My meeting with Rabbi Daniel
My meeting with Rabbi Daniel, 3/10/09
He feels much of westerners believes have been tainted by Greek philosophy from Augustine on down. Pastor Dave would agree.
History is the way to truth.
He wanted to start with the day being switched to Sunday, which is really not that big of a deal to me. Still it may be the linch pin of his argument. If it was right for the church to stop honoring the Sabbath, then why should we continue to honor the rest of the Torah?
He stsates Constantine made Sunday the day. He made it a crime to worship on Saturday and made it a crime to work on Sunday. He moved it to the "Glorious day of the Sun'.
We reviewed Acts 20 where Paul preaches on "the first day of the week". But I think he said that was really the evening of the sabbath since the greek in Acts 20:7 reads "in the one of the sabbaths" τη μια των σαββατων. Note that sabbaths is plural here so it probably refers to week. So first (one) day of the week. A very similar phrase is used in Matthew 28:1 which is normally translated "first day of the week." This talks about the day after the Sabbath, so clearly not Saturday. Still all my translations say "first day of the week" - Sunday. Either way, Paul meeting on one Sunday does not substantiate the day being changed.
I honestly think the day changed because of the conflict with the non-believing Jews.
When i mentioned that the Epistle of Barnabas (AD~130) mentions meeting on Sunday, he said he would not trust that because heresy crept into the church very early on. (First red flag). He also mentioned that he knew Justin Martyr says Sunday, but he dismissed that as well.
He explains 1 Cor 16:1-2 as a regular thing for Jews to do to gather Sunday to help the poor. This is different from observing the Sabbath on a different day.
The apostle worshipped on the Sabbath - thereby setting and example for us to follow. (Where do we see this? I know that Paul usually went to the synagogue on Sab to preach - but probably because that was when the Jews were gathered there. This does not condone the necessity of observing the Sabbath.
No where in scripture do we see the day moved to Sunday.
We have to be careful to pull stuff out of context -
Many westerners distort the bible to mean what it does not.
What did Jesus mean to Mat 5:17 when he said "I did not come to abolish but to fulfill"?
In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says to let your light shine before men...they may see your good works, and glorify the Father who is in heaven." Recall that "works" in a jewish mind means to fulfill the Torah. The Greek here is καλα εργα kalos ergon . The first word means good, with all its nuances. The second ergon means 1. That which displays itself in activity of any kind, deed, action. It can be in contrast to rest or deeds of man or Jesus or humans. It can even be your job. But the word never means do the work of the Torah. But Daniel would say that it meant to a Jew to keep the law. Word commentary tends to agree stating "letting one's light shine is living according to the perfection of the kingdom and thus manifesting the righteousness of the Torah according to its correct interpretation, examples of which are shortly to emerge."
Matt 5:17-20 - you are called "least in the kingom of heaven"... "if you annul one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise." So these sounds like we are to keep the commandments. But then how should one understand the next verse - "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Were they keeping the wrong law? Most considered them very righteous. Do I have to keep these commandments or not? Perhaps the key is in verse 18 "until all is accomplished". Did Jesus accomplish it all, so I don't have to keep them. No, there is still more to come. Why is Jesus raising the bar so high in the next several verses? I keep feel like saying "I can't be more rigtheous then they!
According to Rabbi Daniel - It absolutely does help to make a believer mature to obey the torah.
He says there is not much that Christians do not believe in the 613 except the dietary laws. I tend to disagree, but that will be for a different study. I have the list of the 613 in Willmingtons.
The judaizers where concerned about Gentile coming into the synagogue. The house of Shammai said you had to be circumcised to come into the synagogue. It meant you have to become a Jew to worship here. They are trampling on the grace of God. They were liars.
Hillel and Shammai really got mad at each other - even calling them synagogue of hell.
The laws passed down by James were Noahic laws (see Gen 9 or leviticus). in Acts 15. What I see in Gen 9 is the command to not eat blood, but I don't see a hint of the other three commands (sex, idol food, or strangled food). Perhaps this was developed futher my Hillel. I have other notes on the Noahic law under Matthew 5:17. All the sexual laws, some dietary laws. So james was following along with the school of Hillel, though he was possibly of the school of Shammai.
Acts 15:1 - you have to become a jew to be saved. This looks like the house of Shammai.
Perhaps Acts 15:5 is now Jewish believers who wanted Gentile believers to become jews - and perhaps even to be saved. Rabbi Daniel says that this is the same argument from verse 1 - you have to become a Jew to be saved. Still I am unclear - you don't have to become a Jew, but you are to live like one?? Couldn't you still be a God fearer and not follow the law?
Peter is saying that you should not put this yoke on them to follow the law to be saved.
I said that if you have to keep the law, whether for salvation or for maturity, it is still a heavy yoke. But Daniel thinks it is no longer heavy because we are forgiven when we slip. We don't have the guilt when we fall.
I believe Rabbi Daniel feels that James is saying they are to obey the teachings of the house of Hillel. But were they to keep the law or not?
Jesus told me to obey my commandments John 14 What did Jesus mean by that?
He gave us the ability to life the Torah.
Jesus keeps to Torah.
Perhaps the God fearers in Acts were already keeping the law.
There is a burden laid on them in Acts 15:28, but not as heavy as the Jew.
Daniel sees people living like Jews all throughout the NT and we should continue to do so. Including the Gentiles.
It is saying freedom from the requirement of salvation through Torah.
Paul defends himself as not having violated the Jewish law later in Acts.
Lots of Catholic practices is alot of Jewish stuff.
Rabbi Daniel does not follow Paul (red flag) - he follows Jesus. He does not trust the Greek manuscripts because they have been tampered with (red flag). So he reads the Aramaic versions instead.