Talk:Jewish views of Jesus/Judaism's views of Jesus

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[edit] Judaism's views of Jesus

Below is the text that will be entered when (if?) the Jesus article unlocks. Feel free to modify it here. Please exlain any disputes in a subsection below it. The wording can be shortened down later. At that time, all the detailed information will be relocated to the main article Jewish views of Jesus.

[edit] New text for Judaism's views

We'll shorten the wording later and move all details into the main article later. For now, concentrate on content. Wherever possible, there should be a biblical reference, an authoritative rabbinic reference, and perhapse a decent contemporary discussion of it.

Judaism cannot consider Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah because he did not fulfill the Jewish requirements. Most obviously, today wars between nations still happen, and this is impossible if the Messiah has truly arrived (Isaiah 2.4, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim 12.3). At the very least [1], Israel must live in peace (absolutely literal peace, with no more wars). Judaism cannot accept certain Christian doctrines concerning the Christian Messiah - especially the Trinity and the Incarnation because they are heretical for Judaism's understanding of monotheism. (Deuteronomy 6.4, Rambam, Ha-Ikkerim or 13 Principles of Faith, Second Principle.) "In Jewish law, worship of a three-part god is considered idolatry; one of the three cardinal sins for which a person should rather give up his life than transgress. The idea of the trinity is absolutely incompatible with Judaism." [[2]]. "For us in the Jewish community anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate." (Contemporary American Reform Responsa, 68.) [3]

Nevertheless Judaism can distinguish between Jesus the person and Christianity the religion. Judaism considers the possibility Jesus himself does not believe in the non-Jewish doctrines of Christianity and sometimes credits Paul of Tarsus for inventing them. Therefore, while Christianity is absolutely incompatable with Judaism, Judaism can hold a variety of opinions with regard to Jesus, depending on what he himself personally believed.

  • Despite numerous references to "Edom" (אדום), which is sometimes a reference to "Rome" (רומא) or Christianity, the Talmud is largely silent about the historical Jesus. There are a few stray passages that probably do not refer to him but can be reinterpreted midrashically to do so.
  • Albeit for entertainment value only, the Medieval Toldot Yeshu cites the Talmud to weave a brutal but funny parody of the Christian view of Jesus. [4] Accordingly, Yeshu ישו (Jesus) is a “bastard” child of a scoundrel Jewish father named Yosef Ben Pandera (Joseph). Yeshu forsakes the Torah and becomes a “false prophet” who worships a “brick”. He learns “Egyptian” magic to cast spells to convince other Jews he is the Messiah and thus creates havoc within the Jewish religion. By contrast, Paul is a righteous Jew (who is also understood to be the same person as Peter). Paul only pretends to become one of the followers of Yeshu in order to trick them into becoming a non-Jewish religion. By splitting off Christianity, Paul saves the day and restores peace to Judaism.
  • The Rambam knows of the Toldot Yeshu but rejects it. (Iggeret Teman.) He gives a somewhat opposite viewpoint, which is more sympathetic toward Jesus and less sympathetic toward Paul. Accordingly, Yeshua ישוע (Jesus) is a legitimate child of a non-Jewish father and a Jewish mother, and his birth is “kosher”. The Rambam uses carefully nonjudgmental language to describe Yeshua and distinguishes Yeshua’s own views from the views of his followers. (Iggeret Teman.) By contrast, the Jewish followers who later abandon the Torah - which would include Paul - are the “renegades of Israel” who “stumbled”, according to the prophecy of Daniel. (Mishneh Torah, Milkhot 11.10.) After splitting off, the hostility inherent in their Christianity turns out to be a disaster for the Jewish people.

Especially after the Holocaust, the need to coexist with Christianity (like other non-Jewish religions) influences Judaism to know more about the historical Jesus. This knowledge helps Judaism to counter the hostile claims by Christianity and to promote a common understanding with Christianity. Judaism can distinguish between Jesus the Jewish person and Christianity the non-Jewish religion, and thus can be neutral in the academic study of Jesus. Today Jewish groups and individuals can comprise a variety of opinions about the historical Jesus. Scholars notice the Gospels portray Jesus as both within the Jewish tradition of Torah but also debating with the Sages about the Torah, and reach different conclusions. Mainstream Judaism allows for a diversity of scholary opinions about Jesus.

  • Jesus knows the Torah but rejects it and is therefore an apostate Jew. More seriously, Jesus is spiritually warring against the God of Israel and intentionally provoking other Jews to abandon God as well. Thus the sentiment of the Toldot Yeshu rings true, and the historical Jesus is one of the "false prophets" that the Hebrew Bible warns against (Deuteronomy 13.2), as Habad and other Orthodox communities affirm. [[5]] Less seriously, Jesus is simply wrong but is irrelevant as far as Judaism is concerned. (Rabbi Jacob Neusner, A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. McGill-Queen's Univ. Press: Rev. ed. 2000).
  • Reform Judaism has no opinion about the historical Jesus, and continues a careful rationality in the tradition of the Rambam. If Jesus remained true to the Torah then he is a "good Jew", and if he did not remain true to the Torah then he is an apostate. Individuals can draw their own conclusions. Some Reform Jews indulge the notion Jesus is an ancient example of a progressive Jew. Here an individual voices his own opinion about Jesus to give one example of what Reform Judaism finds acceptable: "I believe Jesus was a Pharis[aic] Rabbi who preached reform in our beloved religion, Judaism. Judaism still awaits a Messiah or at least a Messianic Age of Universal peace. "Messiah" does not carry the same connotation in Judaism as it does in Christianity. We believe in a mortal king who will deliver us from exile and persecution. A close reading of the New Testament reveals that Jesus' followers had the same expectation. Only later was he made into the demigod of today." [6] A wide variety of opinions are known, from Jesus was an apostate, to he was zaddik, to perhaps he didn't exist at all.
  • In the academic community, some Jewish scholars of Judaica (who include Orthodox and Reform communities and who research Jesus carefully) conclude Jesus is likely a good Jew and perhaps even a "righteous person" or zaddik. (Vermes, Jesus the Jew 1981, p. 225.) Jesus himself does not know the later Christian doctrines about him. In Jesus's life time, there are a wide variety of branches of Judaism, but Jesus himself is Pharisaic and belongs to the Proto-Rabbinic stream of tradition. Rabbinic Judaism is still in its Formative stage, and halakhic opinions that are taken for granted today are still under debate during in Jesus's life time. The debates between Jesus and other the Pharisaic sages of the Torah reflect differences in local customs. Moreover, similar harsh criticisms that Jesus recites about the Pharisees can also be found in the Talmud and do not necessarily reflect hostility to the Torah (Matthew 23.13, bTalmud Sotah 22b). Jesus also shares the opinion of many Jewish mystics that the "mindset" (כבנה) while doing a mizvah determines its halakhic validity. (For example, Matthew 23.25) [7] After careful consideration, some Torah-observant scholars conclude Jesus is not only an observant Jew but even a zaddik with a high level of spiritual awareness. (David Flusser, Jesus 1998, p. 15.)
  • The possibility Jesus is a zaddik has different implications for different branches of Judaism. For Reform Judaism the possibility is neutral. It is admirable if Jesus is a zaddik, however it has no formal consequence on Reform Judaism itself. However, for certain Orthodox communities who celebrate the zaddikim with much honor [8], it can pose a dilemma. The opinion Jesus is a "false prophet" versus the opinion he is a "zaddik" can have consequence with regard to the community's formal attitudes toward Jesus. Martin Buber who is a Hassidic academic predicts, "I am more certain than ever that a great place belongs to [Jesus] in Israel's history of faith" (Two Types of Faith 1961, p. 13).

All of these modern Jewish opinions about Jesus depend on the historicity of Jesus and therefore are uncertain and tentative. For Judaism what matters is the belief in Judaism.

[edit] comments

Your kidding me, there's enough content here to make an entirely new article, it looks like it's almost as long as the rest of the article's sections combined! And now it looks like the same old song again, except this time you've directly cited the OT and saying "Christianity is impossible", which is exactly what I was worried that it would say in the first place, yet which most people assured me was not true, so it was clarified with citations from the interpretation of Rabbi's and whatnot. Does anyone else have anything to say about this before I go all crazy over this in more specifics? Homestarmy 18:47, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

It will be "an entirely new article", and relocated to Jewish views of Jesus. However, for now it's important to settle what needs to be in the summary. --Haldrik 18:55, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
"Christianity is impossible." Christianity is impossible for Judaism, however it is not impossible for Nonjews. For the most part, Judaism feels Nonjews are not culpable if they have a less strict definition of monotheism (compare, Mishneh Torah 11.11). However, Jews are culpable if they have a less strict definition of monotheism. --Haldrik 18:59, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
And just a comment on the Christianity thing...this is irrelevant to the "Judaism's view of Jesus" section. Keep to the topic. --MPerel ( talk | contrib) 19:14, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm running out the door right now to catch a plane and have no time for a full response. I appreciate all your work Haldrik, but there are major problems with your proposed text. I don't even have time to read it all at the moment, but just off the top, a) it's far far too verbose for this article, b) It's packed with editorial-sounding phrases like "Most obviously" and "At the very least". I can't even look at the actual content right now or I'll miss my plane. I have no problem discussing, but please don't threaten to just shove a whole essay (i.e., "Below is the text that will be entered when (if?) the Jesus article unlocks") into the article. This needs a lot more work. --MPerel ( talk | contrib) 19:06, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

It certainly needs to be summarized. It also tends rather heavily toward Judaic mysticism, rather than straightforward Judaism. (I was surpised that there was nothing on the Kabbalah.) In any case, summarizing this will be a bear that I personally would rather not wrestle with. Jim62sch 20:36, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
It's tempting to call Jesus a "Kabbalist", but to do so is anachronistic. He seems a "mystic" though. IIRC, the Zohar says nothing about the historical Jesus. --Haldrik 20:48, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

It's a lovely piece of original research. Much of it is uncited, much of it inaccurate, and much of it is simply irrelevant (e.g. Toldos Yeshu is non-authoritative, as are the opinions of various 20th century historians and philosophers, like Buber, Vermes, and Flusser) who simply happen to be Jews. Jayjg (talk) 19:34, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

Judaism comprises a diversity of opinions. That's why there's a Talmud which is a record of Rabbinic debates to sort through different opinions. The article isn't about Medieval Judaism's views, it's about Judaism's views, including modern Judaism. These Jewish scholars don't just "happen" to be Jewish, they are speaking from the Judaic perspective about implications for modern halakhah and so on. They don't need to be mentioned by name in the future summary, but that a diversity of viewpoints can and do exist, does need to be mentioned. Of course, the Toldot Yeshu is of entertainment value only, but it's a notable Jewish view and even has some currency in certain communities. Actually, I'm having trouble finding any traditional reference that specifically identifies Jesus as a נביא שקר except for the Toldot, and I'm beginning to suspect this indeed is the source. Finally, this is about Judaism's opinions about Jesus, in all its diversity. --Haldrik 19:51, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
While all that may be true, one thinks that for the purposes of the Jesus article, adhering to a more "mainstream" form of Judaism might be better. Jim62sch 20:36, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
But that's the point. "Mainstream Judaism" allows for a diversity of scholary opinions about Jesus. (Especially Reform!) --Haldrik 20:51, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

Something that might be interesting would be to incorporate aspects of the Bar-Kochba revolt and his subsequent rule, as he was, for a time until he was defeated, officially proclaimed to be the Messiah. Bar-Kochba could be used as an example of what the Jews of the time were looking for in a Messiah, and hence why Jesus was rejected, at least in th ancient world. As far as modern explanations as to why Judaism is incompatible with Jesus as the Messiah, as a historian I would question the relevance; a comparison of Jesus and Bar-Kochba would immediately show why Bar-Kochba was compatible with the Jewish definition of Messiah and why Jesus was not, hence any later philosophical justification of the sepparation would be unecessary as Christ was already rejected as the Jewish Messiah for not fulfilling the role as defined by Judaism. There is no need to delve into current reasons why Judaism rejects Christ, because the rejection already happened and the groundwork laid some 1900 years ago. But thats me as a historian, and as we have already seen these articles do not conform to academic standards (hence why I tell me students not to cite Wikipedia). pookster11 23:10, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't think I really want to spend the time to go into an increadible amount of detail on this unless it gets summarized, (Because there's some stuff in there that, you know, might get removed, and I don't want to verbally explode so to speak at this only to find much of it gets removed) but if there's such a diversity of opinion, why must the section say that Christianity is, in effect, incompatible with the OT? Because with that OT citation and the "Obviously's" like I think someone else mentioned, that kind of rules out "diversity" in people's viewpoints. Homestarmy 23:12, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

I think this is a valuable piece of work, however I share two of Jayjg's concerns: first, that it is original research. Haldrik, I urge you to read Wikipedia: No original research carefully, and see how much of this you can rewrite without violating the NOR policy, and that complies with our Wikipedia: Verifiability policy and Wikipedia: Cite sources guidelines. Second, I do think we need to be more careful about distinguishing between Jews who happen to be historians or even essayists writing about Jesus, versus Jews who are claiming to represent "Judaism." The former cannot be included in this account; the latter should be. And after you delete the examples of the former and are left with the latter, Haldrik, I urge you to go over the Wikipedia: Neutral point of view policy and make sure that all views are represented in compliance with this policy.

It is clear to me that Haldrik is proposing text for a linked article and not for a section of this article. It makes sense to get that linked article to a stable point, and then figure out a concise way to summarizze it here. SO I propose moving this discussion to the linked page - and I will copy the relevant material if no one else has done it yet. I strongly urge Haldrik, Jayjg, and Mperel, as well as others who are knowledgable about this topic, to work together to come up with a linked article that is fully compliant with NOR and NPOV. Slrubenstein | Talk 12:49, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Previous Version

Judaism does not consider Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah primarily because it does not consider him to have fulfilled messianic prophecies, nor embodied the personal qualifications of the Messiah.[8][9] [10] The Mishneh Torah (an authoritative work of Jewish law) states "Jesus was instrumental in changing the Torah and causing the world to err and serve another beside God."(Hilchos Melachim 11:4) The modern liberal Reform Judaism movement states "For us in the Jewish community anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate..." (Contemporary American Reform Responsa, #68).[11]

Judaism also does not consider Jesus to have been a prophet, considering him instead to have been a false prophet,[12] and maintains that the last prophet was Malachi.[13][14][15]

[edit] Objections with the previous version

  • "The Mishneh Torah (an authoritative work of Jewish law) states "Jesus was instrumental in changing the Torah and causing the world to err and serve another beside God."(Hilchos Melachim 11:4)"
Inaccurate citation. The Mishneh Torah (Hilkhot Melakhim 11.4) simply doesn't say the above quote. Rather, it says this: (ד ושם הוא אומר "אראנו ולא עתה" (במדבר כד,יז), זה דויד; "אשורנו ולא קרוב" (שם), זה המלך המשיח. "דרך כוכב מיעקוב" (שם), זה דויד; "וקם שבט מישראל" (שם), זה המלך המשיח. "ומחץ פאתי מואב" (שם)--זה דויד, וכן הוא אומר "ויך את מואב, וימדדם בחבל" (שמואל ב ח,ב). "וקרקר כל בני שת" (במדבר כד,יז)--זה המלך המשיח, שנאמר בו "ומושלו מים עד ים" (זכריה ט,י). "והיה אדום ירשה" (במדבר כד,יח)--לדויד, שנאמר "ותהי אדום לדויד, לעבדים" (ראה שמואל ב ח,ו; וראה שמואל ב ח,יד). "והיה ירשה שעיר--אויביו" (במדבר כד,יח)--זה המלך המשיח, שנאמר "ועלו מושיעים בהר ציון, לשפוט את הר עשיו" (עובדיה א,כא).) "Jesus" isn't mentioned or even aluded to in this passage.
You're reading the censored version. The uncensored version has a lot more in it.[9] [10] Jayjg (talk) 19:36, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
I'm reading Mechon-Mamre's edition which is the most historically accurate version available today. --Haldrik 19:57, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
If there is disagreement over the source, the proper thing to do would be to present both sources in an NPOV way (e.g. specify who claims that version one is uncensored, and who claims that version two is the most historically accurate version? The answers to these questions cannot be "Jayjg and Haldrik," but rather verifiable sources. Jayjg, do you have other sources besides these tqo web-pages? Haldrik, who believes that Mechon-Mamre's edition is the most accurate? Slrubenstein | Talk 12:55, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
  • "Judaism also does not consider Jesus to have been a prophet, considering him instead to have been a false prophet,[12] and maintains that the last prophet was Malachi."
Inaccurate statement. In Judaism, the word "prophet" has a specific meaning, and the above statement uses the word imprecisely. Saying certain Christian doctrines are incompatable with Judaism is NOT the same thing as saying Jesus is "a false prophet". In fact, these Christian doctrines didn't appear until centuries after Jesus's death, and Jesus himself never knew them. While Habad certain other Jewish groups and individuals do specifically identify Jesus as a "false prophet", Judaism as a whole doesn't say this. The Rabbinic texts don't say this. It is therefore necessary to cite exactly which Jewish groups say Jesus is specifically a "false prophet" (נביא שקר), using those words exactly.
Your POV is fascinating; however, the many Jewish sources quoted use those exact words, "false prophet". Jayjg (talk) 19:33, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
The word "false prophet" actually means something. It would mean Jesus was an idolator, which is unlikely. Or at the very least, it would mean that Jesus rejected the Torah, which is debatable. Most of the citations so far are merely the opinions of contemporary Rabbis. While legitimate they can't represent the whole of Judaism. It's necessary to find traditionally authoritative references, which are binding on all Judaism. --Haldrik 19:59, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
Both views can be true. Jayjg, what are your sources for "false prophet?" Haldrik, what are your sources for "prophet?" Bear in mind Haldrik that the source should not be a critical historian like Vermes or Shaye Cohen, because they are not claiming to be presenting a "Jewish" view, they are providing a historian's view. The proper thing to do would be to present both view in an NPOV way and provide verifiable sources. Slrubenstein | Talk 12:58, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
  • "and maintains that the last prophet was Malachi.[13][14][15]"
Clarification needed. Judaism says, Malakhi is the "last prophet" in the books of the Prophets (Neviim) in the Tanakh. Well, obviously! However, this doesn't mean the same thing as the Islamic doctrine that there is some kind of "last prophet", so to speak.
I my myself took for granted as true that Malakhi was the last prophet, and that there will be no more prophets until the prophet who will appear at the "War of Gog and Magog" at the beginning of the Messianic Era (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim 12.3). However I can't find any citations to demonstrate that there can't be more prophets until then. Again, I assume there can't be any prophets until then (because in Judaism a "prophet" is a specific kind of job), but we need to clarify exactly what the Rabbis teach with regard to prophets, so as to avoid inaccuracies and false assumptions.
Judaism considers Malachi to have been the last prophet; true prophecy was not granted after the destruction of the First Temple under a kind of quid pro quo. Judaism considers there to have been 48 male prophets in history, and the Talmud lists them; Jesus is not among them.[11] Jayjg (talk) 19:36, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
Here I actually agree, but I can't find an authoritative reference. While Malakhi is obviously the last prophet of the Bible, can you supply a reference that specifically says there simply are no more prophets of any kind until the Messianic Era? --Haldrik 20:05, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
One minor point: given that we are writing in English, a translation of the Hebrew would be great. If you'll notice, any time I refer to Greek or Latin when discussing terminology or the text of the Septuagint, Greek New Testament, or Vulgate, I translate to English. Doing the same might help those of us not fluent in Hebrew to better understand your points. Jim62sch 20:42, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

Jayjg, what source states that there can be no prophets after Malachi? I am not saying you are wrong, I am just asking for the source. Slrubenstein | Talk 12:58, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Tsaddik?

"Some Jewish views see Jesus as a compassionate observant Jew, even a righteous person, a tzaddik." I do not doubt the veracity of this statement. However, since it is a minority view at odds with the classic Rabbinic view, I think it is important to have a citation or two to a verifiable source. Slrubenstein | Talk 13:31, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Most of the Rabbis I know consider Jesus to be "a good Jew". A few consider him a tzaddik. Among scholars, IIRC, Buber, Flusser and perhaps Vermes identify Jesus as a tsaddik. I found two quotes of interest.
"I am more certain than ever that a great place belongs to [Jesus] in Israel's history of faith" – Martin Buber, Two Types of Faith (1961), p. 13.
"I am motivated by scholarly interest to learn as much as I can about Jesus, but at the same time being a practicing Jew. I readily admit, however, that I personally identify myself with Jesus' Jewish Weltanschauung [worldview], both moral and political, and I believe that the content of his teachings and the approach he embraced have always had the potential to change our world and prevent the greatest part of evil and suffering". – David Flusser, Jesus, augmented ed. (1998), p. 15.
These Jewish scholars carefully distinguish between Christianity which is not Judaic and Jesus's actual teachings which are surprisingly Judaic. (They sometimes compare his "high selfawareness" to that of Hillel). Haldrik 14:43, 23 February 2006 (UTC)
Here's another relevant quote by Vermes, Jesus the Jew (1981), p. 225. "The positive and constant testimony of the Gospel tradition leads to, within the framework of Judaism as by the standard of his own words and intentions: Jesus the just man, the zaddik, Jesus the helper and healer, Jesus the teacher and leader"

Thank you Haldrik. Alas, what most rabbis we know think is not relevant because they are not verifiable sources. Would you mind adding these to the references? Can you find a specific reference that compares his self-awareness to that of Hillel? Also, do you think it is worth quoting Buber in this article/section? Slrubenstein | Talk 14:46, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Referring to Hillel as a prophet, Vermes (p. 91) mentions the Talmud: "When the elders came to the house of Gadia in Jericho, a heavenly voice proclaimed to them: There is a man among you worthy of the holy spirit, but this generation is unfit for it. They fixed their eyes on Hillel the Elder". (tSot 13:3, bSot 48b.) [Interestingly, Hillel was also believed to be a descendent of David.] Haldrik 15:19, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Fascinating material. I think you should add, or at least citations for it, it as you see fit. Slrubenstein | Talk 16:50, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

It really is amazing stuff! It should also be in the main article Jewish view of Jesus.
David Flusser, "Hillel's Self-Awareness" in Judaism and the Origins of Christianity (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, 1988), p. 509f.
"A high self-esteem, both with regard to one's personal and one's religious standing, did exist in Judaism of the Second Temple period. We have not only learned about the Essene Teacher of Righteousness, but we can now also study the author of the Thanksgiving Scroll, a man who considered himself the mediator of divine mysteries. Additional evidence for the occurrence of an exalted self-awareness in the Second Temple period is to be found in some sayings of Hillel, who died before Jesus was born. Hillel is known as an unequalled humble and meek teacher and man. But as we will see, Hillel's self-esteem was very high, so exceptionally high that in later rabbinical tradition it was often denied that he really spoke about himself in those exalted sayings, but it was assumed he was referring to God. [Both are true: the human sees the world from the divine perspective.]
Hillel says [while identifying himself with God], 'To the place that my heart loves, there my feet lead me. If you will come in my house, I will come in your house, but if you will not come in my house, I will not come in your house. As it is said: (Ex. 20.24): "In every place where I [God/Hillel] cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you"'. [tSukkah 4,3, bSukkah 53a.]
[Whoever receives Hillel receives God, and reciprocally Hillel and God receive them.] The second saying is even more paradoxical.
[Hillel], 'If I am here, all is here. If I am not here, what is here?' [bSukkah 53a.]
It expresses a far-reaching idea: the individual, represented by Hillel himself, is so to say, the whole universe. It is even probable that Hillel, as in the other saying, has himself quoted biblical words of God [paraphrastically to refer to himself]. This does not mean, however, that in both of these sayings not Hillel but God is speakng. On the contrary, Hillel's self-awareness is so exalted that he could quote as biblical proof [about himself] God's utterances!
[Similarly, both Jesus and Hillel do the laws of God even if others don't.]
Jesus said (Luke 11.23), "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters".
Hillel (Sifre Zutta), "(Ps. 119.126) 'It is time to act for the Lord; they have broken thy law'. And so says Hillel: 'In the time when men scatter [= 'break thy law'], gather [= 'act for the Lord']! In the place where there are no men, there be a man!"
[By doing God's law, they are one with the will of God.] Haldrik 16:58, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Should we just go straight to working on the Judaism section, Haldrik seems to know a good bit about the general Jewish consensus. Homestarmy 19:20, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Let us not get off-track on Hillel. Haldrik, you simply cannot use Vermes as a source here. Vermes is not claiming to represent the "Jewish" view, he is a historian providing a historian's interpretation. Vermes is putting Gospel accounts in their historical context, that is not the same thing as representing a Jewish view of Jesus. I have the same concern about Flusser - he was a professor of comparative religion and is expressing the view of an academic. That he happens to be Jewish is incidental when he is making claims as a professor of comparative religion. In short, Flusser and Vermes belong in the Cultural and historical background of Jesus article. Haldrik, I urge you to work on that article and incorporate these views - properly cited and in compliance with NPOV - into that article. An article on jewish views of Jesus has to be people claiming to represent a specifically Jewish view. Buber may qualify, but not Flusser and definitely not Vermes. Slrubenstein | Talk 13:04, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] False prophet?

The current wording of the Judaism's view is inaccurate. Certain Jewish traditions (such as Habad) teach Jesus is a "false prophet", but Judaism as a whole is more nuanced. Or at least more complex.

Judaism doesn't believe Nonjews must convert to Judaism to live a meritorious life in the eyes of God. In this sense, Judaism doesn't believe it is forbidden for Nonjews to believe in Christianity. It is only forbidden for Jews to believe in Christianity. The critical distinction is between Jewish versus Nonjewish, not between true versus "false". Jewish concerns about Trinity and Incarnation are a known problematic, and Jewish tradition has an ongoing debate about whether Christians are to be understood as Noahide or not. IIRC, Reform Judaism considers Christians to be Noahide. And IIRC, in Israel the Bet Din recognized a certain local group of "Noahide Baptists" as fulfilling the Noahide criteria, and thus permitted to study Talmud in an Orthodox context. It's not, Christianity is a "false" religion, but a Nonjewish religion.

The Rambam holds a similar view. Whereas Christianity was a debacle for Jews, it appears to be a good thing for Nonjews because it prepares them for the Messianic Era, in his view. (Hilkhot Melakhim 11.10f.) As such, it can't be said that Christianity is "false", merely Nonjewish.

The distinction between Jewish versus Nonjewish (as opposed to true versus false) is the concern of Reform Judaism. A telling example is Reform's position on Jesus's instructions for prayer, often called the Lord's Prayer. It is the essence of Jesus's own belief system. He notably doesn't ask his students to pray to him or through him. He tells his students they must pray to God only ("our Father who art in heaven" = אבינו שבשמים). And so on. The Reform Responsa says,

"The problem does not lie with the origin of the prayer, or its Talmudic parallels (Ber. 16b f, 29b; Tosefta Ber. 3.7), but with the fact that Jesus taught it to his disciples (Matt. 6.9 ff; Luke 11.1 ff). Furthermore, it has become the central prayer of Christianity, and, in fact, is one of the strongest bonds between the Catholic and Protestant forms of Christianity. Although its content is neutral and it does not contain any direct reference to Christianity, its origin with Jesus and its strong Christian overtones makes its [religious] use unacceptable to Jews." (CCAR Responsa 171.)

It's not the "falseness" of Jesus's instructions which is the problem (indeed in this case it is deemed "truth") but its Nonjewish religious context.

The comfortability with noting the orthodoxy of Jesus's own Judaism while not assigning any special status for him in Judaism, is a significant viewpoint of many Jewish academicians, whether Reform or Orthodox. Haldrik 04:41, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

You might need to copy this down to the bottom of the page for more people to notice this. If we can get those sources cited properly, then im sure we can work something out in the wording. Homestarmy 04:46, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

I might point out the Christian side. Some see James' decision in Acts 15 as being based on Noahide laws. Big debate over circumcision. Arch O. La 05:02, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Let's just stick with what authoritive Jewish sources state about whether Jesus is a prophet, false prophet, etc. Haldrik you began with an assertion about Judaism being nuanced about whether Jesus is considered a false prophet, but then proceeded on an entirely different line about whether nonJews should convert to Judaism, Judaism verses Christianity, and the subject of Noachides, etc. Remember, the article is about Jesus, not the whole of the Judaism-Christianity debate. Back to whether Judaism views Jesus as a false prophet, there are plenty of sources we can cite from the broad spectrum of Judaism to confirm this view. Rabbi Shraga Simmons from Aish for example (he's not Lubavitch/Chabad) makes it clear that from the perspective of Judaism, Jesus is a false prophet because "anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet. (Deut. 13:1-4)"[12]. I'm sure other sources can be dug up if necessary. Can you cite anything from an authoritive Jewish source that contradicts this? --MPerel ( talk | contrib) 05:56, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Since when did Jesus seek to change the Torah? He said not one jot or tittle shall pass away. (These are the smallest marks in Hebrew text, AFAIK.) rossnixon 06:21, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
Concerning Noahides, my point is: it is possible for Christians to be Noahide and thus in good standing before God, and therefore it can't be said Jesus is "false" for these Nonjews.
Habad may opine Jesus is a false prophet because "anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet", but that is precisely the question. Many Jews notice Jesus did not change the Torah. Jesus immerses in Judaism and has little contact with Nonjews. In fact, Paul is the one who innovates a non-Torah spirituality specifically for his Nonjewish community. Perhapse Paul "changes the Torah", but not Jesus.
It seems necessary to find exactly which text explicitly says, "Jesus is a false prophet". Reform Judaims doesn't say this, the Rambam doesn't seem to say this, and the Talmud doesn't seem to say this. Haldrik 06:31, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
I beg to differ on what Reform Judaism says about it, here, for example, is a Reform Jewish organization comparing Jesus to the false prophet Balaam [13] I'm not sure where you have the idea only Chabad says this. And concerning it being possible for Noachides or Christians to be in good standing before God, I have no argument with you that Judaism teaches that, but that's a separate issue from whether Jesus is considered a false prophet according to Judaism. --MPerel ( talk | contrib) 06:47, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
The particular Reform Rabbi you reference didn't say Jesus was a false prophet. He specifically asked for the sake of initiating an important discussion, "Look up in New Testament how Jesus introduces his prophecies. Is he another Balaam?" The question rather than the statement is indicative of the Reform position.
Also, Haldrik, tell me whether these words indicate the Rambam (Maimonides) found Jesus to be a false prophet: Maimonides says it unapologetically in his "Letter to Yemen": "Jesus of Nazareth... impelled people to believe that he was a prophet sent by God to clarify perplexities in the Torah, and that he was the Messiah that was predicted by each and every seer. He interpreted the Torah and its precepts in such a fashion as to lead to their total annulment, to the abolition of all its commandments and to the violation of its prohibitions." [14] --MPerel ( talk | contrib) 07:05, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
The Rambam does not call Jesus a "false prophet". The text in question actually says this:
"Yeshua Ha-Nozri: ... that one brought (others) to think that that one (was) sent from God to clarify the doubtfulness of the Torah and that that one (was the) Messiah, designated for us by each prophet, and explicated the Torah (with) an explication that brings (others) to an invalidating of the Torah and all the commandments" (הוא הביא לחשוב שהוא שלוח מהשם לבאר ספקות התורה, ושהוא משיח היעוד לנו על יד כל נביא ופרש התורה פירוש המביא לביטול כל התורה וכל מצוותיה).
The Rambam distinguishes between Jesus himself and the opinions that others came "to think" about him. In fact, in the rest of the text of the Yemen Letter, the Rambam clearly distinguishes between Jesus the person and Christianity the religion, and even shows sympathy for Jesus the person, who is not necessarily responsible for the excesses of Christianity. The Rambam says, "The beginning of whoever found this knowledge (of Christianity) is Yeshua Ha-Nozri, and he is from Yisrael" (ותחילת מי שמצא זו הדעת, היה ישוע הנוצרי, והוא מישראל). Jesus is the beginning of Christianity, which is in his name. However Jesus is not the one who "found" Christianity ... "whoever" that was. In a show of sympathy, the Rambam goes so far as to deny that Jesus is a bastard. He says he is the child of a Yisrelit mother and a Goy father, but that his birth was "kosher". And that the accusation that he is a bastard is just a slur to deligitimize him.
Again, the Rambam doesn't call Jesus a "false prophet". He identifies Jesus as a legitimate Jew and carefully distinguishes between him and Christianity. Of course, Christianity invalidates the Torah and is hostile to Judaism. Nevertheless, a distinction between Jesus and the Christianity after him seems to be an important opinion of Judaism, and even of the Rambam. Haldrik 16:12, 28 February 2006 (UTC)


Are we heading right back into the meaning of Judaism debate again? :/. Can't we just mention all these different views in the section, mentioning what group they all belong to and whatnot? Homestarmy 17:40, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
"Judaism" in this context means Rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of Herod's Temple. Homes, let's not debate this again. Let them sort out the citations. Arch O. La 02:10, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

Haldrik, as far as I can follow this discussion, you are violating our NOR policy by making your own synthetic and analytic claims. It doesn't matter how reasonable those claims are, or how much evidence you have: editors cannot edit articles based on their own conclusion concerning a topic. All Jews I know reject Jesus as a false messiah and false prophet, and one who abnegated the Torah. It is not hard to find sources for this. Now, I am sure that there are alternative and opposing views, and when you find verifiable sources, we can include them. Slrubenstein | Talk 16:13, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

Scholars such as Flusser, Vermes, Buber, and so on, don't believe Jesus is a false prophet. Flusser and Buber who are Orthodox and deeply observant see no conflict between their scholarly conclusions and their Judaism. Reform Judaism doesn't believe Jesus is a false prophet. They all confirm Christianity is incompatable with Judaism, however maintain Jesus is a Jew, not a Christian. Haldrik 16:12, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Haldrik, there are a number of sources which indicate that Judaism considers Jesus to be a false prophet. The fact that all branches seem to agree that Malachi was the last prophet should be indication enough that they don't consider later individuals such as Jesus (or Muhammad or Joseph Smith or anyone else) to be a real prophet. If you have any sources from mainstream denominations of Judaism that indicate that Jesus was a true prophet, or "tsaddik", or any other term you have used to describe him, please bring them forward. Jayjg (talk) 19:00, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

You said, "There are a number of sources which indicate that Judaism considers Jesus to be a false prophet." Please identify them, so we can get a sense of who exactly says this. The Rambam did not. Haldrik 16:12, 28 February 2006 (UTC)
By all means, if Haldrik has the citations to prove that the definition of Judaism we're using in the article has no consensus on the false prophet thing, it seems to me such a development needs some real examination. Besides, Jesus wasn't a Jew or a Christian, He was God :D. Homestarmy 16:19, 28 February 2006 (UTC)
Homestarmy, this article doesn't have a special definition for Judaism, it just uses the standard one. And please use these pages for the purpose for which they are intended, not for religious polemics or statements of faith. Thanks. Jayjg (talk) 18:17, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Haldrik, instead of us going in circles, why don't you propose what you consider an NPOV statement to add to the article. If you propose something concrete, including a quotation from Buber and Flusser, we can see if anyone has objections and if not, you can actually add it to the article. There is so much talk here on the topic and you can end it all if you propose a short summary of this view with the appropriate sources. I am not asking you what your sources are - I am asking you to make a concrete proposal that includes acceptable sources. Slrubenstein | Talk 16:36, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Haldrik, you've already been given links to references from two separate Jewish groups, each of which consider Jesus to be a false prophet. Here's a non-Orthodox source which says the same thing: [15], and another Orthodox one.[16] As far as Miamonides' views go, he stated Even Jesus the Christian, who thought he was the Messiah... was the subject of a prophesy in the Book of Daniel (11, 14): "...also the renegades of your people will exalt themselves to fulfill the vision - but they will stumble." Could there be a greater stumbling block than this [Jesus]? For all the prophets spoke of the Messiah who will redeem and save Israel, who will ingather all its exiles, and who will strengthen them in the fulfillment of the Torah's commandments - while he [Jesus] caused Israel to be killed by the sword, their remnants to be dispersed and humiliated, the Torah to be switched for something else, and most of the world to worship a G-d other than the G-d of Israel! Contrary to your portrayal, that's hardly a ringing endorsement of the man or his views, is it? Now which denomination (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform) views him as anything else but a false prophet? Jayjg (talk) 22:48, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

You may misunderstand the viewpoint. For example, you provided a "non-Orthodox source" that rejects the Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Nonjewish definition of "Messiah", the insufficiency of the Torah, and so on. There is no disagreement about this. Judaism unanimously rejects these Christian doctrines. Yet the viewpoint notes, Jesus himself seems to not believe in these Christian doctrines either. An examination of what Jesus himself says and does confirms he is a Torah-observant Jew. Compassionate, monotheistic and halakhic - in other words, orthodox. By contrast, Jesus never even met those people who later develope the Christian doctrines, such as Paul of Tarsus and the Nicene Council. In short, Christianity is incompatable with Judaism. But Jesus isn't a Christian. He's a Judaic Jew.
With regard to the Mishneh Torah, here too, the Rambam clearly distinguishes between Jesus (singular) and those "renegades" (plural). It was the other people (such as Paul of Tarsus) who in the future "would be carried (away) to make stand a vision. And stumbled". Not Jesus.
With regard to Jesus, the Rambam uses cautious language. He says the following, depending on how you read it: "Yeshua Ha-Nozri likened that he would be (the) Messiah", or simply, "Yeshua Ha-Nozri imagined that (the) Messiah would be" (ישוע הנוצרי שדימה שיהיה משיח). Jesus compares himself to the Messiah or suspects he might one day be the Messiah (as other honorable Jews have done, such as Hillel and Schneerson), or else simply believes the Messiah can arrive at any moment. In any case, the Rambam's description of Jesus is sympathetic and reserves judgment. By contrast, the Rambam's description about Christianity is unequivocal. While mixed because he feels Christianity might be helpful for Nonjews, he declares Christianity is incompatable with Torah and unacceptable for Jews. Nevertheless, the Rambam separates his opinions about Christianity from his opinions about Jesus. Haldrik 05:06, 1 March 2006 (UTC)
Miamonides could not have been clearer; he says that Jesus is one of the "renegades" that Daniel predicts, that Jesus himself caused Israel to be killed by the sword, their remnants to be dispersed and humiliated, the Torah to be switched for something else, and most of the world to worship a G-d other than the G-d of Israel!. It could hardly be more clear, your astounding apologetics notwithstanding. Jayjg (talk) 18:33, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

In The Real Messiah: A Jewish Response to Missionaries (p. 3) [17], Aryeh Kaplan too refers to the Jewish viewpoint that distinguishes between Jesus the person and Christianity the religion. Jesus himself is a Torah-oriented Jew. Jesus isn't the founder of Christianity (in its current form). Rather the founder of Christianity is Paul of Tarsus, who isn't a Torah-oriented Jew. Kaplan says,

"Soon after the death of Jesus, we find a marked change in the teachings of his followers. Christianity as we know it began during this period in the work of Paul of Tarsus. Although he had never seen Jesus alive, he claimed to have spoken to him in spirit. Under Paul’s leadership, many of the distinctive doctrines of Christianity were first proclaimed, and, for the most part, they have never changed."

Jesus is a Judaic Jew and isn't the source of the Nonjewish doctrines of Christianity. It's a well established Jewish viewpoint. It can be found in all branches of Judaism, including Orthodox and Reform. Haldrik 12:57, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

Haldrik, at this point I must confess that I have no idea what you think you are doing. I have twice asked you to make a concrete proposal. But it seems that you prefer arguing over working on the article. That is a shame because you have obviously done some serious research. But if you cannot make a specific proposal, there is no point to this.
I'm not arguing for the sake of arguing. I'm hoping to communicate there is indeed a variety of Jewish opinions about Jesus. Haldrik 13:30, 1 March 2006 (UTC)
I hope that you will actually respond positively to this third invitation to make a specific proposal. I think that if your proposal is to gain support, there are three things it must be clear on: (1) the distinction between formal views expressed by major Jewish organizations and movements (e.g. the Rabbinic Assembly, or the American Jewish Committee, or the Orthodox union, or Agudath Israel, or the Union for Reform Judaism) versus views expressed independently by major Jewish thinkers (e.g. Kaplan and Buber). I think there is room for both kinds of views, but only if we make a clear distinction between the two; (2) the distinction between Jesus and Christianity - some Jews draw a distinction, some do not, and both views are valid as long as they can be backed up by verifiable sources; (3) Jesus as false messiah versus Jesus as a thoughtful first century Jew - again, a distinction some Jews make, others do not.
A final observation: it seems to me that you, Jayjg, and Mperel are getting bogged down in a pointless, counterproductive argument over (3) because each of you is taking a different position concerning (1) or (2), without explicitly addressing them as separate points. I think as long as youse guys keep using one point to make other points, or conflate these three points, youse will continue to talk past one another. If youse can discuss each point one at a time, perhaps we can get past this pointless argument and make actual progress. I hope so, because I think the result will be an improvement over what we currently have. I urge you to try to develop a proposal that is acceptable to others and which will therefore end up in the article, and I hope my comment about discerning three different points will be constructive. But unless you can propose something that could actually go into the article, this is a waste of time. Please take this in the spirit in which I offer it: I don't want to argue with you and I am not trying to knock you and your research. I am trying to encourage you to put it to good use. Slrubenstein | Talk 13:17, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

The bottom line here is that the section is a summary section containing cited views of Judaism about Jesus. Not a lengthy dissertation what we imagine people to have meant, not what a small number of 20th century philosophers have said about him. Jayjg (talk) 18:33, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

In any case, in Judaism, the word "prophet" (נביא) is a specific word with a specific meaning, a word that the authoritative Rabbinic texts do NOT use to describe the historical Jesus. I can't help but feel that Jayjg is imposing the Habad POV, and not the NPOV. Judaism is bigger than Habad. As I have said, the majority of Rabbis I know distinguish between the historical Jesus and the Christian religion. The Rabbinic literature of Judaism also maintains this distinction. Haldrik 05:03, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure how this could be the "Habad POV", when a number of non-Habad sources say the same thing. Jayjg (talk) 20:28, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

Not to mention, the main article of the Jewish views of Jesus, which I did not write, even opens with the unambiguous words that in Judaism "there are a diversity of Jewish views of Jesus." This is simply the accurate statement. Haldrik 05:12, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

There are millions of Jewish views of Jesus; that's why this article is sticking to what Judaism has to say on the subject. Jayjg (talk) 20:28, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

WikiProject Judaism:

  • Wikipedia's NPOV policy often means multiple points of view. This means providing not only the points of view of different groups today, but different groups in the past.
  • Wikipedia articles on history and religion draw from a religion's sacred texts, in this case including the Torah, Tanakh, Mishnah, Tosefta, the two Talmuds, midrashic literature and the responsa literature. But Wikipedia articles on history and religion also draw from modern archaeological, historical and scientific sources.

In answer to Slrub, I hope to work together with the other contributors to briefly summarize the various points of view. Haldrik 09:03, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

I am glad to hear it, and I hope so. Jayjg is a very well-respected editor, and I believe if the two of you were able to reach an agreement, the result will have been worth the discussion. To that end, I urge you to take the three distinctions I mention above seriously. I do not believe that the views represented should be limited to official representatives of the RA or OU, but I do agree that there is a big difference between a view held by a Jew, and a Jewish view. Along these lines, I also think it is important to distinguish between a scholar of Judaism and a Jewish scholar (for example, a historian who happens to be Jewish can study the history of Christianity or 1st century Palestine and write about Jesus - such writing would exemplify what critical historians think about Jesus, not what Jews think about Jesus). One last word of advice: this article is not the appropriate place for a nuanced account of the full range of Jewish positions. It may be that many of the details you have brought up here are appropriate for a different (and linked) article on Jewish views of jesus. for this article, however, the section on Jewish views is rightly short, and it only makes sense to limit it to a summary of well-established and mainstream views. I hope you do contribute to that, but I bet most of your efforts on this talk page would be better served in a separate article that can fully contextualize the range of views. Slrubenstein | Talk 12:20, 2 March 2006 (UTC)
I'm in general agreement with what you say; the small section in this article is focussing on the mainstream views of Judaism. The views of philosophers or historians who happen to be Jewish are not relevant at all. Jayjg (talk) 20:28, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

Please continue this discussion at Talk:Jewish views of Jesus[18]. I propose that Jayjg and Haldrake and others work on that article until both are satisfied. Then we can work on a summary for this article.

And please move this section of Talk:Jesus there. Arch O. LaTalkTCF 03:11, 5 March 2006 (UTC)