Members only New Testament Insights The Power to Bind and Loose Assur and Mutar in Jewish Law In this article, we continue to look at the legal context of New Testament saying. We will explore "binding and loosing," their role in legal rule-making, and how these terms have been misinterpreted through time.
Members only New Testament Insights Proofs of Oral Torah: "Salvation is from the Jews.” One of the most direct critiques of Replacement Theology came from Jesus himself. And while commentators have spent centuries softening his words, Jesus's statement, "Salvation is from the Jews," makes a strong endorsement for the Oral Torah.
New Testament Insights Jesus Within Rabbinic Debate: Understanding the Gospel Conflicts Though traditionally perceived as a break from Jewish tradition, Jesus’s arguments with certain Pharisees were well within Rabbinic legal norms. This article explores the Jewish legal and practical frameworks behind Gospel debates and how misunderstandings have shaped centuries of Christian reading.
New Testament Insights Featured The Accidental Apostle: The Story of Pseudo-Dionysius What if one of the most influential thinkers in church history turned out to be a case of mistaken identity? We'll look at how an anonymous Neoplatonic writer slipped into the stream of Apostolic tradition and shaped the Church's understanding of heaven, hell, angels, and salvation.
New Testament Insights Traditions and Commandments: Understanding Jesus's Teaching in Mark 7 Did Jesus reject Jewish dietary laws, declaring all foods clean? In this article, we unpack the discussion in Mark 7 to challenge the popular tradition that Jesus abolished Torah-given commandments, and reflect a misreading of first-century Judaism.
New Testament Insights Replacement Theology and the Test In Our Time In our time, the world is being tested. The prophets speak of a time when the nations will turn against Israel, and if you read ahead, it does not end well for them. This was largely the case in Europe in the 1930's and this test has emerged once again in our time.
Members only New Testament Insights Antisemitism in the New Testament? Is the New Testament antisemitic? Scholars like Amy Jill-Levine would argue, though it wasn't intended, the texts have been read to that conclusion.
Paid-members only New Testament Insights “Where Does the Bible Say That?” Understanding Scripture and "Inspired" Writings
Replacement Theology Not a Pagan, Slave, or Woman. Understanding the Context of a Controversial Prayer. What is a Goy, and are the Rabbis elitist? This article unpacks one of the most misunderstood Jewish prayers, exploring its theological context, we uncover a message of reverence—not superiority.
Replacement Theology "It’s the Jews": The Erev Rav and the Golden Calf The incident of the Golden Calf is one of the Torah's worst betrayals. We will explore this shadowy group of saboteurs, known as the Erev Rav, and understand their relevance in our time.
New Testament Insights Featured First Fruits of Zion Repost: Is the Church Israel 2.0? I had the opportunity to work with First Fruits of Zion (FFOZ) on a piece related to my personal experiences with Replacement Theology.
Torah Genesis Misunderstood: The True Meaning of 'Adam' and Humanity Many people have read Genesis believing that Adam and Eve were simply two individuals created in the Garden. This has created problems between religion and science, but what if this understanding was based on a misinterpretation? A closer look at the Hebrew reveals a profound nuance.
Members only New Testament Insights Video: Torah for the Nations In this discussion, we wade into the confusing space of Biblical commandments, and whether they are for Jews, Gentiles, or everyone (or no one).
New Testament Insights Lost in Translation - The Problems With Sola Scriptura For some, Sola Scriptura is a cause for celebration, but for others, this doctrine paved the way for some significant problems down the road. How is this doctrine different from the native worldview of Jesus and the Apostolic community?
New Testament Insights From Ruin to Resilience - Jewish Revival Post-Temple Destruction The first century in Israel was a period marked by deep religious, cultural, and social complexity, which has led to distorted and negative perceptions of the people of Israel that are alive and well today.
New Testament Insights The Roots of Gentile Inclusion: Noahide Laws and the Jerusalem Council In this article, we explore the Noahide laws. In addition, we'll take a unique look at these laws, their relevance to the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, and their implications for Gentiles today.
Members only New Testament Insights Proofs of Oral Torah: Haggai's Quiz Though some may not be convinced of the validity of the Oral Torah, one way to illustrate the its vitality is through the exploration examples in the Biblical texts themselves that affirm its importance.
Members only New Testament Insights Featured Under Grace, Under the Law, and Under Sin Of the most problematic ideas attributed to Paul is his teaching that Grace supersedes or replaces the Torah and commandments. This has led to an abandonment - and often vilification - of the commandments, which are a critical aspect of Biblical spiritual development.
New Testament Insights The Missing Context of the New Testament - pt. 1 One of the most important components to understanding the "New Testament" is found amid an incident that most Bible readers have never heard of. We'll learn how a particular disagreement between predominant Pharisaic schools shaped the contours and the perplexing milieu of first-century Judaism.
Members only Torah Featured Mitzvot and Misconceptions: Understanding the Biblical Commandments When it comes to understanding the Biblical commandments, it seems the overwhelming majority of Bible readers have developed their perspective solely through the [often polemic] lens of Christian thought. In this work, we'll take a look at what the Jewish tradition has to say about Mitzvot.
New Testament Insights Guest Article: Rethinking the Roots. The Rising Debate on Replacement Theology I'd like to introduce you to Ty Nichols, guest author on the Hidden Orchard Project. Some of you may already know Ty from his work in this space. He is the author of the book, "Jesus IS Jewish"; he is a national speaker and a fervent leader in his community.
New Testament Insights Featured Abolishing the Torah Often used as a proof-text for the abrogation of the Torah [commandments], in Matthew 5 we see Jesus citing a well-known Midrash to prove quite the opposite. Despite many modern (popular) interpretations, he forbids his audience from ever thinking of such an idea!
Members only New Testament Insights Unraveling the Controversy of Healing on Shabbat in the Gospels Some of Jesus's more contentious conflicts stem from his healing on this Holy day. But if healing on Shabbat is generally permitted in Jewish law, what is the real point of the story?
New Testament Insights How to Read the Letters of Paul The writings of the Apostle Paul, commonly known as the Epistles, hold immense significance in Christian theology. How will we re-evaluate his letters if we view them within a specific Rabbinic correspondence framework?
Members only New Testament Insights Was Paul the First Christian Convert? Of course, Paul converted, right? The chapter heading says so, and his name was changed to Saul, wasn't it?