RABBI ISAAC LICHTENSTEIN AND THE DISCARDED NEW TESTAMENT

Transcription

1 Volume 21 7 A s a young rabbi, Isaac Lichtenstein ( ) reprimanded a Jewish teacher from a communal school in his district for showing him a Bible containing a New Testament, took the book from him, and put it on a corner shelf. Thirty years later Lichtenstein opened the book... and it changed his life. Read his story of wrestling with what he had considered a forbidden book. Also learn about Genesis and Revelation what some call the bookends of the Bible and view some beautiful paintings that show just how Jewish this forbidden book really is!

2 RABBI ISAAC LICHTENSTEIN AND THE DISCARDED NEW TESTAMENT Born on April 11, 1825, Orthodox Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein served as district rabbi of Tapio-Szele in Hungary for more than 35 years. At age 60 he publicly declared his belief that Yeshua (Jesus) was the Jewish Messiah. In his last several years as district rabbi, he openly shared that conviction with his congregation. Rather than forcing their rabbi out, his congregants fought for him to stay! When Lichtenstein was a young rabbi, the head teacher in the Jewish Communal School in Tapio- Szele showed him a Bible containing a German translation of the New Testament. David Baron wrote: The Rabbi, who had only been acquainted with the Hebrew Old Testament before, and had never seen a copy of the New Testament in his life, looked at the title page, and seeing the words Jesus Christ, his heart was stirred with hatred and anger. He sharply reprimanded the young man for having such a book in his possession, and took it from him.... Strangely enough, instead of destroying the book, or tearing out and burning the New Testament, the Rabbi put it on a corner of a shelf in his library. There this precious treasure stood forgotten and unread for thirty years! 1 Here s how Rabbi Lichtenstein first came to consider the claims of Yeshua. On April 1, 1882, fourteen-year-old Eszter Solymosi, a Christian peasant girl from the town of Tisza Eszler, was sent on an errand. When the girl did not return, anti- Semitic leaders stirred up the rumor that the Jews had killed her in order to use her blood at Passover on April 4. The case went to court, where thirteen Jews were accused of Esther s murder. They spent fifteen months in prison before the accusations were proven false and they were acquitted. Lichtenstein wrote: Strangely enough it was the horrible Tisza- Eszlar blood accusation which first drew me to read the New Testament. This trial brought from their lurking places all the enemies of the Jews, and once again, as in olden times, the cry re-echoed, Death to the Jew! The frenzy was excessive, and among the ringleaders were many who used the name of Christ and His doctrine, as a cloak to cover their abominable doings. These wicked practices of men, wearing the name of Christ only to further their evil designs, aroused the indignation of the true Christians, who, with pen on fire, and warning voices, denounced the lying rage of the Anti-Semites. In articles written by the latter in defence of the Jews, I often met with passages where Christ was spoken of as He who brings joy to man, the Prince of Peace and the Redeemer. 2 Baron related what happened next: A secret desire arose in [Rabbi Lichtenstein s] soul to investigate for himself the principles of Christianity.... One day, looking over his library, he came across the old and longforgotten book which he had taken in anger 2 ISSN PRINTED IN THE U.S.A EDITOR IN CHIEF: SUSAN PERLMAN EDITOR: MATT SIEGER DESIGN / ILLUSTRATION: PAIGE SAUNDERS JOIN US AT FACEBOOK.COM/ISSUESMAG

3 from the teacher thirty years before. He began Baron wrote: to read, at first in fear and trembling, his heart full of prejudice. 3 The Jews noted a remarkable change in their Rabbi, but could not guess its secret. But at But Lichtenstein described his own experience as last his heart overflowed, he could contain it he continued to read: no longer, and while preaching one Saturday from Christ s parable of the whited sepulcher, I have branded the New he openly avowed that his Testament as the muddiest subject was taken from the New source of pride, of Testament and that he believed overweening selfishness, of in Jesus as the true Messiah. 5 hate, of the worst kind of violence; but... I felt myself Lichtenstein issued three peculiarly and wonderfully pamphlets declaring his new taken possession of. A sudden belief. When the rabbis of Austriaclearness, a light flashed Hungary read the pamphlets, they through my soul; my eyes published a report that a missionary gazed astonished into the had actually written the pamphlets distance, as when through an electric shock the scales fall from the eyes of a blind man. It was to me as encouraging as health to one in sore sickness, as freedom to a prisoner in fetters; for I looked for thorns and gathered roses, I discovered pearls instead of pebbles heavenly treasure; instead of hate, love; instead of vengeance, forgiveness; instead of bondage, freedom; instead of pride, humility; instead of enmity, reconciliation; instead of death, life salvation, resurrection. 4 For two or three years, he kept his belief in Yeshua locked in his heart. However, without mentioning the name of Jesus, Lichtenstein began to preach the doctrines of Jesus and expound his parables. and appended Lichtenstein s name A sudden clearness, a light to them. When that accusation flashed through my soul; was proven false, they said that my eyes gazed astonished the government of Great Britain into the distance, as when had, through English missionaries, through an electric shock subsidized Lichtenstein to write the scales fall from the the pamphlets. When that too was eyes of a blind man. shown to be false, they called on him to retract. Gentlemen, he replied, I shall most willingly retract if you convince me that I am wrong. He told them that in preaching from the New Testament, he taught nothing contrary to Moses and the prophets. 6 The Jewish leaders wanted to expel him from his synagogue, but Lichtenstein knew that since Judaism was a state religion in Hungary, they could only do so at the request of his own community in Tapio-Szele. For almost six years he continued to (continued on page 8) ISSUES is a forum of several Messianic Jewish viewpoints. The author alone, where the author s name is given, is responsible for the statements expressed. Those wishing to take exception or wishing to enter into dialogue with one of these authors may write the publishers and letters will be forwarded. editor@issuesmag.org jewsforjesus.org UNITED STATES: P.O. BOX , SAN FRANCISCO, CA CANADA: 10 HUNTINGDALE BLVD, TORONTO, ON M1W 2S5, CANADA UNITED KINGDOM: 6 CENTRAL CIRCUS, HENDON CENTRAL, LONDON NW4 3JS SOUTH AFRICA: SUITE 36, PRIVATE BAG X14, PINEGOWRIE 2123 AUSTRALIA: P.O. BOX 925, SYDNEY NSW

4 AN ISSUES BOOK REVIEW punims stare back at you from the cover, and as you read the text with words like tzedekah and Shabbat and listen to Yeshua (Jesus) quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures, you may begin to scratch your head. Multitudes: The Gospel of Matthew with paintings by Steffi Geiser Rubin (San Francisco: Jews for Jesus, 2015), 71 pages Sign of Jonah If you re Jewish, you may experience a moment of cognitive dissonance when you first see the cover of Multitudes. And that may continue as you look inside. The book is an illustrated version of the Gospel of Matthew, a book from the New Testament, which most Jewish people assume is a Christian (goyish) collection of writings. But as those Jewish 4 Sign of Jonah SIGN OF JONAH Hebrew text in the painting: Then Jonah prayed to Adonai JERUSALEM his God from the belly of the GATE Matthew 23 Hebrew text in the painting: Blessed is He who comes in the Name of ADONAI. fish (Jonah 2:2) (Psalm 118:26b) Artist s Note: Asked for a sign from heaven, Yeshua answers obliquely, You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times! (Matthew 16:3). The overcast, red sky Yeshua references dominates the left side of this painting. Speaking in parables, he declares that the only sign that ART121GC 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA jewsforjesus.org this wicked generation will see is the sign of Jonah (verse 4). The painting shows the reluctant ancient prophet encased in the abdomen of the fish. As Jonah waited three days to be released, the Son of Man will be in the bowels of the earth for three days, until His promised resurrection. Art by Steffi Geiser Rubin. View the full series of paintings online at Jewish artist Steffi Geiser Rubin s twenty paintings, commissioned especially for this project, dramatically portray the Jewish world of Yeshua s time. Rubin s paintings use vibrant colors in a style that is representational (recognizable), yet somewhat abstract, adorned with handlettered Hebrew calligraphy of Scriptures from Matthew s Gospel. Matthew, a Jew who left his job as a tax collector to follow Jesus, was an eyewitness to the life of the one who claimed to be the Jewish Messiah. In his Gospel, Matthew documents many of the Messianic prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures that Jesus claimed to fulfill.

5 Blessed is He Who Comes jerusalem gate BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES Artist s Note: Matthew s proclamations of the end times unleash a series of apocalyptic images. Buildings razed to the ground, with not one stone standing upon another. Nations at war. Abominations. The painting depicts the darkened sky, a backdrop for the text from Isaiah 13:10. In the foreground a man working in a wheat field looks up in disbelief. As it was in the days of Noah, two men will be working outdoors; one will be taken and the other left (Matthew 24:40). The expression on the man s face unveils both shock and regret. Multitudes is an ongoing project that includes a traveling exhibition, the fine art book and related materials. To learn more, and to see if there will be an exhibition in your area, please visit reviewed by Matt Sieger Hebrew text in the painting: Blessed is He who comes in the Name of Adonai. (Psalm 118:26b) Artist s Note: ONE WILL BE LEFT Hebrew text in the painting: The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light (Isaiah 13:10b) Art by Steffi Geiser Rubin. View the full series of paintings online at 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA jewsforjesus.org ART122GC One Will Be Left Yeshua scans the crowds in Jerusalem, searching for faith. Longing to gather Jerusalem s children, He expresses grief and disappointment, leaving them with the promise: I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, Baruch ha-ba b shem Adonai blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Matthew 23:39). The illustration imagines the day when that cry of welcome from ONE WILL BE LEFT Matthew 24 Hebrewfrom text in the painting: The rising sun will be darkened, Psalm 118:26 resounds within the walls of and the moon will not give its light (Isaiah 13:10b). the ancient city, filling the air, and inviting Yeshua to enter through its ancient gate. One Will Be Left 5

6 THE BEGINNING AND END OF TIME by Matt Sieger If, as the Hebrew Scriptures indicate, this world had a beginning, will it have an end? If so, when? And then what? In Numbers 24:14 (JPS, 1985), we read about the days to come. (Christians sometimes refer to this period as the end times ). Jewish tradition puts the coming of the Messiah at the end of time. In the Talmud, some rabbis imply that the Messiah will come before the Hebrew year 6,000 (that s not very far away!), though they were working by a different calendar than the one we have today. The Bible not only speaks of an end to this world, but also of a new beginning a new heaven and a new earth. While the Hebrew Scriptures allude to this new world, the New Testament describes it in great detail. The first three chapters of the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Genesis describe our planet in the beginning. The last three chapters of the New Testament in the book of Revelation describe the new earth. When you read Genesis 1 3 in conjunction with Revelation 20 22, the parallels and contrasts are remarkable. In Genesis, we see the disobedience that led to the break in our relationship with God; in Revelation, we see a world in which all is made new, referred to as the New Jerusalem. If, as many Jews and Christians agree, the words of Scripture are inspired by God, and their God is the same God, it should not surprise us to see this symmetry. Nor should it shock us to see congruence between the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament as a whole. As author Avi Brickner puts it, In page after page of the New Testament, there is one primary literary treasure that is invested with supreme authority: the Hebrew Scriptures. 1 The Hebrew Scriptures speak of a new heaven and a new earth: well: The New Testament Book of Revelation does as Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. (Revelation 21:1) IN THE BEGINNING... The opening verse of the Bible tells us, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Genesis then recounts six days of creation, culminating on the sixth day with the first human beings: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). We are told that God saw everything he made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Adam and Eve lived in a literal paradise, Gan Eden, the garden of Eden, which they took care of. God told them, You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:16). Tempted by Satan in the form of a snake, they ate from that tree, choosing to live independently of God. The Bible calls that sin. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. (Isaiah 65:17) 6

7 God s judgments for their willfulness are described in Genesis 3:16 24 pain in childbearing; cursed ground ( thorns and thistles ); hard labor ( the sweat of your face ); and death ( to dust you shall return ). Their previous intimacy with God was broken, and He drove them from the garden. As descendants of the original parents, we still bear these consequences. We are left with, as Joni Mitchell sang in Woodstock, the desire to get back to the garden. SOMETHING BETTER In the new heaven and earth, all the effects of sin have been abolished: (God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4). Everything that was good in the original heaven and earth will be restored or replaced with something better in the New Jerusalem. Most importantly, all in the New Jerusalem will have a restored relationship with God. As God once walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8), in the new heaven and earth, He will dwell with his people forever (Revelation 21:3) and they shall see His face (Revelation 22:4). THE REDEEMER Remember that one of the consequences of Adam and Eve s disobedience was death: for you are dust, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:18). Had they not sinned, they would have lived forever! But this death was not just physical; it was also spiritual. As soon as they ate of the forbidden fruit, their relationship with God was broken, as evidenced by the fact that they hid themselves (Genesis 3:8). This necessitated the sacrificial system that God instituted through Moses, with the blood of animals making atonement for the people: For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life (Leviticus 17:11). But since 70 a.d., when the Romans destroyed the Temple, we have had no place for the prescribed sacrifices. THE HOPE According to the New Testament, the death of Yeshua (Jesus) around 33 a.d. and the shedding of his blood was the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins. The prophet Isaiah, writing about 700 years earlier, predicted that the Messiah would die for our sins: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:6 7) The book of Revelation ends with the Messiah Yeshua saying, Surely I am coming soon (Revelation 21:20). If he is returning, and this world isn t all you had hoped for, why not consider Yeshua and get ready for the next? 1. Avi Brickner, The Jewishness of the New Testament, 7

8 (continued from page 3) serve as rabbi there. Baron described this time: The attachment to him of the people of his own community was most touching. Every pressure was brought to bear upon them to ask for the removal of their Rabbi, but without avail. At last the other Jews in Hungary, especially those in Buda-Pesth [Budapest], would have no business relations with the Jews in Tapio-Szele, by means of which some of the Rabbi s community were ruined, but still they clung to him, and there is no doubt but some, at any rate, were led into the same faith as their Rabbi. 7 Finally, after impoverishing himself to save some of the members of his congregation from financial ruin, and in poor health from the persecution he suffered, Lichtenstein voluntarily resigned from his position as district rabbi at the age of about 67 and settled in Budapest. There too, he was relentlessly harassed, as Henry Einspruch described: He was shadowed and even physically attacked on the street. His barber was bribed with 50 kronen to disfigure his beautiful beard. His landlord kept a close watch on everyone who visited him and reported to the rabbinical authorities. 8 In a letter explaining his newfound faith to his eldest son, Dr. Emmanuel Lichtenstein, Rabbi Lichtenstein wrote: The New Testament, especially, which in our advanced age is most adapted to shed a new light on Zion, is still totally ignored. Therefore search the Bible diligently, read the prophets with an open mind, learn to understand the New Testament without prejudice, and you will be convinced that the eternal truths stand in inseparable connection with one another, and that even those which appear to be most in conflict, complete and explain each other. 9 Rabbi Lichtenstein died on November 16, 1908, at age 83. In one of his pamphlets, he issued this challenge: If He [Jesus] is not the Messiah, who is He? 10 That s still a good question to ponder. n Matt Sieger Endnotes 1. David Baron, Rabbi Lichtenstein and His Conversion, The Jewish Era, Volume 11, No. 1, Chicago, January 15, 1902, p Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein, A Jewish Mirror, or the Scriptures Reflecting Christ, (London: Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel, year unknown), pp Baron, op. cit., p J. Lichtenstein, Judaism and Christianity (Edinburgh, Scotland: Morrison and Gibb, 1893), pp Baron, op. cit., p Ibid., p Ibid., pp Henry Einspruch DD, Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein, from Rabbis Meet Jesus the Messiah, org/rabbi-isaac-lichtenstein/ 9. Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein, Two Letters; or, What I Really Wish, (London: Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel, year unknown), p Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein, A Jewish Mirror, or the Scriptures Reflecting Christ, p. 19. Watch a brief video highlighting the reaction of Rabbi Lichtenstein to the New Testament, then read Saturday the Rabbi Read the New Testament and other articles on the Jewishness of this forbidden book! All at j4j.co/issues21v07 What about other Jewish people who have been challenged with this same issue? Check out ShoutOut to find out. Jewish journeys of faith, streaming now at jewsforjesus.org/shoutout 8