Messianic Judaism

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For the Jewish religion, see the article Judaism.
For Messianism as a religious concept, see the article Messiah.
For Christianity as a religion, see the article Christianity.

Messianic Judaism is a religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who is referred to as Yeshua by its adherents. It is reported to have at least 47,000 followers and 280 congregations worldwide as of 2006.^{[1] [2]} Like Christians, and unlike adherents of mainstream Judaism, Messianic Jews believe Jesus to be the Messiah. While Messianic Judaism identifies itself as a branch of Judaism rather than a branch of Christianity,^[3] this classification is rejected by all major Jewish denominations (Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism), as well as national Jewish organizations, ^[4] the State of Israel ^[5] and others. ^[6]

Contents 1 Identity 1.1 Messianic Jews and Gentiles 1.2 Hebrew-Christians or Christian-Jews 2 History 2.1 Messianic Judaism and the Early Church 2.2 Modern Messianic Judaism 3 Theology 3.1 Scriptural Canon 3.2 Scriptural commentary 3.3 Essential doctrines 3.4 Non-essential doctrines 3.5 Additional doctrines 3.6 Sin and atonement 3.7 Faith and works 3.8 The People of God 3.8.1 Covenant membership 3.8.2 Jews only theology 3.8.3 Two House Theology 3.8.4 Grafted-in theology 3.9 Eschatology 3.10 Torah 3.11 Overview of the Issues 3.12 Law and Grace 3.13 A Jewish Jesus 3.14 A Jewish Paul 4 Religous Practices 4.1 Holiday observance 4.1.1 Shabbat 4.1.2 Jewish holidays 4.1.3 Non-Jewish holidays 4.2 Dietary laws 5 Community 6 Opposition and Critisim 6.1 Jewish objections 6.1.1 Denominations and organizations 6.1.2 The State of Israel 6.1.3 Jews for Jesus 6.2 Christian objections 7 References 8 See also 9 Bibliography 10 External links 10.1 General 10.2 Torah-focused 10.3 Parsha cycles 10.4 Broadcasts 10.5 Jewish objections

Identity

Disputes to the usage of identifiers often given to or by adherents of Messianic Judaism are varied, and even within the movement self-identification with one term or another can contradict each other.

Adherents to the movement are called Messianic believers or Messianics for short.^{[7] [8]}

The term Messianic has various meanings outside of Messianic Judaism. For more information, please see Messianic.

In Messianic Judaism, a Messianic believer is usually a self-appointed term and almost always describes someone who believes Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and believes obedience to the Torah is the proper expression of faith.

While Messianics describe Messianic Judaism as being Jewish, virtually all Jewish denominations, Jewish groups, ^{[9] [10]} national Jewish organizations, ^[11] and many others reject this classification and regard these groups as Christian. ^[12] Most Messianic believers reject being classified as Christians because Christians, through various and often inconsistent explanations, reject the Torah and adopted "pagan" festivals, such as Easter and Christmas.

Messianics trace their origins to the first Jewish believers in Jesus, who called themselves "The Way" but were called "Nazarenes" by the non-believing Jews and "Christians" by the non-believing Gentiles (both terms were originally considered derogatory). Although belief in Jesus as God or messiah falls outside the realm of Judaism, few historians dispute the original "Nazarenes" were accepted as a sect of Judaism up to the Second Revolt.

The Nazarene believers began to split from the Gentile Christians after the Gentile believers adopted pagan practices in the second century. The Christians formally split from the Nazarenes in the Council of Nicea in A.D. 435. The anti-semitic Council declared a formal split from all "Jewish" practices (such as Passover) in favor of purely Christan practices (such as Easter).

Messianic Jews and Gentiles

Some ^{[citation needed]} make distinction between Messianic Jews (who had been born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism before changing their faith to Messianic Judaism) and Messianic Gentiles.

In recent years, the term "Messianic Gentile" has been heavily criticized by both Jewish and non-Jewish Messianics and it is now received negatively by some non-Jewish believers. Essentially, to be "gentile" is to be "apart or separated from God or God's people." The term "Messianic Gentile," then, is semantically contradictory and derogatory towards Messianics who are non-Jewish.

There is also debate about whether the beliefs and customs of such individuals should even be considered "Jewish." Some hold that non-Jewish Messianics comprise a brand of Messianism distinct from Messianic Judaism. The fringe group Messianic Israel Alliance, as well as other pseudo-Messianic groups, identify these non-Jewish Messianics as "Spiritual Ephraim," i.e., the engrafted and restored House of Israel (after the verses in Genesis 41:50-52: "Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, 'It is because God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's household.' The second son he named Ephraim and said, 'It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.'").

Mainstream Messianic groups, however, simply refer to them as Messianics, non-Jewish Messianics or Messianic Gerim (Righteous Non-Jews). Some of these non-Jewish Messianics refer to their faith/religion as Isarlaism, the Northern counterpart to Messianic Judaism. These "Isarlaeans" consider themselves to be grafted into the Northern House of Israel on account of their Torah observance and worship of the God of Jacob, in the same way that a gentile can become Jewish via conversion.

Other groups, like First Fruits of Zion, adhere to a One-Law or Grafted-In theology, which maintains that Messianic Gentiles and Messianic Jews share the same covenant that God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob), not by being born Jew, or by proselytic conversion, but by faith alone in Jesus as the Messiah. As such, the distinctions between Jew and Gentile are looked on as only temporary, yet still legitimate distinctions, based on the land promise to the physical descendents of Israel -- a promise that will be eventually extended to the believing Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom (Ezekiel 47:22), thus removing the final difference between Jew and Gentile forever.

Hebrew-Christians or Christian-Jews

Another self-appointed term, Hebrew-Christians or Christian-Jews, denotes believers who are Jewish converts to Christianity and who often exercise the majority of their Christian faith in a historically non-Jewish context, but who may still retain some of their Jewish cultural identity.

Historically, these terms were used interchangeably to describe the early adherents to the incipient Messianic Movement, but their use has since changed over time to specifically identify ethnic Jews within Christianity who have given up most of their Jewish traditions and expressions of their faith via assimilation in order to better fellowship with gentile Christians. Although Jews for Jesus claim to be a "Messianic" organization, its theology is Protestant Christian.

A Hebrew-Christian or Christian-Jew is not necessarily a Messianic believer, by strict definition within Messianic Judaism. Only when such a person expresses most or all of his or her salvific faith within a Jewish context does such a person usually adopt the term Messianic Jew.

This may include observance of Shabbat, the Festivals, Torah and dietary food laws. Jewish halakha is generally not followed when adherents believe it may contradict that of Jesus, or the Apostolic teachings as found in the Apostolic Writings, otherwise known as the New Testament. Some Messianics keep some form of halakha, though as an expression of culture, not as a religious doctrine.

Messianic Judaism's adherents seek to reclaim the Jewishness of the Christian faith by exercising into their lifestyle and religious practices the faith and traditions of the disciples of Jesus.^[13] These disciples were first called by their contemporaries "followers of The Way ("I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way." Acts 24.14)," and then were later called Christians by their persecutors (Acts 11:19-26).

Messianic Judaism is a relatively new term, coined to help separate the practices of its followers from those of common Christianity as a whole, and in order to more closely align its faith with that of biblical and historical Judaism. Adherents contend that their faith was and still is Jewish,^[14],[15] but others vehemently deny support for such a definition.

History

This section aims to collect and present the recorded history of Messianic Judaism, as well as present evidence for the existence of the practices of Messianic Judaism in the Early Church, otherwise known as The Way or HaDerech in Hebrew.

Messianic Judaism and the Early Church

Messianics argue that followers of Christianity were historically erroneously anti-semitic in their approach to Judaism, well before Constantine came to power and legalized the anti-semitic approach of the gentilized church, thus cementing the Jewish-Christian split, with the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.

Messianic believers often cite the fact that Jesus and his disciples were Jewish. They argue that Gentiles had a place within the faith practices of Judaism, evidenced by the recorded biblical debate over requiring new Gentile converts to follow Jewish oral law - namely the ritual of a proselyte convert to Judaism, as a prerequisite to following the written Torah. This debate took place in Acts 15, which the Jerusalem Council concluded that proselyte conversion to Judaism wasn't necessary in order for the believing Gentiles to associate with other Jews as fellow covenant members, based on faith alone in Yeshua. Messianics will argue that the debate in Acts 15 was over the application of an oral tradition regarding a Jewish conversion ritual that was simply labeled "circumcision" for short, rather than the application of the written Torah in the life of new Gentile converts, since Acts 15:21 assumes that the Gentiles will learn "Moses" which "has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." Thus Messianics argue that the list of Acts 15 is a list of minimum requirements for formerly idolatrous Gentiles to follow in order to be able to even attend a synagogue and thus learn "Moses" as fellow covenant members with the Jews.

The rise in antisemitism, they argue, started as a result of Roman persecution, as Gentile believers found themselves caught between persecution by Rome for not worshiping the Emperor, and persecution within the synagogues because followers of The Way insisted on not following specific Jewish oral law in regards to proselyte conversion for Gentiles, before they could participate in the Jewish community - a community which saw Gentiles as intrinsically "unclean" and not fellow members of the covenant God made with Israel from Mt. Sinai, unless they had first converted to Judaism via the proselyte ritual.

Thus rejected by both Rome and the synagogue, many Gentile believers were left with no alternative but to start their own congregations and communities, which over time became increasingly anti-Rome, antisemitic and eventually anti-Torah. At one point, Roman persecution of believers stopped, however antisemitic and anti-Torah sentiments would continue. As a result, later generations would gradually see no reason to maintain a link to Judaism. They minimized the importance of new believers following Jewish halacha, minimized the importance of the Jewish essence of the faith, and even minimized general Torah observance, all evidenced ultimately by the following examples: reducing of the Passover Seder to a simple service of flat bread and wine, removal of the understanding of mikvah (baptism) in conversions, and evidence by rejection of Torah and the later adoption of pagan Roman customs in the worship practices of a new Roman "Christian" religion which had separated itself from all things Jewish.

It is then reasoned that these factors formed the basis for Early Church fathers' various antisemitic stances in regards to followers of Yeshua who were still observing Shabbat, eating kosher, keeping Jewish festivals, engaging in "other Jewish practices" - even well into the 4th and 5th centuries. Though originally the Early Church fathers thought these followers of Jewish practices were "misguided," based on what they believed "Paul teaches us," some of these later Torah-observant groups were branded as heretics under the new Roman Catholic Church, and they would ultimately disappear from the pages of recorded history until the time of the Reformation.

Modern Messianic Judaism

See also Messianic Movement

Although there were several "Messianic synagogues"—traditional Synagogues whose rabbis became Believers and thus taught about Jesus from their bimah (see the case of Rabbi Ignatz Lichtenstein)—in the late 1800s, they have little or no connection to the modern movement. The Messianic Judaism of today grew out of the Hebrew-Christian movement of the 1800's. Jewish-Christian congregations began to emerge in England; the first of these was Beni Abraham, in London, which was founded by forty-one Jewish-Christians. This led to a more general awareness of a type of Christianity with a Jewish background.^[16] In 1866, the Hebrew-Christian Alliance of Great Britain was organized, with branches also in several European countries and the United States. A similar group, The Hebrew Christian Alliance of America (HCAA), was organized in the U.S. in 1915. The International Hebrew-Christian Alliance (IHCA) was organized in 1925 (later becoming the International Messianic Jewish Alliance). Additional groups were formed during subsequent decades.^[17]

A major shift in the movement occurred when Martin Chernoff became the President of the HCAA (1971-1975). In June of 1973, a motion was made to change the name of the HCAA to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) and the name was officially changed in June of 1975. The name change was significant as more than just a "semantical expression;" as Rausch states, "It represented an evolution in the thought processes and religious and philosophical outlook toward a more fervent expression of Jewish identity." ^[18]

(stub) add info here about other popular associations. MJAA isn't the only Messianic branch of the Messianic Movement. Could include a "See also" to Messianic Judaism organizations page which has yet to be created.

Theology

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Please see Talk:Messianic Judaism for discussion on summarizing content in this section.

Scriptural Canon

Messianic believers commonly hold the TaNaKh to be divinely inspired. The Tanakh includes the Torah (first five books of Moses), Nevi'im (the Prophets) and Ketuvim (the Writings). The Apostolic Writings (or New Testament) are often considered to also be divinely inspired. Many hold them to be equal in authority to the Tanakh, but this is not universal and can vary from individual to individual even within the same synagogue or Torah study. Messianic believers are most often troubled by the writings of Paul (whom they often call Rabbi Sha'ul) and may reject his writings, hold them in less esteem than those of the Gospel writers, or even reject him. Often, the emphasis is on the idea that the Tanakh is the only scripture the Early Church had and that, except for the recorded words of Jesus, the Apostolic Writings were meant as inspired commentary on the Tanakh.

Canon:

1. Torah [תורה] meaning one or all of: "The Law"; "Teaching"; "Instruction". Also called the Chumash [חומש] meaning: "The five"; "The five books of Moses". It is the "Pentateuch".
2. Nevi'im [נביאים] meaning: "Prophets"
3. Ketuvim [כתובים] meaning "Writings" or "Hagiographa".
4. Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
5. Acts
6. General epistles of James, Peter, Paul and of the author of Hebrews
7. Revelation

A large number of Messianic Jewish congregations and ministries adhere to the opinion that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, as opposed to the Koine or common Greek of the extant versions; but this is not a universal view. This contention is a matter of considerable debate in the Messianic movement, and one that has caused its credibility with many in evangelical Christianity to suffer. Most Messianic organizations and ministries have not addressed critical theories regarding the composition of the Pentateuch such as JEDP, and often assume exclusive Mosaic authorship, perhaps even down to the "jot and tittle" or minute markings of the text. Issues pertaining to the historical composition of the Scriptures are either not discussed by Messianic Jews, or approximate theories present in evangelical Christianity.

David H. Stern has produced a Messianic Jewish version of the Bible called the Complete Jewish Bible. This has been well received in Messianic Jewish circles, and even by some in evangelical Christianity. However, a main criticism of it is that it follows a paraphrased and not literal mode of translation.

In 1999, James S. Trimm brought out a Bible translation in English titled the Hebraic Roots Version, taken from the Hebrew and Aramaic. The Tanakh (Old Testament) portion of the HRV is a revision of the 1917 Jewish Publication Society version of the Tanakh, which is in the public domain. The HRV New Testament is an original translation taken directly from the Hebrew and Aramaic sources. Trimm explains the various witnesses to the text of the Tanakh, including the Masoretic Text, the Samaritan Pentateuch, Dead Sea Scrolls, Peshitta Aramaic Tanak, Aramaic Targums and Greek LXX. The introduction also documents the Massorah (marginal notes to the Masoretic Text manuscripts), which indicate scribal revisions in the text, such as 134 places where these marginal notes indicate the scribes revised YHWH to ADONAI. There have been some criticisms of the translation.^[19]

Scriptural commentary

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Messianic believers also look to Jewish texts, such as the Babylonian Talmud and other rabbinic commentary, for historical insight into an understanding of biblical texts and halakha. Much like Karaite Judaism, most Messianics do not accept rabbinic commentary or halakha as authoritative, especially where it contradicts the scriptures of the Messianic canon listed above. This, however, is debated, and must be considered from congregation to congregation, or ministry to ministry.

Many Messianic congregations use traditional Jewish rabbinic commentaries relating to oral traditions to gain insight into biblical teachings and passages and to understand some of the traditions and understandings that the first-century New Testamnet writers would have been familiar with. These oral teachings are called Mishnah and Gemara.

As far as Messianic commentaries on various books of the Bible are concerned, the Messianic Jewish movement, with the exception of a handful of commentaries written on the Torah and New Testament texts, such as Matthew, Acts, Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, largely lacks comprehensive commentaries. David H. Stern has released a one-volume Jewish New Testament Commentary, but it overlooks many of the issues of composition, history, date and setting, and only provides select explanatory notes from a Messianic Jewish point of view. Other noted New Testament commentary authors include: Joseph Shulam, Tim Hegg, Daniel Thomas Lancaster, and Stuart Sacks. Some in evangelical Christianity have observed the lack of commentary as a weak point of the movement that needs to be remedied.

Essential doctrines

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

1. The Scriptures - The Bible (The Tanakh and Apostolic Scriptures in their original autographs) is the inspired Word of God. The product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit and is accepted it as an infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine (II Tim. 3:16; I Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).
2. The Unity of God - There is one God (HaShem), revealed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:4; John 1:1-2, 14-18; John 10:30; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-15).
3. Jesus the Messiah - The deity of Jesus (John 1:1-18), and his virgin birth (Is. 9:6; Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25), in His sinless life (Is. 53; II Cor. 5:21; Lk. 1:35), in his miracles (Matt. 4:23-25), in his vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood (Is. 53; Dan. 9:24-27; Rom. 3:21-31; Heb 9&10), in his bodily resurrection (Zech. 12:10 & ch.14; Matt. 28), in his ascension to the right hand of the Father (Ps. 110; Ps. 16:10; Acts 1:1-11; Heb. 1:1-3), and in his personal return in power and glory (Dan. 7:9-14; Matt. 26:57-64; Rev. 1:1-18). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6; John 6:29, 40, 44; I John 5:11-12).
4. Man, His Fall And Redemption - Man is a created being, made in the likeness and image of God, but through Adam's transgression and fall, sin came into the world. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the work of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God (Rom. 5:14; Rom. 3:10; Rom. 3:23; I John 3:8). Salvation is the gift of HaShem to man, separate from works and the law, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus, producing works acceptable to God (Eph. 2:8).
5. Eternal Life And The New Birth - Man's first step toward salvation is godly sorrow that leads to repentance. The New Birth is necessary to all men and, when fulfilled, produces eternal life (II Cor. 7:10; I John 5:12; John 3:3-5).
6. Sanctification - The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see God. The Doctrine of Sanctification is a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation (Heb. 12:14; I Thess. 5:23; II Peter 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; I Cor. 1:30; Rev. 14:12).
7. The Resurrection - The personal return, in power and glory, of Jesus to judge the living and the dead (Dan. 7:9-14; Matt. 26:57-64; Rev. 1:1-18). The resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost to the resurrection of damnation (John 5:19-29).

Non-essential doctrines

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

1. The Torah - The Torah (five books of Moses) is a comprehensive summary of God's foundational laws and ways, as found in both the new and older covenant (Ex. 19&20; Deut. 5; Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:10; Matt. 5:17-19). The encouragement of all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, to affirm, embrace, and practice these foundational laws and ways are clarified through the teachings of Jesus (Matt. 5:17-19; I Cor. 7:19; Rev. 14:12).
2. Baptism In The Holy Spirit - The Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire is a gift from God as promised by Jesus to all believers and is received subsequent to the New Birth (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38, 39). The gift of tongues is one of the many manifestations of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7; Acts 2:4; I Cor. 12:1-11). We believe in the operation of all the gifts of the Spirit as enumerated in God's Word. Embracing all of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
3. The Church - The church began with Moses and the call for Israel to come out from Egypt. This Israel, who came out of Egypt, was comprised of both native-born and gerim—"sojourners" whose clan identity was outside that of the tribes of Jacob (Ex.12:38). Together they stood at Sinai and entered into covenant with God. According to the Exodus account, the native-born along with the foreigner constituted the covenant people who received the Torah at Sinai (Ex. 19). Collectively they, the native born and the foreigner who accepted the covenant, are referred to as Israel. This Israel is what Stephen referred to as the "church" in the wilderness (Acts 7:38). Those who were outside of Israel's descendants could and would be brought into the covenant community (church) by doing what father Abraham did to become righteous—namely, he placed his trust and faith in the promised Seed (the Messiah). Just as many foreigners became part of Israel then, so today many from the nations are being grafted into the olive tree of Israel by placing their faith in the promised Seed of Abraham, Jesus, the Jewish Messiah of Israel. Just as the prophet Isaiah foretold (Isa. 56), God is gathering many from the nations to those whom He already gathered (Israel). Together these individuals comprise the universal church (covenant community of God). These Jews and Gentiles in Messiah collectively are called Israel throughout the Scriptures. There is no other "church" or covenant community; just one new man, one torah, one Messiah, one Spirit, one God. Some of the physical descendants of Jacob have rejected Jesus and remain cut off from the covenant community of God, but are still a part of greater Israel and will be grafted back into the church (covenant community of God) when they turn from their unbelief and place their faith in Jesus as the promised Seed of Abraham (Rom. 11). Ethnic status is not altered by acceptance or rejection of Jesus, but covenant status is. Covenant status is determined by faith in Jesus. In the end, it is not ethnic status but rather covenant status that fulfills salvific history.

Additional doctrines

Sin and atonement

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Messianic believers define sin as transgression of the Law of God (1 John 3: 4-5).

Some adherents atone for their sins through prayer and repentance—that is, acknowledgment of the wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness for the act. Other Messianics disagree with these practices, believing that all sin (whether committed yet or not) is already atoned for because of Jesus's death and resurrection.

Faith and works

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Faith, to the Messianic Believer, is trusting and believing in God and His Will. Most adherents to Messianic Judaism believe in a showing of their faith through good works (Jacob 2: 17-26; James 2: 1-26). There are those that have more polarized views, such as sola fides, or a faith only view, and others who believe in salvation solely through works. When it comes to major Protestant issues such as Calvinism or Arminianism, the emphasis on God's sovereignty or his free will, the movement is varied and both views are present.

The People of God

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

This section to deal with the Messianic perspective on defining who exactly makes up God's chosen people.

Covenant membership

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Messianics believe that God's chosen people are the descendants of Jacob, later known as Israel, and that this designation is everlasting.

Jews only theology

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Some Messianic congregations and group affiliations have declared the Gentiles (the "nations") as having no part in Messianic Judaism in an attempt to keep Messianic Judaism ethnically Jewish.

Although Messianic Judaism fully accepts Gentiles into most congregations as equals and co-heirs of the promises of God, some Gentile believers have felt that they are not treated with the same amount of favor as ethnically Jewish believers. This has caused divisions within the Messianic Movement, prompting Messianic Gentiles to adopt various views regarding their inclusion and acceptance within Messianic Judaism. See Two House Theology and Grafted-In Theology below.

Two House Theology

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Two House theology comes from the idea that the "House of Judah" in scripture refers to Jews, and the "House of Ephraim" (or House of Israel) refers to the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Where scripture says the House of Israel and Judah will again be "one branch", they believe it is referring to the idea that in the last days of the world, before Jesus returns, that all those descended from Israel will come back to Israel. Notably, Two-House adherents note the New Covenant is defined as the merger of the Two Houses with Torah written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33).

Some Two House believers assume the reason why so many Gentiles are coming into Messianic Judaism is that the vast majority of them descend from the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Some believe this belief came from a desire for Gentile believers to keep the Torah due to the mistaken belief that Torah is only for the Jews. The more refined theory sees the Two House as prophetic of the coming together of the Two Houses of Israel (Jews and Gentiles) and does not refer to literally descending from the House of Ephraim. These believers point to the prophesy of Ephraim pronounced by Jacob, when he declared Ephraim's seed shall be the "fullness of the nations (or Gentiles)" (Genesis 48:19).

There some advocates who are more moderate in their approach to the Two House controversy, who choose to see it as an overlooked element in the eschatological restoration of Israel. This growing position has gained sympathy with some in Messianic Judaism among those holding to the "One Law" position, where individuals can "agree to disagree" because the Two House teaching is a matter of eschatology, and thus not of a core theological nature. These people often favor a mainline Jewish style of halacha, versus one that favors a Karaite approach and insists on the usage of God's name, YHWH, as is consistent with many, but not all, Two House congregations and ministries.

Grafted-in theology

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Grafted-in theology, or Faithful Remnant of Israel Theology, declares that Messianic Jews and Gentiles are to be identified as being a part of the nation of Israel via identification within a group known as the "faithul remnant of Israel". The movement within Messianic Judaism that supports this theology has collectively been referred to as the "One-Law movement" - based on their championing of a verse in Numbers 15:29: "...no matter whether he is a citizen of Isra'el or a foreigner living with them. You are to have one law (Torah) for whoever it is that does something wrong by mistake." This movement is in opposition to a "two Law" perspective that some Messianics ascribe to, who believe that the fullness of Torah is only for those who are Jewish in origin, and that Messianic Gentiles are excluded from doing most things in Torah because they are not physical descendants from Jacob.

Leaning heavily on the New Perspective on Paul, and verses in the Torah that speak of a "mixed multitude" receiving the Torah, grafted-in theology attempts to resolve the issue of Gentile inclusion in Messianic Judaism.

First, starting with an idea from scripture that the nation of Israel included the "mixed multitude" that came out of Egypt during the Exodus, they explain that God gave the Torah to a nation called "Israel" which was made up of both those born into it, and those from Egypt who were Gentiles. They also share verses that say there "will be only one law for all the people, for both the native and the foreign-born" - an idea that concludes that the Torah is for all those within the nation of Israel, both those born into Israel and those that are not - that one and the same Torah applies to both who are called "Israel".

Second, grafted-in theology postulates that within Israel, there is and always has been a "faithful remnant". This remnant, being part of Israel, is therefore obligated to follow the Torah just like the rest of those who are called "Israel". They then explain that this "remnant" has one identificaton requirement: an Abrahamic faith - a faith that, like Abraham, makes one righteous in God's sight, and a partaker in all of God's promises for those that are defined as "righteous". The Gentiles then are already not part of it, until they have this same faith. So then the Jew is not born into the "faithful remnant" just like they are born into Israel, but must also have this same faith in order to be counted as part of the "faithful remnant of Israel".

Finally, these believers identify this "Abrahamic faith" as that of a salvific faith in the promised Messiah. This is based on their belief that Abraham's faith was only counted as righteous once he believed that through him there would be a seed that "all families of the earth shall be blessed".

Proselyte conversion then, which is to make a Gentile into a Jew, is not necesssary since inclusion within the "faithful remnant of Israel" is by faith alone and not by a man-made conversion ritual summarized by the Apostle Paul as "circumcision".

With this new perspective hermaneutic, grafted-in theology uses much of the Apostle Paul's writings to support their position. His verses in Romans are perphaps most used by this group, as Paul mentions that "not all Israel are Israel" and that the Gentiles have been "grafted into Israel" by their faith in Jesus.

One major proponent of Grafted-In theology is First Fruits of Zion ministries. Major GIT writers/authors and leaders include Boaz Michael, Tim Hegg, Daniel Thomas Lancaster, J.K. McKee of TNN Online, Ariel Ben-Lyman and Mark McClellan of Kehilat T'nuvah, and Rick Spurlock of Bereans Online.org.

Eschatology

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

The majority of Messianics believe in a literal 7000 year period for the human history of the world, from Creation to Judgment, within the following framework:

• 6000 years of human history (The Olam Hazed - The World Now)
• Tribulation
• Battle of Armageddon
• Wrath of God
• 1000 years of Messianic Kingdom (The Olam Haba'ah - The World to Come)
• Final Battle between Good and Evil
• Judgment Day (Great White Throne Judgement of Revelation)

This framework is based on a belief that there was literally six days of Creation and a seventh day of rest. It relies heavily on the concept that each day of Creation, besides acting as a literal account, can also represent a prophetic account of God's intended plan for human history. It is a concept some Messianics say is found throughout scriptures in reference to the Messianic Kingdom being referred to as the "World to Come" and the Messianic Kingdom lasting for "1000 years." Furthermore, they point out that references to the "World to Come" are also interchangeable with the entering of God's people into his "rest" -- a sabbath rest, a reference to the sabbath day, which was first revealed during the Creation week.

Most Messianics believe in a literal 1000 year reign of Jesus from Jerusalem just after the Battle of Armageddon. While most Messianics are premillennial in their eschatology, there is considerable debate between the pretribulation and posttribulation rapture positions. Important to note is that while most evangelical Christians adhere to a pre-tribulation rapture position, with few post-tribulationists, the numbers are more evenly divided in Messianic circles. Many believe that we are living now in the last years or decades of the 6000 year time frame of human history; the period right before the Tribulation.

Messianics also contend that no serious study of the End Times should ever leave out the significance of God's appointed times--the major Jewish Festivals in the Torah--and their fulfillment as prophetic events as it relates to the person of Jesus and to Israel. Many Messianics believe that just as the Spring Festivals (Passover, First Fruits, Shavuot) were literally fulfilled to the day at Jesus's first coming, the Fall Festivals (Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot) will be literally fulfilled to the day at Jesus's second coming.

It is notable that not all Messianics are premillennial, and some are amillennial, postmillennial, or preterist.

Torah

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

The issue of Torah observance in Messianic Judaism has been a contentious one. This section aims to present both sides of the issue so the reader can find an understanding of where different congregations come from in their view regarding Torah observance.

Overview of the Issues

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

Traditional Christianity affirms that the Torah is the word of God, though some Christians deny that all of the laws of the Pentateuch apply directly to themselves as Christians. The New Testament indicates that Jesus established a new covenant relationship between God and his people (Heb 8; Jer 31:31–34) and this new covenant speaks of the law or Torah being written upon the heart.

Some have interpreted Mark's statement "thus he declared all foods clean" (Mark 7:19) to mean that Jesus taught that the pentateuchal food laws were no longer applicable to his followers, see also Antinomianism in the New Testament. The writer of Hebrews indicates that the sacrifices and the Levitical priesthood foreshadowed Jesus Christ's offering of himself as the sacrifice for sin on the Cross, and many have interpreted this to mean that once the reality of Christ has come, the shadows of the ritual laws cease to be obligatory (Heb 8:5; 9:23–26; 10:1). On the other hand, the New Testament repeats and applies to believers a number of Old Testament laws, including "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18; cf. Golden Rule), "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul and strength" (Deut 6:4, the Shema), as well as the Decalogue or Ten Commandments (Exod 20:1–17).

In fact, in the Expounding of the Law, Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it; the opposite of Marcion's version of Luke 23:2[2]: "We found this fellow perverting the nation and destroying the law and the prophets". See also Adherence to the Law and Antithesis of the Law.

Some Messianic believers have suggested that believers should observe Torah today. This is because they believe that all of the Old Testament commands did not have to be reaffirmed individually for them to be applicable; rather they believe that Jesus and the New Testament writers reaffirmed them as a whole (interpreting Matthew 5:17-20, 23:1-3, 23:23, 28:19-20, etc. to support their cause). This interpretation has led to a deeper examination of context and to different interpretations of New Testament passages which have been traditionally understood to invalidate parts of the Law. Because of this belief, commands such as dietary laws, seventh day Sabbath, and Biblical festival days such as Passover (Christian holiday) are observed by Torah-observant Messianics.

As with Orthodox Judaism, capital punishment and sacrifice are not practiced because there are strict Biblical conditions on how these are to be practiced, although it is supported in principle. Most arguments in Torah-observant Messianic Judaism favor a situational authority argument, in that capital punishment can not be carried out because believers do not currently have the authority from their secular governments to do so; and will often cite the example that the Jews in Palestine had to ask Roman officials for permission to condemn Jesus. When the power of capital punishment is available, often it's exercise is only after exhausting loopholes in Torah which are used to set a suspect free. According to the Talmud, this sense of exhausting mercy within the confines of Torah was a practice that formed the basis for the exercise of Jewish capital law: "A Sanhedrin which kills once in seven years is considered murderous. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: once in seventy years. Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon said: if we had been in the Sanhedrin, no one would have ever been killed." (Mishnah Makot 1:10).

Messianics who believe in salvation from the concequences of sin, by grace through faith in the Messiah's atoning death and resurrection, who also attempt to follow Torah law, do not do follow Torah in order to achieve justification and hence salvation, but rather for reasons of sanctification because they believe is it a way of more fully obeying and imitating God as He intended, and as Jesus lived ^[20].

The general Messianic stance on Torah observance is unclear. It is unknown at this time as to whether or not Torah-observant Messianics are the majority within Messianic Judaism. Since Torah-observance seems to be a primary motivation for those joining the Messianic Movement, this argument is all that is provided for the case, until hard data can be provided. The following subsections attempt to explain the differing opinions about Torah observance within Messianic Judaism as a whole.

Law and Grace

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

There are those that believe that Jesus and Paul did away with the ceremonial and civil laws found in the Torah, based on a belief that the law can be separated into moral, ceremonial, and civil law (See Christian view of the Law. ).

Other Messianics contend that Jesus and Paul reaffirmed following all the laws found in the Torah, and that there is no distinction between moral and ceremonial law in the eyes of God (See New Perspective on Paul).

A Jewish Jesus

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

The latter view believes that Jesus was Jewish, and advocated following the Torah because John 1:1 says that Jesus was the The Torah made flesh and that he could not have contradicted himself.

A Jewish Paul

Main article: Messianic Jewish theology

This view also believes that Paul was a Jewish Pharisee, and maintained his Pharisaism even as a believer. This is based on Acts 23:6, detailing events after Paul's acceptance of Jesus as Messiah. "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men [and] brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question."

Moreover, Paul had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken (Acts 18:18), which was wholly in keeping with his continued observance of the laws and traditions of Judaism.

They maintain that Paul set out to defend the gospel as one not of legalistic works and ceremonial prosyletic conversion, but a gospel of non-condemnational Torah obedience made possible by what Jesus did for his followers.

Religous Practices

Main article: Messianic Halakha

Holiday observance

Shabbat

Worship services are generally held on Friday evenings (Erev Shabbat) and/or Saturday mornings. Messianic Jews believe the Sabbath is an eternal covenant between the God of Israel and his descendants (Exodus 31:16).

Jewish holidays

Messianics observe major Jewish holidays, including:

Weekly

• Shabbat (Sabbath)

Monthly

• Rosh Chodesh (Feast of the New Moon)

Yearly
Major festivals

• Pesach (Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread)
• Feast of Firstfruits
• Lag B'Omer (Counting the Omer)
• Shavuot (Feast of Weeks)
• Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets)
• Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
• Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

Minor festivals

• Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah)
• Chanukkah (Feast of Dedication)
• Purim (Feast of Esther)
• Tisha B'Av (Fast of the Fifth Month)

Secular memorials

• Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)
• Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day)

Non-Jewish holidays

Messianic Jews recognize that the Torah repeatedly prohibits conforming with or becoming involved with pagan customs, holidays, and ways of worship. Thus, most of them do not celebrate holidays such as Easter or Christmas, that historically originated in the pagan world. Such individuals therefore view observance of those holidays as an indirect practice of paganism or assimilation and undesirable to God, who does not want Israel to "worship the LORD your God in their way." This view is not universal, however; Daniel Juster of Tikkun Ministries has disputed it, claiming that it is the modern meaning of the festivals that counts, not their origin. Finally, a number of Messianic Jews may very likely have non-Jewish and Christian relatives, and practice those holidays in a mostly secular manner in order to maintain family unity.

Dietary laws

Most Messianic Jews keep kosher, but many do not keep kashrut (observance of kosher eating according to Torah plus all of the additional dietary regulations set forth in the Talmud). See Messianic Halakha for detailed information on the differences within Messianic Judaism over keeping kosher.

Community

Messianic Community is often overlooked in more liberal Messianic congregations; however, in more conservative congregations, the community and its activities can look more like a kibbutz as their membership grows.^[21]

Most Messianic meeting places are called synagogues and groups of believers are often referred to as congregations.

Opposition and Critisim

Jewish objections

Jewish objections to Messianic Judaism are numerous and often begin with objections to the term "Messianic Judaism" itself.

Denominations and organizations

All major Jewish denominations, as well as national Jewish organizations, reject that Messianic Judaism is a form of Judaism. ^{[4] [22]}

According to the Central Conference of American Rabbis:

"For us in the Jewish community, anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate. Through that belief she has placed herself outside the Jewish community. Whether she cares to define herself as a Christian or as a 'fulfilled Jew,' 'Messianic Jew,' or any other designation is irrelevant; to us, she is clearly a Christian." ^[23]

Concerning Christian-Jewish reconciliation and Christian missions to the Jews, Emil Fackenheim wrote:

"... Except in relations with Christians, the Christ of Christianity is not a Jewish issue. There simply can be no dialogue worthy of the name unless Christians accept — nay, treasure — the fact that Jews through the two millennia of Christianity have had an agenda of their own. There can be no Jewish-Christian dialogue worthy of the name unless one Christian activity is abandoned, missions to the Jews. It must be abandoned, moreover, not as a temporary strategy but in principle, as a bimillennial theological mistake. The cost of that mistake in Christian love and Jewish blood one hesitates to contemplate. ... A post-Holocaust Jew can still view Christian attempts to convert Jews as sincere and well intended. But even as such they are no longer acceptable: They have become attempts to do in one way what Hitler did in another." ^[24]

According to 1998 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents issued by Canadian B'nai Brith,

"One of the more alarming trends in antisemitic activity in Canada in 1998 was the growing number of incidents involving messianic organizations posing as "synagogues". These missionizing organizations are in fact evangelical Christian proselytizing groups, whose purpose is specifically to target members of the Jewish community for conversion. They fraudulently represent themselves as Jews, and these so-called synagogues are elaborately disguised Christian churches." ^[25]

The State of Israel

In December 1989, the Supreme Court of Israel set a legal precedent when it denied the right of return to Gary and Shirley Beresford, Messianic Jews from South Africa. In rejecting their petition, Supreme Court Justice Menachem Elon cited their belief in Jesus. “In the last two thousand years of history the Jewish people have decided that Messianic Jews do not belong to the Jewish nation and have no right to force themselves on it,” he wrote, concluding that “those who believe in Jesus, are, in fact, Christians.”^[5]

Jews for Jesus

Since the Christian organization Jews for Jesus is most often the first encounter Jews have with Jews believing Jesus as the Messiah, this traditional evangelical Christian missionary organization has been confused with Messianic Judaism as a whole. The vast majority of Torah-observant Messianic believers^[26] do not view a relationship with Jews for Jesus^[27][28] simply because Jews for Jesus seeks to turn Jews into traditional evangelical Christians who may or may not keep kosher, celebrate Jewish holidays, or keep the Sabbath on Saturday. Furthermore, Messianic believers object to Jews for Jesus on the grounds that the organization seems to encourage Christian converts from Judaism to worship on Sunday, to not keep kosher^[29], and to celebrate "Christian" holidays such as Easter^[30] and Christmas^[31] - practices clearly forbidden by Torah. Instead, the vast majority of the followers of Messianic Judaism have come into the Messianic Movement in order to worship God more as the Torah dictates (and as they believe Jesus taught), and to not in fact worship God as traditional evangelical Christianity has dictated - this motivation then serves as the clear distinction between Messianic Jews and those of such traditional evangelical Christian organizations such as Jews for Jesus. In the simplest terms, Messianic Jews follow Torah, whereas it is argued that Jews for Jesus does not.

Christian objections

Some Christian churches see Jewish religious practice as valid in and of itself and thus object to evangelizing Jews. ^{[32] [33] [34] [35] [36]} However, this view is not unanimous. ^{[37] [38]}

This position is often referred to as the "Two-covenant-communities theology" because theologians who propose it, in one form or another, argue that Judaism must be understood as a divinely guided religion that is parallel to Christianity, not superseded by or fulfilled within it. Christians, therefore, ought not to try to convert Jews; that would be asking them to deny their election as members of the continuing covenant community of Israel. Positions for and against a two-covenant theology rest on differing interpretations of Paul's assertion that "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the saving power of God for everyone who has faith--the Jew first, but the Greek also--because here is revealed God's way of righting wrong, a way that starts from faith and ends in faith...." (Romans 1:16-17, The New English Bible).

Since the Second Vatican Council, which closed in 1965, the Roman Catholic Church has taken the point of view that Judaism is a religion that springs from divine revelation. As Cardinal Walter Kasper has noted, "God’s grace, which is the grace of Jesus Christ according to our faith, is available to all. Therefore, the Catholic Church believes that Judaism, i.e. the faithful response of the Jewish people to God’s irrevocable covenant, is salvific for them, because God is faithful to his promises."

According to Roman Catholic teaching, both the Catholic Church and the Jewish people abide in covenant with God. The Church believes that the mission of the Jewish people is not restricted to their historical role as the people of whom Jesus was physically born and from whom the Church’s apostles came. As then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote in 1999, "God’s providence … has obviously given Israel a particular mission in this ‘time of the Gentiles.’" The Catholic Church believes it must bear witness in the world to the gospel of Christ so as to prepare the world for the fullness of the kingdom of God. However, this evangelizing task no longer includes the wish to absorb the Jewish faith into Christianity and so end the distinctive witness of Jews to God in human history. Thus, while the Catholic Church regards the saving act of Christ as central to the process of human salvation for all, it also acknowledges that Jews already dwell in a saving covenant with God. While the Catholic Church now recognizes that Jews are also called by God to prepare the world for God’s kingdom, concomitantly, their witness to that kingdom, which did not originate with the Catholic Church’s experience of Christ crucified and raised, must not be curtailed by seeking the conversion of the Jewish people to Christianity. ^[39]

Other Christian denominations that have issued statements criticizing evangelism of Jews include the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church USA, which said in 1988 that Jews have their own covenant with God. ^[40]

References

See also

• Messianic Movement
• Messianic Halakha
• Messianic Jewish theology
• List of Messianic Movement leaders
• List of Messianic Jewish organizations
• List of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Christians
• Judaism
• Judaism and Christianity
• Jewish views of Jesus
• Ebionites
• Christianity and Biblical prophecy
• Christian Zionism
• Judeo-Christian

Bibliography

• Cohn-Sherbock, Dan. Messianic Judaism, Continuum International Publishing Group (1 Feb. 2001), ISBN 0-8264-5458-5
• Cohn-Sherbock, Dan, ed. Voices of Messianic Judaism: Confronting Critical Issues Facing a Maturing Movement, Messianic Jewish Resources International (June, 2001), ISBN 1-880226-93-6
• Feher, Shoshanah. Passing Over Easter: Constructing the Boundaries of Messianic Judaism, AltaMira Press (1998), ISBN 0-7619-8953-6; 0761989528
• Fieldsend, John. Messianic Jews - Challenging Church And Synagogue, Monarch Publications/MARC/Olive Press, (1993), ISBN 1-85424-228-8
• Fischer, John, ed.; The Enduring Paradox: Exploratory Essays in Messianic Judaism, Messianic Jewish Resources International (July, 2000), ISBN 1-880226-90-1
• Goldberg, Louis, ed. How Jewish Is Christianity? Two Views On The Messianic Movement, Zondervan, (2003), ISBN 0-310-24490-0
• Gruber, Daniel, The Church and the Jews: The Biblical Relationship (Springfield, MO: General Council of the Assemblies of God, Intercultural Ministries, 1991)
• Gruber, Daniel, Torah and the New Covenant--An Introduction (Elijah Publishing 1998) ISBN 0-9669253-0-0
• Harris-Shapiro, Carol. Messianic Judaism: A Rabbi's Journey through Religious Change in America, Beacon Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8070-1040-5
• Hefley, James C. The New Jews, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (1974), ISBN 842346805
• Hegg, Tim. The Letter Writer: Paul's Background and Torah Perspective, First Fruits of Zion, (2002), ISBN 1-892124-16-5
• Juster, Daniel. Growing to Maturity: A Messianic Jewish Guide, Union of Messianic Congregations; 3rd ed. (1987), ISBN 0-9614555-0-0
• Juster, Daniel. Jewish Roots - A Foundation Of Biblical Theology, Destiny Image; 3rd ed. (1995), ISBN 1-56043-142-3
• Kinzer, Mark. Postmissionary Messianic Judaism, Brazos, (November 2005), ISBN 1-58743-152-1
• Maoz, Baruch. Judaism Is Not Jewish - A Friendly Critique Of The Messianic Movement, Mentor, (2003), ISBN 1-85792-787-7
• Pearce, Tony. The Messiah Factor, New Wine Press, (Spring 2004), ISBN 1-903725-32-1
• Rausch, David A. Messianic Judaism: Its History Theology and Polity, Mellen Press, (December 1982), ISBN 0-88946-802-8
• Robinson, Rich, ed. The Messianic Movement: A Field Guide For Evangelical Christians From Jews For Jesus, Purple Pomegranate Publications, (2005), ISBN 1-881022-62-5
• Schiffman, Dr Michael. Return Of The Remnant - The Rebirth Of Messianic Judaism, Lederer Books, (1996), ISBN 1-880226-53-7
• Stern, David H. Messianic Jewish Manifesto, Messianic Jewish Resources International, (May, 1988), ISBN 965-359-002-2
• Telchin, Stan. Messianic Judaism is Not Christianity, Chosen Books (September, 2004), ISBN 0-8007-9372-2

External links

General

• Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations
• Saltshakers Messianic Community
• YashaNet (Includes list of Messianic congregations)
• Association of Messianic Congregations - "AMC"
• Hebrew Calendar and festivals from Messianic perspective
• Torat Chayim Messianic study resources
• T.O.M.J. Beis Observing Orthodox Messianic Judaism
• Messianic Jewish Alliance of America
• Messianic Jewish Theological Institute
• Messianic Jews.Info
• Why Isaiah 53 Cannot Refer to Israel Jewish Prophecy
• Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations
• Junior Shul Messianic Judaism for Kids
• Messianic Dance
• Hebrew for Christians Learn the Hebrew Language
• Outreach Israel Ministries
• TNN Online An independent Messianic apologetics website
• Messianic Scribal Arts Custom-Produced Mezuzah, Tefillin, Sefer Torah, and More
• Hashevenu -Toward a Mature Messianic Judaism
• Messianic Bureau International
• Messianic Jewish Bible Institute
• The Ephramite Controversy Opposing View of the Ephramite Theory
• Messianic Articles
• Basics of Messianic Judaism
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Messianic Jewish Advanced Kabbalah Resource Center
• Kehilat Kol Simcha's Weekly Shabbat and Holyday Messages By Rabbi Tony Arroyo
• Messianic Links
• Premier List of Messianic Jewish Websites
• The History of Messianic Judaism
• A History of Holidays
• Anti-Proselytic Messianic Worship Identifying Genuine Synagogues from Pseudo-Messianic Churches
• International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues
• Theology of Messianic Judaism by Rabbi Bruce L. Cohen
• Union of Torah Observant Ministries
• RabbiYeshua Collection of Articles and the Kehilat Sar Shalom Congregation

Torah-focused

• Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations
• First Fruits of Zion publisher of Messiah Magazine, and a resource site for Messianic Torah observance
• Torah Resource Messianic author Tim Hegg's site
• Torat Chayim Messianic resources studies Rediscover the Torah from the Messianic perspective
• Torah Observant Views by Rabbi David Miller
• OMJRA Organization of theologically Conservative/Orthodox Messianic Rabbis
• Simchat Torah Messianic Judaism: The Traditionalist View
• Advanced Kaballistic Messianic Judaism

Parsha cycles

• YashaNet's Parsha Schedule
• Melech Yisrael's Parsha Schedule
• UMJC's Parsha Schedule
• P'nei Adonai's Parsha Schedule
• Wellsprings of Torah's Parsha Schedule
• First Fruits of Zion's Parsha Schedule

Broadcasts

• Melech Yisrael's Radio Mashiach Broadcast
• Michael Rood's: A Rood Awakening!
• Jonathan Bernis' Jewish Voice Broadcasts and Magazine
• Vine and Branches Radio

Jewish objections

• Jews for Judaism
• Outreach Judaism
• Messiah Truth Education
• Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus Aish.com
• Can a Jew believe in Jesus? chabad.org