Paul within Messiah, Torah, and Judaism
Paul’s allegiance to Yeshua (Jesus) is often thought to have impelled him to break with Judaism and the Torah (Law). This article advances a contrary position to the traditional view, maintaining that Paul remained within Judaism. In writing about circumcision, Sabbath, Jewish dietary laws and meat offered to idols, Paul accepted the authority of Scripture…
Read MoreThe Hebrew Christian Shoah and Its Soteriological Legacy
One hundred years ago, Europe was home to the majority of the world’s Jewish population. In 1933 the American Jewish Yearbook placed the total Jewish population of Europe at about 9.5 million. ‘This number represented more than 60 percent of the world’s Jewish population, which was estimated at 15.3 million.’[1] Today there are about 1,456,000…
Read MoreJewish and Historical Foundations for Post-Holocaust Messianic Soteriology
Introduction Soteriology – literally, “the study of salvation” – is a branch within the corpus of Christian systematic theology dealing with the work of the triune God in bringing creation, and especially humans, to enjoy the divine purpose for existence. More specifically, “objective” soteriology speaks of the life, death, resurrection and exaltation of Christ in…
Read MoreBenjamin Cardozo: Jewish Justice
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH[1] Benjamin Cardozo (1870-1938) was born of Jewish parents in New York City. His father, Albert, was a gifted judge on the New York Supreme Court.[2] He became infamous for his relationship with the Tweed Ring of the Tammany Hall notoriety. Albert was forced to resign as a New York judge due to alleged…
Read MoreResponse to Nanos: Renewed Covenantalism, Not Triumphalism or Supersessionism
Richard B. Hays explored the problem of Hebrews’ supersessionism in his monograph, “ ‘Here We Have No Lasting City’: New Covenantalism in Hebrews,”[1] in which he documented the recent phenomenon of scholars beginning to question the assumption that the ancient homily depicted a supersessionist theology which left no place for the Torah or for the…
Read MorePaul Employing Leviticus: Same-Sex Intercourse Considered Amongst Torah Commandments
It is sometimes argued that because the New Testament writers set aside circumcision, food laws, Sabbath, biblical purity laws, and welcomed Gentiles, anything in the Old Testament ought to be set aside if unsuitable for the ekklesia.[1] Recently, this argument has been raised with regard to the prohibition of same-sex intercourse in Leviticus. A seminary…
Read MoreFrom the Editor – Issue 25
The majority of the articles in this issue are drawn from the proceedings of the Helsinki Consultation on Jewish Continuity in the Body of Messiah that took place on June 14-15, 2010. These meetings in Heslinki were groundbreakers and participants included six Messianic Jews, three Catholic priests, one Lutheran, two Russian Orthodox intellectuals, one Russian…
Read MoreMessianic Judaism: The Ecumenical Factor
When it comes to ecumenism, the common view is that it is a movement involving the main traditional Christian denominations. Besides, it is generally perceived as a peripheral issue, even for these denominations. The primary task of a Church or a congregation is self-assessment and the search for inner coherence. Dealing with the reasons that…
Read MoreKhurbinek: Some Thoughts on the Church of Israel
In order to speak about the Church of Israel, it is assumed that one has a precise understanding of what is Israel and what is the Church. This assumption is, of course, wrong. We are incapable of providing such definitions. For the sake of clarity, let us state that the name Israel refers to this…
Read More“Salvation is from the Jews”: An Assessment and Critique of Karl Barth on Judaism and the Jewish People
Introduction It has often been said that, over the centuries, more than the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jewish people. The idea behind this expression is that Jewish practice is a key factor in the preservation of the Jewish people. Perhaps this should not be all that surprising to…
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