Zeal For Truth

Classifying the Jewish faith is complicated. Because Judaism is considered an ethno-religious group, it is easy (and sometimes conveniently so) to confuse any criticism of Judaic theology with hatemongering. So before I incur the wrath of the Anti-Defamation League, let me be clear: the intent of this article is not to express hatred to those who consider themselves to be Jews by birth. Any person guilty of such a thing should not bear the name of Christ, who himself is a son of David, from the tribe of Judah.

Also let me say that the criticisms I will put forth in this article may not be representative of all adherents to Judaic faith. This article will, however, demonstrate quite clearly the incompatibility of Judaism with Christian faith on the basis of New Testament scripture and the Talmud.

Defining Judaism
Judaism has its roots in the Old Testament, or Tanakh. However, to say that Judaism is a religion instituted by God for the children of Israel would not be correct; Judaism itself does not even make that claim. The Law given to Moses is completely unenforceable today. While Judaic religious customs certainly existed in the time of Jesus when the Law was being practiced, it has continued beyond that time and has taken form among diverse sects of Jewish thought, being modified throughout centuries of the influence of rabbinic literature and tradition.

One of the rabbinic texts, considered among many Jews to be the central text of Judaism. The Talmud is a book of rabbinic law and literature, and also is a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Old Testament. The traditions of the Pharisees and Sadducees are a partial basis for many of the Talmudic teachings; whatever the extent of their influence over the course of centuries of religious practice, these historic religious societies cannot be removed from the traditions that followed them.

The Brood of Vipers
Jesus, the Son of God who spoke the words of his Father, and who is the sole embodiment of truth, did not mince words in his confrontations with Sadducees, Pharisees, and Scribes. Despite the fact that many prominent Jewish religious figures were no doubt convinced that Jesus is who He said He was, on the whole they rejected Him because of pressure from the Pharisees (John 12:42). This outright rejection of Christ is what John referred to as “the spirit of antichrist” (1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:3; 2 John 1:7). Here are some choice verses from Jesus’ rebuke of the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:

⁵“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’¹⁵“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. ²⁵“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. ²⁷“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. ²⁸In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

I can scarcely think of a rebuke harsher than that. Jesus literally called them wicked children of hell. Now compare this rebuke to what Jesus said to John in his vision on the Isle of Patmos regarding the church at Smyrna.

^“I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days…” (Revelation 2:9, 10)

There seems to be a connection here between the church’s afflictions and their persecutors – the ones Jesus calls a “synagogue of Satan”.

The Hebrew of Hebrews
The Apostle Paul spoke at great length about his ethno-religious heritage. This is what he wrote in Philippians 3:

^{“   4} …If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”

Again in Galatians 1 he writes,

“¹³For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”

Aside from Paul’s own testimony of his religious life prior to coming to faith in Christ, we have the accounts Luke recorded in the book of Acts. In chapters 7, 8, and 9 of this book we see Paul involved in the murder of one Christian and the persecution and imprisonment of other Christians. Paul associated these violent acts against Christians, and therefore Christ, with the religious traditions of his forefathers. These are the actions that Paul was referring to in Philippians 3 and Galatians 1 when he spoke of his zealous “way of life in Judaism.”

Despite all of Paul’s ethno-religious ties to Judaism, he spent considerable time reasoning in synagogues, trying to convince his Jewish brothers that Jesus was the Messiah spoken of in the Tanakh. It is clear that his opinions about Judaism had changed after his receiving the grace of Jesus Christ. This statement from Romans 10 demonstrates his view of Judaism in light of the Gospel:

^{“   1}Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ²For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

Paul identified Judaism, as it existed during that period, as a religious system of self-righteousness born out of rebellion against God, characterized by zealous ignorance.

Antichrist Sentiment in the Talmud
It is my personal belief that the Talmud specifically speaks about Jesus in a very negative light. Some Judaic apologists refute that by saying that “Yeshu” in the Talmud is not the Jesus of the New Testament; they say that the details of the Talmudic story of him are inconsistent with the historic accounts in the Gospels. However, the problem with that argument is that adherents to Judaism do not recognize the authority of New Testament. In fact, I was personally told by one rabbi that he believes the New Testament was contrived by Jesus’ followers after his death and is basically a collection of fairytales based on pagan traditions. At any rate, here is one passage from the Talmud about Yeshu; the reader can make his own judgments as to whether this refers to Jesus of Nazareth or someone else.

“On the eve of Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, “He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favor let him come forward and plead on his behalf.” But since nothing was brought forward in his favor, he was hanged on the eve of Passover. Ulla retorted: Do you suppose he was one for whom a defense could be made? Was he not an “enticer,” concerning whom Scripture says, ”Neither shall thou spare nor shall thou conceal him? With Yeshu, however, it was different, for he was connected with the government.” ( Sanhedrin 43a)

According to some this passage refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus:

“She who was the descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters.” (Sandhedrin 106a)