Charles YTK
15th September 2006, 08:53 AM
The split of 135CE
Let me say that this report is meant as a Histoical commentary. It contains some statements that might be a little difficult to accept but which are Historically correct. I do not mean to imply that anyone today is responsible or party to the things that happened in the past. Sometimes it is painful to look behind us and see what happened. But our pain today does not change the fact that they did indeed take place.
--------------------------------------------------------------
It would be difficult to see the destruction of the temple in 70 and the end of the priestly service in 135 as being less than the turning point of it all. From that moment it all changed. With the coming of the Master, Judaism split into yet another sect, the Nazarenes. It was one of several sects in Judaism but still Temple Judaism. The believers still went to temple and made sacrifices and offerings according to the law. But in 135 that ended. The writer of Hebrews saw this coming and said that which is growing old (The temple service) is about to fade away all together.
From that point in time Judaism broke off with its various sects to form a templess form of Judaism which had really begun in 165 BC when the corrupt Hasmoneans took over the priesthood. This was Rabbinical Judaism and it exists today in its various forms.
The Nazarenes or Messianics broke off and they too had to reform from Temple Judaism to Templess Judaism with an emphais on Yeshua.
One hundred years or more later Christianity formed as another separate religion which was totally polarized against the Judaisms, both Rabinical and Messianic. That of course is the subject of this thread, how did this happen?
It would be dificult to understand this without considering the total impact the destruction of the temple had on all of these groups. I believe that some of the Messianics continued in a sacrificial form of worship doing so for at least the Passover which traditionally a man could do in his own home. But eventually the idea had to occur to them all that God himself had brought an end to the Temple priesthood. Every year they all read Deut 31 the song of Moshe that was a testimony against Israel, a prophecy that they would sin and turn against God and he would turn his face against them. The prophets had also spoke of this event. And for the believers they had the profound words of Yeshua, "this temple will be destroyed and not one stone left upon the other."
It must have seemed to them that God himself had surely condemned the temple system all together. Not just the priesthood but the system of sacrifice for without access to Jerusalem and no priesthood, there was no sacrificial system. The Messianic knew the answer, that Messiah had become the final sacrifice and the final priest in the order of Melckizedek. So for them the emphasis of faith would be to see only that aspect of the Jewish faith changed, now directed to the Tabernacle of heaven rather than Jerusalem. The feast became memorial of the work of Messiah.
The Believers who were farther out and separated from the Hebraic leadership went a step father and renounced all that was Judaic and sort of picked up the Judgment of God against the priest and assumed the duty of Judging the Jewish people and their Rabbinical faith, and the Messianics who they viewed as just another sect of Jews and heretics. which would have won the approval of the Romans who saw all Jews as enemies of the empire. Day by day the Now Christians of Rome looked for acceptance within the Roman government, and possibly saw in it what they thought to be a great work of God , a union made in heaven, whereby Rome would convert to Christianity and being a mighty empire would take over the world in the name of Jesus. A man made flesh driven attempt to do the will of God as they saw it. It was a merging of Religious zeal with superior military strength, which is always open to corruption. It is no secret that ultimately Rome considered themselves the center of the Kingdom of God. They do to this day. But man can not accomplish Gods work for him. The Lord will come and bring the nations into order, and temple service will resume according to Ezekiel and others. But it will be done by God and not through corrupt flesh. The Roman Empire and the Christian religion has a history of blood letting that can not be surpassed by any other group. Through inquisitions and forced conversions they tried to force the world into their religion breaking the very moral edicts they sought to uphold. They foced conversion in the same way that Islam today would convert the world, convert or die. Yes this seems a terrible thing to say, but it is historically correct. To the shame of those who did it. I do not judge the Christians today for what their fathers did. We have no control over it. But we have a duty not to repeat their mistakes.
What each one of us should ask ourselves is; If we were standing in Jerusalem 135 CE and the Romans were running you out of the land, which group would you follow. Where would you see the true will of God being lived out. We have the advantage of history to show us some things. Would we make the same mistake again?
Let me say that this report is meant as a Histoical commentary. It contains some statements that might be a little difficult to accept but which are Historically correct. I do not mean to imply that anyone today is responsible or party to the things that happened in the past. Sometimes it is painful to look behind us and see what happened. But our pain today does not change the fact that they did indeed take place.
--------------------------------------------------------------
It would be difficult to see the destruction of the temple in 70 and the end of the priestly service in 135 as being less than the turning point of it all. From that moment it all changed. With the coming of the Master, Judaism split into yet another sect, the Nazarenes. It was one of several sects in Judaism but still Temple Judaism. The believers still went to temple and made sacrifices and offerings according to the law. But in 135 that ended. The writer of Hebrews saw this coming and said that which is growing old (The temple service) is about to fade away all together.
From that point in time Judaism broke off with its various sects to form a templess form of Judaism which had really begun in 165 BC when the corrupt Hasmoneans took over the priesthood. This was Rabbinical Judaism and it exists today in its various forms.
The Nazarenes or Messianics broke off and they too had to reform from Temple Judaism to Templess Judaism with an emphais on Yeshua.
One hundred years or more later Christianity formed as another separate religion which was totally polarized against the Judaisms, both Rabinical and Messianic. That of course is the subject of this thread, how did this happen?
It would be dificult to understand this without considering the total impact the destruction of the temple had on all of these groups. I believe that some of the Messianics continued in a sacrificial form of worship doing so for at least the Passover which traditionally a man could do in his own home. But eventually the idea had to occur to them all that God himself had brought an end to the Temple priesthood. Every year they all read Deut 31 the song of Moshe that was a testimony against Israel, a prophecy that they would sin and turn against God and he would turn his face against them. The prophets had also spoke of this event. And for the believers they had the profound words of Yeshua, "this temple will be destroyed and not one stone left upon the other."
It must have seemed to them that God himself had surely condemned the temple system all together. Not just the priesthood but the system of sacrifice for without access to Jerusalem and no priesthood, there was no sacrificial system. The Messianic knew the answer, that Messiah had become the final sacrifice and the final priest in the order of Melckizedek. So for them the emphasis of faith would be to see only that aspect of the Jewish faith changed, now directed to the Tabernacle of heaven rather than Jerusalem. The feast became memorial of the work of Messiah.
The Believers who were farther out and separated from the Hebraic leadership went a step father and renounced all that was Judaic and sort of picked up the Judgment of God against the priest and assumed the duty of Judging the Jewish people and their Rabbinical faith, and the Messianics who they viewed as just another sect of Jews and heretics. which would have won the approval of the Romans who saw all Jews as enemies of the empire. Day by day the Now Christians of Rome looked for acceptance within the Roman government, and possibly saw in it what they thought to be a great work of God , a union made in heaven, whereby Rome would convert to Christianity and being a mighty empire would take over the world in the name of Jesus. A man made flesh driven attempt to do the will of God as they saw it. It was a merging of Religious zeal with superior military strength, which is always open to corruption. It is no secret that ultimately Rome considered themselves the center of the Kingdom of God. They do to this day. But man can not accomplish Gods work for him. The Lord will come and bring the nations into order, and temple service will resume according to Ezekiel and others. But it will be done by God and not through corrupt flesh. The Roman Empire and the Christian religion has a history of blood letting that can not be surpassed by any other group. Through inquisitions and forced conversions they tried to force the world into their religion breaking the very moral edicts they sought to uphold. They foced conversion in the same way that Islam today would convert the world, convert or die. Yes this seems a terrible thing to say, but it is historically correct. To the shame of those who did it. I do not judge the Christians today for what their fathers did. We have no control over it. But we have a duty not to repeat their mistakes.
What each one of us should ask ourselves is; If we were standing in Jerusalem 135 CE and the Romans were running you out of the land, which group would you follow. Where would you see the true will of God being lived out. We have the advantage of history to show us some things. Would we make the same mistake again?