Three Shabbats of Fayetteville, NC

09/04/2022

Translating from one language to another is both a science and an art. For example, the King James Bible (originally published in 1611) contains many italicized words that are not in the original text for the purpose of clarifying meaning and improving readability. Doing such a thing requires not only linguistic skill, but a little bit of educated guesswork, risk-taking, and subjectivity on the part of the translator, who might inadvertently (or even purposely) change the original meaning. Among words requiring translation from one language to another are proper names of people and places, such as the name “James.”

“James” in the B’rit Hadasha (New Covenant) derives from the Greek word Ιακωβος, which is transliterated as Iakōbos. Although some linguistic scholars maintain that “James” is a perfectly valid English name for Ιακωβος, they also agree that Ya’akov, or Jacob, is equally valid and arguably more accurate. The reason for the selection for James over Jacob is debated.

Some people have argued that King James I, the sponsor of the original King James Bible, used the name “James” in his own honor (or the translators used it on his behalf). While honoring monarchs through naming was certainly not unheard of—the 1607 Jamestown Colony was named after the same king—some scholars reject that James was selected for this reason. At the same time, they are perplexed as to why the name Ya’akov/Jacob was used for the patriarch in the Torah but James was used in the B’rit Hadasha (it is the same name in both Hebrew and Greek).

This does seem to suggest that using Jacob in one and James in the other was deliberate. On the one hand, if “James” was both a valid English version of Ιακωβος and the king’s name could live on in the translation, then why not? On the other hand, why not use “James” throughout the entire Bible and not just the New Covenant? Was this just one way of distinguishing the Tanakh from the B’rit Hadasha?

One thing is for certain—no one was named “James” (or “Jesus” for that matter) in either ancient Jewish history or in first century Judea. The transliterated Ya’akov and Yeshua are much more in line with the original names.

08/28/2022

Just to be clear, Sha’ul (Saul) did not ‘become’ Paulus (Paul) when he was saved and chosen by Yeshua to be His Emissary to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). Although a dual citizen of Rome (Acts 22:25-28), Sha’ul/Paulus never relinquished his Jewish identity (Philippians 3) nor his love for Israel or his fellow Jews (Romans 9). Acts 13:9 states explicitly that Sha’ul is “also known as Paul,” not that he changed his name. When interacting among fellow Jews, he would have been called Sha’ul; when outside of Judea conducting his missionary work appointed to him by the Messiah, he would have gone by his Roman name, Paulus. The fact that we don’t see the name Sha’ul later in the B’rit Hadashah (New Testament) is because (a) Paul is writing primarily to Gentile audiences and identifies himself as such and (b) Luke (author of Acts) was a Gentile.

The image below is indicative of the careless and flawed view that Saul ‘became’ Paul and left all traces of his Jewish identity behind. More dangerously, it reinforces the fallacy that Christianity is somehow ‘other’ from the Judaism that gave rise to it. Unlike the many pagan Gentiles who would hear his message of the Gospel, Paul did not 'convert' to Christianity—as a Pharisaic Jew, his belief system was ‘completed’ in Yeshua, he was not ‘converted’—nor did he “strip himself of his Jewish connections and relationships” or “secede from Judaism” (although he rightly separated the law from the doctrine of justification and the gospel of salvation). The fact that one has new spiritual life in Yeshua (as do all who believe in Him) does not require a name change on his or her driver’s license. The Emissary’s going by Sha’ul or Paulus was a practical measure based on location and audience, not indicative of new spiritual life or an abandonment of his Jewish identity.

08/21/2022

Who is the Gospel of Yeshua Hamashiach for? The short answer is: everyone! As Paul writes in Romans, “if you acknowledge publicly with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be delivered. . . . That means that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — ADONAI is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on him, since everyone who calls on the name of ADONAI will be delivered” (Romans 10:9, 12-13).

Why then did mainstream (i.e., Western) Christianity for centuries treat Jews as outsiders to the Gospel, as an “other,” or as unworthy? Either a catalyst for or byproduct of the Roman Empire’s takeover of so-called Christian orthodoxy in the fourth century, the church in the West long acted as if it ‘owned’ the Gospel and had the authority to pick and choose who it shared that message with, and then what additional social or political controls might be necessary to maintain its primacy. Often, Jews were excluded from missionary/evangelistic efforts, to say nothing of other forms of persecution and oppression. Was there any biblical justification for this?

Obviously not. Yeshua, the twelve talmidim, and the Emissary Sha’ul/Paul were all Jewish. Only one of the thirteen leading Apostles (or 8%) were selected to witness to the Gentiles rather than Jews. The initial church were Jews who had gathered for Shavu’ot in Yerushalayim (Acts 2). Despite his mission to the Gentiles, Sha’ul always visited Jewish synagogues first on his travels (Acts 17:1-2) and his heart was always with his fellow Jews (Romans 9). He wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the Good News, since it is God’s powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).

If anyone were to be outsiders to the Gospel, it would have been Gentiles, not Jews. However, G-d, by His love and grace, made the free gift of salvation through the Messiah Yeshua available to all who believe (Yohanan/John 5:39). The rapport between Christians and Jews—a false dichotomy to be addressed at a later time—has improved in recent years, particularly since the founding of modern Israel in 1948. A few years of improved relations cannot quickly undo centuries of neglect and abuse, and additional work and healing will be needed; however, this is possible through the Gospel of Yeshua and the workings of Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).

08/18/2022

Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) is the most attacked and besieged city in history.
https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/attacks-on-jerusalem-timeline.html

08/07/2022

History is filled with examples of the persecution of Jews by people who have professed Christianity. The article below is a good primer of the Jewish pogroms in the UK in 1189 and 1190.

Some of the worst atrocities committed against European Jews in the Middle Ages took place in England in the late 12th century...

08/07/2022

What is Scripture?

Sha’ul (a.k.a., Paul), G-d’s emissary to the Gentiles, wrote: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living” (2 Timothy 3:16, CJB). Based on this verse, it is commonly assumed that the entire Bible from B’resheet (Genesis) to Revelation is “Scripture.” Did Yeshua and His talmidim (disciples) view it that way?

Yeshua speaks about the Scriptures on multiple occasions. Yohanan/John records His words: “You keep examining the Tanakh because you think that in it you have eternal life. Those very Scriptures bear witness to me” (Yohanan/John 5:39). Luke 4 records the words of Yeshua after teaching in the synagogue, after which he said, “Today, as you heard it read, this passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled!” (Luke 4:21). (The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible translates this verse: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”) Acts 17:2 records that “Sha’ul went in; and on three Shabbats he gave them drashes from the Tanakh.” The NIV reads that Sha’ul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” But, during the events described in these passages, the New Covenant did not yet exist…

New Covenant uses of the word “Scripture” refer to the Tanakh (known by Christians as the Old Testament), not to the entirety of what we now know as the Bible (because the New Covenant did not yet exist). The Tanakh/Scripture foretold of the coming Messiah (Yeshua), while the New Covenant is the record of that fulfillment and instructions for living in light that truth. Matityahu records the words of Yeshua: “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete” (Matityahu/Matthew 5:17). During the post-resurrection apostolic era, the spreading of the gospel was done by teaching from the Tanakh/Scripture and by witness accounts of the finished work of Yeshua (again, there was no “New Testament” yet). Post-apostolic church leaders granted the writings of the New Covenant the stature of “Scripture,” but they were not what Yeshua and His talmidim meant by “Scripture.” While the New Covenant writings are not the “Scriptures,” per se, they are inspired, authoritative, and contain the record of Yeshua’s fulfillment of the Tanakh/“Scriptures.”

08/07/2022

Devarim (דברים) Deuteronomy 4:30 “When you are in distress and all these things have come on you, in the latter days you will return to Adonai your God and listen to His voice. 31 For Adonai your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you or destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them.

08/07/2022

G-d was, is, and forever will be the Mighty One of Israel. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and its people's faith in Yeshua Hamashiach.

"Mighty One of Israel"
(Daily Name has been graciously provided to us by Dr. Barri Cae Seif from her book, “THE NAME – HaShem: Daily Devotional Worship.)

08/04/2022

Tehillim (Psalms)‬ ‭105:1 ‬

07/28/2022

1 Corinthians 15:57‬

07/27/2022

Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)‬ ‭12:13 ‬