nothing is yet in its true form

As a Christian, my major interests have always been in the areas of Systematic Theology, Biblical studies and evangelism, but unfortunately none of these are areas of study in my secular Religious Studies department. Regardless, studying at a secular university has given me the unique opportunity to gain a greater understanding of other world religions. Partly because of its close ties to Christianity and because of my own personal family background, I have taken more than a handful of classes on Judaism. I have said for a long time that I think most Christians do not have an adequate understanding of Judaism. However, recently I have seen that a proper understanding of Judaism has become almost crucial because as each faith has developed over the past 2,000 years each has been forced to define itself by the other.

For instance, I believe one of the Apostle Paul’s most important writings is his letter to the Galatians. This is an important book because Paul is setting Christianity as a distinct faith apart from Judaism for probably the first time in history. Likewise, in the book of Hebrews, the writer seeks to reconcile the Christian faith with that of Judaism, that regards only the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as scriptural. On the opposite side, what we know today as Judaism (a term coined by Greeks, not Jews) has developed as Jews of the diaspora (great dispersing of Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem) have worked out how to be Jews in the midst of a gentile world. I would suggest that it is important for Christians to understand the Jewish faith because the faith of the Hebrews was clearly God’s preparation for His bringing salvation to the world. However, today some Christians are asserting that we cannot understand the Christian faith without a Jewish perspective. Not only is this a completely false notion, but it is also dangerous.

For instance, the popular writer and pastor Rob Bell uses numerous references to Judaism and Rabbis in his book Velvet Elvis. He interpretation of Jesus is based upon viewing him as a Jewish rabbi, but there is a major problem with this interpretation from a modern day viewpoint. Bell is viewing Jesus as a rabbi from the perspective of the modern day Rabbinic Judaism, rooted in the Mishnah (circa 200 AD) and Talmud (circa 425 AD). He is borrowing his understanding from a tradition that really began its development after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD (approximately 40 years after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus). More importantly, he is borrowing ideas from a viewpoint that denounces the fact that Jesus was God. That is a major problem because if you do not believe that Jesus is God, then you do not believe in the same God I believe in.

The question still remains: Why is this such an important issue? The main issue for me has to do with the Jewish notion of Oral Torah. According to Judaism, Moses and the Hebrew people received both Oral and Written Torah from God at Mount Sinai. The teachings of the Oral Torah are a guide to the interpretation of the Written Torah which is considered to be the authoritative reading. Because of this, Jewish law and tradition is not based upon a strict literal reading of the Hebrew Bible, but on an understanding of combined Oral and Written Torah. The Oral Law was written down in what is known as the Mishnah, but is continually interpreted in the Talmud and by rabbis today. Oral Torah is both a text and a gift from God used for interpreting all parts of Jewish life. It is has been used to understand everything from why Jews no longer make sacrifices to how to interpret Jewish dietary laws in light of modern science.

I see two major difficulties with Oral Torah. First, it is based in the hearts, minds and whims of men. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” Second, according to rabbinic tradition, Oral Torah can and does contradict written Torah. For instance a passage from the Talmud goes like this:

“Thus do You teach the sinner the way to go” (Tehilim 25:8) – that Hashem shows the way to Repentance.

Wisdom was asked ‘What should be the punishment for the sinner?’ She answered, ‘Let evil pursue the sinner.’ (Mishlei/Proverbs: 13:21)

Prophecy was asked, ‘What should be the punishment for the sinner?’ She answered, ‘The soul that sins shall perish.’ (Yechezkel/Ezekiel 18:4)

The Torah was asked, ‘What should be the punishment for the sinner?’ She answered, ‘Let him bring a sacrifice, and be atoned for.’

The Holy One, Blessed be He, was asked, ‘What should be the punishment for the sinner?’ He answered, ‘Let the sinner repent and he will find atonement.’ This is the meaning of the verse, ‘Thus You show the sinner the way’ – ‘You show the sinner how to repent’ (Yalkut Shimoni, Tehilim/Psalms 25)

The passage is interpreting what scripture says will happen to the sinner. They ask wisdom literature and find that evil will pursue the sinner. Prophecy tells them that sinful souls will perish. Torah reveals that people who sin must make a sacrifice, and be atoned for. However, the writers consult God who gives tells them that repentance is all that is needed for the atonement of sins. Christians believe in this notion as well, but believe that Christ is the vehicle and sacrifice allowing for the repentance of sins. Jews have no such notion and are in direct contradiction Leviticus 17:11 which tells us that, “the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” Hebrews 9:22 emphasizes the matter stating that, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” No sacrifices leads to no atonement. No atonement leads to no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews makes it clear that the sacrificing of bulls and goats was never meant to take away sins and only Jesus’ sacrifice can remove the guilt of sin, but Jews obviously do not consider this to be the case.

You still might be asking yourself, how does this notion of Oral Torah have anything to do with Christianity? Well the answer lies in the fact that some Christians have used and are using Oral Torah. They just do not call it by such a name. The popular term for this practice in Christianity is, “Trajectory Hermeneutics.” The underlying idea is that what we refer to as the words of scripture, sets ideas into motion that result in a contradictory outcome. For instance, the Bible may say one thing about not having women as elders, but because we are much more evolved and enlightened today than people 2,000 years ago, we understand the concepts they were talking about, but we bring them to their logical conclusion. This hermeneutic used for interpreting scripture fits very nicely into a postmodern and deconstructionist worldview. However, it downplays the authority of scripture; an idea which no follower of Jesus should be comfortable with.

Isaiah tells us that, “The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:7-8). People very often quote the second verse about how God’s word will stand forever, but they very often neglect the first verse which speaks of the impermanence of man. Oral Torah, trajectory hermeneutics and the idea that we understand a more enlightened version of the faith our fathers, all sound extremely nice, but they just aren’t true. People who lean on their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) are not wise people, but fools. Not only is God not happy with us when we disobey and disavow His word, but we likewise are made unhappy and unfulfilled. We need the authority of scripture and we are in a case where God’s Law was made for man, not man for God’s Law (Matthew 2:27). This doesn’t mean that we can do away with inconvenient parts of scripture, but that we need to have a proper perspective on the purpose of scripture in our lives.

The best analogy I’ve heard for this comes from Professor Jerry Root of Wheaton College (Illinois). He explains that we are all lost in a hedge maze (mazes made out of tall bushes). From our perspective, we cannot see our place in the maze because our vision is obscured by the obstacles. However, if one was able to get over the maze, they would be able to see the whole picture with the correct path and the errors. God is such a person with such perspective, and scripture is his guide for navigating the maze. The only person who can guide us out of the maze is God and when we lean on our own knowledge or the knowledge of others’ (who have the same limited perspective) we are destined to be lost. This does not come from the professor, but I would add to the analogy that if one memorizes the maze (or memorizes scripture), one is even better prepared to navigate life. This still is not our own wisdom, but allowing God to write His word on our hearts (Psalm 119:11).

The great prophet Bob Dylan once wrote that, “All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie” (Things Have Changed ). My prayer is that we would look to truth from the one who is in us and, “is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).