Month: July 2022

Shalom Chaverim,

Those who follow me on Facebook now that I have been posting short thought provoking statements and Scripture verses the last couple of weeks. These short statements have been very successful in making people think, and starting valuable dialog.

We are approaching the end of the month, and several big bills are due. We have been having a heatwave in Texas in June and July, with record breaking highs such that our Electric bill is about $400! Moreover my wife has hit her “gap coverage” for the year on her prescriptions. One that I had to pick up Friday was $160, and that was after we got it discounted! Plus rent is due tomorrow and right now we do not have it! With a recession having officially hit (unless you redefine “recession” via Orwellian “New Speak”) donations have dropped. We need your support in these difficult times now more than ever.

We continue to wok on several important restoration projects for which I have unique qualifications.

Our rent is due tomorrow and we do not have it, and our Electric is about to be past due!

As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Understanding Kefa’s Vision
By
James Scott Trimm

Kefa’s vision in Acts 10 is often cited to “prove” that the laws concerning which animals are kosher to eat as food, have been abrogated. However this is not the true understanding of this vision.

In Acts 10 we read:

10 And he was hungry and wanted to eat: and while they were preparing for him, an amazement came over him.
11 And he saw heaven being opened, and a kind of garment being held by four corners, and it was like a great linen cloth, and it was descending from heaven to the earth:
12 And there were in it, all four-footed animals, and creeping things of the earth, and birds of heaven.
13 And a voice came to him that said: Shim’on, arise: kill and eat.
14 And Shim’on said, Never, my Adon, because I have never eaten anything that is defiled and unclean.
15 And again a second time, a voice came to him: That which Eloah has cleansed, do not regard as defiled.
16 Now this happened three times, and the garment was taken up to heaven.
17 And while Shim’on wondered in his nefesh, what the vision that he had seen was, those men who had been sent from Cornelius arrived, and asked concerning the house in which Shim’on lodged: and they came and stood at the gate of the courtyard.
(Acts 10:10-17 HRV)

The meaning of this vision is revealed in then next chapter:

5 While I was praying in Yafo, I saw in a vision one garment, which resembled a linen cloth that came down. And it was held by four corners, and it was descending from heaven, and came all the way towards me.
6 And I looked at it, and saw that there were in it, four-footed animals, and creeping things of the earth, and also birds of the heaven.
7 And I heard a voice that said to me: Shim’on, arise: kill and eat.
8 And I said, Never, my Adon: because there has not entered to my mouth, that which is unclean and defiled.
9 And again a voice said to me from heaven: That which Eloah has cleansed, do not [count] defiled.
10 This happened three times, and all the things were taken up to heaven.
11 And immediately, three men, who were sent to me from Cornelius of Caesarea, came and stood at the gate of the courtyard, in which I lodged.
12 And the Spirit said to me: Go with them without doubt. And these six brothers also came with me, and we entered the house of the man.
(Acts 11:5-12 HRV)

In Acts 10:12 the types of animals are described as follows:

And there were in it, all four-footed animals,
and creeping things of the earth,
and birds of heaven.
(Acts 10:12)

This description does not specify that the animals are unclean animals. Some four footed animals (cows, for example) are kosher, while others (pigs, for example) are not. Some birds are kosher, while others are not. This collection of animals does not seem to have any connection to the koshrut.

In Acts 11:5-12 we are told that these animals represent the three Gentiles who came to see Kefa. This vision probably draws from the so-called “Animal Apocalypse” in 1Enoch 85-90 in which such animals are used to represent various gentile nations.

In Acts 10:13 Kefa hears a voice which says “arise, kill and eat” (We are not told that this voice was the voice of Elohim). Kefa was not being instructed to arise kill and eat the animals mentioned in verse 12. First of all they was not real, it was only a vision. Secondly we know from Acts 11:5-12 that the Animals represented Gentiles. Kefa was not being told to kill and eat the Gentiles!

Instead Kefa was being instructed to greet these gentiles as guests by following the custom of arising, killing an animal and eating with them as honored guests (see for example Gen. 18:1-8 when Avraham greeted three men as guests). Kefa was being told in this vision to greet these three gentiles with hospitality, just as Avraham had greeted his three guests in Genesis 18.

Kefa’s vision in Acts 10 has nothing whatsoever to do with the Kosher laws of the Torah, which is for all generations, forever.

We must raise at least $320 by the end of the day today, or our account will plunge into the negative and start a chain reaction of returned items and fees.

As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org or by Zelle or Go Fund Me!

Click HERE to donate

Paul: An Emissary to Ephraim
By
James Trimm

Let me begin by examining the Nazarene Commentary on Isaiah 8:14 as cited by Jerome:

The Nazarenes, who accept Messiah in such a way
that they do not cease to observe the old law
explain the two houses as the two families, viz.
of Shammai and Hillel, from whom originated the Scribes
and the Pharisees. Akiba, who took over their school,
is called the master of Aquila the proselyte, and
after him came Meir who has been succeeded by Joannes
the son of Zakkai and after him Eliezer and further
Telphon, and next Joseph Galilaeus and Joshua up to
the capture of Jerusalem. Shammai then and Hillel
were born not long before the Lord; they originated
in Judea. The name of the first means “scatterer”
and of the second “unholy”, because he scattered and
defiled the precepts of the Torah by his traditions
and deutroseis. And these are the two houses who did
not accept the Savior who has become to them ruin and
scandal.

Now I want to clarify two things here. First of all the Nazarene commentary here is not giving the Pashat (literal meaning) of the passage but a MIDRASH (an allagoical meaning) for the passage. This Midrash draws an allagorical relationship between the two houses of Israel (the House of Israel and the House of Judah) and the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel. The basis for this Midrash is a wordplay on the names Shammai and Hillel which sound in Hebrew like the words for “scatterer” and “unholy”. “Scatterer” ties the House of Shammai allegorically to the “scattered” House of Israel. “Unholy” ties the House of Hillel to the House of Judah.

Two things are important to note:

1. The Midrash is not identifying an allegory to the two houses
   themselves, but to the STUMBLING (see Is. 8:14) of the two houses.
2. The Midrash is not attacking Hillel and Shammai themselves but the
   Houses or schools of Rabbinic thought that arose after them in their names
   (as is clear from the linage of Rabbis that came after them), The purpose
   of this portion of the Midrash is to link Rabbinic Judaism to the
   “stumbling” of the House of Judah discussed in this section of Isaiah.

This section of the commentary is purely midrashic (allegorical) and tells us little about the Nazarene understanding of the Pashat (literal meaning) of this passage.

But now lets look at the Nazarene commentary on Is. 9:1-4 (8:23-93 in Jewish versions) as cited by Jerome:

The Nazarenes, whose opinion I have set forth above,
try to explain this passage in the following way:
When Messiah came and his proclaiming shone out,
the land of Zebulon and Naphtali first of all were
freed from the errors of the Scribes and Pharisees
and he shook off their shoulders the very heavy yoke
of the Jewish traditions. Later, however, the proclaiming
became more dominant, that means the proclaiming was
multiplied, through the Goodnews of the emissary Paul
who was the least of all the emissaries. And the goodnews
of Messiah shone to the most distant tribes and the way of
the whole sea. Finally the whole world, which earlier walked
or sat in darkness and was imprisoned in the bonds of idolatry
and death, has seen the clear light of the goodnews.

(Note: The “Jewish traditions” in the context of this commentary refer to Rabbinic Halachah of the fourth century CE with which the Nazarenes took issue.)

Now Isaiah 9:1-4 refers to “Galilee of the GOYIM (nations/Gentiles)” but identifies these “Gentiles” as the inhabitants of “the land of Zebulon and Naphtali”. Here the House of Israel is being identified as “Gentiles”. There are at least two other places in Scripture where the word “Gentile” is used to describe Ephraim (the House of Israel). One of these is Gen. 48:19 where (in the Hebrew) Ephraim is told his descendent’s will become “a multitude of nations (GOYIM; Gentiles)” (compare Rom. 11:25 where the same phrase is translated in the KJV as “fullness of the gentiles”). The other case is in Rom. 9:24 which refers to “Jews” and “Gentiles” but then goes on (in Rom. 9:25-26) to quote Hosea (Hos. 2:23; 1:10) to identify them which the “Children of Judah” and “the Children of Israel” (Hosea 1:10-11; 2:23).

The Nazarene Commentary on Isaiah understands “you have multiplied the nation” (Is. 9:3) to refer to Paul “the proclaiming was multiplied, through the Goodnews of the emissary Paul… to the most distant tribes”. Therefore the ancient Nazarenes understood the “Gentiles” to whom Paul primarily directed his message with the Ephraimite “Gentiles” of Isaiah 9:1-4 and with “the most distant tribes”.

This comment in the Nazarene Commentary on Isaiah makes it clear that the Ancient Sect of Nazarene Judaism held that Paul was an emissary to the Ephraimites.

We must raise at least $360 by the end of the day Wednesday, our electric bill is due soon (we have had a very hot summer in North Texas) and our rent is due in just over a week!

As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

We still need to raise at least $320 by the end of the day today to keep our account from going into the negative and returning items!

(We actually anticipate that $200 of this might not clear until tomorrow but we are definitely $120 short tonight)

We need your support in these trying times, as the restoration continues!

I realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Update: Not one penny has come in since I posted this yesterday! This situation has become urgent!

Donations in July have been way down and today I got a message from our largest contributor, apologizing for not being able to donate this month, saying “We Pray He meets you at the point of your needs. Business should pick back up in a couple of months.“

Since last Wednesday, we have only managed to raise $36.30 and we must raise at least another $1,200 by the end of the day Tuesday, or our account will plunge into the negative and start a cascade of returned items and fees.

We need your support in these trying times, as the restoration continues!

I realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Donations in July have been way down and today I got a message from our largest contributor, apologizing for not being able to donate this month, saying “We Pray He meets you at the point of your needs. Business should pick back up in a couple of months.“

Since last Wednesday, we have only managed to raise $36.30 and we must raise at least another $1,200 by the end of the day Tuesday, or our account will plunge into the negative and start a cascade of returned items and fees.

We need your support in these trying times, as the restoration continues!

I realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Did Luke Write in Greek?
By
James Scott Trimm

There is a common argument that Luke was a Greek who wrote in Greek to a man with a Greek name, Theophilus.

The fact is that Luke was from Syria. He was probably either a Jew born in Syria or a Syrian convert to Judaism.

The “Church Father” Eusebius writes:

Luke, who was born at Antioch, and by profession a physician, being for the most part connected with Paul, and familiarly acquainted with the rest of the apostles, has left us in two inspired books, the institutes of that spiritual healing art which he obtained from them.
(Eusebius; Eccl. History 3:4)

Antioch was the capitol of Syria. While there was a Greek speaking population in Antioch, the native language of Syria was Aramaic, and this is why the Romans even called Aramaic “Syriacos”.

Luke addresses his two books (Luke and Acts) to “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). But who was this “Theophilus” who was addressed with the title “most excellent”? We know from Josephus that Theophilus was the High Priest:

So Vitellius prepared to make war with Aretas, having with him two legions of armed men; he also took with him all those of light armature, and of the horsemen which belonged to them, and were drawn out of those kingdoms which were under the Romans, and made haste for Petra, and came to Ptolemais. But as he was marching very busily, and leading his army through Judea, the principal men met him, and desired that he would not thus march through their land; for that the laws of their country would not permit them to overlook those images which were brought into it, of which there were a great many in their ensigns; so he was persuaded by what they said, and changed that resolution of his which he had before taken in this matter. Whereupon he ordered the army to march along the great plain, while he himself, with Herod the tetrarch and his friends, went up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to God, an ancient festival of the Jews being then just approaching; and when he had been there, and been honorably entertained by the multitude of the Jews, he made a stay there for three days, within which time he deprived Jonathan of the high priesthood, and gave it to his brother Theophilus.
(Josephus; Antiquities 18:5:3)

So in the books of Luke and Acts, Luke, who was raised in Syria, where the common language was “Syriacos” or Aramaic, writes to the Jewish High Priest. He certainly would have been writing in Hebrew or Aramaic, not Greek. And this is apparent in the internal evidence of our Greek text of Luke, as Charles Cutler Torrey states:

In regard to [Greek] Luke, it remains to be said, that of all the Four Gospels, it is the one which gives by far the plainest, and most constant evidence, of being a translation [from Aramaic].
– C.C. Torrey; Our Translated Gospels p. li

In these trying economic times donations are way down while prices are all way up! We need your help today! We are facing a $300 shortfall in the bank tonight, and our rent is due in about a week. Any donation is better than no donation, and any donation will help!

As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org or by Zelle or GoFundMe

Click HERE to donate

Upon the occasion of a display of an Aramaic manuscript of the New Testament at the Library of Congress in 1954, the Reverend Fredrick Brown Harris, Chaplain to the United States Senate wrote:

…it is written in the language used by Jesus, who spake as never man spake, as the vehicle for his deathless concepts of life. Here are the very syllables as they fell from his lips when the matchless Teacher was here among men. It is a record to make the heart leap with excitement. Somehow, it is like hearing the One whose birth broke the ages in two, talking to our modern age without a language barrier between. Here is not a translation of the words, but the words themselves of that One who… declared: ‘My words shall not pass away. They are spirit and they are life.’ –

This week I posted three four short “bumper sticker” type statements on my personal Facebook Page:

Yeshua did not come to create a new religion. He came to be the Jewish Messiah of Judaism.

The original followers of Yeshua as the Messiah were not “Christians”. They were a sect of Jews known as “Nazarene Judaism”.

Two things the “New Testament Church” did not have: 1) a New Testament and 2) a Church.

The New Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic and only later translated into Greek, Latin and other European languages.

Of course all of these drew some negative feedback (and around 100 “likes” each). But to my surprise, the biggest negative reaction was to the Hebrew and Aramaic origin of the “New Testament”.

Some of the replies claimed that there was no evidence whatsoever for a Hebrew and Aramaic origin of the “New Testament”. Others made false claims that no Hebrew or Aramaic manuscripts existed for any of the “New Testament”. Others responded with tired old arguments about the NT quoting the Septuagint, Luke being a Gentile writing to a Greek (Theophilus) or Paul writing to Greek speaking congregations. All of these tired arguments were debunked long ago.

For some time now my book The Hebrew and Aramaic Origin of the New Testament has needed an update. It is my intention t post the new revised book online for free here. It will take some time to type the material in. It cannot just be cut and pasted from the book because the original Word file has been lost and even the PDF is of limited value, because it was originally written and produced at a time when Hebrew fonts were used, with a different keyboard map, than modern ASCII Hebrew letters. However, it is important to get this material out on the internet for free, so that it can be disseminated as widely as possible.

In fact my new strategy for some time now, is not to try to sell books. The fact is that writing and selling books is a losing proposition. It limits the dissemination of material to those that buy and read the book, and book sales are just deplorable as well. My new strategy has been to endeavor to get all of my information out on the internet for free, to be disseminated as widely as possible, and to seek funding for this effort from voluntary freewill offerings and tithes of those who have a desire to see this material disseminated as widely as possible!

This is becoming a more difficult proposition, as inflation has increased prices, subtracting from the buying power of donations coming in, and leaving donors with less disposable income with which to donate. In other words, donations have decreased at a time we desperately need them to increase.

Do not let inflation destroy this very important work!

In these trying economic times donations are way down while prices are all way up! We need your help today!

As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org

Or click HERE to donate

Yeshua, his Talmidim and the Essenes
By
James Trimm

Yeshua came to be immersed by John in the wilderness at about the age of 30 and was proclaimed by John to be the “lamb” of Isaiah 53:7 (John 1:29). Certain of John’s students then became students of Yeshua (John 1:35-51). Yeshua then began to proclaim, as John had proclaimed: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is offered.” (Matthew 3:17). Later He sent his twelve students out with the same proclamation (Matthew 10).

Despite the fact that Yeshua’s teachings largely agreed with that of the Pharisaic School of Hillel, there were occasions where Yeshua’s teachings agreed with the School of Shammai against the School of Hillel. An important example of this is the issue of divorce where Yeshua agreed with Shammai against Hillel (Matthew 5:31-32 & m.Gittin 9:10). There were also occasions when Yeshua’s teachings agreed with that of the Essenes against that of the Pharisees. One example is on the issue of oaths (compare Matthew 5:33-37 & Damascus Document- Geniza A; Col. 15; Lines 1-3).

While Yocahan was essentially an Essene, Yeshua did not appear to live the Essene lifestyle, as we read in Matthew 11:18-19:

“Yochanan came neither eating nor drinking…”
“The Son of man came eating and drinking…”
(Matthew 11:18-19)

Nonetheless there are many important similarities between the teachings of Yeshua and those of the Essenes/Qumran community. Yeshua went out into the wilderness to be tempted (Matthew 4:1f). Yeshua’s twelve talmidim (students) remind us of the council of twelve at Qumran (Manual of Discipline 1QS 8:1). Yeshua’s twelve talmidim seemed to be headed by three (Kefa (Peter), James (Ya’akov) and Yochanan (John) and the twelve laymen of Qumran were headed by three priests (1QS 8:1).

In Matthew 10:9-11 Yeshua instructs his Talmidim as follows:

“Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor lesser coin in your belts. Pack not for the journey, either two coats, or sandals, or a staff, for the laborer is worthy of his food. And into whatever city or town you will enter, enquire who in it is honorable, and there abide until you go out from there.”
(Matthew 10:9-11)

Some light on this text may be acquired by examining a statement by Josephus concerning the first century Essene sect of Judaism:

“…and if any of their sect come from other places, what they have lies open for them, just as if it were their own; and they go into such as they never knew before, as if they had been ever so long acquainted with them. For which reason they carry nothing with them when they travel into remote parts, though still they take their weapons with them, for fear of thieves. Accordingly there is, in every city where they live, one appointed particularly to take care of strangers, and provide garments and other necessaries for them.”
(Josephus; Wars 2:8:4)

Yeshua’s talmidim had for the most part, come from an Essene background. It would appear that they were therefore able to travel within Essene circles from town to town without having to carry additional supplies.

Also note that Yeshua and his Talmidim traveled armed (Luke 22:38) Were Yeshua and his Talmidim circulating to some extent within the Essene community network?

Also in Luke 22:24 (see also 9:46):

“And there was also strife among them about who among them was greatest…”

What? What kind of prideful, arrogant, self-righteous men had Yeshua chosen as his twelve emissaries? Are they really bickering over which of them is better than the other? The Dead Sea Scrolls offer some insight on what otherwise looks like a childish squabble that should be totally uncharacteristic of the kind of men Yeshua would have chosen as his twelve talmidim and emissaries (see comments to Matthew 10:2). In the Manual of Discipline we read:

“This is the rule for the session of the general membership, each man being in his proper place. The priest shall sit in the first row, the elders in the second, the rest of the people, each in his proper place…. So that each man may state his opinion to the society of the Yahad. None should interrupt the words of his comrade, speaking before his brother finishes what he has to say. Neither should anyone speak before another of higher rank.”
(Manual of Discipline 1QS 6, 8-11)

The Essenes of Qumran were informed of their rank once a year at an annual review as we read elsewhere in the same document:

“They shall do as follows annually… the priests shall pass in review first, ranked according to their spiritual excellence, one after another. Then the Levites shall follow, and third all the people by rank, one after another, in their thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. Thus shall each Israelite know his proper standing in the Yahad of God…”
(Manual of Discipline 1QS 2, 19-22)

And regarding the Great Messianic Banquet (see comments to Matthew 26:17-30):

“The procedure for the [mee]ting of the men of reputation [when they are called] to the banquet held by the society of the Yahad, when [God] has fa[th]ered (?) the Messiah (or, when the Messiah has been revealed) among them: [the Priest,] as head of the entire congregation of Israel, shall enter first, trailed by all [his] brot[hers, the Sons of] Aaron, those priests [appointed] to the banquet of the men of reputation. They are to sit be[fore him] by rank. Then the [Mess]iah of Israel may en[ter], and the heads of the th[ousands of Israel] are to sit before him by rank. … all the heads of the congregation’s cl[ans], together with [their] wis[e and knowledgeable men]. Shall sit before them by rank. [When] they gather [at the] communal [tab]le, [having set out bread and w]ine so the communal table is set [for eating] and [the] wine (poured) for drinking, none [may r]each for the first portion of the bread or [the wine] before the Priest. For [he] shall [bl]ess the first portion of the bread and the wine, [reac]hing for the bread first. Afterw[ard] the Messiah of Israel [shall re]ach for the bread. [Finally,] ea[ch] member of the whole congregation of the Yahad [shall give a bl]essing, [in descending order of] rank. This procedure shall govern every me[al], provided at least ten me[n are ga]thered together.”
(1Qsa 2, 11-22)

Since Passover is the spiritual new year for Israel, it stands to reason that this annual review coinsided with Passover. Yeshua’s talmidim are sitting down for the Passover Sader, for the acting out of the Messianic Banquet (see comments to Matthew 26:17-30). To their mainds they may have even been having the actual Messianic Feast (in light of the comments at Matthew 10:1 & 10:9-11) Yeshua’s talmidim, being mostly of Essene background (see comments to John 1:28-51) and sitting down for the Sader were anticipating that Yeshua would be assigning them each a rank so that they would each “know their proper standing”. This was not out of arrogance but out of humility. They did not want to be speaking presumptuously ahead of their rank. The statements involved in this dispute were likely not arrogant presumptuous claims of “I am greater [in rank] than you” but rather “_____ is surely greater [in rank] than I”.

In Matthew 21:23-27 The Pharisees challenge Yeshua as to where his s’mikhah, or authority comes from. Yeshua responds by asking them about where Yochanan’s authority came from. Yeshua was not evading their question. Yeshua was raising this point because Yeshua’s earthly authority (s’mikhah) came from Yochanan (John 1:6-8, 15, 26-27, 29-37) and Yochanan’s authority was from an Essenes rather than a Pharisaic source (see comments to Matthew 3:1). Thus Yeshua’s s’mikhah traced back through Yochanan to the Essene line of s’mikhah. Yeshua was putting the Pharisees in the position of either acknowledging Essene Halachic authority or declaring it to be false. It would appear that the Pharisees were hesitant to question the s’mikhah of a sect that was known for being even stricter on observance than they were.

Many of Yeshua’s halachic teachings parallel those of the Qumran community. Yeshua opposed the taking of oaths (Matthew 5:34) as did the Essenes (Josephus; Wars 2:8:6; Manual of Discipline 1QS 15:1-3). Yeshua’s use of Genesis 1:27 to prove his halachic position on divorce is paralleled in the Dead Sea Scrolls:

“…they are caught in two traps: fornication, by taking two wives in their lifetimes although the principle of creation is: “male and female He created them.”…they are caught in two traps:”
(Dam. Doc. Col. 4 line 20 through Col. 5 line 1)

Yeshua’s halachah on the issue of “CORBAN” (an offering) being used as an excuse to violate Torah in Matthew 15:1-8 parallels a similar ruling at Qumran (Damascus Document 16:13).

Matthew records a very interesting event involving Yeshua and the Temple Tax:

“…they that received tribute came to Kefa (Peter), and said, ‘Does not your master pay tribute?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when he came into the house Yeshua prevented him, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children, or of strangers?’ Kefa (Peter) said to him, ‘Of strangers.’ Yeshua said to him, ‘Then the children are free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go you to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you have opened his mouth, you shall find a piece of money: that take, and give to them for me and you.’ “
(Matthew 17:24-27)

Here Kefa indicates the Yeshua pays the Temple tax, but Yeshua indicates that neither himself, nor Kefa nor aparantly any of his followers owe the Temple tax. Yeshua does not seem to argue that he does not owe such a tax because he is the Messiah, for he extends the same privilage to Kefa and aparantly all of his followers. Is Yeshua teaching against Torah? The answer is no. The Torah does command that a Temple tax must be payed by every male 20 and older (Exodus 30:11-16) but is ambiguos as to how often it must be payed. The Pharisaic Halachah (and aparenetly the Sadducean Halachah) had the tax being paid annually during the month of Adar (m.Shek. 1:1, 3) However the Qumran community had a different Halachah. They taught:

“…concerning the Ransom: the money of the valuation which a man gives as ransom for his life shall be half a shekel in accordance with the shekel of the sanctuary. He shall give it only once in his life.”
(4Q159 Frag 1; Col. 2; lines 6-7)

Now if Yeshua held to this Essene Halachah then He would not believe that he or his followers owed the tax, if they had already paid it at least once in their lifetime. This would explain why Kefa said that Yeshua pays the tax, while Yeshua claims that he and his followers don’t owe the tax.

Like the Qumran community Yeshua speaks allegorically of “Living Water” coming from a well. . In John chapter four “living water” is symbolically drawn from Jacob’s well, and brings salvation and eternal life. In the Manual of Discipline “living water” is the teachings of the community and is symbolicly drawn from the well of Num. 21:18 which is identified by the Scroll to be symbolic of the Law. Thus we may conclude that in John 4 Yeshua draws upon a Midrash (allegorical interpretation) which existed in his time (John 4:10 & Dam. Doc. VI, 4-5; VII, 9-VIII, 21).

Yeshua’s use of the Passover Sader as a sort of Messianic banquet certainly reminds us of the Messianic banquet of the Qumran Essenes (Josephus; Wars 2:8:5; Manual of Discipline 6:3-6 & 1QS Sa. 2, 17-20). The Qumran material even reads “the Messiah of Israel shall reach for the bread” (1QSa. 2:20-21) a phase which certainly reminds us of the “Last Supper” account of the New Testament. There were however some very important point with which Yeshua greatly disagreed with the Essenes. The Essenes held the strictest rules of resting on the Sabbath than any of the Jews (Josephus; Wars 2:8:9) The Qumran community, with its stricter Halacha likely did not permit healing on the Shabbat at all. They did not allow carrying medicine on the Shabbat nor did they allow using a tool to save a life on the Shabbat (Dam. Document col. 10; lines 14-18). Now Y’shua’s Halacha on the issue seems to have been less strict. There is conflict between Yeshua and Qumran on the plucking and rubbing of wheat in Matthew 12:1=Luke 6:1=Mark 2:23. The activity described is clearly permitted by the Torah in general, though not necessarily on the Shabbat (Deuteronomy 23:26 (23:25 in non-Jewish editions)). This was forbidden by Qumran halacha which stated:

“A man may not go about in the field to do his desired activity on the Sabbath… A man may not eat anything on the Sabbath except food already prepared.”
(Dam. Doc. Col. 10; lines 20-22).

Also Yeshua’s teaching that it is permitted to rescue an animal from a pit. (Matthew 12:11 and Luke 14:3-6) is in direct conflict with Qumran Halacha.(Dam. Doc. col. 10; lines 14-18).

Yeshua’s followers had much in common with the Essenes. Both were called “The Way” (Acts 9:2 & 1QS 9,18) and “B’nai Or” (Sons of Light) (Luke 16:8; John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Man. Of Disc. 1,9; 2, 24; 1QM). Like the Essenes they shared all things in common (Acts 2:44-45; Josephus; Ant. 18:1:5; Wars 2:8:3) and lying about such assets was regarded as a great sin (Acts 5:1-10). Although further study is needed, there may be some good connections between the Qumran hierarchy and that of the Nazarenes. Both groups seemed to have made some use of the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9 is quoted in Jude 1:14-15; seven fragmentary copies of Enoch were found at Qumran). Like the Qumran community, the Nazarenes also seem to have used Hebrew manuscripts of Tanak books which agreed in places with the text behind the Septuagint. The Nazarene belief in two comings of the Messiah is similar to the Qumran belief in two Messiahs. The Qumran community believed in a priestly Messiah who was a Melchizadek figure whom they termed EL, ELOHIM and YHWH (11Q13), a figure they believed was prophesied of in such passages as Dan. 9:24-27; Isaiah 52 (and presumably 53) and Isaiah 61:1. In like manner the Nazarenes saw their Messiah Yeshua as a Melchizadek figure (Hebrews 7) who fulfilled the very same prophecies.

See also: John the Baptist and Qumran

And: The Qumran Community were Essenes

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As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.

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