concerning anti-Jewry, concerning worldwide

“He did not call them Abraham’s children, but a “brood of vipers” [Matt. 3:7]. Oh, that was too insulting for the noble blood and race of Israel, and they declared, “He has a demon’ [Matt 11:18]. Our Lord also calls them a “brood of vipers”; furthermore in John 8 [:39,44] he states: “If you were Abraham’s children ye would do what Abraham did…. You are of your father the devil. It was intolerable to them to hear that they were not Abraham’s but the devil’s children, nor can they bear to hear this today. “

—Martin Luther from “The Jews and their Lies”

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[Luther was following the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, annointed by the God of the Jews, Adonai, and coming to, healing, teaching, loving, judging, rebuking, listening, conversing with...the Jews: his audience, his followers, his critics, among the Goyim.]

***

[Quick note on the text in John's Gospel: The word translated "Jews" in english is the greek word "Ioudaioi," which can mean just simply "Judeans." Most of the Christian English translations have "the Jews" rendering, but the messianic Jew David H. Stern renders "Judeans" in his "Complete Jewish Bible" and makes a good case for this in his commentary on John 1:19 (Jewish New Testament Commentary, Stern) based on past antisemitism (see above and below)]

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“Therefore be on your guard against the Jews, knowing that wherever they have their synagogues, nothing is found but a den of devils in which sheer self-glory, conceit, lies, blasphemy, and defaming of God and men are practiced most maliciously and veheming his eyes on them.
However, they have not acquired a perfect mastery of the art of lying; they lie so clumsily and ineptly that anyone who is just a little observant can easily detect it. But for us Christians they stand as a terrifying example of God’s wrath. “

—Ibid.

***

[it really makes me wonder on the context in which Luther is writing. Were the Jews actively finding Christians and trying to make them reject Jesus? Did Luther see them as a serious threat?
it reminded me of the accusations of deceit in the Qur'an, the saying of Jews knowingly transforming their texts and ascribing its words to Allah. "They knowingly speak a lie concerning Allah." (Al-'Imran: 75) here is an article on it: http://mideastoutpost.com/archives/000022.html

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"What shall we Christians do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews? ...With prayer and the fear of God we must pratice a sharp mercy to see whether we might save at least a few from the glowing flames...First to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honor of our Lord and of Christendom, so that God might see that we are Christians, and do not condone or knowingly tolerate such public lying, cursing, and blaspheming of his Son and of his Christians..." [Luther then goes on to suggest a total of seven suggestions on dealing with the Jews, including destroying their homes, seizing their scriptures and forbidding teaching, and restricting them from public highways] (1)

—ibid.

***

[for my History of the Holocaust class, we read a fascinating article concerning the trends of antisemitism from Christian religious sentiments to the late 19th century racial antisemitism arising in central Europe. The article talked about the way that the Christian church first attempted conversion with Jews, and when that didn't work, they expelled them, and pogroms (mass killings) were not uncommon. In fact, the only thing uncommon about Hitler's methods were that they involved the complete extermination of the Jewish race (based on racism, not religious hatred) whereas the Christian church, although guilty of many Jewish deaths, never advocated genocide. (2) My question is this: when and why did the Church cease being a Jewish phenomenon?

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"The Jews’ rotten and unbending stiffneckedness deserves that they be oppressed unendingly and without measure or end and that they die in their misery without the pity of anyone.”

From “Ad Quelstiones et Objecta Juei Cuiusdam Responsio” by John Calvin, The Jew in Christian Theology, Gerhard Falk, London, 1931.

***

[Do Christians forget who they are following? Do they forget that they believe that the God of the Jews speaks to them? Do they forget that "salvation is from the Jews" (Jn 4)? The Prophets are very clear that the days are coming when all nations will turn to Adonai:

"Adonai Tzva-ot says, 'When that time comes, ten men will take hold--speaking all the languages of the nations--will grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say "We want to go with you, because we have heard that God is with you."'"

(Zechariah 8, Complete Jewish Bible)

I've heard that there are 1600+ verses within the Bible concerning "all nations" or "all peoples" and the like. I have been thinking lately just at the amount of people who have now turned towards Adonai, through Yeshua.

"...the mountain of Adonai's house will be established as the most important mountain...and all the Goyim (Gentiles) will stream there. Many peoples will go and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of Adonai, to the house of the God of Jacob! He will teach us about his ways and we will walk in his paths"

(Isaiah 2, CJB)

"...the root of Yishai--which stands as a banner for the peoples, the Goyim will stream to him, and the place where he rests will be glorious."

(Isaiah 11 CJB)

Do Christians see what has happened and is happening?

My heart is in the Lordship of God's anointed as the glory of Adonai and the splendor of his temple in the hearts of all peoples, reaching to even the ends of the earth, all nations, all peoples. I believe the world is turning to Adonai through his Messiah, Yeshua, who is called the Christ. This is why I praise God, for through Avraham's offspring, the world is being filled with the knowledge of Adonai. I believe that God's desire to ultimately reconcile the entire world to himself, so that "they will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be as full with the knowledge of Adonai as water over the seas." (Is. 11)

It just begs me to question: we don't all have to be missionaries, we don't all have to move to another country, do we? I don't know, I don't think so, but should we think of missionaries more? Whether you are called to go, or to stay, would we then have a heart for those who have went? Support them?

I'm just following what seems right, for God has led me to GVSU and now I'm up in arms with Greek and considering abroad next year in Athens. What's next? I don't know... but I trust that God will show me, and it will become clear. I'm just learning.

Thanks be to God.

tim

(1) you can read the entire document Luther, On the Jews and their Lies at http://www.humanitas-international.org/showcase/chronography/documents/luther-jews.htm

(2) "article" is actually the first chapter of Holocaust: Origins, Implementation, Aftermath [Bartov, Omer, NY] written by Raul Hilberg