Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Yitzhak Sapir wrote:
> On 11/15/06, Harold Holmyard wrote:
>   
> > Shoshanna Walker wrote:
> >
> > HH: The Bible is a theological message.
> >
> >     
> > > Yes, and it's ours - the Jews'. No matter how much others want it for
> > > themselves.
> > >       
> > HH: Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles, too.
> > Yes, of Gentiles, too.
> >     
>
>   
> > Rom. 3:1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is
> > there in circumcision?
> > Rom. 3:2 Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with
> > the very words of God.
> >     
>
> So why do you dispute Shoshanna? 

HH: The question is rather, who does Shoshanna think she is disputing? 
And what is her point? Are others not allowed to have God's word for 
themselves? Does it belong only to the Jews?  The Bible was entrusted to 
the Jews, but it no more belongs only to them than the sun does. Nor are 
the Jews the only people qualified to interpret it. God is the truth, 
and all who love the truth are welcome to search out his word. God 
belongs to all of us because we all belong to God by creation. God loves 
all of mankind, and invites all people to trust him and learn about him 
through his word.

>  Anyhow, I fail to see what this post
> has to do with the Hebrew Bible.  It is quotes from the book of Romans
> ascribed to the apostate Paul, whose identification as a Jew cannot be
> taken at face value as representative of Jewish thought, especially when
> what you are quoting is apparently how Paul represents Christianity to
> non-Jews.
>   

HH: I did not quote Paul as representative of Jewish thought but as 
representative of the truth, which was voiced by a Jew. What Paul says 
is true, whether you think he is an apostate or not. How can you 
possibly dispute what Paul said? Do you mean you think he is incorrect 
in his statements above? And how would that be?

HH: Anyway, many Jews honor Paul. There are tens of thousands of 
Messianic Jews, so your view of Paul as an apostate, while still a 
majority position among the Jews, is just one opinion. The majority can 
be in error.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard