Know Jesus, Know Judaism

I started this blog in April of this year (2010) to give Christians a better understanding of Christianity’s Jewish roots. Recognizing that Jesus was a Jew, as was his entire family, disciples, and early followers, as well as virtually all of the authors of the New Testament, it is axiomatic that one cannot understand Christianity without understanding Judaism.

Initially, to give Christians a better understanding of Judaism, I explained Jewish concepts, such as the Messiah, from a Jewish perspective. Later, I did the same for specific themes, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the trial of Jesus. Beginning today, I embark a new approach: I will provide a verse-by-verse commentary on the New Testament.

Why have I chosen to go this route? Why do a verse-by-verse commentary?

Virtually all of the study bibles available for Christians are Christian-authored, whose understanding of Judaism is incomplete—at best. Hence, I now undertake a (very, very long) project that I hope will enhance Christian understanding of Judaism, the Jewish people, and, hence, Jesus. In the process, I also look forward to fostering better understanding between these two great religions.

To do this I will be using the King James Version. I adopted this translation because it is the best known and is in the public domain: there are no copyright issues using this version. Nonetheless, the King James Version can be difficult to understand. Hence, I will be giving my understanding of the King James Version: I will put the King James Version into modern English (no “thou” and “thee” language) with complete punctuation marks. That is not the key to this online study Bible, however. The heart of this study Bible will be its distinctive Jewish-based commentary.

Jesus and all his early followers were Jewish. If you do not know Judaism, you cannot know Jesus or fully appreciate his teachings. Put another way, no Judaism, no Jesus.

I start with Mark’s Gospel because Mark was almost certainly the earliest of the four Gospels written. I will put up a new post on Tuesdays and Fridays. I will look forward to your questions and comments.

To learn more about me (I am Jewish), please visit, “About.”

I hope this blog furthers goodwill among all. I hope you enjoy my blog.

Shalom!

Copyright 2010 by Ira L. Shafiroff. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Greg West]

Great idea for a blog, friend. I look foward to exploring this blog and reading future posts. I think the Jewishness of Jesus and Christianity is often overlooked by many Christians today.

[Ira Shafiroff]

Thank you very much, Greg, for reading my blog and for taking time to comment. I appreciate it, and hope you will be a regular visitor!

Ira

[Susan Bowers]

I just found your blog. I am looking forward to reading it. I was hoping to find someone who was actually Jewish and willing to talk about Jesus, as apposed to a Christian minister who talks about the Jewishness of Jesus, but has a hidden agenda of proselytizing Jews. That has never been my intention.

I was raised in a Christian home, but left a number of years ago. I was finding it harder and harder to justify the teachings of the church with what Jesus taught (or rather what the Christian Bible says he taught). I realized at an early age that Jesus was NOT Christian, He was Jewish and worshipped and lived as a Jew. He did not have a New Testament to follow. He observed the Jewish holy days and never told anyone to change the Shabbat to the first day of the week. LOL

Dont get me wrong. I love Jesus and make every effort of follow his teachings. I just had to get away from the churches in order to find the truth.

[Ira Shafiroff]

Welcome to my blog, Susan. (Forgive me, please, for not responding sooner.) People are starting to understand that Jesus was a Jew who lived and died like a Jew (the Romans actually crucified many Jews who were threats to them). So, thank you for reading this. I hope you will read, question, and challenge me--itself a tradition in Judaism. Also, please know that there is no attempt to convert here. As you may have seen in a prior post, Judaism does not attempt to convert. A fundamental teaching of the ancient rabbis is, "The righteous of all nations have a share in the World to Come." So please read, question, and enjoy! Thanks, and Shalom! Ira

[Susan Bowers]

Thank you for replying and nothing to forgive :). That's the great thing about the internet. One can post on their time and not be rushed.

I can also appreciate Judaism not attempting to convert the world LOL. I sometimes wish the Christians would realize the damage they do at times when they try to force or intimidate people into doing things that they do not fully understand. It often leads to people simply doing rituals on the surface without comprehending the meaning behind the teachings and doing what they need to do to change their hearts and lives which is often a lifetime process.

My husband and I recently became active in a Unitarian Universalist church in our town. It is tiny (roughly 90 members) but there is a wide diversity of people there: Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Pagan and even a few who claim to be atheist. It makes for some interesting discussions to say the least and I am finding a freedom to explore my beliefs and to discover what I truly believe and what I was simply taught to believe. And, most importantly, we are accepted there as we are in our spiritual walk (my husband is a practicing Muskogee Native American and has had problems with other churches).

I have also been studying Hebrew. I enjoy watching the JLTV station. Sometimes, there will be a movie where the language spoken is Hebrew but will include English subtitles. I rejoice if I hear a word or a phrase in a conversation that I recognize. I also enjoy looking at labels in the grocery store and discovering more words that I recognize.

Take care,
Sue B

[Ira Shafiroff]

If you are interested, Susan, you can check out the Jewish Encyclopedia at www.jewishencyclopedia.com. It was originally published in 1906 and is now in the public domain. Although obviously dated, it remains unsurpassed for Jewish (and early Christian) history and theology. You may find the articles on Jesus, John the Baptist, New Testament, and other subjects most fascinating. Take care. Ira

[Susan Bowers]

Thank you. I put in the link and bookmarked it. :)

[Susan Bowers]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but this seemed like the safest place to ask.

If I wanted to attend a Jewish service (perhaps a Friday Shabbat) with the intention of getting a feeling of what it would be to worship as Jesus would have worshipped, what would you recommend that I do? I ask this cautiously because living in the Bible belt of the south, I could easily understand any Jew being highly hesitant and suspicious of my motives. I would want to make it very clear that I would not be attending to cause trouble or rock their world. I would certainly not be wacking anyone over the head with a Bible or handing out tracks. My most sincere intention would be to learn and experience how Jesus worshipped, or at least as closely as possible.

There is a synogogue in my town that is conservative and there is one in a couple of towns over that is reformed, and then I also understand that there is a third one that considers themselves to be reconstructionists (female rabbis and so forth).

Would you recommend that I contact one of the local rabbis and make an appointment before going any further in my persuits?

[Ira Shafiroff]

I think this would be a wondeful experience, Susan. As to which to attend, here are some things to consider (in my life, I have been a member at various times, of Orthdox, Conservative, and Reform synagogues):

If you want to get the best flavor of an ancient synagogue, the Orthdox branch would be best: men sit separately from women, all prayers are in Hebrew, there is no instumental music, and only men are rabbis. That said (and I am embarrased to state this), I do not know that you would be warmly welcomed there. Still, if available, it might be a great experience for you.

The Conservative synagogue would have most (if not all) of the prayers in Hebrew, although men and women sit together there now. Moreover, women are now rabbis in that movement.

The Reform and Reconstructionist movements are the most liberal branches within Judaism. There is more English language in the prayers. You may also have instrumental music in these synagogues.

All synagogues, whether Orthdox, Conservative, Reform, or Reconstructionist, will have a Hebrew chanting from the Torah scroll on Sabbath morning.

My suggestion is try all three in your area (Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist). Just call the rabbi, tell him or her that you are Unitarian, not interested in converting, but that you just want to see a Sabbath service, and if that would be possible. It should be no big deal. Perhaps you could share your experience here!

I hope this helps, Susan.

Take care.

Ira

[Susan Bowers]

I'll keep you posted. :)

I will probably wait until after the New Year though.

Sue B

[Ira Shafiroff]

Wonderful! Thanks, Susan. Happy New Year. Ira

[Brad Fallon]

Wonderful blog! I never really thought of what Judaism is all about, what are their teachings. For me religion is not really that important. Faith in God is what makes me going with my spiritual life.

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Great blog and really great post. Going to read your other posts...

[Ira Shafiroff]

Thank you for reading my blog, Slot, and thank you especially for taking the time to comment! I hope you will comment more. Shalom! Ira

[Ira Shafiroff]

I am thrilled to welcome you to my blog, Brad. Thank you for reading and commenting. You may find my post, "Judaism, Deed Not Creed," of April 11, interesting. Here is the link. http://www.jesusandtheprofessor.com/2010/04/judaism-deed-not-creed.html#tp. I hope you will comment more! Ira

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Nicely said Ira. God is good. If we just put our faith in God, good things will happen. God makes all our lives so much better. I pray everyday and the power God gets me through the day.

Barbara Goodman
Audiocanyon

[Ira Shafiroff]

Thank you for reading my blog, Barbara. I do wish to disagree with you though, with respect to, "If we just put our faith in God, good things will happen." That is simply not the case in all circumstances. The freewill exercised by evildoers can do horrible things to even those of faith. The Holocaust is the grandest--that is worst--illustration of this. Do you have an answer? I would love to know. Thank you, again, for your comment. I hope to hear from you. Ira

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I was raised in a Christian home, but left a number of years ago. I was finding it harder and harder to justify the teachings of the church with what Jesus taught (or rather what the Christian Bible says he taught). I realized at an early age that Jesus was NOT Christian, He was Jewish and worshipped and lived as a Jew. He did not have a New Testament to follow.

[Ira Shafiroff]

Part of the problem is that Jesus was a Jew who, essentially, taught Judaism. His movement, such as it was, was made up of Jews and only Jews, who headed the movement (e.g. Peter and James). After the fall of the Temple and Jerusalem, Gentiles took over the Church. This change in leadership and membership had a profound effect on the teachings of the Church.

If you truly are interested in this, I hope you will continue to engage. Oh, by the way, please leave at least a first name and not the name of your business. This blog is for people, not businesses.

Shalom.

Ira