PARTINGS - How Judaism and Christianity Became Two

by fulltimestudent 13 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  fulltimestudent

  

  I you have a desire to understand the origin of Christianity, this book may start you on the way to understanding the way it happened. I truly doubt that the formation of a completely new religion was the intention of Jesus.It is much more likely he really thought that he was about to restore the Kingdom of Israel, as he promised the twelve that they would rule with him ( Luke 22:30).

  I havn't had a chance to read this book yet, but the list of contributing scholars instantly appeals.Its published by the Biblical Archeology Society.

  Here's the list of Chapter headings and the scholars who wrote that entry.

  Partings—How Judaism & Christianity Became Two - Softcover

  NEW FROM BAS!

  Partings—How Judaism and Christianity Became Two

  Edited by Hershel Shanks

  The Parting of the Ways between Judaism and Christianity was not one, but many. It occurred in different ways in different places and in different times. Never before has this multi-faceted process been documented so engagingly and so authoritatively by so many eminent scholars from the United States, England, Israel and elsewhere as in this new book from the Biblical Archaeology Society.

  Anyone interested in this fascinating topic will find this carefully edited, insightful volume as engaging as a novel. Written by world authorities, it’s a unique resource easily understood by both the student and interested layperson. Just take a look at the chapter titles below and the famous authors who wrote them.

  I. The Jewish Jesus Movement
  Geza Vermes
  II. From the Crucifixion to the End of the First Century
  James D.G. Dunn
  III. The Godfearers: From the Gospels to Aphrodisias
  Bruce Chilton
  IV. The Christian Flight to Pella? The Archaeological Picture
  Pamela Watson
  V. Parting in Palestine
  Joan Taylor
  VI. Christianity in Antioch: Partings in Roman Syria
  Annette Yoshiko Reed and Lily Vuong
  VII. Living Side by Side in Galilee
  Eric M. Meyers
  VIII. Jews and Christians at Rome: An Early Parting of the Ways
  Margaret H. Williams
  IX. Christianity’s Rise After Judaism’s Demise in Early Egypt
  Robert A. Kraft and AnneMarie Luijendijk
  X. Ebionites and Nazoraeans: Christians or Jews?
  Matt A. Jackson-McCabe
  XI. In Between: Jewish-Christians and the Curse of the Heretics
  Shaye J.D. Cohen
  XII. The Complexities of Rejections and Attraction, Herein of Love and Hate
  Steven Fine
  XIII. From Sabbath to Sunday: Why, How and When?
  Lawrence T. Geraty
  XIV. Social Organization and Parting in East and West
  Arye Edrei and Doron Mendels
  XV. Did They Ever Part?
  James H. Charlesworth

  And, a personal note. Chapter 10 -- is 'Ebionites and Nazoraeans: Christians or Jews?' by Matt A. Jackson-McCabe.

  In just 4 weeks I will be able to stand in a building that connects back to the Ebionites. How so? Around 216 CE, a man in Ctesiphon, Babylonia, a member of the Jewish-Christian Ebionite subgroup, called the Elcesaites, had a son who became known as Mani the Prophet. The Manicheans, as we know them today, became a missionary religion that gave early Christianity a run for its money, sweeping across Asia. Even, that influential early Christian, St Augustas, was a member for a while. The Manicheans evangelised as far as China, and in the Province of Fujian, at some point a Manichean temple was built.

  It's still there and in the temple is this statue of Mani:

  

  The locals think its another version of Buddha.

  Scholars from Macquarie University were able to establish the authenticity of the building some years ago. Here's an overview from MU.

  See it at: https://www.mq.edu.au/research/centres_and_groups/ancient_cultures_research_centre/research/cultural_ex_silkroad/zayton/
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  fulltimestudent

  And while I'm in Quanzhou I intend to visit that cities Maritime Museum.

  

  In its heyday, Quanzhou port (now badly silted) was a key export city. The modern Chinese phenomen of an export giant is not new. (For 2000 years, Chinese products have been exported to the world, only faltering during the aggressive age of Imperialism in the 19th C.)

  People from all over the world came to live in China. And, in the above museum you can see some original and some replicas of Funerary inscriptions of Christians (mainly from the Church of the East - Nestorian) who once lived in Quanzhou.
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  designs

  Nice
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  fulltimestudent

  There is no doubt that the Jerusalem church has to be counted as the first Christian congregation. But it also seems to be beyond doubt that the Jerusalem church rigidly adhered to being Jewish. For them I imagine, the most important role of Jesus, may have been as the Messiah for Israel. Therefore those of the Apostles who stayed in Jerusalem were likely to have kept 'close in mind' the promise Jesus had made to them, that they, "would sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:30).

  The Roman war that culminated in the first destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE made those hopes fade, as the Judaistic Christians perished in the carnage of the Roman attack. (There are some difficulties with the story of the flight to Pella, though a handful may have done just that.)

  Nonetheless, in the three decades of its existence, the syncretic Jewish/Jesus Movement exercised an influence, probably beyond its size. Paul (in Galatians Ch 1) seems to feel it neccessary to offer a half-hearted explanation as to why he did not, "go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles previous to me," (though it could be argued that his presence in the Jerusalem church in 34 CE, claiming to be an 'apostle,' may have have provoked a theological crisis in the church).

  Even during his visit in 37 CE, he only met with Cephas and James, and not the full church. That seems most unusual. Why decide not to meet all of your spiritual brothers? We can only surmise that his presence in congregational worship may have brought to the surface, the already divergent ideas as to what were neccessary customs for Christians. Even Paul's description of his visit to Jerusalem (circa 49 CE - for the so-called Jerusalem Council-Galatians Ch 2) seems worded carefully, as if to shroud tensions between these two diverging branches of Christianity, tensions that became obvious later in the year, when, as Paul describes it, "certain men from James," arrived in Antioch and brought into the open the differences between Paul's version of Christianity and that being taught by James.

  I guess, that we will never know the full story of the divisions in the early church. But the fact that Paul's version of Christianity prevailed as more and more non-Jews became Christian, bringing with them an anti-Jewish bias, meant that the differences between Pauline Christianity and post-second temple Judaism, developed by the Rabbi's became clearer and dominanated the relationship between the two groups
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  Band on the Run

  It is interesting. Ehrman or Crossan wrote that Christianity needed Judaism's age to give it lustre. Just as most Christians view the Witnesses and Mormons today, Christianity was too new. The ancient world respected Judaism. It was very old. The Dead Scrolls and Nag Hammadi are relatively recent finds. Perhaps there will be more finds in the future. I always wanted to see the Dead Sea Scrolls but wanted peace in the Middle East. The suburban train pulled into a main Philadelphia station. I just happened to look up. Perhaps Jesus answers some prayers. The Dead Sea Scrolls were visting a local museum. I exited the train and rushed into the museum. Despite all my skepticism, I started to cry when I saw the scrolls. I expected Israel to lend some unimportant items. She sent the best ones overseas.

  The captions for the scrolls were bland. Philadelphia stayed away from antagonizing anyone. I will never get over what happened. If I had been reading a book or paper, no scrolls for me.
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  fulltimestudent

  BOTR

  I always wanted to see the Dead Sea Scrolls

  I guess its not as good as the real thing, but the digital version, on the Israel Museum web-site is nearly as good. Find it at:

  http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/project

  The Isaiah scroll has an English translation.
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  greendawn

  Hi Fulltimestudent, thanks for the book references above, I find the subject of the primitive church fascinating.

  There are people who think that the primitive pre Pauline church is identical to today's church however it was in fact just an off shoot of Judasm their only difference being that they accepted Jesus as the expected Messiah but otherwise were indistinguishable from the rest of the Jews who nonetheless hated them deeply for the Jesus connection a manifestation of this animosity being the murder of James, a very just, observant and faithful Jew and leader of the Christian Jews AKA Nazoreans, in the Temple itself where he regularly worshipped.

  It was under Paul's direction that the Church became as we know it after the connection with the Mosaic Law and its bondage was broken so strangely there were in effect two churches the Jewish Christian Church always abiding to the Mosaic law and the Gentile Christian Church abandonong it.

  The former though the original one disappeared some time in history certainly before the 10th century, it survived much longer outside the Roman (later Byzantine) empire that had little tolerence for what it saw as heretical Jewish Christians clinging to the Mosaic Law. The truth is that the two churches never saw eye to eye not surprising since Paul taught that those under the Mosaic law were under curse an obvious affront to both Judaic and Christian Jews. Realistically the latter had little margins since if they denied the Law they would have been crashed by the Judaic Jews who already hated them enough for accepting Jesus someone their leaders had rejected and even executed as a supposedly religious conman.

  Paul claims that his teachings were the healthy ones and were revealed to him divinely by the Holy Spirit. It is interesting that he believed the rejection of the Jews, the original inheritors of the kingdom, by God was not permanent or total and eventually they would see the light.
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  designs

  Fred Franz was our Saint Paul, a delusional savaunt.
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  KateWild

  The Bible account of why many Jews became Christians, basically tells the reader that it was because of miracles they saw or heard about. In the case of the Apostle Paul he saw Jesus in a vision on the road to Damascus and he was blinded by scales over his eyes, and the they were removed miraculously by Anaias a fellow Jewish Christian.

  It would be interesting to see if any other scholars viewed this.

  I certainly changed from Jew to Christian because of prophesy and miracles in the bible. When I was taught that Jesus was the promised Messiah and it was foretold in the book of Daniel Ch9.24-27, I thouroughly believed it, until I recalculated the prophecy with my son and realised that there was a miscalculation with regard to King Artexerxes rule.

  Historians state he ruled from 465 BC and I was taught through the WT that he began to rule 474 BC So the 20th year of his rule cannot be confirmed by all historians. Hence i started having doubts.

  I certainly agree that a charasmatic man existed in Jesus' day and that many followed him, but I don't believe anymore that he was the promised Messiah.

  I wonder how people of the day really viewed Jesus, but I don't think scholars or historians can tell us all the facts. But it is certainly interesting to know how other Jews in the past became Christians.

  Kate xx
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  Phizzy

  Thanks for the info. FTS ! I would never have known about the book you feature had you not posted.

  It is quite evident that the Jerusalem christians, who were proto-Ebionites, had little influence upon Paul and his Christology, he was convinced that his experience on the road to Damascus was the latest "revelation" of the will of the Messiah, and the guys in Jerusalem were not really at the cutting edge any more.

  He was right too, Jewish christians fast became a minority compared to the Gentile christians, and the Ebionite view of things faded in to irrelevance, though on the way may well have influenced a number of sub groups, like the Manicheans as you mention.

  It would be satisfying to have much fuller information on how things really went in the 1st and early 2nd century, as it is , scholars can only make good guesses.

  I am looking forward to reading the book, it is an impressive group of scholarly contributors, including the late Geza Vermes I see, thanks again.