The Oral Law - 2. Review: Let s get started! 6/22/16

Transcription

1 The Oral Law - 2 A PRIMER FOR MESSIANIC BELIEVERS MESSIANIC PASTOR RICK ARII BETH DAVID MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Review: Let s get started! Discuss existing perceptions and knowledge regarding Jewish literature and Talmud specifically. Why study Talmud? The importance of Rabbinic Literature for believers in Messiah Yeshua Jewish Role A Covenant People (Gift and Calling) Guarding the Covenant: Exodus 19:1-6, Deuteronomy 29:1, Keeping the Covenant: Exodus 21:12, 17 The underlying question of Talmud: How do we guard God s Covenant? How do we keep (do) it? 1

2 6/22/16 2

3 Session 2 The second session will explore what defines Judaism and its core foundation in the. The concept of The Dual will be introduced, along with a discussion of the plurality of Judaisms, and the need for unity in diaspora. The concept of law will be discussed. An overview of the history of the Talmudic era (250 BC 600 AD) will be considered. The, Gemara, and Talmud will be introduced. What defines Judaism? ØA common history (Exo 19:1-4) ØAncient ØLess Ancient Philo (Alexandria) and Josephus (Rome/Israel) ØArchaeology (physical proof / verification) ØA common language ØHebrew ØAramaic ØA common land Eretz Yisra el ØA common source ØYHVH/God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob ØHebrew Bible ØTalmud (Traditional Jewish) ØApostolic Writings (Messianic Jewish) 3

4 Adaptation Development over time The rise of the rabbinic form of Judaism, with its detailed emphasis on Jewish law and ritual on the one hand, and its ability to adapt and develop on the other, was no accident. Judaism needed just such a combination of qualities to provide both constancy and responsiveness. The concept of the dual, written and oral, gave Rabbinic Judaism that flexibility, defining the interpretations of the later rabbis as having Mosaic authority and standing in a continuous chain of tradition. At the same time, strict adherence to the principles of Jewish law meant that Talmudic Judaism could stand firm against the challenges posed by Christianity and then by Islam. For the rabbis of the Talmud, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One (Deut. 6:4) meant that no prophetic figure could rise above the status of mortal man. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deut. 6:5) meant that life was to be lived according to the law of the. (Schiffman, pg 15-16) Sects within Judaism ØInteractive relationships WITHIN Jewish religion, life and culture ØSadducees and Pharisees Acts 23:8 ØThe Way A Significant sect of Judaism in the first century Ø Acts 9:2, 11:26, 24:14 ØDiscerning the perceived separation of Judaism and Christianity ØCommon non-messianic misinterpretation/misunderstanding: Ø From a Jewish perspective, Christianity was a Jewish sect until its followers rejected the need to observe the laws in the. This break occurred specifically when Paul extended his mission among the Gentiles without requiring them to undergo formal conversion to Judaism or to observe Jewish law. For example, the Gentiles were not required to undergo circumcision, keep dietary laws, or observe the Sabbath. ( Jesus and His Jewish Influences, The Great Courses) ØActs 15:21 and Acts 18:11-17 (Paul in Corinth) 4

5 Sects within Judaism Ø Historical Relationships ØPre and Post 70 AD (destruction of Temple/Jerusalem) Ø Sadducees disappear Ø Pharisees define Rabbinic Judaism ØPhysical Relationships ØEretz Yisra el (The Land of Israel) ØDiaspora (Dispersion of Jews throughout the nations) ØThe developing need for unification and adaptation ØHow do we survive as a covenant people ØHow to guard and keep the covenant in diaspora? Dual Ø Written ØGiven by God on Mt. Sinai ØWritten down by Moses near his death ØGiven to the people just before crossing the Jordan into The Land Ø613 Commandments per Maimonides ( ) Ø Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, the Rambam Ø 248 positive commands Ø 365 negative commands ØTanakh (more expansive sense of ) 5

6 Dual Ø Oral ØGiven by God on Mt. Sinai ØSpoken verbally by God to Moses Ø Expressed as principles, not necessarily verbatim God taught Moses principles, laid foundations that are in the written text that would be the basis for engendering new commands, rules, laws, traditions, etc. in order to guard and keep the Written. ØAuthoritatively Transmitted with a charge Ø Passed from the one primary leader of Israel to the next who would succeed him Ø Pirke Avot Chapter of The Fathers (ca , but based on ca. 200) Pirke Avot Chapters of The Fathers ØMoshe, Yehoshua, Elders, Prophets, Men of the Great Assembly ØShimon the Righteous ØAntigonus of Sokho Ø1. Yose ben Yoezer / Yose ben Yochanan Ø2. Yehoshua ben Perachiah / Nitai of Arbel Ø3. Yehudah ben Tabai / Shimon ben Shetach Ø4. Shemayah / Avtalyon Ø5. Hillel / Shammai Ø Gamliel (Paul s master) Ø Simeon ben Gamliel, Gamaliel II, Simeon II (post Bar Kochba), Judah ha Nasi (sponsor of the ) 6

7 Excursus: Law Written and Oral Ø There is no oral without the written ØThere is no fulfilling the written without the oral ØWithout the insight of the oral, the written cannot be known, as if it does not exist. Ø Holy Questions ØDoes the written take into consideration all the possibilities? Ø How can the nation be what it is supposed to be without the oral to inform the written? ØPurpose of as Law - Examples ØTraffic Law freedom and equilibrium ØDon t boil a kid in its mothers milk? What does that have to do with my cheeseburger? The Rabbinic Canon Ø ØCommentary on ØCodified ca. 200CE ØVoices from 250 BCE 200 CE 7

8 Commentary on The Rabbinic Canon Ø ØCommentary on ØCodified ca. 200CE ØVoices from 250 BCE 200 CE ØGemara ØCommentary on ØDeveloped in two different schools Ø Inside the land (Jerusalem/Palestinian/Yerushalmi) Ø Outside the land (Babylonian/Bavil) ØYerushalmi Talmud Codified ca. 400 CE ØBavli Talmud Codified ca. 600 CE 8

9 Gemara Commentary on Gemara +Gemara=Talmud Gemara 9

10 +Yerushalmi Gemara = Yerushalmi Talmud Gemara-Y +Bavli Gemara = Bavli Talmud Gemara-B 10

11 The Rabbinic Canon Ø ØCommentary on ØCodified ca. 200CE ØVoices from 250 BCE 200 CE ØGemara ØCommentary on ØDeveloped in two different schools Ø Inside the land (Jerusalem/Palestinian/Yerushalmi) Ø Outside the land (Babylonian/Bavil) ØYerushalmi Talmud Codified ca. 400 CE ØBavli Talmud Codified ca. 600 CE Assignment for next week Read Nehemiah Chapter 8. Summarize it in 250 words or less, paying careful attention to how Ezra reads, interprets, and teaches from Scripture. 11