Hamas War

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Terminology- Words Count- No “New Testament” for Me!

This was first posted on Israel Blogger.

Here’s another of my serious pet peeves.
We Jews must never use the term “new testament,” sic, for the Christian Bible. 
I’ve caught too many people using it blithely unaware of its actual meaning and significance. The basic theological foundation of Christianity is that they are the continuation or more exact the replacement of Judaism. They insist that their bible includes ours, which they call the “old testament.” Now, what’s a “testament?”
  1. 1a:  a tangible proof or tribute b:  an expression of conviction :creed
  2. 2a:  an act by which a person determines the disposition of his or her property after death b:will
  3. capitalized:  either of two main divisions of the Bible archaic:  a covenant between God and the human race
Jews do not use that term for the TaNa”Ch, Bible, which is Torah, Navi and Kituvim, translated as “Five Books of Moses,” Prophets and Writings/Scrolls. My Tanach teacher, Dr. Yael Ziegler, always reminds us that Tanach isn’t a history book ; it’s a book of theology. Historically, after the narrative in it and to explain the meaning, we have the Oral Law.
Christianity claims that the very confusing narratives in their Bible, which begins after ours, is the continuation and new instructions and lessons. In their history, they even refer to themselves as the “new Jews.” But they aren’t Jews at all. They worship a dead human which goes against the very first Commandment, Shemot/Exodus Chapter 20. 
1God spoke all these words, to respond:אוַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֵאמֹר:
2“I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.באָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים:
3You shall not have the gods of others in My presence.גלֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנַי:
4You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness which is in the heavens above, which is on the earth below, or which is in the water beneath the earth.דלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְּךָ פֶסֶל | וְכָל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם | מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתַּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם | מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ:
5You shall neither prostrate yourself before them nor worship them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a zealous God, Who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, upon the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me,הלֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים לְשׂנְאָי:
6and [I] perform loving kindness to thousands [of generations], to those who love Me and to those who keep My commandments.ווְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי:
And that's why it is very important that we recognize and make it clear that not only are Judaism and Christianity two separate religions, but their agenda is to replace us. To say that their bible is the "new" one plays into their hands.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice post. But, sometimes I feel it's bizzaro world where in our holy Eretz Yisrael we even have to write and read about these things which years ago would have been unthinkable. Tragic. Am reading all the chilulim going on in our holy Land. The notzrim have infiltrated so much into the State and being lauded by those in power, r'l.

Praying that these are the sure signs before the geulah shleimah because all the avodah zorahs will be going down. Amen
We really need Moshiach Tzdkeinu ASAP.

Batya said...

One important thing to know is that today there are Jews, who had been born and raised as Christians and in their search for truth discovered their religion to be based on a fallacy.

Batya said...

Excellent points, thanks.

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John S said...

The Old and New Testaments of the so called "Christian Bible" directly relate to the old and new covenants spoken of by the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—“not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jer. 31:31-33)

Note that God is speaking through Jeremiah to Israel. I find no mention of Christians.

There was a very unfortunate development in the second century AD when gentile leaders of the early Church began teaching that God had forsaken His covenant people Israel and replaced them with the church that would inherit the spiritual promises He made to Abraham. This erroneous doctrine is known as replacement theology and is an anathema to many Christians. http://www.ldolphin.org/replacement/

Your reference to "new Jews" Batya is a very interesting one. The prophetic book of Revelation has this to say, "I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (Rev 2:9)
“Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you." (Rev. 3:9) Many theologians in the church have great difficulty in understanding these two references to false Jews. You seem to have had no trouble at all.

Batya said...

Thank you
Very interesting, but Jeremiah predates Christianity and does not predict or justify it.