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Faith and Fact Based Responses to Christians Evangelizing Jews

Christian Evangelicals sometimes make determined attempts to convert Jews, oftentimes with misleading characterizations or citations of the Holy Word, misrepresentations of history, and inaccurate statements. This article provides Jews with calm and often biblical responses to Evangelical claims with the goal of keeping conversion attempts from turning into arguments.

This starts with a short rebuttal to proselytizing Christians. It is written almost as a script. All you have to remember is that Jesus and the Apostles are Jews and the names and numbers of the passages in the New Testament that are cited. Ask the proselytizer to read each passage out loud to you. They will have a Bible with them. The discussion points will come back to you when you hear the passages.

After the short rebuttal, there is an explanation of Evangelism and why some Christians are so highly motivated to convert others. This is followed by links to articles that discuss Christian Churches that have stopped emphasizing converting Jews. Next are quotes from both testaments affirming that it is against the L-RD to either add to or take away from what is in the Bibles. This is important because proselytizers often leave sections of text out or add to them to support their case. Reminding the Christian that doing so may be a sin can gracefully end their attempts to convert. You are sinning is a powerful statement. This is followed by some key differences between Christianity and Judaism including conversion, qualifying for heaven, and the Mashiach or Messiah. After that is a brief historical and current affairs review of why some Jews may resent Christians, written mainly for the Christian proselytizers who may read this article. Finally, there is a section with common Biblical quotes used by Christian proselytizers with analyses of what has been left out, added, or what doesn't make sense about using this particular passage to motivate conversion.

A Standard Rebuttal or Script

Prologue

In order, this section advises you to remind the proselytizer that Jesus and the Apostles were Jews. The idea is that "if it is good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me." Second, Jesus said that the Hebrew Bible has all that is necessary for a good life and redemption. Third, the Apostle Paul reiterates what Jesus said about the Hebrew Bible, but inserts Jesus' name. Finally, the Apostle Paul in Romans makes it clear that Jews cannot convert to Christianity until all the other converts have been acquired, and that Jews will be "saved" no matter what.

Part 1: Jesus was a Jew

Jesus was a Jew, , https://cams.la.psu.edu/courses/cams-121-jesus-the-jew/, https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/10861143/Cohen_PartingWays.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y. Ask the proselytizer why if Judaism is good enough for Jesus and G-D, it isn't good enough for you. If the proselytizer doesn't believe you, you can either argue with them or suggest they ask their Minister, Preacher, or Pastor. The argument is straight forward, Christianity did not exist when Jesus was born. It came into being with the writing of the New Testament which was started at least 20 years after the crucifixion https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/texts/bible.shtml, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament, https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/how-new-testament-was-created/. If they ask their Pastor or Minister, every mainstream ordained Christian is obligated to agree that Jesus was a Jew. However, some won't admit that or will try to confuse the issue by answering a different question.

Part 2: New Testament Quote (Matthew 5:17-20) on the Sufficiency of the Hebrew Bible

Most proselytizers ignore certain facts which they find inconvenient. Most Christian sects accept the Original Testament as the WORD of G D. When Jesus says: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Analysis

Jesus is referring to the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament has not been written yet. It won't be completed for centuries. During Jesus' time, the Hebrew Bible is the only Testament. If the proselytizer doesn't believe you, ask them to talk to their Minister, Preacher, or Pastor.

Part 3: New Testament Quote (2 Timothy 3:14-17) on the Sufficiency of the Hebrew Bible

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

Analysis

While the Christian Apostle Paul adds faith in Jesus to this, it is a reiteration of the sufficiency of the Hebrew Bible as sufficient teaching for life and afterlife. Paul's ministry is during the first century and before the advent of the New Testament.

Part 4: New Testament Quote (Romans 11:7-12, 11:25-27) on Converting Jews to Christianity is Not Part of G-D's Plan

Paul makes it clear that Jews converting to Christianity is not part of G-D's plan. These are passages that are commonly ignored by proselytizers, yet directly pertain to their message. The text in parentheses is from the author. "What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect (the Apostles) among them did but the others were hardened (to Christianity and Jesus)." Did they (Jews) stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression (refusing Christianity), salvation has come to the Gentiles (Assyrians, Greeks and such) to make Israel (the Jews) envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their (the Jews) full inclusion bring! I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening (of the heart) in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in and in this way all Israel will be saved.

Analysis

Paul's prophecy is that Jews refusing Jesus makes it possible to bring the Gentiles (Greeks, Assyrians, and such) into Christianity. Further, eventually, all Jews are saved after the quota of gentiles to be converted to Christianity is filled. What Romans 11 means is debatable. Much is not presented here, including the olive tree metaphor, and the quotes of a Hebrew prophet. However, the intent is clear, and it poses a conundrum for the proselytizers. If they believe the New Testament, then they should not expect Jews to convert. Or, if they believe the full weight and number of Christians have come in, then Jews are going to be saved anyway.

Conclusion to the Script

If you can only remember one passage, remember Romans 11:7-27 (New Testament). Ask the proselytizer to explain it to you. They cannot explain away all Israel will be saved. All Israel includes the living and the dead. Their only recourse is to claim that all Israel will be saved when Christ returns. In that case, you tell them you'll wait.

Some Details and History

Why Evangelicals Try to Convert Jews

Evangelicals believe in "1) Conversionism: the belief that lives need to be transformed through a 'born again' experience and a lifelong process of following Jesus, 2) Activism: the expression and demonstration of the gospel in missionary and social reform efforts, 3) Biblicism: a high regard for and obedience to the Bible (New Testament) as the ultimate authority, and 4) Crucicentrism: a stress on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as making possible the redemption of humanity." See the National Association of Evangelicals statement at https://www.nae.net/what is an evangelical/. They say they represent some 45,000 Christian churches in the United States, bringing together Reformed, Holiness, Anabaptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic and other traditions. Evangelicals include the Southern Baptists, the Assemblies of God, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, Jews for Jesus and other Messianic movements. They see it as their duty to save Jews by converting them to Christianity https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/february/jewish evangelism survey end times chosen people rosenberg.html, and https://www.jewsforjesus.org/100 percent/.

Acknowledgement that Conversionism is Futile with Jews

A Jew may be approached by members of any of these sects with the message that they have to become Christian to avoid going to Hell. This is despite the fact that modern Christian attempts to convert Jews have been generally unsuccessful, and that proselytizing Jews is being rejected by more and more Christian denominations https://religionnews.com/2019/09/27/christian churches own up to the futility of converting the jews/, https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr today/church should not pursue conversion jews pope says, https://www.pewforum.org/2016/03/08/religious affiliation and conversion/, https://www.jweekly.com/2015/05/15/1 in 6 american jews are converts and 9 other findings in pew study/.

The Sin of Misrepresenting What the Bible Says

Christians risk their souls and the eternal displeasure of the L-RD by misstating the WORD. Either the words of the New or the Original Testaments. Recall that those who change the WORD may be rebuked by the L RD as stated in:

Deuteronomy 12:32 (Hebrew Bible) "You must diligently observe everything that I command you; do not add to it or take anything from it"

Proverbs 30:6 (Hebrew Bible) "Do not add to his words, or else he (the L-RD) will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar"

Ecclesiastes 3: (New Testament) "I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him."

As described in the analyses of many Evangelical quotes from the Bibles presented below, text is often misquoted. Even the Apostle Matthew is guilty of this. It can throw a proselytizer off their spiel to let them know they are possibly going to Hell for misquoting.

Some Differences in Jewish and Christian Beliefs

Here is some basic knowledge that may help you with proselytizing Christians. The following is a summary.

Converts

Jews do not seek converts. Jews know they are chosen people. Outsiders cannot convert to being chosen by the L RD. YHWH (most likely G-D the Father to a Christian) does the choosing. Christians have to choose G D, while Jews know that G D has chosen them, see Genesis 17:7; Exodus 19:5, 6; Deuteronomy 7:1, 6; 14:2; and by implication 18:5 and 21:5; Amos 3:2 (all passages are in the Hebrew Bible also called the Original Testament or Tanakh).

Qualifying for Heaven

Many Christians believe that anyone who does not believe in Christ goes to Hell, http://www.granbychurchofchrist.org/Studies/How-do-I-avoid-hell.htm, https://renovationchurch.org/messages/avoiding-hell, https://www.bethinking.org/is-christianity-the-only-way/do-only-christians-go-to-heaven. For Jews, anyone who doesn't sin by the standards of Judaism can be redeemed by the L-RD. Unlike Christianity, Judaism's scholars interpret the Hebrew Bible (Original Testament, Tanakh, or the Old Testament to a Christian) as having two sets of rules for living and attaining heaven, one for Jews and the Noahoic covenant for everyone else. See Genesis 9:1 17, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_(biblical)#Noahic_covenant. The Noahic and Jewish rules for life strongly differentiate Judaism from Christianity. Unlike the Evangelical Christian, Jews may believe that anyone who qualifies can get into heaven. The Jews who believe this will question why Christians think anyone has to believe in Jesus to be "saved."

The Mashiach or Messiah

For a Jew, the Messiah is not supernatural. The Messiah or Mashiach is a human working with G-D. There is nothing divine or supernatural about the Messiah except for inspiration from and communication with the L RD https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/who-is-the-messiah/.

Sources of Jewish Resentment of Christians

Some Jews have negative reactions to Christian proselytizers and Christianity for a variety of emotional reasons. Some are historical. Consider Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church, stating that he/they are not at fault if they kill the Jews https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Jews_and_Their_Lies, the Catholic Popes' inquisitions forcing conversion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition, burning Jews at the stake https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-1453-breslau-burns-its-jews-at-the-stake-1.5404920, being ousted from countries (see both the previous citations and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsions_and_exoduses_of_Jews.

In addition to the historical, there are current reasons for Jews to resent Christians. In France, Jews are being arrested and beaten for wearing kipot, also known as yarmulkes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_law_on_secularity_and_conspicuous_religious_symbols_in_schools, https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Wearing-a-Kippah-in-France.html, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/to-wear-or-not-to-wear-french-jews-wrestle-with-the-yarmulke-amid-growing-fears/2016/01/13/7f41e480-ba38-11e5-85cd-5ad59bc19432_story.html, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/26/jews-in-germany-warned-of-risks-of-wearing-kippah-cap-in-public. In the U.S., Jewish synagogues are being burned and congregants are being shot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_on_Jewish_institutions_in_the_United_States. In England, senior individuals in the Labor Party have and are making anti Semitic statements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism_in_the_UK_Labour_Party. Jews know this well. It seems hypocritical to Jews for these nations to both call themselves "Christian" and fail at the fourth of the Ten Commandments where G D tells both faiths to honor their father and mother. For the Christian faith, Judaism and Jesus are its two parents https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/pcb_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20020212_popolo-ebraico_en.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_Judaism, https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion and philosophy/apologetics/comparing christianity amp judaism.html.

Common Quotes from Christian Proselytizers and their Analyses

There are common passages from both Bibles that proselytizers tend to quote. Some are cited below. Each is followed by an anti-conversionist analysis.

John 5:39 (New Testament) Where Jesus says "you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf"

John 5:46 (New Testament) "if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me"

Analysis

Consider the source from a Jewish perspective. This is from the New Testament, a gospel to which Jews owe no allegiance and in which they have no belief. For a Jew, all of G D's WORD is in the Hebrew Bible. The rabbis' and scholar's discussions of the WORD are in the Talmud. Using the New Testament to interpret the Original to convince a Jew to become a Christian is a retrograde argument. The argument is going backwards in time. The New Testament is being applied to the Original, which came first. Basically, the Jew would have to already be a believer in Jesus for this argument to make any sense.

The interpretation by the proselytizer is that John is telling the Jews that Moses foretells the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. A prophet like Moses does not mean G D is sending the Messiah. A prophet like Moses is a mortal with no supernatural powers https://www.jewfaq.org/prophet.htm, https://www.jewfaq.org/prophet.htm, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/469852. This is quite unlike what Christians attribute to Christ.

Jesus is not mentioned or even alluded to by Moses. The meaning of the passages is being over extended to include Jesus. This is an over extension error. While some Jews consider some passages of the Hebrew Bible Messianic, no Jew accepts that any of these verses refer to Jesus.

Matthew 2:14-15 (New Testament)

The version of the New Testament used is important here.

(EHV) "Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod. This happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called my son….'"

Analysis

The quote which starts with "Out of Egypt" in Matthew 2 is from Hosea 11:1, which reads "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." The full passage makes it clear that the reference is to Israel, that is the Jews, not Joseph's child Jesus. The way this is quoted to motivate Jews to convert is misleading, it has had something taken away from it. This misquote potentially results the Christian proselytizer incurring G-D's displeasure.

Matthew 1:20 23 (New Testament)

(EHV) "But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel, which means, God is with us.'"

Analysis

There are some issues with that Matthew 1 quote. The "virgin shall conceive" is citing Isaiah 7:14 (Hebrew Bible). The EHV and NRSV texts read quite differently. The NRSV is used by many academic researchers.

EHV: "Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel."

NRSV: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."

First, the EHV and many Christian Bibles translate from the Greek and call Mary a virgin, while the NRSV and more accurate translations work from the original Hebrew and Aramaic where the literal translation means young woman. Quoting the EHV version is a misrepresentation and puts the proselytizer at risk of the L-RD's disfavor.

Good online discussions of the virgin part of Virgin Mary may be read in Time Magazine http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/04/controversial bible revision about that virgin thing/, a U.S. Catholic magazine https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201612/why was mary virgin 30874, and a balanced and less religious response from a linguist https://linguistlist.org/ask ling/message details1.cfm?asklingid=200330025. The consensus is that Isaiah uses a word in the Hebrew original that means young woman, and that Matthew's attribution of her virginity to the Original Testament is mistaken. Matthew is apparently using the Greek translation instead of the original Hebrew, but since he could read Hebrew (he wrote one version of his Gospel in Hebrew), he knew better. That is, the Apostle Matthew is intentionally misquoting G-D's word.

This doesn't mean that Mary is not a virgin. However, citing the Original Testament is disingenuous. The Hebrew Bible has nothing to say about her experiences or virginity one way or the other. However, taking away the miracle of virgin birth makes Jesus, in this example from Matthew, nothing more than just another birth.

Finally, Immanuel or Emmanuel is a different name than Jesus. The name only appears twice in the NRSV, and it is not associated with Jesus nor does it mean messiah.

Deuteronomy 18:15-22 (Hebrew Bible)

In this passage, Moses is speaking G D's words. "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: 'If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.' Then the Lord replied to me: 'They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people (according to Christian proselytizers, this is Jesus); I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.' You may say to yourself, 'How can we recognize a word that the Lord has not spoken?' If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.'"

Analysis

Christians sometimes assume that the prophet like Moses is the Christian messiah Jesus Christ. However, Jews have many prophets, but none of them have met the criteria to be the messiah. Judaism has a rigorous set of tests to determine if someone is the Mashiach (Messiah). Many of these are derived from passages in the Books of Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Deuteronomy. Here are some of the hallmarks of the Jewish Mashiach's arrival.

Isaiah in 11:4 9 (Hebrew Bible) "he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

In Isaiah 42:1 (Hebrew Bible) "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations."

As promised by the L RD in Deuteronomy 30:3 5 (Hebrew Bible) "then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, gathering you again from all the peoples among whom the Lord your God has scattered you. Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will bring you back. The Lord your God will bring you into the land that your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it; he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors."

Jeremiah 33:16 (Hebrew Bible) "In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: The Lord is our righteousness."

Psalms 72:11 (Hebrew Bible) "May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service."

By these classificatory elements in the Hebrew Bible's definition of the Messiah, the lion would be lying down with the lamb, Jesus would have brought justice to Israel, and all Jews would be gathered in Israel. Further, there would be justice for all nations, Jerusalem would live in safety, and all kings and nations would give the Mashiach service or basically bend the knee. None of these have occurred. Jesus is not the Messiah for a Jew.

Zechariah 9:9 (Hebrew Bible), and similar in Matthew 21 (New Testament)

"He'll ride into Jerusalem on an ass and the foal of an ass: 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

Analysis

A Jew can point out that riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was nothing special. It was most likely a regular occurrence. Further, Jesus admits that he asked for a donkey so he can "fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet (the Hebrew Prophet Zechariah)." That is, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey as a bit of theater. The donkey is not a messianic argument.

Isaiah 11:4 (Hebrew Bible)

"But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth."

Analysis

Did Jesus do this? To a limited extent and based on the New Testament, yes. However, the New Testament no validity for a Jew.

Isaiah 11:1 (Hebrew Bible)

That Jesus is descended from King David: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots."

Analysis

There is no evidence that Jesus is descended from David, other than declarations in the New Testament. Since the New Testament is not the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, these declarations have little meaning to a Jew.

Isaiah 53:4 5 (Hebrew Bible)

He will be stricken during life: "Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed."

Analysis

Many Christians tie this to the crucifixion of Jesus, and use it as the basis for saying Jesus and the Jewish Mashiach are one in the same. The contention is that Jesus died on the cross to redeem everybody. However, Jesus as described in the New Testament is not afflicted with infirmities and diseases. Further, the "He" that is referred to in the Original Testament is Israel, not an individual. This is clear from Isaiah 52.

Daniel 9:24 27 (Hebrew Bible)

Some Christians claim that Daniel in the Original Testament describes Christ as the Mashiach, which is one version of the transliterated Hebrew for Messiah. The argument is that he describes a Messiah who will live 483 years after Daniel's time, that the Messiah is cut off which is taken to mean crucified, and that this crucifixion is not for his sake but to benefit others. That is, Jesus dies for our sins. Further, he makes a covenant, abolishes sacrifice, terminates transgressions, and after his death there is destruction. All much like the Christian view of Jesus who is crucified, possibly in the time frame described by Daniel. Jesus promises, that is makes a covenant, that the way to the Father and to Heaven is through Him.

Here is the passage from Daniel using the NRSV version of the Original Testament: "Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time. After the sixty two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator."

Analysis

The Mashiach or Messiah does not mean the same thing to Jews as it does to Christians https://www.aish.com/jl/li/m/48944241.html. The literal interpretation is anointed one, that is someone anointed with oil. This is reserved for priests, kings and prophets. For Jews, and within the context of the Hebrew meaning and the Hebrew Bible, it does not indicate a savior in the Christian sense. Further, Judaism does not allow for a supernatural Mashiach, but some sort of supernatural power is required to establish a covenant. In Judaism, only the L RD can establish a covenant.

In Judaism, what is called a week is taken to be of seven years length. In Hebrew, the word that is translated in English as week means 7. Days or years has to be explicitly specified or taken from context http://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/magazine/documents/ju_mag_01051997_p 78_en.html, https://www.dts.edu/download/publications/bibliotheca/DTS Is%20Daniel%27s%20Seventy Weeks%20Prophecy%20Messianic.pdf, https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/revelation/introduction/weeks of years.html, https://www.aish.com/atr/The-Seventy-Weeks-of-Daniel-9.html.

The passage describes two anointed, one after 7 weeks or 49 years, and one after 62 weeks or 434 years. Some Christians argue that the second anointed is Christ returning, but the timing internal to the prophecy would then be inconsistent since Jesus did not return at the appointed time.

While "cut off" is taken by Christians to mean crucifixion, in Judaism it means to be ostracized or cut off from contact with other Jews, cut off from heaven, killed, or any of a number of other endings to human life https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/karet/. This is a serious punishment. However, Jews have never imposed crucifixion as a punishment. Jesus is crucified by the Romans, so there is a mismatch between the Christian interpretation and what actually happened. Finally, the Hebrew that Christian translations take as dying for the sins of others means something more like there will be nothing left. For Jews, Daniel is not parallel to the events during and at the end of Christ's life.

John 14:16 (New Testament)

In John, Jesus says "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father (goes to heaven) except through me."

Analysis

Taken literally, this is contradicted by 2 Kings 2:11 (Hebrew Bible) where Elijah explicitly ascends to heaven on a fiery chariot sent by the L RD. Though not as explicit, Enoch (Genesis 5:24, Hebrew Bible) also goes to heaven, as the Original Testament says "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him." In both these cases, these Jews are taken to heaven by G D the Father. Isaiah 57:15 (Hebrew Bible) literally says that the contrite and humble dwell in heaven with the L-RD, and Jesus is not mentioned as a necessity for redemption.

As explicitly stated by Jesus in John 14:28 (New Testament) "…the Father is greater than I." So for a Jew, if the "Father" is greater than Jesus, Jesus is not needed to go to heaven. Or as Christ is quoted in Matthew 7:21 (New Testament) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

Isaiah 52:13 15, 53 (Hebrew Bible)

Starting at Isaiah 52:13, Christians take much of what the prophet describes as proof of Jesus in the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible. However, there are multiple incongruities within this interpretation of Isaiah, a Hebrew prophet. Because this is so long, sections of the original text with analyses are lettered for reference.

"See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Just as there were many who were astonished at him — so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of mortals (A) — so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him (B); for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others (C); a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity (D); and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases (E); yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed (F). All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (G). He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth (H). By a perversion of justice he was taken away (I). Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring (J), and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities (K). Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors"

Analysis

(A) Nowhere in the New Testament does it say Jesus was so marred (scarred or deformed) as to be beyond human resemblance.

(B) Or that Kings shut their mouths because of him.

(C) Or that Jesus is infirm.

(D) How could Jesus be so despised when he had huge crowds following him?

(E) If borne can mean healed, then yes this could be referring to Jesus according to the New Testament.

(F) Jesus was never crushed.

(G) Yes, this is a major doctrinal point in Christianity, that Jesus took on all of our sins. While the character here suffered our communal iniquities, nothing in Isaiah states that in doing so these sins are removed from the rest of us. It might taken as a given by a Christian, but it is not in the text or anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible. However, it is a defining component of Christianity and as such it is really important. It is so important that it sems it would be written in the Hebrew Bible if true.

(H) The passage says that the sufferer is silent, but Jesus called out in a loud voice "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, both in the New Testament)

(I) By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Yes, some of his fellow Jews were against him and the Roman Pontius Pilate sentenced him to an ugly death by crucifixion. However, that was the justice of the day. If someone complained about you, and if it met Roman needs, the Romans crucified you. Remember, the Romans and some Jews are afraid of Jesus because of his popularity.

(J) He shall see his offspring? Jesus had no children. Maybe the reference is to all Christians, all humanity, or all the upright and faithful as his children, but this is a guess. It just isn't clear.

(K) He shall make many righteous and bear their iniquities, yes, this sounds like what Jesus attempted according to the New Testament.

At least five or six of the above points do not match up with what laity commonly accept about Jesus Christ. For a more in depth analysis consistent with Orthodox Judaism see https://www.aish.com/sp/ph/Isaiah_53_The_Suffering_Servant.html. Isaiah 54 makes it clearer that Isaiah 53 is referring to Israel, that is all Jews, not to Jesus. Just citing Isaiah 53 is misleading. Again, only a part of the scripture is being presented. The Aish link has a pretty thorough explanation of how all the statements in Isaiah 53 tie into the nation and people of Israel.

Conclusion

First and foremost, ensure your safety. If your proselytizer looks or sounds angry or is armed, find a safe place or walk/run away. Jews are being regularly killed by "Christians." Second, in a reasoned and rational conversation, these points are not going to dissuade the determined proselytizer. However, hopefully, if enough Jews raise them over and over again, they'll get the idea and go bother someone of a different faith. Category:Judaism Category:Christianity Category:Evangelical Category:Evangelicism Category:Religious Conversion