? רמז: כל האמצעים כשרים [How does the Yad L'Achim organization battle Messianic Jews? Hint: Anything goes]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- McGirk, Tim (June 6, 2008). "Israel's Messianic Jews Under Attack". Time. Ariel. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "'Messianic Jews' Say Police in Jerusalem Didn't Protect Them From Right-wing Mob". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
- Horovitz, Michael (2023-06-23). "Jewish extremists try to interrupt Messianic Jewish event in Jerusalem". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
- "US Navy Tells Messianic Jewish Chaplain He Must Wear Cross". The Yeshiva World News. December 23, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- Tokajer, Eric (December 29, 2008). "Messianic Jew Barred from Serving as Jewish Chaplain by US Navy". Pensacola, Florida: Messianic Daily News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- Harmon, Rick (September 26, 2013). "Birmingham police employee's religious discrimination case settled". Montgomery Adviser. Montgomery, Alabama. Archived from the original on December 17, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
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- "FAQs". Retrieved 2019-04-03.
The MJRC is a growing community of ordained Messianic Jewish rabbis committed to the exciting concept of a Messianic Judaism which is both faithful to the teachings, example and person of Messiah Yeshua and to deep connection with the larger Jewish community. This connection demands our giving serious attention to Torah as practiced through the march of Jewish history. MJRC Rabbis endeavor to develop standards of Messianic Jewish practice so that our congregations worldwide can grow together as life-giving communities, filled with the Ruach and the joy of Jewish life renewed in Yeshua.
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Works cited
- Ariel, David S. (1996). What Do Jews Believe? The Spiritual Foundations of Judaism. Schocken Books. ISBN 9780805210590.
- Ariel, Yaakov S. (2000). Evangelizing the chosen people: missions to the Jews in America, 1880–2000. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-4880-7. OCLC 43708450.
- Ariel, Yaakov (2005) . "Protestant Attitudes to Jews and Judaism During the Last Fifty Years". In Robert S. Wistrich (ed.). Terms of survival: the Jewish world since 1945 (Digital Printing ed.). London; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-10056-4. LCCN 94022069.
- Ariel, Yaakov S. (2006). Gallagher, Eugene V.; Ashcraft, W. Michael (eds.). Jewish and Christian Traditions. Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America. Vol. 2. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-98714-5. LCCN 2006022954. OCLC 315689134.
- Ariel, Yaakov S. (2013). "2 The Evangelical Messianic Faith and the Jews". An Unusual Relationship: Evangelical Christians and Jews. New York University Press. pp. 35–57. doi:10.18574/nyu/9780814770689.003.0002. ISBN 9780814770689.
- Balmer, Randall Herbert (November 2004) . "Messianic Judaism". Encyclopedia of evangelicalism (Rev. and expanded ed.). Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press. ISBN 9781932792041. LCCN 2004010023.
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Nonetheless, Paul appears always to have preached first in the synagogues to offer his fellow Israelites the first opportunity to hear about their Messiah (cf. Rom 1:16).
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Further reading
- Prill, Patrick (2004). Expectations About God and Messiah. Yeshua Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-0974208602.
- Resnik, Russ (2010). Introducing Messianic Judaism and the UMJC (PDF) (booklet). Albuquerque: Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations.
- Schonfield, Hugh (1936). History of Jewish Christianity. London: Duckworth.
- Stern, David H. (2007). Messianic Judaism: A Modern Movement With an Ancient Past (2 ed.). Ashland, Ohio: Messianic Jewish Publishers. ISBN 978-1880226339.
External links
- Wineapple, Shai; Kark, Ruth The History of Messianic Jews and the State of Israel, 1948-2008 Israel Studies Vol. 27, Issue 3, Fall 2022, pp. 118–142, at Omnilogos without references
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