Opposition to Christianity in Chazalic literature

Last updated

Opposition to Christianity in Chazalic literature consists of direct questioning and at times invalidating of Christianity as found in Chazalic literature. [1] Of the notable reasons of Chazalic opposition to Christianity is that Christianity is founded on the belief of the Trinity, whereas Judaism follows the belief of unitarian monotheism. Another source of opposition is the belief that the Torah, as given by Moses, along with its interpretation by Chazal, is the supreme and exclusive indicator of Yahweh's instruction to Jews and mankind.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Mishnaic sources

Tosefta

References to Christianity are rarely found in Tosefta. A brief mention—albeit allegorically—is found in regards to a Jew who incises his skin on the Shabbat with the intent to engrave a tattoo. the Tanna Rabbi Eliezer is quoted as liableizing (for transgression of Shabbat) the offender for performing one of the activities prohibited on Shabbat, as this is a form of writing. As proof, Rabbi Eliezer cites that "Ben Sitda [2] " stole his knowledge of sorcery from Egypt using this type of writing [3] -hence proving its potency as a viable form of writing. Chazal did not accept Rabbi Eliezer's proof, with the counterclaim of "due to one shoteh (fool) [4] we should make liable all the normal folk?" [5]

Following the debated assumption that Ben Sitida is indeed a reference to Jesus, [6] it is inferable from this mentioning that Jesus -as founder of Christianity- was believed to have used sorcery as a method of achieving supernatural events -a method discounted by Chazal as illegitimate.[ citation needed ]

Midrashic sources

Midrashic literature contains a number of references to Christianity. Of note is the Midrash's insistence that the rise of Christianity—as well as its illegitimacy as being of service to Yahweh—was foretold to all nations of mankind by Bilaam the sorcerer:

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says; Seventy nations [7] heard the voice of Bilaam. Rabbi Elazer the Kappar [8] says; God gave strength to his (Bilaam's) voice and it travelled from the edge of the world to its (other) edge. Since he viewed and saw the nations that they bow to the Sun and the Moon and stars, to wood and stone -and viewed and saw that there is a man -the son of a woman- that in the future will stand and will seek to make himself a god -to trick the entire world. Thus, (God) gave (super-natural) strength to his voice so that all nations of the world should hear. Likewise he (Bilaam) stated; "give your attention in order that you not err after that man" as it is stated "God is not man -who err's", (thus) if he states that he is a god he is tricking (causing to err). [9] And in the future he will state that he is the son of god. But (in actuality) is only the son of man, as is stated "and the son of man to change [10] " since he will -in the future- misrepresent and say that he is passing on and will come in return; "he said and will not do [11] ". Look what is written; "he (Bilaam) carried his parable and said "Oh! who will live from (the sin of) placing him as a G-d? [12] " -said Bilaam, Woe! who will live from that nation that followed [13] after that man that presented himself as a God.

Yalkut Shimoni to Numbers page 400 (Ha'Maor edition)

Midrash HaGadol

As the featured Midrashic text of Yemenite Jewry, the Midrash ha-Gadol—in relation to Yeshu—cites the ideal state of Judaism as that where no students or members of the religion "step out" and publicly profess the Rabbinic interpretation of the Torah as invalid. [14]

The Zohar

In the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is reported as exclaiming dissatisfaction to those whi forgo the Torah in favor of its antitheses:

Said Rabbi Shimon; Woe to these that leave Torah and go to those who are sweet-talked from the sources of the snake who compel them to "invest effort in those angels that are appointed (by g-d) in charge of the Sun and Moon, and on those (angels) in charge of Spirits and Demons, to be like G-d himself -a knower of good and evil". Regarding them it is said "so says g-d to the (sacrifice) slaughterers and incense offerers" and this is the commandment of God "and from the tree of knowledge -good and evil- you shall not eat from" -and Yeshu the liable in this (nature of activity) he would (actively) engage

Tikkunei Zohar, Chap. 66

Talmudic sources

The Talmud—relative to other Rabbinic sources—takes a unique approach to Christianity in the sense that in differentiates between Yeshu himself—who is portrayed as a complete Jew wanting to remain under his Rabbi's tutelage—and the religion he ultimately established -which the Talmud frowns upon.

In Sanhedrin 107b and Sotah 47a Yeshu is mentioned as a student of Yehoshua ben Perachya who was sent away for misinterpreting a word that in context should have been understood as referring to the Inn, he instead understood it to mean the innkeeper's wife. His teacher said "Here is a nice Inn", to which he replied "Her eyes are crooked", to which his teacher responded "Is this what your are occupied in?" [15] After several returns for forgiveness he mistook Perachiah's signal to wait a moment as a signal of final rejection, and so he turned to idolatry;

In all circumstances (one should exercise) use the left hand to push (away) and the right (to) bring closeward ..not like Yehoshua ben Perachya who pushed him –to Yeshu- with both hands.. (here the Talmud begins a narration) at the time that Yannai the king was executing the Rabbis, Shimon ben Shatach(‘s sister) hid Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachya, he (then, subsequently was able to) go and run (escape) to Alexandira of Egypt. When there was (came) and (an era of) peace, Shimon ben Shatach sent to him (a letter:) “from me Yerushalayim the holy city to you Alexander of Egypt -my sister, my husband dwells amongst you and I am sitting lonely” said (Rabbi Yeshushua ben Perachya) “I deduce (from the letter) that he (is enjoying)peace. As he (Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachya) came they went up to a lodge, (they -at the lodge) stood for him with exemplary honor and did for him extended goodness. He sat and was in the midst of praising 'how beautiful is this lodging', (Yeshu) said to him “My master, her eyes are misshaped”. He said to him “Evil one!, in this you are busy with?!” he brought out four hundred Shofars and excommunicated him.

Every day he would come before him (intent on being readmitted,) and he did not accept him. One day he was reciting Krait Shema, [16] he (Yeshu) came before him (the Rabbi) -it was on his (the Rabbi's) mind to accept him- he (the Rabbi) showed him with his hand, [17] he (Yeshu) thought 'push he is pushing him', (Yeshu then) went erected a fish worship, he (his Rabbi) said to him 'return yourself' he (Yeshu) said to him '(so) I learnt from you; 'all who sin and cause others to sin we do not give (are not given) him the ability to repent'.

Sotah 47a, Sanhedrin 107

Tzoah rotachat

Onkelos the son of Klonimus..desired to convert himself (to Judaism)..he brought Yeshu (forth by means of/in) Séance..(Onkelos queried to Yeshu) whom is of importance in that world? He (Yeshu) answered him; Yisroel (the children of Israel). (Onkelos further queried) what/how (do you advise) to cleave to them? He (Yeshu) answered; "their benefit (lit. goodness) seek, their harm (lit. evil) do not seek (as) all/whomever touches them (with intent to harm) is as if (he) is touching the pupil of his (g-d's) eye". He (Onkelos) said to him (to Yeshu); the judgement of that man [18] is how/what? he (Yeshu) said to him (to Onkelos) "in excrement (that is) boiling".

(the Talmud goes on to praise the fact that Yeshu -as a Jew- spoke favorably about his Jewish brethren, as opposed to Onkelos's preceding dialogue with Titus and Bilaam who both advised Onkelos to provoke the Jews;) "come and see (the stark) difference between (even those) sinners of Israel and the prophets of those nations who worship idols" (i.e. even a "sinner of Israel" is of superior spiritual quality than the prophet of idolatry)

Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 57a

Ben Sitida and Ben Pandira

(The Talmud queries; Is he really) The son of Sitida? the son of Pandira (the common understanding is that he is the son of Pandira)! Rav Chisda said (explains the seeming contradiction); The husband was/is Sitida (but the) lover [19] was/is Pandira. (The Talmud states as fact): (the true) Husband (is/was) Pappus Ben Yehuda. (so then, if his mother's true husband and his biological father where both not called Sitida then why is he called "the son of Sitida"?). Only (as the explanation of the contradiction) say, his mother was Sitida, (The Talmud further queries how this is plausible since) his mother (was called) Miriam (who) grow's/grew [the hair of] women, [20] (at this point the Talmud gives a final explanation to resolve the reasoning of him being called "The son of Sitida") As is said (explained) in Pumbedita; "She strayed from her husband" [21]

Sanhedrin 67a

See also

Related Research Articles

Rabbi Abbahu was a Jew and Talmudist of the Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina from about 279 to 320 CE and is counted a member of the third generation of Amoraim. He is sometimes cited as Rabbi Abbahu of Kisrin.

Judah ha-Nasi or Judah I, known simply as Rebbi or Rabbi, was a second-century rabbi and chief redactor and editor of the Mishnah. He lived from approximately 135 to 217 CE. He was a key leader of the Jewish community in Roman-occupied Judea after the Bar Kokhba revolt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabbi Akiva</span> Jewish scholar and sage (c. 50 – c. 135 CE)

Akiva ben Joseph, also known as Rabbi Akiva, was a leading Jewish scholar and sage, a tanna of the latter part of the first century and the beginning of the second century. Rabbi Akiva was a leading contributor to the Mishnah and to Midrash halakha. He is referred to in the Talmud as Rosh la-Hakhamim "Chief of the Sages". He was executed by the Romans in the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba revolt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shimon bar Yochai</span> Tannaitic sage of the 2nd century

Shimon bar Yochai or Shimon ben Yochai, also known by the acronym Rashbi, was a 2nd-century tannaitic sage in ancient Judea. He was one of the most eminent disciples of Rabbi Akiva. The Zohar, a 13th century foundational work of Kabbalah, is ascribed to him by Kabbalistic tradition.

Yohanan ben Zakkai, sometimes abbreviated as Ribaz for Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, was one of the Tannaim, an important Jewish sage during the late Second Temple period and in the transformative post-destruction era. He was a primary contributor to the core text of Rabbinic Judaism, the Mishnah. His name is often preceded by the honorific title, "Rabban." He is widely regarded as one of the most important Jewish figures of his time, and his escape from the Roman destruction of Jerusalem may have been instrumental in Rabbinic Judaism's survival post-Temple. His tomb is located in Tiberias within the Maimonides burial compound.

Yeshu is the name of an individual or individuals mentioned in rabbinic literature, Jesus when used in the Talmud. The name Yeshu is also used in other sources before and after the completion of the Babylonian Talmud. It is also the modern Israeli spelling of Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onkelos</span> Roman Jewish translator (c. 35–120 CE)

Onkelos, possibly identical to Aquila of Sinope, was a Roman national who converted to Judaism in Tannaic times. He is considered to be the author of the Targum Onkelos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judah II</span> Jewish sage from the middle of the third century CE

Judah II or Nesi'ah I was a Jewish sage who lived in Tiberias in the Land of Israel, in the middle of the third century CE.

Shimon ben Lakish, better known by his nickname Reish Lakish, was an amora who lived in the Roman province of Judaea in the third century. He was reputedly born in Bosra, east of the Jordan River, around 200 CE, but lived most of his life in Sepphoris. Nothing is known of his ancestry except his father's name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabbi Tarfon</span> Late 1st/early 2nd century Jewish rabbi and sage

Rabbi Tarfon or Tarphon, a Kohen, was a member of the third generation of the Mishnah sages, who lived in the period between the destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Betar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sifre</span> Either of two works of classical Jewish legal biblical exegesis.

Sifre refers to either of two works of Midrash halakha, or classical Jewish legal biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Numbers and Deuteronomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua ben Levi</span> 3rd century Judean scholar of the Talmud

Joshua ben Levi was an amora, a scholar of the Talmud, who lived in the Land of Israel in the first half of the third century. He lived and taught in the city of Lod. He was an elder contemporary of Johanan bar Nappaha and Resh Lakish, who presided over the school in Tiberias. With Johanan bar Nappaha, he often engaged in homiletic exegetical discussions.

Eliezer ben Hurcanus or Hyrcanus was one of the most prominent Sages (tannaim) of the 1st and 2nd centuries in Judea, disciple of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai and colleague of Gamaliel II, and of Joshua ben Hananiah. He is the sixth most frequently mentioned sage in the Mishnah.

Joshua ben Hananiah, also known as Rabbi Yehoshua, was a leading tanna of the first half-century following the destruction of the Second Temple. He is the seventh-most-frequently mentioned sage in the Mishnah.

Eleazar ben Shammua or Eleazar I was a rabbi of the 2nd century, frequently cited in rabbinic writings as simply Rabbi Eleazar (Bavli) or Rabbi Lazar רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר (Yerushalmi). He was of priestly descent and rich, and acquired great fame as a teacher of traditional law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam in rabbinic literature</span>

Allusions in rabbinic literature to the Biblical figure Adam, created according to the Book of Genesis by God in the Garden of Eden as the first man, expand and elaborate and draw inferences from what is presented in the text of the Bible itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Job in rabbinic literature</span>

Allusions in rabbinic literature to the Biblical character Job, the object of sufferings and tribulations in the Book of Job, contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences beyond what is presented in the text of the Bible itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus in the Talmud</span> Possible references to Jesus in the Talmud

There are several passages in the Talmud which are believed by some scholars to be references to Jesus. The name used in the Talmud is "Yeshu", the Aramaic vocalization of the Hebrew name Yeshua.

The Tzoah Rotachat in the Talmud and the Zohar is a location in Gehenna where the souls of Jews who committed certain sins are sent for punishment.

Rabbi Isaac Nappaha, or Isaac the smith, was a rabbi of the 3rd-4th centuries who lived in the Galilee.

References

  1. Christianity in this sense is inclusive of Christ and the New Testament
  2. This is understood as a nick-name afforded to Yeshu -see Ein Yaakov to Sanhedrin 43a
  3. as the Egyptians would not allow foreigners to copy their code of sorcery, hence Ben Sitda needed to "sneak" it out -see "minchas bikkurim" to above tosefta
  4. foolish in the sense that an individual does an uncommon act thereby making himself a "Shoteh" (in Hebrew "שוטה"; one who "veers" from the normal pattern of common behavior)
  5. Tosefta to tractate shabbat 12:9
  6. see Jesus in the Talmud
  7. in midrashic sources the term "seventy nations" refers to all of mankind
  8. (רבי אלעזר הקפר)
  9. the Hebrew text reads "ויכזב", in this context the Midrash explains the word as "causing other to err"
  10. Numbers 23:19. Here, the Midrash exegesises the verse to negate that God has the limited nature of man, in the sense that there will arise a man - with limited abilities, as all men - who will attempt to replicate God but cannot - since God does not change (כזב)
  11. Numbers 23:19. Here, the Midrash continues to state that the man will speak as a God but cannot succeed in actuating his verbal guarantee
  12. Numbers 24:23
  13. lit. "listened"
  14. Medrash HaGadol to Bereishit 25:1
  15. (This happened during their period of refuge in Egypt during the persecutions of Pharisees 88-76 BCE ordered by Alexander Jannæus. The incident is also mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud in Chagigah 2:2 but there the person in question is not given any name.)
  16. the reciting of Shema being a spiritually intense moment
  17. signaling acceptance -rashi to sotah 47: (chesronot hashas)
  18. "that man" is a talmudic expression when one queries another about an unfavored disposition and does not wish to be blunt with the question
  19. lit. "penetrator"
  20. plausible explanation of this title is not given by Talmudic Commentarians, but it may be assumed that she engaged in the human hair trade for the preparation of Wigs
  21. i.e. "Sitida" being composed of two Aramaic words "Satat" (strayed) "da" (she -lit. "this")