 In the formative years of Christianity, the Church came to the realization that in order to establish its own credibility, it must first discredit Judaism. Now, there were many methods the Church used to achieve this objective. These included spreading lies about the Jews, teaching that the Jews are spiritually blind children of the devil, as well as general vilification of the chosen nation. The only attempt the Church made to appeal to the human intellect was their exploitation of the Jewish Scriptures. The Church attempted to present the Jewish Scriptures as a document that supports the Christian belief system, while at the same time contradicting the Jewish belief system. The Church would have us believe that the authors of Jewish Scripture, namely Moses and the prophets, all subscribed to the Christian belief system. Now, in order to substantiate this preposterous theory, the Church spent millions of man-hours combing the length and breadth of the Jewish Scriptures. They were looking for verses that could be read as supportive to the Christian belief system. From the thousands of verses in Jewish Scripture, the Church found a handful of passages which could be manipulated to read as supportive of the Christian belief system and as standing in contradiction to Judaism. The Church then presented these verses together with their Christian explanation and made the claim that the authors of these verses were Christian by belief. The Church argued that the Jewish people are not loyal to their own holy books. Based on the Christian interpretation of these verses, known as proof texts, the Church advances the theory that the Jewish belief system stands in direct contradiction to the sacred books venerated by the Jewish people themselves. Now, according to the Christian claim, the authors of these books subscribe to the Christian belief system while their disciples confuse their message and created Judaism. The Church thus claims that the Jews failed in transmission of the very foundations of their religion. If indeed, the Church has succeeded in demonstrating that the Jewish belief system possesses inherent contradictions, then the Jewish Scriptures should be discarded. We must bear in mind that it is only through the testimony of the Jewish people that we have the Scripture. It was the religious leadership of the Jewish people who determined the authenticity of the scriptural prophets. If the Jewish method of transmission managed to distort the very essence of their religion, tend its foolhardy to accept their scriptural canon. The truth of the matter is that the Jewish nation has been studying Scripture since it was put down in writing. Every word and every nuance of the text is precious to the Jew. Jews have been reading these proof texts centuries before Christianity was born. Each one of these verses has a classical Jewish interpretation which clearly explains how these verses conform to the Jewish belief system. The Church maintains that the Jewish interpretation is wrong. The Church asserts that it is only an anti-Christian bias which binds the Jews from seeing the true meaning of these verses. Now the problem with this assertion is that many Christian scholars have come to agree with the Jewish interpretation of these verses. These people were certainly not blinded by an anti-Christian bias. Yet they accepted the Jewish understanding of these verses as the most accurate interpretation. It seems perhaps that the Church is operating from a bias, a pro-Christian bias, which causes them to read these verses as proof to the veracity of the Christian belief system. Much of the missionary effort to attract Jews to Christianity is focused on these proof texts. These are verses in the Jewish Scripture which Christians see as supportive of their belief system. These verses relate to the areas of difference between the Jewish and Christian belief systems. The verses which the missionaries use as proof texts are not the only verses which speak about these subjects. Jewish Scripture gives a lot of coverage to each of these subjects and the proof texts form only a small segment of the overall picture which Scripture presents. Scripture gives us a clear picture of concerning each of these subjects. The general message of Scripture conforms to the Jewish belief system. The few missionary proof texts verses are generally vague and ambiguous. If the Christian interpretation of these verses were honest, then we would be facing an inherent contradiction within Scripture itself. If one would not know the Jewish interpretation for a given proof text, the honest thing to do is to say, I don't know what it means, rather than assume that the verse stands in contradiction to the general message of Scripture. Judaism and Christianity differ in their attitudes towards the essence of God, the teachings of Moses, atonement, and the Messiah. What is the clarity that Scripture gives us on these subjects? What is the overall message of Scripture? In this brief study, we will not examine the missionary proof texts and will suffice for us to see that the Jewish belief system is firmly rooted in the words of the prophets. 1. The Essence of God The Jewish Scriptures testify that God revealed themselves to the entire body of the Jewish nation. The entire nation heard God's voice proclaim, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. You shall not have any other gods besides me. 2. This is how God demonstrated to his people whom they are to worship. At the same time, God was teaching the people whom they are not to worship. Worship of anyone other than the God who brought the nation out of Egypt is idolatry. The Jewish Scriptures testify that the Sinaitic revelation was an all-inclusive demonstration. After the revelation at Sinai, there can be no room for doubt. Concerning this revelation, Moses tells the Jewish people, in Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 35, to you it was demonstrated in order that you know that the Lord is the God. There is none beside him. Now the people who were privileged to witness this great revelation were commanded again in Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 9, you should make it known to your children and to your children's children. When God commands the nation to kill people who are involved with idolatry, he makes reference to this revelation. In those cases where the death penalty is to be implemented, God identifies the idol by the simple terms, quote, that which I have not commanded, unquote, or quote those which you do not know, unquote. That's in Deuteronomy chapter 13 verse 3 verse 7 verse 14 and in chapter 17 verse 3. It's clear that God expects the Jewish people to identify the idol by process of elimination. If this is not what you were commanded to worship, then that's another God. The Jewish people testify that God revealed himself at Sinai as an absolute unity. Worship of anyone else is by definition idolatry. No one ever claimed that Jesus was revealed to the Jewish people at Sinai. The first worshipers of Jesus did not claim that their worship they were following a tradition that goes back to Sinai. According to the definition of Scripture, worship of Jesus is idolatry. The Jewish people were granted a revelation in order that they should know whom to worship. This was not the only method of instruction that God provided to guide us on this matter. It is clear from Jewish Scripture that God expects the human conscience to be able to distinguish between worship of God and idolatry. Time and time again the prophets appeal to human logic and sometimes even to humor in order to demonstrate the evil of idolatry. Jeremiah in chapter 10 verse 11 exclaims, tell them gods that did not create heaven and earth should go lost from this earth and from beneath these heavens. Jeremiah is pointing out the absurdity which is inherent in worship of anyone other than the Creator. A God who operates in an arena which he did not create is no God. Similarly, Isaiah points out the foolishness of placing faith in a human being. In Isaiah chapter 2 verse 22 he says, cease ye of man that has breath in his nostrils for what worth is he? Isaiah is demonstrating the futility of worshiping a man. If he is dependent on a constant supply of oxygen for his own well-being, now how is he going to help you? Worship of a human being is a part of the human conscience. Yet this is what Christianity advocates, whichever way you wrap it, Christianity is pointing to a man and saying, that is God. Scripture is clear that when it comes to idolatry you should not ignore the cry of your conscience. By this definition as well, Scripture identifies worship of Jesus as idolatry. Number two, the teachings of Moses. Judaism testifies that Moses relayed an entire body of law that defines the scriptural commandments. Judaism also testifies that the law of Moses authorizes qualified sages to make decisions in order to implement scriptural law. These decisions are binding upon the entire nation. Christianity rejects this testimony. Christianity asserts that Moses taught no more than what he wrote in the five books, and he certainly didn't authorize anyone to make decisions concerning the application of God's law. But upon examining Scripture one discovers that the Christian rejection of the Jewish position is illogical. If we read Scripture with a Christian position in mind, we will find that the teachings of Moses are practically meaningless. Take the scriptural holidays as an example. God directs his people to celebrate the holiday of Passover. Anyone who eats leaven during this holiday is liable to the divine punishment of having his soul cut off. This holiday is to take place from the 14th day to the 21st day of the first month. Scripture does not tell us when this month is to begin. In fact, Scripture says nothing about the construction of a calendar. If we assume that Moses was told nothing more than what he wrote in the five books, then we are facing a serious problem. How are we expected to know when Passover is going to begin? It's obvious that God told Moses how to construct a calendar which would determine when God's holidays would be celebrated. Indeed, the Jewish people testified that Moses taught them how to construct a calendar which would determine the times of the scriptural holidays. Throughout history, this is the calendar the Jews have been following. The Jews observed the holidays according to the teachings of Moses, which were not recorded in the five books. There are many groups today who subscribe to the Christian belief system, but at the same time they attempt to observe the scriptural holidays. These people observe Passover in the same days that the Jewish nation celebrates Passover. This is hypocrisy. If indeed these people believed that Moses was taught nothing, which he did not record in the five books, they should construct their own scriptural calendar. And if they admit that there were some teachings of Moses which were not recorded in the scripture, well then they should ask themselves the following questions. How did God expect us to learn of these unwritten teachings of Moses? What means that God used to transport this information to us? If God considered the testimony of the nation a reliable means of transporting a complicated calendar, then how can these people be so confident that the testimony of this same nation is not reliable concerning simple matters such as the absolute unity of God? Scripture is equally clear concerning the authority of the teachers of Israel to render decisions concerning God's law. In Deuteronomy chapter 17, Moses directs the people to consult with the courts. The decision of the court is to be heeded. One who blatantly ignores the court decision should be put to death. Similarly, we find in two Chronicles chapter 19 how the righteous king Jehoshaphat fulfilled this directive of Moses. The chapter describes how Jehoshaphat established the courts in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. The king refers to two leaders to whom the judges can turn with their questions. One leader was to direct the courts concerning God's law while the other leader's role was to decide matters which pertain to the king. It's quite clear that the scriptures expected these judges to make decisions concerning the application of God's law. Now in Deuteronomy chapters 13 and 17, Moses directs the entire nation to participate in the execution of people involved with idolatry. It's obvious that the guilt of these lawbreakers is to be determined by a court of qualified judges. Yet the entire nation is commanded to implement the decision of these men. It's clear that not only does God authorize men to make decisions concerning the implementation of his holy law, but God also instructs the Jewish people to abide by these decisions. Number three, atonement. The Jewish belief system maintains that it is only repentance turning back to God that can achieve atonement for sin. The worship of Jesus can do nothing to help expiate sin. Christianity on the other hand maintains that it is only the worship of Jesus which achieves atonement for sin. Repentance can do nothing to achieve atonement for sin. Some prominent Christian scholars that make that repentance plays an important role in the process of expiating sin. They believe that it is repentance together with the blood of Jesus which gains God's forgiveness, but this opinion is not accepted by the vast majority of angelical Christians. The Jewish position is firmly rooted in Scripture. The book of Jonah describes how the wicked people of Nineveh were threatened with destruction. The inhabitants of that city repented and as a result, God rescinded the decree of destruction. Jonah chapter 3 verse 6 to 10. Ezekiel tells the people, and the wicked should he repent from all his sins that he has done, and he will keep all my statutes and do justice and righteousness. He shall surely live, he shall not die. All his iniquity shall not be remembered against him in the righteousness that he has done, he shall live. Now these are not isolated passages in Scripture. The concept of repentance is one of the predominant themes in Scripture. The Christian cannot point to any one verse in Scripture which will tell you that repentance does not bring about the expiation of sin, nor can the Christian find any one verse which states that worship of the Messiah can achieve atonement. The Christian attempts to assemble several scriptural themes which, when pieced together, point to the Christian system of atonement. This type of argument has an obvious weakness. Since there is no explicit scriptural quotation to support the Christian position, it must rely on speculative analysis to draw accurate conclusions from a complicated conglomeration of scriptural themes. There's simply too much room for error. When we pit this argument against the straightforward statements which support the Jewish position, we are pitting questionable human reason against the explicit Word of God. When one examines the scriptural themes which the Christians quote to support their position, it becomes clear that not only do these themes fail to lend support to the Christian argument, but also these themes actually testify against the Christian position. The Christians point to the scriptural theme of the sinful nature of man. If man is so sinful, then how can his repentance count for anything before God? Indeed, Scripture declares, how can one born of a woman be righteous? Job 15 verse 14. But this sits well with the Jewish belief system. Judaism believes that, indeed, every created being must be imperfect before God, but it is the Christian belief system which stands in contradiction to this basic scriptural teaching. The entire Christian belief system is founded upon the notion that someone born of a woman was totally righteous. The Christian Scriptures in Romans 4, for instance, quote the verse in Genesis 15, where God credited Abraham's faith to him for righteousness. The Christian argument is that only faith can count before God is righteousness, not action. But in whom did Abraham place his faith? It certainly was not Jesus. It is the Jews' faith in the words of the God of Abraham which leads him to believe all that God has taught. It is the God of Abraham who said, return to me and I shall return to you. Malachi 3 verse 7. And the Jewish nation takes God on his word. Christians point to the scriptural concept of blood sacrifice. The Law of Moses spends so much time describing the various offerings. Does this not demonstrate clearly how blood sacrifice is central to the atonement process? But what is a blood sacrifice? A blood sacrifice was an offering brought by a sinner to God's altar as an expression of his repentant heart. Some of the sacrifices were national offerings. These offerings were paid for through a fund which was replenished every year by a collection taken from each individual Jew. These offerings were brought in the temple which was built by the Jewish people. The national offerings were an expression of the entire nation's sincere desire to be reconciled with God. But according to the Christian belief system, no action on man's part could bring about atonement for sin. The blood offerings of Scripture testify that man's action can and do achieve atonement for sin. Number four, Messiah. This is how Moses describes the Messianic era. Quote, And it shall be that all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse that I have set down before you, and you will bring it to your heart amongst all the nations that the Lord your God has driven you. And you shall return to the Lord your God, and you shall hearken to his voice according to all that I command you today, you and your children with all your heart and with all your soul. And the Lord your God will return your captivity and will have compassion upon you. And he will return you and gather you from all the nations that the Lord your God has scattered you there. If your outcasts be at the ends of the heaven, from there will the Lord your God gather you, and from there will he fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your ancestors inherited and you shall inherit it. And he will do you good and he will multiply you more than your ancestors. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your children to love your God with all your heart and all your soul for the sake of your life. And the Lord your God shall place all these curses upon your enemies and upon those that hate you who have persecuted you. And you will return and hearken to the voice of the Lord and you shall do all of his commandments that I command you today. And the Lord your God will make you plentious and in all the work of your hands and the fruit of your body and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your land for good. For the Lord will turn to rejoice over you for good just as he rejoiced over your ancestors. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord your God to keep his commandments and statutes which are written in this book of teaching. When you return to the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul that's written in Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 1 through verse 10. The prophets of Scripture elaborated upon the basic messianic theme presented by Moses. The prophets describe in great detail the in-gathering of the Jewish exile, the rebuilding of the land of Israel, the temple in Jerusalem, peace on earth, and universal knowledge of God. The prophets provided a clear and unambiguous picture of the age of the Messiah. The fact that these prophecies have not yet been fulfilled tells us that the Messiah has not yet arrived. But these prophecies tell us more than that. These prophecies testify that when the Messiah does arrive he will not be a Christian. What would a Christian Messiah do in the world in which obedience to God is expressed through observance of the law of Moses? Who would the Christian Messiah teach in the world that looks to the Aaronic priests for guidance in their observance of God's law? For whom would the Christian Messiah be providing a torment in the world which sees the blood offerings of Moses being offered in the Jerusalem temple as they were in the days of old? Not only do the Jewish prophets tell us nothing about the Christian Messiah but they also leave no room for him in their vision of the future. In the face of the explicit message of the Jewish scriptures, missionaries quote the same prophets to lend support for their version of the role of the Messiah. It will suffice for us to point out that every one of the Christian proof texts is a subject of debate even amongst Christian scholars. There is no way one can honestly invoke these difficult and ambiguous passages to support a position which stands in contradiction to the entire messianic theme presented by the prophets. All in all the message of scripture is quite clear. One who reads the Jewish scriptures from cover to cover will certainly encounter many vague and ambiguous passages. At the same time he will find overall clarity concerning the most basic subjects. Scripture leaves the reader with no doubt that the Jewish people are the witnesses to whom God chose to reveal his glory. Scripture leaves the reader with no doubt that the law of Moses is a living law which applies to every generation. Scripture is abundantly clear that sincere repentance achieves God's forgiveness for sin. And finally the picture of Jewish prophets painted of the messianic age is a complete portrait which leaves no room for a dying God who is supposed to be an all atoning sacrifice. The traditional Jew was never moved by the Christian argument. When the Jew rejected Christianity it was with a confidence and with clarity. The Jew's rejection of Christianity is founded upon the testimony of an entire nation. A nation whom God himself chose as his witnesses. The clarity of the Jewish rejection is reflected in the words of the Jewish prophets. This is what empowered our nation to overcome all obstacles and preserve the message which was handed them at Sinai. That message is still intact. One more thing. The Jew never saw a need to examine the testimony of Christianity in order to expose its emptiness. A clear understanding of the Jewish testimony is all that is required for the Jew to be confident in his rejection of Christianity. The following section is included because it illustrates how an accusation that a belief system has failed in the transmission of its message can be substantiated.