History of the Noahide Laws

[visionary]

I know about the recent upsurge in Noahide Law activity. But when it comes to when it all started, it gets vague.

So how far back does these laws go?? Historical Documentation please with date references.....

I know about the understanding that it was since Noah's day... yada yada. Well, it wasn't spoken of in the old testament to my knowledge. Moses didn't speak of it. Abraham did not speak of it.

I am suspicious that it was created around 70AD when the division between the "Messiah Yeshua" group did not participate in the revolt. It was the cut off point for the gentiles in the Jewish Community. So they pick up on the Jerusalem Council and with a little creative wizardry... vola .. Noahide Laws for Gentiles was born.

[Steve Petersen]

I think the first clear reference to seven specific Noachide Law is from the Talmudic era (about 800 CE?)

[visionary]

I think the first clear reference to seven specific Noachide Law is from the Talmudic era (about 800 CE?)Can you find it?

[Steve Petersen]

Can you find it?
Sanhedrin 56a. Hullin 92a lists 30 Noachide laws.
I cannot access the sources cause my other computer is down. These sources are cited in The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion by Wigoder and Werblowsky, copyright 1986 by Adama Books, page 287.

[visionary]

The Chabad Lubavitch movement has been especially active in promoting Noahism among non-Jews and several Christian congregations have abandoned traditional Christianity (rejecting the Nicene Creed) and adopted Noahidism in recent years. In the United States a few organized movements of non-Jews (primarily of Christian origin) have been influenced by Orthodox Judaism; rather than converting to Judaism, they have chosen to abandon previous religious affiliation and live by the Noahide Laws. The rainbow is the symbol of many organised Noahide groups.

[visionary]

From the Jewish perspective, if a non-Jew keeps all of the laws entailed in the categories covered by the Seven Noahide commandments as a threshold minimum initiation into the path of Torah, he is considered a Ger Toshav (inhabitant foreigner) when with a congregation of Israel. In fact, this is considered the ideal level for all humanity by Jewish theology. A Ger Tzedek is a person who prefers to proceed to religious conversion, a procedure that is generally encouraged by all sects of Judaism only after much thought and deliberation over the conversion has taken place.

The term Noahide is not the name of any specific religion but a term used to describe religions and cultures compliant with the Noahide Laws outside of Israel.

http://www.biocrawler.com/encyclopedia/Noachide_Laws

[visionary]

Within Judaism it is a matter of debate whether or not all Christians should be considered Noahides. The strict view is that Christian theology is considered avodah zarah (loosely translated as "idolatry") for all people, both Jew and gentile, as it subscribes to the Trinity. Therefore most Christians cannot be considered Noahides. However, Unitarian Christians and other followers of Jesus who do not believe that Jesus is God would still be considered Noahides.

The liberal view is that Christian theology is only considered avodah zarah for Jews, but it is permissible for gentiles. The Tosafists (early commentators on the Talmud) R. Jacob Tam (Rashi's grandson), in Bekhorot 2b and Sanhedrin 63b, ruled that trinitarianism could be permitted to gentiles as a form of shittuf ("association"). This view was accepted by R. Moses Isserles (Rema, Orah Hayyim 156:1.) The view of Maimonides is difficult to ascertain due to text alterations in different editions of his Mishneh Torah (code of Jewish law), Ma'akhalot Asurot 11:7. In any case, in this view Christian theology is not forbidden to gentiles, and all Christians are Noahides. Today most of Reform and Conservative Judaism view all Christians as Noahides.

[GerTzedek]

The first six of the Noahide laws were given to Adam during the time when humanity was vegetarian. When G-d gave Noah permission to eat meat, the seventh law stating the boundaries of meat eating was added.

Because all humanity is descended from Noah, these commandments are binding on all the nations.

Some are just OBVIOUS, don't steal, don't kill, create courts of law. Oh, people steal and kill, but society knows it's wrong.

But others tend to be rampantly violated and people often don't seem to know any better. James and the apostles needed to reinforce them with gentile believers, specifically to refrain from idolatrous practices, drinking blood, and illicit sex.

We need more sermons in the churches today against fornication. It absolutely drives me nuts that so many Christians have simply bought into the common culture and decided to gloss over what Scripture teaches. A lot of them actually think it's OKAY. The couple shacking up next door to me believe that because they are using birth control, they are not sinning. Sigh*

But I meander....

Remember that all the things recorded in the Talmud existed for eons as Oral Torah. They never wrote into the Talmud things that were their own ideas. They recorded things that were Oral Torah to help preserve them.

[GerTzedek]

Today most of Reform and Conservative Judaism view all Christians as Noahides.Well... LOL We all know what the Jews in THIS forum think of the Reform and Conservative views! After all, didn't they start a thread about Reform Judaism being a different religion???? ^_^

[visionary]

Originally Posted by visionary
Today most of Reform and Conservative Judaism view all Christians as Noahides.It is a quote from
http://www.biocrawler.com/encyclopedia/Noachide_Laws

[visionary]

What would Yeshua think about the Noahide Laws?

[mpossoff]

What would Yeshua think about the Noahide Laws?

Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

What were they going to teach? teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you

Marc

[ChazakEmunah]

What would Yeshua think about the Noahide Laws?
The earliest written historical record for the Sheva Mitzvot is from the Netzarim Beit Din in Yerushalayim.

And actually a Ger Tzedek is one who keeps all the mitzvot that they are able to without converting. The reason for this is that halakha rules that a convert is never to be reminded of their previous life as a Gentile (although they are free to discuss it if they choose). If one persists in calling a convert a Ger (general term) or a Ger Tzedek, then one is in violation of halakha and therefore violating Torah.

[visionary]

Is this not a dual morality that is permeating Jewish-Gentile relations? Jews [especially orthodox] practiced one morality for themselves and preached another for the non-Jewish world. Not that I would want to be orthodox, just biblically as obedient as possible for my situation, environment, day and time as the Lord inspires me to be.

I guess where my biggest concern, is the Noahide Laws have left the religious arena and are now entering into our parlimentary halls of justice. I am amazed that ACLU has not jumped all over this.

The following is part of what is happening in the US. December 27, 1991, reported that, on March 20, 1991 President Bush signed into law a Congressional Joint Resolution entitled, "A Joint Resolution To
Designate March 26, 1991, As Education Day, USA". This joint resolution became Public Law 102-14.

http://www.yirmeyahureview.com/archive/misc/education_day.htm