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  • From: RSBrenchley AT aol.com
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Paul's persecution of the Church
  • Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 11:46:42 EDT


<<By 'liberation' I mean the advent of political and economic freedom on this
earth as described by the Hebrew prophets: a time of peace, prosperity and
world-wide co-operation. By 'salvation' I mean spiritual reward after death
in `the world to come' (in Jewish terms) or (in Christian terms) rescue from
hellfire and translation after death to heaven. For Jews, the Messiah
brings liberation, not salvation; whereas for Christians the Messiah, or
Christ, brings salvation. In Judaism what brings salvation for Jews (the
priest-nation) is living in accordance with the Torah, and for Gentiles (the
laity), living a decent life in accordance with the Noachic Covenant. The
term 'messiah' in its original Hebrew connotation means 'king' (literally
'anointed one') and he is primarily a political figure; every king of the
house of David had the title 'messiah'. In Christianity, the word 'messiah'
or 'christ', under the influence of Paul, received a new meaning making it a
divine title. In Judaism, the final Messiah, awaited by the Jewish people
in subjection to Rome, would unite the world in monotheism. The Jerusalem
Church consisted of believers in Judaism, not Christianity; they attended
the Temple, thus acknowledging the Jewish Aaronite priesthood, and observed
all Jewish rites. They did not practise the Eucharist, which was the new
sacrament marking off Christianity from Judaism. They regarded Jesus as
their King (which is why the leader of the Jerusalem Church was Jesus'
nearest kinsman, James, instead of Peter). It was in fact a liberationist
Jewish movement, not a breakaway religion.

With warmest good wishes,

Hyam>>

Two questions:

How clearly were these distinguished in the Judaism of the time?

The Pauline saviour/Messiah looks, at least to me, like a fulfilment of
the type of prophecy found in 4Q521, which of course mentions the Messiah,
and seems to refer to something more than political liberation. Is it
possible that some Jewish group (I dislike 'sect'; they're not sects in the
ecclesiological sense) had combined a Messianic expectation of liberation
with eschatological expectations, and thus provided a precursor for Pauline
Christianity?

Regards,

Robert Brenchley
RSBrenchley AT aol.com
Birmingham UK




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