Jewish Perceptions of Jesus Christ Essay Example For Students

Jewish Perceptions of Jesus Christ Essay Christianity and Judaism are major world religions which, though they worship the same God, have marked differences which have caused two thousand years of strife and animosity between the two religions. In his book We Jews and Jesus, Samuel Sandmel likens the link between Judaism and Christianity to a type of parent-child relationship, saying, Early Christianity was a Judaism; within a century after the death of Jesus it was a separate religion. It was critical of its parent, and hostile to it, and elicited from its parent reciprocal criticism and hostility. 1 Opposing views of Jesus Christ caused the initial rift between Judaism and Christianity and is the primary source of the tension between the two religions which has continued for the last two millennia. Therefore, in order to understand how Judaism and Christianity relate to one another, it is essential to understand the way Jesus is perceived in each religion. The way that Christians view Jesus is quite well known, but Judaisms view of him is much lesser known, so it is important to explore Judaisms perceptions of Jesus, beginning with New Testament times, and to examine the ways in which these feelings and opinions have changed over time. Although the New Testament is the main source of information regarding Jesus life, Jews often disregard it as a reliable source of information. It was not written until two to three generations after Jesus, hence it cannot be considered a primary source. Also, from a Jewish perspective, the aim of the Gospels is not to give an accurate account of Jesus life and teachings; the Gospels served as missionary documents containing accounts recorded by biased evangelists. They reflect the aims of the church rather than actual facts, and their writers were more concerned with the advancement of Christianity than the transmission of factual historical information. For these reasons, it is impossible to separate the historical Jesus from the divine Christ presented in the Gospels, and Judaism regards the Gospels as unreliable and irrational. It is not known exactly when Jesus was born, but according to the Christian calender, his birth year was circa 4 B. C. Christmas, the day of Christs birth, is celebrated by Christians on December 25, but the actual day and month of his birth are unknown. Rachel Zurer, a follower of Judaism, points out that December 25 was celebrated as the birthday of Mithras, a Roman god, until church leaders declared the day as Jesus birth date. Jewish scholars believe that contrary to Christian teaching, Jesus was born in Nazareth, not Bethlehem, and the idea of the Immaculate Conception is not accepted. According to the Talmud, Jesus was actually an illegitimate child. In a passage narrated in the Tract Kallah, 1b (18b), Rabbi Akibah says to Mary, Tell me, what kind of son is this of yours? to which Mary responds, The day I was married I was having menstruation, and because of this my husband left me. But an evil spirit came and slept with me and from this intercourse my son was born to me. 3 The Talmud (the Babylonian Talmud in particular) refers to Jesus as Son of Stada/Satda and Son of Pandera ; these titles are not used clearly, but it is evident that both are used in reference to Jesus, and scholars have inferred their probable meanings. Sanhedrin 67a states that The son of Stada was son of Pandera. Rab Chisa said: The husband was Stada, the lover Pandera. . . his mother was Miriam, the womens hairdresser; as they would say. Stath da to her husband; Stath da means she was unfaithful or she proved faithless, and is obviously used in reference to Marys lack of faithfulness to her husband. 4 According to this passage, Stada was Jesus legal father (Marys husband), and Pandera was his biological father, Marys alleged lover. Stada is also used as a nickname for Mary, again, in reference to her alleged infidelity. According to Jewish belief, God has no son; since Joseph was not Jesu s father, Jesus must have been illegitimate. There exists a statute which reads: A bastard shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of the Lord, and the Talmud is absolutely certain that Jesus was illegitimate. 5 Knowing this, one may wonder why Jesus was allowed into the assembly of the Lord. A possible answer is that Jesus actually passed as the son of Joseph until the claim of immaculate conception. 6 The Talmud again dishonors Mary by calling her a mgaddla nsajja, a womens hairdresser, an occupation which was not considered fitting for a virtuous married woman. The Gospel recorded by Matthew asserts (and followers of Judaism believe) that Mary gave birth to other children, but this is denied by the Catholic Church, which refers to Marys other children as Jesus cousins. John 8:57 says that Jesus wasnot yet fifty, when he was executed. However, his execution is generally believed to have occurred when he was between the ages of 26 and 36, and it is commonly accepted that he was 33. The Jewish view of Jesus crucifixion greatly conflicts with the Christian interpretation of the event. According to the book Zohar, III, (282), Jesus died like a beast and was buried in a dirt heap. . . where they throw he dead bodies of dogs and asses, and where the sons of Esau and of Ismael , also Jesus and Mahommad, uncircumcized and unclean like dead dogs, are buried; in short, Jesus was buried in Hell. 8 The search for historical facts concerning Jesus execution has historically been a Jewish concern because of the hostility toward Jews because of this event. From a Jewish perspective, one might wonder why Christians express such animosity toward those who they believe crucified Christ. If the crucifixion brought atonement to mankind, why would Christians hate those who were involved? If the crucifixion was Gods will, the role of those who carried out the crucifixion was determined by God and was no fault of theirs. 10 Judaism rejects most of Jesus teachings and characterizes him as a fool, idolater, and seducer of the people who, as described by Reverend I. B. Pranaitis, could teach nothing but falsehood and heresy whish was irrational and impossible to observe. 11 Jesus is called a fool by the Elders in Schabbath, 104b: He was a fool, and no one pays attention to fools. This was at least partially because of teachings in which he called himself the son of God or claimed that he and God are one. Jesus is also considered an idolater. In Sanhedrin, 103a, it is mentioned that Jesus burns his food publicly, which is equivalent to true doctrine through heresy, the true worship of God through idolatry. 2 Jesus is also accused of up idols in the streets and public places. 13 During early Christianity, it was a general belief of Jews that Christians offered sacrifices to idols, and it was concluded that this practice must have commenced with Jesus. Jews consider idolatry to be the highest form of falling away from God15, and it is believed that one who practices idolatry denies the entire Torah. Jesus is also charged with corrupting and seducin g the people of Israel and is referred to as Balaam, a title which means devourer or destroyer of the people. This title expresses the belief that Jesus was viewed as the spiritual destroyer of Israel because he caused a rift in the synagogue and according to the Jewish conception is the greatest destroyer of the people, who has ever risen up in the midst of Israel. 17 Often, Jews and Jewish scholars parallel many of Jesus teachings and assertions to sayings in Jewish literature which preceded his existence and use this to deny Jesus originality. It is believed that although it is not known exactly what Jesus actual words were, they could only have come from Judaism. After all, Jesus was a Jew, and he never turned away from Judaism. Stolper boldly asserts that none of Jesus teachings added even one iota to the strength of the Torah,18 and Rachel Zurer maintains that, Christians who grew up believing that the gospels present original truths uttered by Jesus, need to turn to the Bible (their Old Testament) and to the rabbinic wisdom circulating in his time. Here will be found the sources for sayings attributed to Jesus. (Except of course for the scurrilous words and vilifications put into his mouth by the missionary evangelists). 19 Should this business update to Windows 2000 from W EssayThe cross typically used for crucifixion was often called Tau by Hebrews and Phoenicians. However, the cross adopted as a symbol of Christianity is called several names: Tsurath Haatalui (the image of him who was hanged), Elil (vanity, idol), Tselem (in Jewish books, Crusaders are called Tsalmerin), Scheti Veerbh (warp and woof, which is taken from the textile art), Kokhabh (star; on account of the four rays emanating from it), and Pesila (a sculpture, a carven idol). 41 Whenever the cross is mentioned, it is in the sense of an idol or something which is unacceptable in Judaism. It is evident that early Judaism disregarded Jesus and his followers, but to what extent have traditional Jewish attitudes toward Jesus perpetuated? How is the attitude of modern Judaism toward Christ different from the traditional attitude? This may be explored using the Jewish Encyclopedia a record of Judaism from its earliest times as a source. The articles in the Encyclopedia which discuss Jesus Christ were written by scholars of reformed or progressive Judaism (the two terms can be used interchangeably), which is the product of modern thought, investigation, and adaptation to existing conditions. 2 Progressive Judaism began to develop during the early nineteenth century when interaction between Jews and gentiles increased and the exchange of ideas occurred much more than it had in the past. As a result of this movement, many Jewish beliefs have been modified to coincide more with modern times and to promote assimilation with modern conditions without sacrificing the integrity of Judaism. 43 As the beliefs of Judaism have evolved, so has the attitude toward Jesus. Naturally, followers of progressive Judaism do not see Christ as Christians do, but their view of him is more genial than it previously has been. Clyde Votaw, a Christian, welcomes the new trends in Judaism and believes that the worst is past in the alienation of Jews from Christianity. 44 Progressive Judaism holds that Jesus was born around the year 2 B. C. in Nazareth; his public ministry lasted for approximately ten months, and he was executed in Jerusalem in 29 A. D. 45 Jesus was a figure who was extremely emotional about religion, and he often had visions and celestial experiences. He performed many miracles and was particularly devoted to casting out demons, which is now understood to mean that he cured mental and nervous conditions. He shared many beliefs and practices of the Essene sect, of which he was a part, but he also distinguished himself from them in many ways. 46 Jesus could be amiable and understanding toward friends but allusive and unfair toward others. Jesus was a devout and steadfast Jew, never turning away from Judaism. He believed that as a Jew, it was his duty to literally follow the Law. If this is true, one may ask, if Jesus were considered a devout Jew, why has he continually been rejected by Jews? ) It is believed that in his teachings, Jesus was only reiterating previous Jewish beliefs. Essentially, Jesus teachings were a continuation of the teachings of John the Baptist, which had two central points: repentance and the coming Kingdom of God. Jesus doctrine of the fatherhood of God and the Prayer that he gave his disciples were also based largely upon previously existing Jewish ideas. Therefore, all originality is denied to him. In response to this, Clyde Votaw asks, . . . how comes it that the Jews did not first show, and through nineteen centuries have never shown, any real appreciation of the Lords Prayer, or of Jesus other teachings, which nevertheless they claim were reiterations of their own best thoughts? 47 It is also a belief of progressive Judaism that Jesus would not have attained the level of success that he achieved if it were not for his works; his teachings alone would not have been enough. He performed miracles and great works for the common people, and in return they accepted and supported him. It was never his intention to establish a new religion; his mission was to Judaism. Progressive Jews believe that the Christian movement, which developed after his crucifixion, was not foreseen by Jesus and would not have been alluring to him. Contrary to the belief of traditional Judaism, progressive Judaism asserts that Jesus never actually claimed to be divine but instead that he regarded himself as an ordinary human. The passages in the Gospels about Jesus divinity and status and the literal son of God reflected ideas of his disciples which developed after his demise. 48 Progressive Judaism is uncertain about whether Jesus considered himself the Messiah. In modern Judaism, the idea of the Messiah is discarded; it is not longer expected that a Messiah will come to redeem mankind. 49 Jesus did not know in advance that he would be crucified; contrary to traditional belief, progressive Judaism contends that Jesus death came as a surprise to him. He did not expect to be captured and executed. Therefore, his death was not the self-sacrificing act that it is portrayed to be in the Gospels. It was represented this way because Christians needed to explain how God would allow the Messiah to be executed as Jesus was. The party responsible for Jesus execution was a small group of Jewish priests. Roman authorities depended on the Temple priests to inform them of dissenters and opposition, and these priests often functioned as puppets of the Roman empire. Because these priests were acting on behalf of personal benefit, they saw Jesus as a political threat to Rome which must be extinguished. Jesus had no formal trial or hearing; he was secretly arrested and sentence, and Pilate was persuaded to execute him. Jewish common people were actually supporters of Christ and were in no way responsible for his execution. 50 The results of Jesus life were quite minimal. He had little or no influence upon Jewish thought and made no permanent impressions on Judaism. Christianity arose because of Jesus fervent disciples who abandoned Judaism to begin a religious movement among gentiles. Paul founded the movement in the name of Jesus Christ. 51 As was previously mentioned, Christ taught that it is preferable to fulfill the will of God out of free choice rather than merely out of obedience to a legal system. Thus, he undermined the importance of literal interpretation of and adherence to Jewish Law. Ironically, Progressive Jews have adopted Jesus policy regarding adherence to their ancestral Law. They do not consider the Law to be binding upon themselves further than they approve for their own lives; they reserve the right to decide which parts of the Law to observe and which to disregard. 52 It is quite amazing that two seemingly similar religions could have differences so significant that two thousand years of hostility and misinterpretations could arise from them. Many of the differences actually appear quite minor, but they are, in fact, so significant that followers of these two religions could not begin to comprehend one anothers doctrines. It hopeful that with continuing study of the historical events surrounding Jesus life, efforts of Judaism and Christianity to clarify and communicate their beliefs, and open-mindedness on the part of both religions, some of these tensions can be (and have been) alleviated. Samuel Sandmel effectively explained this idea when he wrote, The issue here is not whether he Jewish way is better, or the Christian way is better, but only that these two ways are so different as to be to most Jews and Christians incomprehensible to each other. 53 If these two religions learn to accept their differences and continue to view one another with open-mindedness and respect, as is the trend in reformed/progressive Judaism, it is probable that the worst of the strife between these two religions and their followers is in the past.