{"id":205,"date":"2020-01-02T03:35:30","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T03:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/?p=205"},"modified":"2022-07-23T15:09:38","modified_gmt":"2022-07-23T20:09:38","slug":"nazarenes-and-the-oral-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/nazarenes-and-the-oral-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Nazarenes and the Oral Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nazarenes and the Oral Law<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By
James Trimm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been a great deal of discussion in the movement today over \nhow we as Nazarenes should view Jewish tradition, Oral Law and the \nTalmud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now it is important to understand the first century world from which
\nNazarene Judaism emerged. There were three major sects of Judaism at the time: Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first century writer Josephus writes of the Pharisees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many  \nobservances by succession from their fathers, which arenot written in \nthe law of Moses;\u2026\u201d<\/em>
\n (Josephus; Ant. 13:11:6)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pharisees became what is known as Rabbinic Judaism and eventually\n wrote these traditions (known as \u201cOral Law\u201d) down in the Mishna and \nlater the Talmud. The Mishna and Talmud are not the Oral Law, but they \ndo contain the Oral Law as recorded by the Pharisees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The core of the Talmud is the Mishna. The Mishna was complied around \n250 CE by Rabbi Y\u2019hudah Ha Nasi from ealier oral and\/or written \ntraditions.  It cites the opinions or Rabbis and teachers who lived in \nthe generation immediately following Ezra and Nehemiah, up until the \ntime of its composition.  The Talmud was compiled around 500 CE and \nconsists of the Mishna written in Hebrew and the commentary to the \nMishna, known as the Gemara, surrounding it in Aramaic characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sadducees rejected these traditions, as Josephus continues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we<\/em>
\n are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the \nwritten word, but are not to observe what are delivered from the \ntradition of our forefathers\u2026\u201d<\/em>
\n (ibid)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sadducees HAD to reject the Oral Law. They did not believe in a \nresurrection or an afterlife. They had rejected the things that Judaism \nhas always held to. It was hard enough to make their views compatible \nwith the Written Torah, it was easier for them to simply reject the Oral\n Torah out of hand. In fact they HAD to reject the Oral Law if they \nwanted to reject any understanding of the written Torah that included a \nresurrection and an afterlife!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there were the Essenes, these are they who are believed to have
\nwritten the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Essenes did not reject the concept of \nOral Law, as the Sadducees did, but they did have an ALTERNATE set of \nsuch traditions, many of which are recorded in the Dead Sea Scrolls. \nAmong the Scrolls is a document called MMT (\u201cSome of the Works of teh \nTorah). In this document the Essenes point out some of their differences\n with the Oral Law as recorded in the Mishna. For example in the Mishna \n(Hullin 4:1-5) there is an Oral tradition forbidding the eating of the \nfetus of a slaughtered animal, while item 12 in MMT allows the eating of\n such a fetus. Many of the points addressed in MMT are addressed \ndirectly at points of Oral Torah found in the Mishna. Essenes did not \nreject the Oral Torah, they had their own understanding of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now our Nazarene forefathers had roots in Pharisaic Judaism and in Essene Judaism but not in Sadduceean Judaism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeshua\u2019s teachings often echoed those of the famous Pharisaic teacher\n Hillel. When Yeshu was still a child Hillel taught \u201cDo not do to others\n what you would not have them do to you\u201d while Yeshua grew up to teach \n\u201cdo onto others as you would have them do to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nazarenes also clearly had roots in Essene Judaism. There is \nevidence that Yochanan the immerser (\u201cJohn the Baptist\u201d) came out of the\n Qumran community.  Several of Yeshua\u2019s Talmidim (including Kefa) had \nfirst been talmidim of Yochanan. Both the Essenes and the Nazarenes \ncalled themselves \u201cThe Way\u201d and \u201cSons of Light\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Esseneic and Pharisaic origins of Nazarene Judaism are easily
\ndocumented and could fill volumes. I have reduced them here to a short paragraph each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The written Torah is not complete in itself. Instead it presupposes \nthat the reader also has access to additional information. For example \nthe observance of Torah involves the use of the Hebrew calendar. Nowhere\n does the written Torah tell us the inner workings of this calendar, it \npresupposes that this information was also passed down to us orally by \nour forefathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are actually two types of \u201cOral Law\u201d and they are very different from one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first is Oral Torah from Sinai. Moshe was on Mt. Sinai for forty \ndays. During this time her received much of the material that we know as\n the Written Torah as recorded in the five books of Moses. However if \none to get the five books of Moses as a \u201cbooks on tape\u201d edition, it \nwould not take anywhere near forty days to listen to them. It would not \neven take one day to listen to them. So is this ALL the information \nMoses received on Mount Sinai? Why does Leviticus 26:46 say that Moses \nreceived \u201cLaws\u201d (plural) on Mount Sinai? Could he have received Torah \nShe-Bi-Khatav (The Written Torah) and Torah She-Al-Peh (The Oral Torah)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we stated earlier, there is not sufficient information in the \nwritten Torah to allow it to be observed without some additional \ninformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example the written Torah says not to go out of ones \u201cplace\u201d on \nthe Sabbath (Ex. 16:29) but just what does this mean? If the Sabbath \nstarts and I am in the latrine, must I stay there until it is over? If I\n am in my home and the Sabbath starts, must I wait until the Sabbath end\n to go out to the latrine? Does it mean I cannot leave my house? my \nyard? my city? Surely the ancient Hebrews (our forefathers) asked Moses \nwhat this commandment meant. Did Moses shrug his shoulders and say \u201check\n if I know\u201d, or was this part of the information he also received on \nMount Sinai? If so then our forefathers had this information. Is this \nwhat the Psalmist means when he says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1: Give ear, O my people, to my Torah: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.<\/em>
\n 2: I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:<\/em>
\n 3: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.<\/em>
\n 4: We will not hide them from their children, showing to the \ngeneration to come the praises of YHWH, and his strength, and his \nwonderful works that he hath done.<\/em>
\n (Ps. 78:1-4)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another example can be found in Deut. 12:21 which tells us that if we\n live to far from the Temple and need to slaughter an animal to eat, \nYHWH says we may do so as long as we do it \u201cas I [YHWH] have commanded \nyou\u201d. But there are no instructions for the ritual slaughter of an \nanimal in the written Torah. This commandment of the written Torah must \nbe alluding to an oral companion to the written Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One can give many more examples. What does it mean not to \u201cwork\u201d on \nthe Shabbat? what constitutes \u201cwork\u201d? How does one \u201ccelebrate\u201d the \nShabbat (Ex. 31:16)? What constitutes a \u201cBill of Divorcement\u201d (Deut. \n24:1f) what is it supposed to say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Ezra read the Torah to the people in Nehemiah 8:1-8, he and the \nLevites also \u201cgave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading\u201d\n (8:7-8). They gave them an oral companion to the written text:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1: And all the people gathered themselves together as one man \ninto the street that was before the water gate; and they spoke unto Ezra\n the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Moses, which YHWH had \ncommanded to Israel.<\/em>
\n 2: And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the congregation \nboth of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon \nthe first day of the seventh month.<\/em>
\n 3: And he read therein before the street that was before the water \ngate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and \nthose that could understand; and the ears of all the people were \nattentive unto the Book of the Torah.<\/em>
\n 4: And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had \nmade for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and \nAnaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on\n his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and \nHashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.<\/em>
\n 5: And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he\n was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood \nup:<\/em>
\n 6: And Ezra blessed YHWH, the great Elohim. And all the people \nanswered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their \nheads, and worshipped YHWH with their faces to the ground.<\/em>
\n 7: Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, \nHodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the \nLevites, caused the people to understand the Torah: and the people stood\n in their place.<\/em>
\n 8: So they read in the Book in the Torah of Elohim distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.<\/em>
\n (Nehemiah 8:1-8)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the old Worldwide Church of God began observing the biblical \nfestivals, one of the problems they ran into was how to celebrate them. \nOnly sketchy information is given in the written Torah on many of these \nfestivals (we will revisit this issue again later in this article in \nrelation to Yeshua\u2019s observances of Sukkot and Passover).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to answering these questions, we can turn to the \nunderstandings our forefathers had of these things, which they passed \ndown to us orally, or we can make something up. Short of a mutually \naccepted pipeline to Elohim, those are our only choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another form of Oral Law are the decrees from the Elders. The Elders \nare said to have ha the \u201chalachic authority\u201d. Halachic authority is the \nauthority to make halachic determinations interpreting the Torah \nforbidding and permitting activities based on these interpretations (for\n example if a matter came up which was not settled by the written \nTorah), and resolving matters between fellow believers. The word \n\u201chalacha\u201d means \u201cthe way to walk.\u201d Torah observance requires halachic \nauthority for three reasons. First there are matters about which the \nwritten Torah is ambiguous and must be clarified. Secondly is the matter\n of conflicting Torah commands. For example the Torah requires the \npriests to circumcise on the eight day after a birth, but also requires \nrest from work on the Sabbath. Which commandment holds priority? Finally\n the Torah requires us to establish courts (Deut. 16:18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Torah the Halachic authority was originally held by Moses \nhimself (Ex. 18:13) but later a council of Elders were appointed (Ex. \n18:13-26; Dt. 1:9-18) These Elders showed men \u201cthe way wherein they must\n walk\u201d (i.e. Halacha) (Ex. 18:20) Their judgments were regarded as the \njudgment of Elohim himself (Dt. 1:17) and were even called \u201cTorah\u201d (Dt. \n17:11) At first these men had authority only in small matters (Ex. \n18:22, 26; Dt. 1:17) but later their authority was expanded (Dt. 17:8). \nThis council was later defined as seventy Elders whom Elohim placed his \nSpirit upon (Num. 11:16-17; 24-25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decrees of these elders added to the body of what was known as \nthe \u201cOral Law\u201d in much the same was as \u201clegal precedence\u201d does in \nsecular law today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One classic example of a matter settled by a Decree of the Elders was\n the issue of circumcision on the Sabbath. Circumcision is commanded to \nbe done on the eighth day (Gen. 17:11) yet on every seventh day no work \nis allowed (Ex. 20:10). The Elders decreed that the commandment to \ncircumcise on the eighth day held priority over the commandment to rest \non the Sabbath (as recorded in the Mishna m.Shabbat 18:3-19:2 and in the\n Talmud b.Shabbat 128a). Yeshua alluded to and agreed with this Decree \nof the Elders when he said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a man is circumcised on the day of the Sabbath<\/em>
\n that the Torah of Moshe be not loosed,<\/em>
\n do you murmur against me because<\/em>
\n I have healed a whole man on the Sabbath day?<\/em>
\n (Jn. 7:23)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly we read in the Talmud:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabbi Eleazar answered and said: If circumcision<\/em>
\n which attaches to one only of the two hundred and<\/em>
\n forty eight members of the human body, suspends<\/em>
\n the Sabbath, how much more shall [the saving of]<\/em>
\n the whole body suspend the Sabbath!<\/em>
\n b.Yoma 85b<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeshua clearly advocated and recognized the authority of these Elders\n when he said such things as \u201c\u2026whoever shall say to his brother, RAKA, \nshall be liable to the Sanhedrin\u2026\u201d (Mt. 5:22) and \u201cThe scribes and \nPharisees sit in Moses\u2019 seat\u2026\u201d (Mt. 23:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time Yeshua also took issue with the Decrees of the Elders when they conflicted with Scripture (Mt. 15; Mt. 23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Torah also allowed for the Halachic authority to be held by a \nKing (Dt. 17:8-12; 14-20). Eventually the Elders decided to establish \nsuch a monarchy (1Sam. 8:1-7). The throne of these Kings was sees as \nbeing \u201cthe throne of Elohim\u201d (1Chron. 29:23) Their Halachic authority \nbecame termed \u201cthe key of the House of David\u201d (Is. 22:21-22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pharisees once held the Keys of the House of David. Mt. 23:13 is \nkey to understanding Yeshua\u2019s attitude to the Halachic authority of the \nPharisees. Here Yeshua says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!<\/em>
\n For you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men;<\/em>
\n for you neither go in,<\/em>
\n nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A parallel passage appears in Lk. 11:52:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woe to you scribes!<\/em>
\n For you have taken away the key of knowledge.<\/em>
\n you did not enter in yourselves,<\/em>
\n and those who were entering in you hindered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now when we look at these two passages together it becomes clear that\n the \u201ckey\u201d in Luke 11:52 had the potential to open up or shut up the \nKingdom of Heaven. This \u201ckey\u201d is clearly then \u201cthe key of the house of \nDavid\u201d in Is. 22:22:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key of the House of David I will lay on his shoulder;<\/em>
\n so he shall open, and no one shall shut;<\/em>
\n and he shall shut and no one shall open.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pharisees took away the key (authority) thus shutting up the
\nKingdom. They lost the authority, it was taken from them and given to Yeshua\u2019s Talmidim:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mt. 16:18-19 Yeshua says he would give \u201cthe keys of the Kingdom\u201d to Kefa and his other talmidim:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I also say to you that you are Kefa,<\/em>
\n And upon this rock I will build my assembly,<\/em>
\n and the gates of Sheol shall not prevail against it.<\/em>
\n And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,<\/em>
\n and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven<\/em>
\n and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pharisees lost this authority because of hypocrisy. Yeshua describes their hypocrisy in Mt. 23 as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Moshe\u2019s seat sit the scribes and P\u2019rushim.<\/em>
\n And all that he (Moshe) says to you observe and do.<\/em>
\n But not according to their works,<\/em>
\n for they say, but do not.<\/em>
\n (Mt. 23:2-3)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeshua repeatedly charges the Pharisees with Hypocrisy (Mt. 6; 15:7
\nand Matt. 23 for examples). Yeshua often charged Pharisees with
\n\u201chypocrisy\u201d even the Talmud itself makes the same association:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

King Jannai said to his wife\u2019, `Fear not the Pharisees and the<\/em>
\n non-Pharisees but the hypocrites who are the Pharisees; because \ntheir deeds are the deeds of Zimri but they expect a reward like \nPhineas\u2019<\/em>
\n (b.Sotah 22b)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job 13:16 says \u201ca hypocrite shall not come before him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on this verse the Talmud itself correctly lists Hypocrites as \none of four classes who will not receive the presence of the Shekhinah:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

R. Hisda also said in the name of R. Jeremiah b. Abba: Four classes<\/em>
\n will not receive presence of the Shechinah, \u2014 the class of scoffers,<\/em>
\n the class of liars, the class of hypocrites, and the class of<\/em>
\n slanderers. `The class of scoffers\u2019 \u2014 as it is written, He withdrew<\/em>
\n His hand from the scoffers.(Hosea 7:5) `The class of liars\u2019 \u2014 as it is<\/em>
\n written, He that telleth lies, shall not tarry in my sight.(Ps. 101:7)<\/em>
\n `The class of hypocrites\u2019 \u2014 as it is written, For a hypocrite shall<\/em>
\n not come before him.(Job 13:16) `The class of slanderers \u2014 as it is<\/em>
\n written, For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness:<\/em>
\n neither shall evil dwell with thee,'(Ps. 5:5) [which means] Thou art<\/em>
\n righteous, and hence there will not be evil in thy abode.<\/em>
\n (b.San. 103a)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know from Numbers 11:16-17 that the Elders must have the Spirit of\n Elohim upon them, but since hypocrites cannot receive the presence of \nthe Shekhinah, they cannot serve as valid Elders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job says: \u201cthe congregation of the hypocrites shall be desolate\u201d (Job. 15:34)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus Yeshua took the Keys from the Pharisees and gave these keys to Kefa and his Talmidim:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This key is the halachic authority. Yeshua recognized that the \nPharisees held that halachic authority but he also tells us that they \nhad squandered it by rejecting the Kingdom offer (see article \u201cThe \nKingdom Offer\u201d) and refusing to use the key to help Messiah open up the \nMessianic Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Messiah himself also had the Key of David (Rev. 3:7). In Mt. \n16:18-19 Yeshua says he would give \u201cthe keys of the Kingdom\u201d to Kefa and\n his students:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I also say to you that you are Kefa,<\/em>
\n And upon this rock I will build my assembly,<\/em>
\n and the gates of Sheol shall not prevail against it.<\/em>
\n And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,<\/em>
\n and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven<\/em>
\n and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This passage is best understood when compared to Mt. 18:15-20 This \npassage deals with the law of witnesses (Mt. 18:16 = Dt. 19:15) and \nrefers to an \u201cassembly\u201d (Mt. 18:17) which has the power to \u201cbind\u201d and \n\u201cloose\u201d (Mt. 18:18) just as does Mt. 16:18-19. Since Mt. 18:16 quotes \nDt. 19:15 it is clear that the \u201cassembly\u201d in Mt. 18:17 (and also Mt. \n16:18) is the \u201cpriests and judges who serve in those days\u201d in Dt. 19:17.\n This is also clear because this \u201cassembly\u201d has the power to \u201cbind\u201d and \n\u201cloose.\u201d These are two Semitic idioms used in Rabbinic literature as \ntechnical terms referring to Halachic authority. To \u201cbind\u201d means to \n\u201cforbid\u201d an activity and to \u201cloose\u201d means to permit an activity (as in \nj.Ber. 5b; 6c; j.San. 28a; b.Ab. Zar. 37a; b.Ned. 62a; b.Yeb. 106a; \nb.Bets. 2b; 22a; b.Ber. 35a; b.Hag. 3b). Thus in Mt. 16:18-19 & \n18:18 Yeshua gave his students the Halachic authority which we see them \nusing in Acts 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today we as restored Nazarenes must also have our own unique halachic\n authority apart from that of Rabbinic Judaism. As \u201csons of light\u201d we \ncannot be halachicly yoked with unbelievers. While we cannot be \nhalachicly yoked with unbelievers (Rabbinic Judaism) we must \u201ccome out \nfrom among them and be separate\u201d (2Cor. 6:14-18 & Is. 52:11) for we \nmust ourselves establish courts (Dt. 16:18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We cannot turn to the \u201cwisdom\u201d of the \u201cPharisaic Rabbinical\u201d Rabbis \nand sages of the last two thousand years and simply \u201caccept all the \nRabbinical Halakhah, except where Mashiach and His Talmidim clearly and \ndefinitely offer another position of Halakhah\u201d for the Tenach warns us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you say, \u201cWe are wise, and the Torah of YHWH is with us\u201d?<\/em>
\n Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.<\/em>
\n The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken.<\/em>
\n Behold they have rejected the Word of YHWH;<\/em>
\n So what wisdom do they have?<\/em>
\n (Jer. 8:8-9)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unbelieving sages and Rabbis of \u201cPharisaic Rabbinical\u201d Judaism \nclaim they \u201care wise\u201d and that \u201cthe Torah of the LORD is with us.\u201d But \nthey have \u201crejected the Word of YHWH\u201d (i.e. Yeshua the Messiah; see Jn. \n1:1, 14; Rev. 19:13) \u201cSo what wisdom do they have?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are preserved for us five fragments from an ancient Nazarene \nCommentary on Isaiah in which the fourth century Nazarene writer makes \nit clear that Nazarenes of the fourth century were not \u201cfollowing \nPharisaic Rabbinical Halakhah.\u201d The following is taken from the Nazarene\n commentary on Isaiah 8:14:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel\u00a6\u201d<\/em>
\n The Nazarenes explain the two houses as the two houses of Shammai \nand Hillel, from whom originated the Scribes and Pharisees\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 [they \nPharisees] scattered and defiled the precepts of the Torah by traditions\n and mishna. And these two houses<\/em>
\n did not accept the Savior<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nazarene commentary on Isaiah 8:20-21 has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scribes and the Pharisees tell you to listen to them<\/em>
\n answer them like this:<\/em>
\n \u201cIt is not strange if you follow your traditions since every tribe<\/em>
\n consults its own idols. We must not, therefore, consult your<\/em>
\n dead [sages] about the living one.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it is clear that the original Nazarenes were not \u201cfollowing Pharisaic Rabbinical Halakhah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us return to the subject of the Oral Law in general. Now in Acts \n23:6 Paul states \u201cI am a Pharisee\u201d. The Pharisees maintained a belief in\n the traditions handed down by their forefathers. As Josephus writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great<\/em>
\n many observances by succession from their fathers,<\/em>
\n which are not written in the law of Moses; \u2026<\/em>
\n (Josephus; Ant. 13:10:6)s<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerning his Pharisee background Paul says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my<\/em>
\n contemporaries in my own nation, being more<\/em>
\n exceedingly zealous for the tradition of my fathers.<\/em>
\n (Gal. 1:14)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice that in Acts 28:17 Paul insists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have done nothing against our people<\/em>
\n or the customs of our fathers.<\/em>
\n (Acts 28:17)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul writes to the Thessalonians concerning these \u201ctraditions\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTherefore, brothers stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught\u2026<\/em>
\n withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly and not after<\/em> the traditions which he received from us.\u201d<\/em>
\n (2Thes. 2:15; 3:6)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul even made use of these oral \u201ctraditions\u201d in his writings. Paul \nsays \u201c\u2026they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them: and that \nrock was Messiah.\u201d (1Cor. 10:4). The Torah records more than one \noccasion when Moshe (Moses) brought forth water from a rock (Ex. \n16:4-35; 17:1-9; Num. 20:1-13; 16-20). According to Rabbinic tradition \nthe rock did in fact follow them. The Talmud says that it was \u201ca \nmoveable well\u201d (b.Shabbat 35a) and calls it \u201cthe Well of Miriam\u201d \n(b.Ta\u2019anit 9a). Rashi comments on b.Ta\u2019anit 9a saying that the rock \n\u201crolled and went along with Israel, and it was the rock Moshe struck.\u201d \nThe tradition of the moving rock known as the \u201cWell of Miriam\u201d is also \nfound in B\u2019midbar Parshat Chukkat. Paul\u2019s statement that the rock \n\u201cfollowed them\u201d testifies to the fact that he accepted this oral \ntradition as being factual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second century Nazarene writer Gish\u2019fa (Heggissipus) made use in \nhis writings of these oral traditions. Eusebius writes of him:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he quotes some passages from The Gospel according to<\/em>
\n the Hebrews and from \u2018The Syriac\u2019, and some particulars from<\/em>
\n the Hebrew tongue, showing that he was \u2026 from the Hebrews,<\/em>
\n and he mentions other matters as taken from the oral tradition<\/em>
\n of the Jews.\u201d<\/em>
\n (Eccl. Hist. 4:22)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeshua himself seems to have also accepted the \u201ctraditions of our fathers\u201d which had been passed down orally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In John 7:37-38 we read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd on the great day, which is the last of the feast, Yeshua \nstood and cried out and said, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and \ndrink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures have said, rivers of \nwater of life will flow from his belly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The occasion is the last great day of Sukkot (Jn. 7:2) and the \nsetting appears to be the water libation ceremony at the Temple as \nprescribed by the Oral Law. A priest had a flask of gold filled with \nwater and another has a flask of gold filled with wine. There were two \nsilver bowls perforated with holes like a narrow snout. One was wide for\n the water the other is narrow for the wine. The priests poured the wine\n and water into each of their bowls. The wine and water mixed together. \nThe wine flowing slowly through the narrow snout and the water flowing \nquickly through the wider snout. (m.Sukkot 4:9) Yeshua said that this \nritual from the Oral Law was actually prophetic and symbolic of himself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all four Gospels Yeshua participates in the Passover Sader. The \nelements of the sader, such as the \u201ccup of redemption\u201d; dipping in \nbitter herbs; and the afikomen (the last piece of unleavened bread \npassed around and eaten at the end) all come from the Oral Law as \nrecorded in the Mishna (m.Pes. 10). Yeshua not only accepted and kept \nthese Oral Law rituals, but also spoke of them being prophetic of \nhimself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is an interesting story in the Talmud which makes a profound point about the Oral Law:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Rabbis taught: A certain heathen once came before Shammai and\n asked him, \u2018How many Torahs have you?\u2019 \u2018Two,\u2019 he replied: \u2018the Written \nTorah and the Oral Torah.\u2019 \u2018I believe you with respect to the Written, \nbut not with respect to the Oral Torah; make me a proselyte on condition\n that you teach me the Written Torah [only]. [But] he scolded and \nrepulsed him in anger. When he went before Hillel, he accepted him as a \nproselyte. On the first day, he taught him, Alef, beth, gimmel, daleth; \nthe following day he reversed [them ] to him. \u2018But yesterday you did not\n teach them to me thus,\u2019 he protested. \u2018Must you then not rely upon me? \nThen rely upon me with respect to the Oral [Torah] too.\u2019<\/em>
\n (b.Shabbat 31a)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point of the story is that the same forefathers that passed the \nwritten Torah down to us, also passed the Oral Torah down to us with it.\n What logic is there in accepting the written Torah that they delivered \nto us as truth, while rejecting the Oral Law passed down by the very \nsame forefathers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we as Nazarenes do not believe that the Rabbis of \nPharisaic\/Rabbinic Judaism held the power to bind and loose after the \nfirst century, perhaps not even before the first century. Thus we should\n not simply accept these rulings, on the other hand we should not simply\n reject them out of hand. In may cases the Talmud or the related \nhalachic Midrashim present the line of logic which led to the decisions \nbeing made. We should look at these lines of logic to determine if the \ndecisions were valid and sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example I heard one Messianic Rabbi bashing the Talmud and \nclaiming that the Rabbis had added thirty-nine rules to the simple \ncommandment not to work on the Sabbath. In fact the thirty-nine \ncategories (given in m.Shabbat 7:2) are drawn from the text of the \nTorah. In the Torah the instructions concerning the building of the \nTabernacle are interrupted by a restatement of the commandment not to \nwork on the Sabbath (Ex. 31:12-17).  The connection this section of \nExodus has with the surrounding material seems to be the word \u201cwork\u201d \n(Ex. 31:14) and \u201cworkmanship\u201d (Ex. 31:3) (same word in the Hebrew). Thus\n the commandment not to \u201cwork\u201d on the Sabbath (Ex. 31:14) is restated as\n a reminder to abstain from the  \u201cworkmanship\u201d of the Tabernacle \nmentioned in Ex. 31:3. Thus the term \u201cwork\u201d in the commandment not to \nwork on the Sabbath may be elaborated and defined by the thirty-nine \ncategories of  \u201cworkmanship\u201d involved in building the Tabernacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We as Nazarenes should not reject the material in the Talmud out of \nhand, we should seek to understand it. Then we should \u201ceat the date and \nspit out the seeds\u201d. The same approach should be taken to the Dead Sea \nScrolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nazarenes should not be modern day Sadducees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you know we have been digging ourselves out of a budget shortfall<\/em><\/strong>.  As\n I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative \none with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to\n get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the \nworld who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for\n your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible<\/strong><\/em> by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org<\/strong>

<\/mark>Or click HERE<\/a> to donate<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And don\u2019t forget to join the conversations at the NazareneSpace Social Network<\/a><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nazarenes and the Oral Law ByJames Trimm There has been a great deal of discussion in the movement today over how we as Nazarenes should view Jewish tradition, Oral Law and the Talmud. Now it is important to understand the first century world from which Nazarene Judaism emerged. There were three major sects of Judaism … Continue reading “Nazarenes and the Oral Law”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNazarenes and the Oral Law - NazareneSpace Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/nazarenes-and-the-oral-law\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nazarenes and the Oral Law - NazareneSpace Blog\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nazarenes and the Oral Law ByJames Trimm There has been a great deal of discussion in the movement today over how we as Nazarenes should view Jewish tradition, Oral Law and the Talmud. 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