For
the past 30 years I have been engaged in research about the Jewish Yeshua
(Jesus) and the evolution of Christianity from a Jewish sect to a universal
Gentile religion. The work of Dr. David Flusser had played an important role in
my work. David Flusser (b. 09/15/1917 – d. 09/15/2000) was a professor at the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem where he taught Judaism in the Second Temple Period
and Early Christianity. He was a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and
Humanities. Flusser published over
1,000 articles in Hebrew, German, English, and other languages. His work was rewarded by the State of
Israel in 1980 with the Israel Prize.
His
famous book, Judaism and the Origins of
Christianity (© 1988 Magnes Press, the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel),
is a valuable resource for anyone studying the Second Temple Judaism and Early
Christianity. I use it regularly in my work. Today, while working on something,
I came across two passages that I believe are very important. I encourage you
to read them a couple of times, and then seriously consider the implications of
Flusser’s words. I added underlines to stress specific points.
The latter-day Judaism as well as
Christianity did not evolve from the religion of Israel in the Old Testament,
but from the Jewish religiosity that flourished during the intertestamental
period. This type of religiosity is no longer identical with the creed
reflected in the Old Testament. The investigation of this type of religiosity
can lead us to warranted conclusions only if we pay due attention to the
diverse trends and movements within Judaism of the Second Commonwealth. By
encompassing all these data we shall realize that in spite of all the
respective shades of difference among the groups and sects, we can, on the
one hand, formulate ideas and attitudes, trends and approaches common to them
all which, on the other hand, distinguish them all clearly from the
world of thought and belief that prevails in the Old Testament. (p. 471)
The Jewish origin of Christianity is an
historical fact. It is also clear that Christianity constituted a new
community, distinct from Judaism. Thus, Christianity is in the peculiar position
of being a religion which, because of its Jewish roots, is obligated to be
occupied with Judaism, while a Jew can fully live his Jewish religious life
without wrestling with the problems of Christianity. (p. 617)
From its very beginnings, Christianity
understood itself more or less as the heir of Judaism and its true expression,
at the same time that it knew itself to have come into existence through the
special grace of Christ. As the vast majority of Jews did not agree with their
Christian brethren in this claim, Christianity became a religion of Gentiles
to whom, from the second century on, it was forbidden to fulfill the
commandments of the Law of Moses –- a book which was, at the same time,
a part of their Holy Scriptures. (p.
617)
Already then the majority of
Christians thought that the Jewish way of life was forbidden even to those Jews
who had embraced Christianity, an attitude which later became the official
position of the Church. While anti-Semitism existed before Christianity, Christian
anti-Judaism was far more virulent and dangerous. The latter rejected most
of the motifs of Greco-Roman anti-Semitism, as these were used also against
Christians, but invented new arguments. Most of these existed as early as the
first century – some of them have their roots already in the New Testament –
and by the second century we can recognize more or less clearly the whole
direction of Christian anti-Judaism. (p. 617)
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Shalom,
Jim
Myers
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