The Development of
Orthodox Christianity
and the New Testament
By Ed Hensley
My Background
• Southern Baptist
• Texas
• Fundamentalist Churches
• Moderate Family
• Not fluent in Hebrew, Greek, or Latin
• Not a scholar
• Send corrections to EdwinHensley@gmail.com
Outline of this Study
Today’s Lessons In Bold
• Early Versions of Christianity
• Development of Orthodox Christianity
• Development of Christian Canons
• Editing the Books of the Canons
• Books No Longer in the Canon(s)
• Selecting Books for the Canons
• Development of Anti-Judaism in Christianity – This Lesson
• Non-Canonical Books and Myths referenced in the NT
• Important Contradictions in the NT and OT
Development of
Anti-Judaism in Early
Christianity
Historical Background
• Ancient Judaism evolved from the ancient Canaanite
Religion. El Elyon was the most high god of many gods.
• Ancient Hebrews became monolithic. They believed in
many gods, but Hebrews should only worship their god
named Yahweh.
• Ancient Hebrews evolved into monotheism around 6th
century BCE, believing Yahweh was the only god.
Historical Background
• In 587 BCE, the southern Kingdom of Judah with its
capital Jerusalem had been conquered by the
Babylonians who destroyed the First Temple and forced
the Jewish population into exile, known as the
Babylonian exile. Fifty years later, Cyrus of Persia
permitted the Jews to return and build yet a new temple,
the Second Temple, only to have it destroyed by the
Romans in 70 CE. Thus, the span of Jewish history from
515 BCE to 70 CE is often referred to as the Second
Temple period. Within it are four subdivisions:
(Wikipedia)
Historical Background
• The Persian Period (ca. 537-332 BCE).
•
•
•
•
Jewish nation ruled by high priests
Minimal interference from the Persian kings
Synagogues became significant sites for teaching and worship
The Torah became the focal point of their religion
• The Hellenistic Period (ca. 332-167 BCE)
• The Holy Land came under Greek control during conquests by
Alexander the Great
• 198-167 BCE was a reign of terror during which Jews suffered
horrible atrocities from Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King of Syria,
who sought to exterminate Judaism by force
Historical Background
• The Hasmonean Period (167-63 BCE)
• Jewish rebels nicknamed "Maccabees" ("hammers") led revolt
against Antiochus and won independence. Rededication of the
Second Temple (defiled by Antiochus) is the origin of Hanukkah.
Two important Jewish sects, Pharisees and Sadducees, emerged.
• The Roman Period (63 BCE – 70CE)
• Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem in 63 BCE
• Herod the Great appointed King of the Jews by the Roman
Senate (37 - 4 BCE)
• Census of Quirinius (CE 6)
• Judea was a Roman Province (6 – 135 CE)
Judean Coin 68 CE
A coin issued by the rebels in 68, note Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. Obverse: "Shekel,
Israel. Year 3." Reverse: "Jerusalem the Holy“ – Wikipedia.com
Roman Coin Celebrating Judean Captivity
An ancient Roman coin. The inscription reads IVDEA CAPTA. The
coins inscribed Ivdaea Capta (Judea Captured) were issued
throughout the Empire to demonstrate the futility of possible future
rebellions. Judea was represented by a crying woman. –
Wikipedia.com
Roman Coin Celebrating Jewish Captivity
Roman denarius depicting Titus, circa 79. The reverse commemorates
his triumph in the Judaean wars, representing a Jewish captive kneeling
in front of a trophy of arms. – Wikipedia.com
Romans Looting Jewish Treasure
The treasures of Jerusalem taken by the Romans (detail from the Arch of
Titus). Wikipedia.com
Tree Of Christian Sects!
Notice that there are a
multitude of arrows
leading to the Imperial
Church in 325 CE. This tree
more accurately
represents reality. There
were, in fact, a multitude
of many different
Christian sects prior to
325 CE.
Heretical Sects & The Council of Nicea
Jesus Was a Hard Core
Jew in Early Gospels
John: Christians & “The Jews” Are Separate
Son of
David
Matthew
Son of
Man
Son of
God
King Of just "the
The Jews jews"
Rabbi
10
30
8
4
4
1
Mark
3
14
3
4
5
1
Luke
4
25
6
0
3
1
John
0
12
5
7
5
25
Some manuscripts do not have “Son of God” in Mark 1.
Jesus Calls a Gentile Woman a Dog
• Mark 7: 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose
little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at
his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She
begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
• 27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not
right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
• 28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the
children’s crumbs.”
• 29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has
left your daughter.”
• 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the
demon gone.
Jesus Calls a Gentile Woman a Dog
• Matt 15: 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him,
crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is
demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
• 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and
urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
• 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
• 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she
said.
• 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it
to the dogs.”
• 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall
from their master’s table.”
• 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your
request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Jesus Upholds Jewish Law
Matthew 5: 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the
Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth
disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the
least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will
be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever
practices and teaches these commands will be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your
righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers
of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Legend of
Pontius Pilate:
Blame the Jews,
Not the Romans
Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pilate
presenting a scourged Jesus to the people of Jerusalem. - wikipedia
Mark: Pilate & Jews Agree On Verdict
Mark 15:1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with
the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin,
made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and
handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again
Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many
things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
Mark: Pilate & Jews Agree On Verdict
6 Now
it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner ...
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked
Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests
had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up
the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the
Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them.
He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Matthew: Pilate Washes His Hands
Matt 27:11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the
governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he
gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the
testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no
reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of
the governor.
…17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them,
“Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus
Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew
it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to
him.
Matthew: Pilate Washes His Hands
19 While
Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent
him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that
innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a
dream because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to
ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked
the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered.
[Italics added to show text not found in Mark]
Matthew: Pilate Washes His Hands
22 “What
shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead
an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in
front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It
is your responsibility!”
25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our
children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,
and handed him over to be crucified.
[Italics added to show text not found in Mark]
Matthew: Pilate Washes His Hands
• The details added by the author of Matthew imply that
Pilate (the Roman authority) was innocent and that the
Jews were guilty of sending Jesus to his crucifixion.
• The dream of Pilate’s wife shows that god was warning
Pilate to avoid his (Roman) involvement.
• Pilate washes his hands, implying that the blood of Jesus is
on the hands of the Jews, not on him (or Rome).
• The phrase “His blood is on us and on our
children!” was used by Christians to kill Jews
for centuries.
Gospel Of Peter: Jews Refuse to Wash Hands
• A fragment of the Gospel of Peter was discovered in 1884 in a
tomb at Akhmimin Egypt.
Gospel of Peter:[1] But of the Jews none washed his hands,
neither Herod nor one of his judges. And since they did not
desire to wash, Pilate stood up. [2] And then Herod the king
orders the Lord to be taken away, having said to them, 'What I
ordered you to do, do.'
• Not only does the Roman Pilate wash his hands (apparently),
but the Jews refuse to wash their hands, implying that they
accept the guilt and the consequences for the crucifixion of
Jesus.
Gospel Of Peter: “Woe To Our Sins”
• [20] And at the same hour the veil of the Jerusalem
sanctuary was torn into two. [21] And they drew out the nails
from the hands of the Lord and placed him on the earth; and
all the earth was shaken, and a great fear came about. [22]
Then the sun shone, and it was found to be the ninth hour.
[23] And the Jews rejoiced and gave his body to Joseph that
he might bury it, since he was one who had seen the many
good things he did. [24] And having taken the Lord, he
washed and tied him with a linen cloth and brought him into
his own sepulcher, called the Garden of Joseph.
• [25] Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, having
come to know how much wrong they had done themselves,
began to beat themselves and say: 'Woe to our sins. The
judgment has approached and the end of Jerusalem.'
Gospel Of Peter: “Behold How Just He Was”
[28] But the scribes and Pharisees and elders, having gathered
together with one another, having heard that all the people
were murmuring and beating their breasts, saying that 'If at
his death these very great signs happened, behold how just he
was,' [29] feared (especially the elders) and came before Pilate,
begging him and saying, [30] 'Give over soldiers to us in order
that we may safeguard his burial place for three days, lest,
having come, his disciples steal him, and the people accept
that he is risen from the death, and they do us wrong.' …[32]
And having rolled a large stone, all who were there, together
with the centurion and the soldiers, placed it against the door
of the burial place. [33] And they marked it with seven wax
seals; and having pitched a tent there, they safeguarded it.
Gospel Of Peter: Talking Cross
…the soldiers were safeguarding it … there was a loud voice in heaven; [36]
and they saw that the heavens were opened and that two males who had
much radiance had come down from there and come near the sepulcher.
[37] But that stone which had been thrust against the door, having rolled by
itself, went a distance off the side; and the sepulcher opened, and both the
young men entered. [38] And so those soldiers, having seen, awakened the
centurion and the elders (for they too were present, safeguarding). [39] And
… they see three males who have come out from they sepulcher, with the
two supporting the other one, and a cross following them, [40] and the head
of the two reaching unto heaven, but that of the one being led out by a
hand by them going beyond the heavens. [41] And they were hearing a
voice from the heavens saying, 'Have you made proclamation to the fallenasleep?' [42] And an obeisance was heard from the cross, 'Yes.' [43]
Gospel Of Peter: Female Disciples Fear Jews
[50] Now … Mary Magdalene, a female disciple of the Lord
(who, afraid because of the Jews since they were inflamed
with anger, had not done at the tomb of the Lord what
women were accustomed to do for the dead beloved by
them), [51] having taken with her women friends, came to
the tomb where he had been placed. [52] And they were
afraid lest the Jews should see them and were saying, 'If
indeed on that day on which he was crucified we could not
weep and beat ourselves, yet now at his tomb we may do
these things.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gospelpeter.html
Legend Of Pilate Continues
• Christians started blaming fall of Jerusalem on Jews in 2nd Century.
• ~200 CE Tertullian mentions legendary letter from Pilate to
Tiberius indicating that Christ was divine. Tiberius brings motion
to Roman Senate to have Jesus declared a god. Senate refused, so
Jesus not in Roman pantheon at time of Nicea.
• Legend says Pilate converted to Christianity.
• In medieval legend “Surrender of Pilate”, while on trial Pilate says,
“Almighty King, I am innocent of these things; it is the multitude
of the Jews who are reckless and guilty.”
• God says to Pilate(whose head is on chopping block), “All
generations of Gentiles shall call you blessed… and you yourself
shall appear as my witness at my 2nd coming.”
Christians Reinterpret
The Old Testament:
It’s All About Jesus!
Dilemma Over Jewish Scriptures
• Hebrew Bible gave Christians claim of antiquity.
• However, circumcision and many laws are not popular.
• Most Christians were former pagans, who had no long
connections to Judaism.
• However, Jesus and his disciples were Jewish.
• How could Christians claim to be heirs of Jewish scriptures
when they do not keep its laws?
• Ignatius and others started writing that Christ himself was
the point of the Hebrew scriptures.
• An excellent example is the Epistle of Barnabas.
Epistle (letter) of Barnabas
• Ascribed to Barnabas, a companion of Paul.
• Written around 80 – 120 CE.
• Included in Codex Sinaiticus with 27 books of NT and
Shepherd of Hermas. Oldest set of NT books (4th century).
• Considered sacred by many early Christian authorities.
• Argues that
• Christians, not Jews, were heirs to the promises made to the
patriarchs of Israel.
• The OT is a Christian, not a Jewish, book.
• The Jews have always adhered to a false religion.
• Jews misunderstand everything about OT.
Codex Sinaiticus
• Oldest (4th Century) collection of
27 books of NT plus Shepherd of
Hermes and The Epistle of
Barnabas. These two books are at
the end but are not indicated as
being inferior to the other 27
books.
• Discovered 1859 at foot of
Monastery of St. Catherine at the
foot of Mt. Sinai in Palestine.
• Some of the OT is missing.
An opening from one of the two
bound volumes at The British Library.
Epistle of Barnabas
• Jews abandoned the covenant when they turned to Idols while Moses
received the 10 Commandments.
4:6 … ye should take heed unto yourselves, and not be like unto certain
men, by adding to your sins and saying that their covenant is also ours.
Ours [Christians], indeed, it is; but they [Jews] have lost it for ever, in
this wise, after that Moses had already received it.
4:7 For the scripture saith, And Moses was in the mount fasting forty
days and nights, and he received the covenant from the Lord; even
tables of stone written with the finger of the hand of the Lord. But
when they turned unto idols they lost it.
4:8 For the Lord saith thus unto Moses, Moses, get thee down quickly,
for thy people, whom thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have
done unlawfully. And Moses understood, and cast the two
tables from his hands, and the covenant that was on them was broken;
to the end that that of the beloved Jesus might be sealed in our hearts in
the hope of his faith.
Epistle of Barnabas
• Jews have been deluded by an evil angel.
• Jewish trust in circumcision (covenant with god) is no longer
valid.
• 9:4 To this end, therefore, hath he circumcised our
[Christian] hearing, that when we hear his word, we should
believe; for the circumcision in which they [Jews] trust is
done away with. For he hath said that circumcision is
not that which was made in the flesh; but they have
transgressed, for an evil angel hath deluded them.
Epistle of Barnabas
• Jews misinterpret dietary laws. They are spiritual metaphors
and not meant to be taken literally.
• 10:1 |But in that Moses said, Thou shalt not eat the swine, nor
the eagle, nor the hawk, nor the crow, nor any fish that hath not
scales in itself, he had in his mind three doctrines.
10:2 For in the end he saith unto them in Deuteronomy, And I will
arrange before this people my ordinances. The commandment of
God is not, therefore, that they should not eat; but Moses spake
in a spiritual sense.
10:3 He spake of the swine with this meaning: Thou shalt not
cleave, he meaneth, unto men of this sort, who are like unto
swine, for when they become wanton they forget their Lord, but
when they are in want they think upon the Lord; even as the
swine when it eateth knoweth not its lord, but when it is hungry
it crieth, and when it hath received it is again silent.
Epistle of Barnabas
• Jews misinterpret dietary laws. They are spiritual metaphors and
not meant to be taken literally.
• 10:4 Nor shalt thou eat of the eagle, nor of the hawk, nor of the
kite, nor of the crow. Thou shalt not, he meaneth, cleave to, nor
be like to men of this sort, who know not how to provide
sustenance for themselves by labour and sweat, but in their
iniquity seize the property of others, and, as though they walked
in innocence, watch and observe whom they shall plunder,
through their covetousness; even as these birds alone provide
not sustenance for themselves by means of toil, but, sitting idle,
seek out how they may eat the flesh of others, being destructive
by reason of their wickedness.
10:5 And thou shalt not eat, he saith, of the lamprey, or the
polypus, or the cuttle-fish. Thou shalt not, he meaneth, cleave to
or become like unto men of this sort, who are impious unto the
end, and have been already condemned to death, even as these
accursed fish alone swim in the depth, not floating as the others
do, but dwelling in the earth below the depth of the sea.
Epistle of Barnabas
• Jews misinterpret dietary laws. They are spiritual
metaphors and not meant to be taken literally.
10:6 Thus, he saith, Thou shalt not eat the hare, meaning
thou shalt not indulge in unnatural lusts;
10:7 nor shalt thou eat the hyaena, meaning thou shalt not
be an adulterer;
10:8 nor shalt thou eat the weazel, meaning thou shalt not
do uncleanness with thy mouth concerning food;
10:9 therefore Moses spake in the spirit these three
doctrines. But they [Jews], according to the lusts of their
flesh, received them as being about meat.
Epistle of Barnabas
• Jews misunderstand the Sabbath – It is all about Jesus and the
future apocalypse! First writer to claim world ends after 6,000 years.
15:5 And the words, He rested on the seventh day, signify this: After
that his Son hath come, and hath caused to cease the time of the
wicked one, and hath judged the ungodly, and changed the sun and
the moon and the stars, then shall he rest well on the seventh day.
15:8 And, further, he saith unto them, Your new moons and your
sabbaths I cannot endure. See, now, what he meaneth. The sabbaths,
that now are, are not acceptable unto me, but that which I have
made is, even that in which, after that I have brought all things to an
end, I shall make a beginning of the
eighth day, which thing is the beginning of another world.
15:9 Wherefore we keep the eighth day as a day of gladness, on
which also Jesus rose from the dead, and after he had appeared
ascended unto heaven.
Historical Persecution
of the Jews since 70 CE
Pagan Roman Persecution of the Jews
70: The Roman Army destroyed Jerusalem, killed over 1 million Jews,
took about 100,000 into slavery and captivity, and scattered many
from Palestine to other locations in the Roman Empire.
Circa 115 -117: Jews in Cyprus, Cyrene, Egypt and parts of Mesopotamia
revolted against the Roman Empire in what is known as the Kitos War.
This caused the death of several hundreds of thousands of Romans
and Jews. The Roman Legions eventually crushed the rebellions.
132: Bar Kochba led a hopeless three-year revolt against the Roman
Empire. Many Jews had accepted him as the Messiah. About a halfmillion Jews were killed; thousands were sold into slavery or taken
into captivity. The rest were exiled from Palestine and scattered
throughout the known world, adding to what is now called the
"Diaspora." Judaism was no longer recognized as a legal religion.
Pagan Roman Persecution of the Jews
135: Serious Roman persecution of the Jews began. They were
forbidden, upon pain of death, from practicing circumcision,
reading the Torah, eating unleavened bread at Passover, etc. A
temple dedicated to the Roman pagan god Jupiter was erected on
temple mountain in Jerusalem. A temple of Venus was built on
Golgotha, just outside the city.
200: Roman Emperor Severus forbade religious conversions to
Judaism.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
306: The church Synod of Elvira banned marriages, sexual
intercourse and community contacts between Christians and Jews.
315: Constantine published the Edict of Milan which extended
religious tolerance to Christians. Jews lost many rights with this
edict. They were no longer permitted to live in Jerusalem, or to
proselytize.
325: The Council of Nicea decided to separate the celebration of
Easter from the Jewish Passover. They stated: "For it is unbecoming
beyond measure that on this holiest of festivals we should follow the
customs of the Jews. Henceforth let us have nothing in common
with this odious people...We ought not, therefore, to have anything
in common with the Jews...our worship follows a...more convenient
course...we desire dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the
detestable company of the Jews...How, then, could we follow these
Jews, who are almost certainly blinded."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
337: Christian Emperor Constantius created a law which made the
marriage of a Jewish man to a Christian punishable by death.
339: Converting to Judaism became a criminal offense.
343-381: The Laodicean Synod approved Cannon XXXVIII: "It is not
lawful [for Christians] to receive unleavened bread from the Jews,
nor to be partakers of their impiety."
367 - 376: St. Hilary of Poitiers referred to Jews as a perverse people
who God has cursed forever. St. Ephroem refers to synagogues as
brothels.
379-395: Emperor Theodosius the Great permitted the destruction
of synagogues if it served a religious purpose. Christianity became
the state religion of the Roman Empire at this time.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
380: The bishop of Milan was responsible for the burning of a
synagogue; he referred to it as "an act pleasing to God.“
415: The Bishop of Alexandria, St. Cyril, expelled the Jews from that
Egyptian city.
415: St. Augustine wrote "The true image of the Hebrew is Judas
Iscariot, who sells the Lord for silver. The Jew can never understand
the Scriptures and forever will bear the guilt for the death of Jesus.“
418: St. Jerome, who created the Vulgate translation of the Bible
wrote of a synagogue: "If you call it a brothel, a den of vice, the
Devil's refuge, Satan's fortress, a place to deprave the soul, an abyss
of every conceivable disaster or whatever you will, you are still
saying less than it deserves."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
489 - 519: Christian mobs destroyed the synagogues in Antioch,
Daphne (near Antioch) and Ravenna.
528: Emperor Justinian (527-564) passed the Justinian Code. It
prohibited Jews from building synagogues, reading the Bible in
Hebrew, assemble in public, celebrate Passover before Easter, and
testify against Christians in court.
535: The "Synod of Claremont decreed that Jews could not hold
public office or have authority over Christians.“
538: The 3rd and 4th Councils of Orleans prohibited Jews from
appearing in public during the Easter season. Canon XXX decreed
that "From the Thursday before Easter for four days, Jews may not
appear in the company of Christians." Marriages between Christians
and Jews were prohibited. Christians were prohibited from
converting to Judaism.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
561: The bishop of Uzes expelled Jews from his diocese in France.
612: Jews were not allowed to own land, to be farmers or enter
certain trades.
613: Very serious persecution began in Spain. Jews were given the
options of either leaving Spain or converting to Christianity. Jewish
children over 6 years of age were taken from their parents and
given a Christian education.
692: Cannnon II of the Quinisext Council stated: "Let no one in the
priestly order nor any layman eat the unleavened bread of the Jews,
nor have any familiar intercourse with them, nor summon them in
illness, nor receive medicines from them, nor bathe with them; but if
anyone shall take in hand to do so, if he is a cleric, let him be
deposed, but if a layman, let him be cut off."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
694: The 17th Church Council of Toledo, Spain defined Jews as the
serfs of the prince. This was based, in part, on the beliefs by
Chrysostom, Origen, Jerome, and other Church Fathers that God
punished the Jews with perpetual slavery because of their alleged
responsibility for the execution of Jesus.
722: Leo III outlawed Judaism. Jews were baptized against their will.
855: Jews were exiled from Italy.
1050: The Synod of Narbonne prohibited Christians from living in the
homes of Jews.
1078: "Pope Gregory VII decreed that Jews could not hold office or
be superiors to Christians."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1078: The Synod of Gerona forced Jews to pay church taxes.
1096: The First Crusade was launched in this year. Although the
prime goal of the crusades was to liberate Jerusalem from the
Muslims, Jews were a second target. As the soldiers passed through
Europe on the way to the Holy Land, large numbers of Jews were
challenged: "Christ-killers, embrace the Cross or die!" 12,000 Jews
in the Rhine Valley alone were killed in the first Crusade. This
behavior continued for 8 additional crusades until the 9th in 1272.
1099: The Crusaders forced all of the Jews of Jerusalem into a
central synagogue and set it on fire. Those who tried to escape
were forced back into the burning building.
1121: Jews were exiled from Flanders (now part of present-day
Belgium)
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1130: Some Jews in London allegedly killed a sick man. The Jewish
people in the city were required to pay 1 million marks as
compensation.
1146: The Second Crusade began. A French Monk, Rudolf, called for
the destruction of the Jews.
1179: Canon 24 of the Third Lateran Council stated: "Jews should be
slaves to Christians and at the same time treated kindly due of
humanitarian considerations." Canon 26 stated that "the testimony
of Christians against Jews is to be preferred in all causes where they
use their own witnesses against Christians.“
1180: The French King of France, Philip Augustus, arbitrarily seized
all Jewish property and expelled the Jews from the country. There
was no legal justification for this action. They were allowed to sell all
movable possessions, but their land and houses were stolen by the
king.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1189: Jews were persecuted in England. The Crown claimed all
Jewish possessions. Most of their houses were burned.
1205: Pope Innocent III wrote to the archbishops of Sens and Paris
that "the Jews, by their own guilt, are consigned to perpetual
servitude because they crucified the Lord...As slaves rejected by
God, in whose death they wickedly conspire, they shall by the effect
of this very action, recognize themselves as the slaves of those
whom Christ's death set free...“.
1215: The Fourth Lateran Council approved canon laws requiring
that "Jews and Muslims shall wear a special dress." They also had to
wear a badge in the form of a ring. This was to enable them to be
easily distinguished from Christians. This practice later spread to
other countries.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1227: The Synod of Narbonne required Jews to wear an oval badge.
This requirement was reinstalled during the 1930's by Hitler, who
changed the oval badge to a Star of David.
1229: The Spanish inquisition starts. Later, in 1252, Pope Innocent
IV authorizes the use of torture by the Inquisitors.
1236: Pope Gregory ordered that church leaders in England, France,
Portugal and Spain confiscate Jewish books on the first Saturday of
Lent.
1259: A "synod of the archdiocese in Mainz ordered Jews to wear
yellow badges.“
1261: Duke Henry III of Brabant, Belgium, stated in his will that
"Jews...must be expelled from Brabant and totally annihilated so
that not a single one remains, except those who are willing to trade,
like all other tradesmen, without money-lending and usury."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1267: The Synod of Vienna ordered Jews to wear horned hats.
Thomas Aquinas said that Jews should live in perpetual servitude.
1290: Jews are exiled from England. About 16,000 left the country.
1298: Jews were persecuted in Austria, Bavaria and Franconia. 140
Jewish communities were destroyed; more than 100,000 Jews
were killed over a 6 month period.
1306: 100,000 Jews are exiled from France. They left with only the
clothes on their backs, and food for only one day.
1320: 40,000 French shepherds went to Palestine on the Shepherd
Crusade. On the way, 140 Jewish communities were destroyed.
1321: In Guienne, France, Jews were accused of having incited
criminals to poison wells. 5,000 Jews were burned alive, at the
stake.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1338: The councilors of Freiburg banned the performance of anti-Jewish
scenes from the town's passion play because of the lethal bloody
reactions against Jews which followed the performances.
1347 +: The Black Death originated in the Far East. Rats initially carried
the Black Death; their fleas spread the disease from the rats to humans.
In five years, the death toll had reached 25 million. People searched for
someone to blame. They noted that a smaller percentage of Jews than
Christians caught the disease. This was undoubtedly due to the Jewish
sanitary and dietary laws, which had been preserved from Old
Testament times. Rumors circulated that Satan was protecting the Jews
and that they were paying back the Devil by poisoning wells used by
Christians. The solution was to torture, murder and burn the Jews. "In
Bavaria...12,000 Jews...perished; in the small town of Erfurt...3,000; Rue
Brulïe...2,000 Jews; near Tours, an immense trench was dug, filled with
blazing wood and in a single day 160 Jews were burned." 5 In Strausberg
2,000 Jews were burned. In Maintz 6,000 were killed...; in Worms 400..."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1338: The councilors of Freiburg banned the performance of anti-Jewish
scenes from the town's passion play because of the lethal bloody
reactions against Jews which followed the performances.
1347 +: The Black Death originated in the Far East. Rats initially carried
the Black Death; their fleas spread the disease from the rats to humans.
In five years, the death toll had reached 25 million. People searched for
someone to blame. They noted that a smaller percentage of Jews than
Christians caught the disease. This was undoubtedly due to the Jewish
sanitary and dietary laws, which had been preserved from Old
Testament times. Rumors circulated that Satan was protecting the Jews
and that they were paying back the Devil by poisoning wells used by
Christians. The solution was to torture, murder and burn the Jews. "In
Bavaria...12,000 Jews...perished; in the small town of Erfurt...3,000; Rue
Brulïe...2,000 Jews; near Tours, an immense trench was dug, filled with
blazing wood and in a single day 160 Jews were burned." 5 In Strausberg
2,000 Jews were burned. In Maintz 6,000 were killed...; in Worms 400..."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1354: 12,000 Jews were executed in Toledo.
1374: An epidemic of possession broke out in the lower Rhine region of
what is now Germany. People were seen "dancing, jumping and
[engaging in] wild raving." This was triggered by enthusiastic revels on St.
John's Day - an Christianized version of an ancient Pagan seasonal day of
celebration which was still observed by the populace. The epidemic
spread throughout the Rhine and in much of the Netherlands and
Germany. Crowds of 500 or more dancers would be overcome together.
Exorcisms were tried, but failed. Pilgrimages to the shrine of St. Vitus
were tried, but this only seemed to exacerbate the problem. Finally, the
rumor spread that God was angry because Christians had been
excessively tolerant towards the Jews. God had cursed Europe as He did
Saul when he showed mercy towards God's enemies in the Old
Testament. Jews "were plundered, tortured and murdered by tens of
thousands." The epidemic finally burned itself out two centuries later, in
the late 16th century.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1391 : Jewish persecutions begin in Seville and in 70 other Jewish
communities throughout Spain.
1394 : Jews were exiled, for the second time, from France.
1431 +: The Council of Basel "forbade Jews to go to universities,
prohibited them from acting as agents in the conclusion of contracts
between Christians, and required that they attend church sermons.“
1434: "Jewish men in Augsburg had to sew yellow buttons to their
clothes. Across Europe, Jews were forced to wear a long
undergarment, an overcoat with a yellow patch, bells and tall
pointed yellow hats with a large button on them.“
1453 : The Franciscan monk, Capistrano, persuaded the King of
Poland to terminate all Jewish civil rights.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1478: Spanish Jews had been heavily persecuted from the 14th
century. Many had converted to Christianity. The Spanish Inquisition
was set up by the Church in order to detect insincere conversions.
Laws were passed that prohibited the descendants of Jews or
Muslims from attending university, joining religious orders, holding
public office, or entering any of a long list of professions.
1492 : Jews were given the choice of being baptized as Christians
or be banished from Spain. 300,000 left Spain penniless. Many
migrated to Turkey, where they found tolerance among the Muslims.
Others converted to Christianity but often continued to practice
Judaism in secret.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1497: Jews were banished from Portugal. 20 thousand left the
country rather than be baptized as Christians.
1516: The Governor of the Republic of Venice decided that Jews
would be permitted to live only in one area of the city. It was
located in the South Girolamo parish and was called the "Ghetto
Novo." This was the first ghetto in Europe. Hitler made use of the
concept in the 1930's.
1523: Martin Luther distributed his essay "That Jesus Was Born a
Jew. " He hoped that large numbers of Jews would convert to
Christianity. They didn't, and he began to write and preach hatred
against them. Luther has been condemned in recent years for
being extremely antisemitic. The charge has some merit; however
he was probably typical of most Christians during his era.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1539: A passion play was forbidden in Rome because it prompted
violent attacks against the city's Jewish residents.
1540: Jews were exiled from Naples.
1543: In his 20's, Martin Luther, had expected Jews to convert to
Christianity in large numbers. Distressed by their reluctance, he
developed a hatred for Jews, as expressed in his letters to Rev.
Spalatin in 1514, when he was 31 years of age. He wrote:
"I have come to the conclusion that the Jews will always curse and
blaspheme God and his King Christ, as all the prophets have
predicted....For they are thus given over by the wrath of God to
reprobation, that they may become incorrigible, as Ecclesiastes
says, for every one who is incorrigible is rendered worse rather than
better by correction."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1543: Martin Luther wrote "On the Jews and their lies, On
Shem Hamphoras" :
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1543: Martin Luther wrote "On the Jews and their lies, On Shem
Hamphoras" :
"...eject them forever from this country. For, as we have heard,
God's anger with them is so intense that gentle mercy will only tend
to make them worse and worse, while sharp mercy will reform them
but little. Therefore, in any case, away with them!...What then shall
we Christians do with this damned, rejected race of Jews?
First, their synagogues or churches should be set on fire,...
Secondly, their homes should likewise be broken down and
destroyed... They ought to be put under one roof or in a stable, like
Gypsies.
Thirdly, they should be deprived of their prayer books and Talmuds
in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
Fourthly, their rabbis must be forbidden under threat of death to
teach any more.
Fifthly, passport and traveling privileges should be absolutely
forbidden to the Jews...
Sixthly, they ought to be stopped from usury. All their cash and
valuables of silver and gold ought to be taken from them and put
aside for safe keeping.
Seventhly, let the young and strong Jews and Jewesses be given
the flail, the axe, the hoe, the spade, the distaff, and spindle and let
them earn their bread by the sweat of their noses as in enjoined
upon Adam's children.
To sum up, dear princes and nobles who have Jews in your domains,
if this advice of mine does not suit you, then find a better one so
that you and we may all be free of this insufferable devilish
burden - the Jews."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1550: Jews were exiled from Genoa and Venice.
1555: A Roman Catholic Papal bull, "Cum nimis absurdum," required
Jews to wear badges, and live in ghettos. They were not allowed to
own property outside the ghetto. Living conditions were dreadful:
over 3,000 people were forced to live in about 8 acres of land.
Women had to wear a yellow veil or scarf; men had to wear a piece
of yellow cloth on their hat.
1582: Jews were expelled from Holland.
1648-9: Chmielnicki Bogdan led an uprising against Polish rule in the
Ukraine. The secondary goal of Bogdan and his followers was to
exterminate all Jews in the country. The massacre began with the
slaughter of about 6,000 Jews in Nemirov. Other major mass
murders occurred in Tulchin, Polonnoye, Volhynia, Bar, Lvov, etc.
Jewish records estimate that a total of 100,000 Jews were
murdered and 300 communities destroyed.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1806: A French Jesuit Priest, Abbe Barruel, had written a treatise
blaming the Masonic Order for the French Revolution. He later
issued a letter alleging that Jews, not the Masons were the guilty
party. This triggered a belief in an international Jewish conspiracy
in Germany, Poland and some other European countries later in
the 19th century.
1819: During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many European
Jews lobbied their governments for emancipation. They sought
citizenship as well as the same rights and treatment as were
enjoyed by non-Jews. This appears to have provoked sporadic antisemites to engage in anti-Jewish violence. The rioters cried "Hep!
Hep!." The origin(s) of this cry are not clear. Jews and their property
were attacked first in Wuerzburg, Germany during 1819-AUG. The
rioting spread across Germany and eventually reached as far as
Denmark and Poland.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1840: A rumor spread in Syria that some Jews were responsible for
the ritual killing of a Roman Catholic monk and his servant. As a
result of horrendous treatment, some local Jews confessed to a
crime that they did not commit. This "Damascus Affair" spurred
early Zionist writers like Hess to promote the Zionist cause.
1846 - 1878: Pope Pius IX restored all of the previous restrictions
against the Jews within the Vatican state. All Jews under Papal
control were confined to Rome's ghetto - the last one in Europe
until the Nazi era restored the church's practice. On 2000-SEP-3,
Pope John Paul II beatified Pius IX; this is the last step before
sainthood. He explained: "Beatifying a son of the church does not
celebrate particular historic choices that he has made, but rather
points him out for imitation and for veneration for his virtue."
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1858: Edgardo Mortara was kidnapped, at the age of six, from his
Jewish family by Roman Catholic officials after they found out that a
maid had secretly baptized him. He was not returned to his family
but was raised a Catholic. He eventually became a priest.
1873: The term "antisemitism" is first used in a pamphlet by
Wilhelm Marr called "Jewry's Victory over Teutonism.“
1881: Alexander II of Russia was assassinated by radicals. The Jews
were blamed. About 200 individual pogroms against the Jews
followed. ("Pogrom" is a Russian word meaning "devastation" or
"riot." In Russia, a pogrom was typically a mob riot against Jewish
individuals, shops, homes or businesses. They were often supported
and even organized by the government.) Thousands of Jews
became homeless and impoverished. The few who were charged
with offenses generally received very light sentences.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1893: "...anti-Semitic parties won sixteen seats in the German Reichstag.“
1894: Captain Alfred Dreyfus, an officer on the French general staff, was
convicted of treason. The evidence against him consisted of a piece of
paper from his wastebasket with another person's handwriting, and
papers forged by antisemitic officers. He received a life sentence on
Devil's Island, off the coast of South America. The French government
was aware that a Major Esterhazy was actually guilty. The church,
government and army united to suppress the truth. Writer Emile Zola
and politician Jean Jaur fought for justice and human rights. After 10
years, the French government fell and Dreyfus was declared totally
innocent. The Dreyfus Affair was world-wide news for years. It
motivated Journalist Theodor Herzl to write a book in 1896: "The
Jewish State: A Modern Solution to the Jewish Question." The book led
to the founding of the Zionist movement which fought for a Jewish
Homeland. A half century later, the state of Israel was born.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1903: At Easter, government agents organized an anti-Jewish
pogrom in Kishinev, Moldova, Russia. The local newspaper
published a series of inflammatory articles. A Christian child was
discovered murdered and a young Christian woman at the Jewish
Hospital committed suicide. Jews were blamed for the deaths.
Violence ensured. The 5,000 soldiers in the town did nothing. When
the smoke cleared, 49 Jews had been killed, 500 were injured; 700
homes looted and destroyed, 600 businesses and shops looted,
2,000 families left homeless. Later, it was discovered that the child
had been murdered by its relatives and the suicide was unrelated to
the Jews.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1905: The Okhrana, the Russian secret police in the reign of Czar
Nicholas II, converted an earlier antisemitic novel into a document
called the "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion." It was
published privately in 1897. A Russian Orthodox priest, Sergius
Nilus, published them publicly in 1905. It was promoted as the
record of "secret rabbinical conferences whose aim was to
subjugate and exterminate the Christians." The Protocols were
used by the Okhrana in a propaganda campaign that was
associated with massacres of the Jews. These were the Czarist
Pogroms of 1905.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1915: 600,000 Jews were forcibly moved from the western borders
of Russia towards the interior. About 100,000 died of exposure or
starvation.
1917: "In the civil war following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917,
the reactionary White Armies made extensive use of the Protocols
to incite widespread slaughters of Jews." Two hundred thousand
Jews were murdered in the Ukraine alone.
1920: The Protocols reach England and the United States. They are
exposed as a forgery, but are widely circulated. Henry Ford
sponsored a study of international activities of Jews. This led to a
series of antisemitic articles in the Dearborn Independent, which
were published in a book, "The International Jew." The Protocols
were sold on Wal-Mart's online bookstore until they were
removed on 2004-SEP-21.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1920: The defeat of Germany in World War I and the continuing
economic difficulties were blamed in that country on the "Jewish
influence." One antisemitic poster has been preserved from that era. It
shows a German, presumably Christian woman, a male Jew with
distorted facial features, a coffin and the word "Deutschland" (Germany).
1920's, 1930's: Hitler had published in Mein Kampf in 1925, writing:
"Today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the
Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting
for the work of the Lord." The Protocols are used by the Nazis to whip
up public hatred of the Jews in the 1930's. Widespread pogroms occur
in Greece, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Rumania, and the USSR. Radio
programs by many conservative American clergy, both Roman Catholic
and Protestant, frequently attacked Jews. Reverend Fr. Charles E
Coughlin was one of the best known. "In the 1930's, radio audiences
heard him rail against the threat of Jews to America's economy and
defend Hitler's treatment of Jews as justified in the fight against
communism." Other conservative Christian leaders, such as Frank Norris
and John Straton supported the Jews.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1920s-30s: Discrimination against Jews in North America is
widespread. Many universities set limits on the maximum number
of Jewish students that they would accept. Harvard accepted all
students on the basis of merit until after World War I when the
percentage of Jewish students approached 15%. At that time they
installed an informal quota system. In 1941, Princeton had fewer
than 2% Jews in their student body. Jews were routinely barred
from country clubs, prestigious neighborhoods, etc.
1933: Hitler took power in Germany. On APR-1, Julius Streicher
organized a one-day boycott of all Jewish owned businesses in the
country. This was the start of continuous oppression by the Nazis
culminating in the Holocaust (a.k.a. Shoah). Jews "were barred from
civil service, legal professions and universities, were not allowed to
teach in schools and could not be editors of newspapers." Two years
later, Jews were no longer considered citizens.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1934: Various laws were enacted in Germany to force Jews out of
schools and professions.
1935: The Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws restricting citizenship
to those of "German or related blood." Jews became stateless.
1936: Cardinal Hloud of Poland urged Catholics to boycott Jewish
businesses.
1938: Nazi government in Germany sent storm troopers, the SS
and the Hitler Youth on a pogrom that killed 91 Jews, injured
hundreds, burned 177 synagogues and looted 7,500 Jewish stores.
Broken glass could be seen everywhere; the glass gave this event
its name of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1938: Hitler brought back century-old church law, ordering all
Jews to wear a yellow Star of David as identification. A few
hundred thousand Jews are allowed to leave Germany after they
give all of their assets to the government.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1939: The Holocaust, the Shoah -- the systematic extermination of
Jews in Germany -- began. The process only ended in 1945 with the
conclusion of World War II and the liberation of the death camps.
Approximately 6 million Jews (1.5 million of them children), 400
thousand Roma (Gypsies) and others were slaughtered. Some were
killed by death squads; others were slowly killed in trucks with
carbon monoxide; others were gassed in large groups in Auschwitz,
Dacau, Sobibor, Treblinka and other extermination camps. Officially,
the holocaust was described by the Nazis as subjecting Jews "to
special treatment" or as a "solution of the Jewish question." Gold
taken from the teeth of the victims was recycled; hair was used in
the manufacture of mattresses. In the Buchenwald extermination
camp, lampshades were made out of human skin; however, this
appears to be an isolated incident. A rumor spread that Jewish
corpses were routinely converted into soap. However, the story
appears to be false.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1940: The Vichy government of France collaborated with Nazi
Germany by freezing about 80,000 Jewish bank accounts. During
the next four years, they deported about 76,000 Jews to Nazi death
camps; only about 2,500 survived. It was only in 1995 that a French
president, Jacques Chirac, "was able to admit that the state bore a
heavy share of responsibility in the mass round-ups and
deportations of Jews, as well as in the property and asset seizures
that were carried out with the active help of the Vichy regime.“
1941: The Holocaust Museum in Washington DC estimates that
13,000 Jews died on 1941-JUN-19 during a pogrom in Bucharest,
Romania. It was ordered by the pro-Nazi Romanian regime of
Marshal Ion Antonescu. The current government has admitted that
this atrocity happened, but most Romanians continue to deny that
the Jews were killed on orders from their own government.
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1941: Polish citizens in Jedwabne in northeastern Poland killed
hundreds of Jews, by either beating them to death or burning them
alive in a barn. According to the Associated Press: "The role played
by Polish citizens was suppressed for nearly six decades until
publication of a book by a Polish emigre historian, Jan Tomasz
Gross. After release of the book in 2000, the Polish government
launched an investigation. 'The role of the Poles was decisive in
conducting the criminal act,' [prosecutor Radoslaw] Ignatiew, said.
The book, 'Neighbours,' sparked national soul-searching among
Poles, many of whom could not believe that anybody but the Nazis
would have committed the atrocity.“
Christian Persecution of the Jews
1942: The Nazi leaders of Germany, at the Wannsee conference,
decided on"the final solution of the Jewish question" which was
the attempt to exterminate every Jew in Europe. From JUL-28 to
31, almost 18,000 Russian inhabitants of the Minsk ghetto in what
is now Belarus were exterminated. This was in addition to 5,000 to
15,000 who had been massacred in earlier pogroms in that city. This
was just one of many such pogroms during World War II.
1945: The Shoah (Holocaust) ended as the Allied Forces over-ran
the Nazi death camps.
1946: Even though World War II ended the year before, antisemitic
pogroms continued, particularly in Poland, with the deaths of many
Jews.
Christians And Jews Today
Christians And Jews Today
• After World War II & the establishment of Israel in 1948, antiSemitism became politically incorrect.
• Many Christian churches distanced themselves from antiSemitism.
• In response to Nazi intolerance, many Christian sects started
promoting tolerance in living with other religions, even if it was
also taught that all non-Christians would burn in hell (as many
Christian churches still do).
• The phrase Judeo-Christian rises in frequency to indicate Jewish
and Christian common heritage.
• Christians still claim the OT is about Jesus.
Christians Still Claim OT About Jesus
• John 5: “39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think
that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures
that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have
life.” NT verse used to claim OT is about Jesus.
• Gen 3: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and
you will strike his heel.” – Christians claim this is a prophecy that
Satan will cause Jesus to be killed, but Jesus will return from the
dead to crush Satan’s head.
• Noah’s Ark and the flood is about Christian baptism.
• See this Christian site as one example of Jesus in the OT:
http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/Jesus-in-the-OldTestament.cfm.
Christians – Isaiah 7 is About Jesus
• Christians claim Isaiah 7:14 is about Jesus. However, context shows
Isaiah 7:14 is a sign for King Ahaz that god will be with him as his
kingdom is invaded by 2 rivals.
Isaiah 7: 10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God
for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you
[d] house of David! Is it not enough to
try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin[a] will
conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will
be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the
wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to
reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you
dread will be laid waste.
a. Isaiah 7:14 young woman in all Hebrew texts
Christians – Isaiah 53 Is About Jesus
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and
afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace
was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep,
have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the
LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• However, Isaiah 53:10 says the suffering servant will have
descendants & a long life: “he will see his offspring and prolong
his days”. The OT changes the tense of many verbs (was to is,
etc) from those found in the Hebrew Bible to make the verses
more compatible with Jesus. For these and many reasons, Isaiah
53 could not be a prophecy of Jesus.
Outline of this Study
• Early Versions of Christianity
• Development of Orthodox Christianity
• Development of Christian Canons
• Editing the Books of the Canons
• Books No Longer in the Canon(s)
• Selecting Books for the Canons
• Development of Anti-Judaism in Christianity
• Non-Canonical Books and Myths referenced in the NT (next lesson)
• Important Contradictions in the NT and OT (next lesson)
Books Used In This Study
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lost Christianities, Bart Ehrman
Misquoting Jesus, Bart Ehrman
Jesus Interrupted, Bart Ehrman
http://www.ntcanon.org/table.shtml
http://www.ntcanon.org/authorities.shtml, Richard Carrier
Black and White pictures from Ehrman with permission
Other images from Wikipedia and other public websites
Best image of tree of Christian sects from Concordia University
website.
• Map of early Christian sects from University of California.