The Jewish Torah and the Christian missionaries 1. Why do not Christians

The Jewish Torah and the Christian missionaries 1. Why do not Christians

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

Almost two millennia Christian missionaries tried to convince the Jews to accept their faith, but always failed. What motivated our ancestors? Why they were so "unyielding"?

Recently, a lot is said and written about a number of religious movements of the Judeo-Christian sense. One of them, perhaps the most high-profile and activities - "Jews for Jesus". Apparently, a small group of Jews found something very attractive in the tenets of Christianity, although the vast majority of the Jewish people, as always, firmly rejects this religion.

For almost two thousand years, Christians are flirting with the Jews in the vain hope of attracting them to their side. But why are the Jews so obstinately reject the outstretched hand? What is bad for us, Jesus? In other words, why do not we Christians?

To answer this question, let's look at the origins of the Christian faith, of which the founder of the Christians say that he was a Jew. Yet it is known that the founder lived in the Jewish law, and the terms of his life occurred in a very rough time. Jesus' contemporaries had the greatest sages of the Talmud,. In one generation the great catechist Hillel lived up to it, and a generation later - Rabbi Akiva. However, in our national sources, very little has been reported about the private life of Jesus. Almost all the information back to the Gospels of the New Testament, written by leaders of the early Christian church for his congregation. But the main purpose of the Gospels was adopted and disseminated the doctrine of the new religion. That is why it is difficult to separate the true, the historical Jesus of the mythical Christ ( "anointed") who came up with the early Christian theology for its ideological goals.

Already immediately after Jesus' death, his followers have made dramatic changes in his teaching. Fundamentals of modern Christianity laid Paul of Tarsus (the Hebrew name Sela, in the accepted Saul transcription), a former pupil of the great Jewish sage Rabban Gamliel. His career this Sela began active struggle against the early Christians. Then, "having survived 03arenie" on the road to Damascus, he converted to Christianity and soon became one of its leaders. Facing Paul never met Jesus, but claimed that he had talked with his spirit. It was the first time with Paul, Christianity has proclaimed its most important tenets, which have since remained virtually unchanged. Paul's teachings are recorded in the so-called Epistles, which constitute the second part of the New Testament.

Paul made the following main postulates (dogma) of the Christian faith:

1. Jesus was the Messiah, in Greek, Christ (the anointed one). His coming was predicted by the biblical prophets and long overdue Jews. He is also the son of God and the son, has almost the same qualities as the Father.

2. Man is bad and sinful by nature. All mankind was cursed because of the original sin of Adam. The Jewish Torah can not save man, because its many commandments are too difficult to fulfill. The only thing that can save them from complete damnation and hell - a belief in Christ.

3. Initially, the Jews were the chosen people, but then God has rejected them for their refusal to accept His Son, Jesus. The very name of Israel given by God to His people, no longer belongs to the Jews, and those who believe in IisusaMessiyu. Only they are worthy of His love and protection.

All others are doomed to burn in "hell fire."

4. With the coming of Christ there was only one law. This is - the duty of love. People should follow the example of Jesus, imitate his sacrifice, humility, patience - in the hope that God will show mercy to them.

Already one of the enumeration of these four tenets clear why the Jews did not accept the Christian faith. Let us try to bring objections to them on the part of the Jews.

1. Jesus could not be the Messiah. Biblical prophets, in fact, predicted that the Messiah would come, at the same time promised that after the arrival of an era of universal peace and love. But, as we have seen, this has still not happened. In addition, any talk about what the Messiah - "Son of God" for Jews is absolutely unacceptable. According to the same Bible prophecy, the Savior (if they use this word) would only be an outstanding leader and a teacher, but nothing more.

2. Although the original sin does exist, the Torah teaches that man can overcome it. He does not prevail over a person as an insurmountable rock. Yes, man is sinful, but it is for our correction and perfection we have received from Gd's Torah. It is absurd to claim that Gd-given law is impossible or very difficult to perform. Moreover, we are not aware of any Jewish source, which would be referred to the possibility of escape (say even the curse) using only one faith. Sincere faith in God should lead to observance of His commandments. Save, ie, justify a man's life, can only be keeping the commandments.

3. It is impossible to imagine, if Gd decided to reject the Jewish people once. The Torah explicitly and repeatedly speaks of eternity of our union with Him. Gd - not the person to cancel his promises.

4. The Torah was given to the people for all time. She repeated several times that promise. Therefore, it can not be replaced by any new treaty or law. One love is not enough; We must be able to express it. Just this teaches us the Torah. Love of neighbor - only one of its precepts; but love needs to be supported by good deeds.

Why do we believe it is in these ideas, not in Christian tenets of Paul and his followers? The fact that Jesus never showed himself as the Messiah, whom the Jews expected. Prophecies about the Messianic era predicted that in the future, people expect a happy life in a conflict-free world, with the complete triumph of love and universal truth, when evil will disappear in all its manifestations: there will be no lies, no hate, no violence, no idolatry. As you can see, Christianity has failed to fulfill any of these conditions.

Christians do not agree with our objection. All of these changes, they say, have occurred with the advent of Jesus. They simply are not visible, because the people still sinned, and did not want to accept Christ and his teachings. Therefore, they say, the Messiah-Christ would come back one more time on the ground to prove the legitimacy of their mission.

For its part, the Jews did not accept the argument that the main biblical prophecies about the Messiah and his age will come true only after the "second coming". We are convinced that the Messiah will fulfill its great task on the first try, and then his rise has not yet taken place.

But it is not only about the identity of the Messiah and the time of his coming. Christianity also teaches that Jesus was a sort of "double" of Gd endowed with human flesh. Jews strongly reject such a concept. Anyone who claims that Gd assumes human form and thus diminish his greatness, undermines faith in His unity and absolute omnipotence.

Talk about "God-man" means being an idolater.

Jews disagree with the Christians, not only in matters of faith; we have different views on the role of humans in this world. Christianity sees no use in human actions, in his quest for perfection. The only thing that can save him, they say, is a state of ultimate frustration of material life, the bearer of sin, and the complete dependence on God. Jews also believe that a person can get closer to God, follow His commandments and obeying His will. But it remains to those who have freedom of choice.

Thus, Christianity and Judaism are quite different, essentially opposite to the concept of man.

Judaism says that man was created "in the image of Gd." Therefore, it can easily find the Divine qualities in yourself and the people around him. Fulfilling the commandments, we are thereby, as would give ignite in us of the divine spark. The Jew seeks not to miss this opportunity.

At the same time the original postulate of Christianity is trying to convince us of original sin and the human inferiority. When alone, the man doomed to complete the curse. His nature is drawn to evil, so he must do something to save himself.

"What did you do for your own salvation?" This is the first issue of Christianity. Jew to such a question seems meaningless. It is generally far from the Jewish way of thinking. Jew formulate the question differently: "How can I serve Gd? How do I keep the commandments? " For the main purpose of Judaism is in compliance with laws of the Torah. We see a man above all his potential greatness, for he alone in the universe is endowed with the ability to carry out the commandment and will of the Creator.

The man is so bad, Christians claim that the true worship of Gd it is simply not on the shoulder. The Torah is too difficult for people. Therefore, it remains only to believe in Christ and wait for rescue.

The Jews say: because Gd Himself has given us commandments and commanded to execute them, then we are able to serve Him and carry out His will. Is it possible to believe that he deliberately took upon His chosen people unbearable burden?

While all the disciples of Jesus were Jews, they were unable to convince his countrymen of the correctness of the new religious doctrine. Already in the period of its inception, Christianity stood closer to paganism than to Judaism. As time went on, but the differences between these two worldviews is not softened, but on the contrary, they began to deteriorate. Jews are firmly reject the new doctrine; representatives of other nations enthusiastically joined the ranks of Christian converts. As a result, Christianity is increasingly becoming a gentile, and sometimes anti-Jewish religion. The Church strongly encourages Jews to join it, using persuasion, and since then the church has established a state religion in the Roman Empire, even resorting to violence and cruelty. But the Jews kept firmly. Christianity has achieved considerable success, it changed the course of history. But he never managed to subdue the Jews. The people of Israel tenaciously clung to the Torah, while continuing to follow its own unique way.

Most Jews consistently rejected the two most important Christian doctrine that Jesus - is a Gd in human form, and that the Torah has lost its original meaning. Even the threat of death could not force the Jews to accept these provisions.

But by rejecting Christianity as a whole, Judaism did not challenge the spiritual side of his teachings. For all the platitudes preaching of Jesus from the perspective of the Torah - they have made an undeniable contribution to the formation duhovnonravstvennyh values of the non-Jewish world.

But any Jew had always known that the Torah has given him a unique relationship with Gd. All that he discovered Christianity, prevented this context, contrary to its essence. That is why the Jewish people for centuries rejected Christian dogma. He believed with perfect faith that is the only correct way is ordained by Gd, and flatly refused to go with him.