Introduction
It seems to be the case that for most gentiles and even secular Jews, the only recognized feature of Judaism is the Temple service and animal sacrifice. To modern sensibilities, the notion that God would not only accept, but require an act of animal cruelty as a method of worship is terribly unsettling. As a result, many gentiles and secular Jews have had little interest in acknowledging a religious system seemingly founded on archaic practice and superstition. The consensus among gentiles, secular Jews, and Christians regarding Judaism has been: “Why bother?”
However, the Temple and its ceremony only represent the tip of a monolithic iceberg of invaluable truth. Proper study of Judaism should yield the conclusion that Judaism is entirely unique in comparison to other spiritual disciplines. Judaism advanced the principle of monotheism, at a time when the world was steeped in Polytheism and offered no alternative. While the goal of Eastern religion is to escape the physical world, Judaism in contrast is solidly anchored into the physical. No other religion is equipped with the concept of a Holy land, a Holy people attached to that land, and a Holy law that would serve as the constitution for a theocratic nation. The concept of the arrival of a Messiah, who would suffer and ultimately die in order to atone for sin – these are exclusively Jewish concepts, derived from the account of Jewish prophets.
So, I would like to revisit the sentiment: “Why bother? Why have an interest in Judaism?” – we as Christians, we should bother, because Judaism is our religion. It is either laughable, or reason to cry that this comes as a shock to many Christians. Jesus was a Jew, the Apostles were Jews and the first converts to Christianity were Jews.
The question is why are we only now, coming to this realization? If you research into early Christian history, it’s clear that much of the teaching that we have inherited comes from a foundation of antisemitism. By seeking to appropriate Judaism, yet at the same time wanting to purge the faith of all things Jewish, we have pulled the rug out from under our feet. We are possessing an outside husk, but inside it’s been emptied of much of its essential background and context. We have removed from the faith, a great deal of its substance. This is what Beth El Ministries is wanting to do, to return the substance – to recover the context, in order to revive the faith as it was once understood by the Apostles.
(This portion is under Construction. I will be frequently updating this section, assigning active links to each Jewish term so that upon clicking the link, the user is directed to a page dedicated to the corresponding subject)
Jewish Terms every Christian should know:
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